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How to Style Your Kitchen Cabinet Tops with Colorful, Modern Flair

If you're looking to add personality and visual interest to your kitchen, one often overlooked area is the top of your cabinets. This out-of-sight spot actually presents ample decorating potential. By styling your kitchen cabinet tops with colorful, modern pieces, you can create a fresh, on-trend look for your cooking space.

Follow these decorating tips to transform the tops of your cabinets into a functional and fashionable display.

Mix and Match Materials for Eclectic Texture

When selecting decorative items for your kitchen cabinet tops, opt for a dynamic mix of materials like metal, wood, ceramic, glass, and wicker. The blend of matte, shiny, painted, and textured finishes creates visual interest.

decor on top of kitchen cabinets

Incorporate handmade pottery or vintage finds to add character. For an eclectic look, combine pieces in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Asymmetric arrangements have an organic, collected-over-time feel.

Incorporate Pops of Bold Color

Don't be afraid to go bold with bright pops of color atop your kitchen cabinets! Painted boxes or trays in hues like cobalt blue and mustard instantly draw the eye. Display vibrant dishes and glassware to tie the colors into the overall kitchen scheme.

Vivid greens and citrus orange work well with both cool modern spaces and warm traditional kitchens. The cabinet tops present the perfect platform for fearless color expressions.

Style Meaningful Collections for Visual Interest

Turn your treasured collections into eye-catching displays along the tops of your cabinets. Showcase collections of plates, mugs, boxes, or any items meaningful to you. This is a great way to tell a style story and highlight passions and hobbies.

Rotate seasonal collections or antique finds to keep the look novel. Make sure to group like-colors together and combine various heights and shapes for maximum impact.

Create Asymmetrical Vignettes for Organic Feel

Avoid rigid symmetry and opt for free-form arrangements with items placed at varying heights and widths. Combine baskets, trays, books, and artwork to craft unique vignettes. Leave some negative space between groupings to keep the look airy.

Display special pieces like plants, candleholders, or cake stands alone as sculptural focal points. The mix of clustered and solo items makes the tops of your cabinets into an artful composition.

Incorporate Modern Artwork for Personality

Make a design statement and reflect your style with modern artwork placements along the tops of your cabinets. Try displaying graphic black and white photography for dramatic pops of contrast. Hang or prop painting and prints with bold colors and patterns to instantly draw the eye.

Sculptural pieces also make unexpected and striking focal points. Let your cabinet tops serve as mini art galleries to exhibit your favorite pieces.

Use Greenery to Bring Nature In

Bring a bit of lively nature into your kitchen with plants and succulents atop your cabinets. Snake plants, ferns, and succulents thrive in the indirect sunlight of most kitchens. Match the plant's light needs to the location to help them flourish.

A trio of succulents or trail of ivy vines add fresh pops of green, while also naturally filtering the air. Just be sure to water cabinet-top plants regularly so they continue thriving in your kitchen.

Add Pendant Lights for Form and Function

Take your kitchen cabinet decor to the next level by incorporating pendant lights into the mix. Hanging pendant lights over a kitchen sink or island provide task lighting while also serving as striking sculptural fixtures.

Under-cabinet lighting showcases any decor you've styled along the tops, creating a warm glow during evening kitchen tasks. Lighting adds function and flair.

Style with Everyday Dishware for a Lived-In Look

Bring visual interest to the tops of your kitchen cabinets by displaying pretty teacups, mugs, bowls, and dishes you actually use every day. The mix of patterns and solids in materials like ceramic, wood, and metal brings an authentic, lived-in feel.

Rotate pieces seasonally for a fresh look, or add new handmade pottery to the mix. Seeing items you use daily adds comfort and homeyness.

Incorporate Unexpected Decor Items

Think outside the box when styling your kitchen tops. Books, vases, candles, baskets, and trays all make for functional decor. Baskets corral small appliances, while trays neatly display and contain items.

Focus on purposeful, tasteful objects that complement your style. Avoid clutter and go for a curated mix of favorite items to keep the look polished.

Revamping the overlooked tops of your kitchen cabinets presents the perfect chance to add colorful, modern personality to your cooking space. With vibrant hues, meaningful collections, and sculptural lighting, your kitchen takes on an energized, on-trend feel.

Let your cabinet tops reflect your personal tastes and showcase decor you'll enjoy displaying. Keep the look fresh by rotating new finds as you update your style. Soon your kitchen cabinets will become one of your favorite decorating canvases.