Reimagine Your Kitchen Space with Clever Open Shelf Decorating
Open shelves are an oftentimes overlooked way to add style, function, and personality to your kitchen. With some thoughtful planning and decorative touches, you can transform those open spaces into an eye-catching focal point.
Follow our tips below on how to artfully style your open kitchen shelves to reimagine your whole kitchen aesthetic.
Determine Your Desired Aesthetic and Style
When decorating open shelves, first consider the existing style of your kitchen. Is it modern with clean lines? Farmhouse chic with wood elements? Metropolitan industrial? You'll want your shelf decor to complement and enhance that overall aesthetic for a cohesive and purposeful look.
Once you land on a style, keep it in mind as you select all decorative elements for your shelves. For example, incorporate antique stoneware canisters and ceramic mixing bowls for a cottage kitchen. Or opt for sleek matching glassware and stainless steel containers if your kitchen skews contemporary.
Popular Kitchen Themes
- Modern - glassware, stainless steel, ceramic, accent colors
- Farmhouse - wooden crates, woven baskets, ceramic pitchers, pastel colors
- Industrial - black wire shelves, metal containers, factory carts, edison bulbs
Strategize Your Open Shelf Layout
When incorporating open shelving into your existing kitchen, properly planning where and how to install them is key both for aesthetic and functional reasons. Consider the size, lighting, and depth available in different zones of your kitchen.
Ideal Shelf Placement
Typical spots for open shelves include above the sink or stove for glassware and dish storage, alongside the refrigerator to continue counter space, or as a focal point on an island or blank wall. Think about traffic flow and accessibility as you choose placement.
| Height | Consider ergonomics for comfortable access to items - not too high or low. |
| Depth & Width | Accommodate items like plates, cookbooks, small appliances. |
| Lighting | Incorporate task lighting above or below to highlight items. |
| Extra Storage | Add racks, baskets for concealed storage within the shelves. |
Curate Your Shelf Display Contents
When it comes to decorating your open shelves, you'll need to edit down from all your kitchen items to a thoughtful, curated selection to display. Prioritize your most used and beloved items alongside some personalized flair.
Style Functional Items
First, place the everyday mugs, dishes, glassware, and cooking tools you utilize most in convenient-to-reach spots.Then artfully arrange other visually appealing accessories around them - vases, cookbooks, ceramic pieces.
Incorporate Greenery
Mini potted herb gardens or low-maintenance succulents bring life to shelves. Opt for ceramic planters in colors that pop against your palette.
Add Pops of Color
Incorporate bright and multi-colored items like lemon-yellow mixing bowls, robin's egg blue glassware, and vibrant dish towels to add points of contrast.
Unify Your Color Scheme
Be strategic in selecting a color palette with no more than four complementary hues for your open shelves. Contrast a neutral base color like white with two to three pops of brighter accent shades.
Keep variety in texture - glass, metal, wood elements. But limit the color palette itself to keep things cohesive. Having too many competing colors looks chaotic rather than curated.
Sample Color Combos
- White dishes, wood elements, black wire racks, green plants
- Clear glassware, copper pans, marble canisters, blue ceramic pieces
Play with Styling and Arrangement
You likely have a mix of kitchen items in different shapes, sizes and dimensions to display. Play around with creating separate vignettes for a balanced look.
Display Tips
- Group like items together - dishes, cookbooks
- Incorporate risers for height variety
- Angle items facing forward
Avoid simply lining everything up in rows, which looks one-dimensional. Craft mini scenes with related pieces to imitation how items might be showcased in a home goods store.
Refresh the Look Over Time
One perk of open shelves is that you can easily rotate out pieces compared to fixed cabinetry. Replace items that you don't use or are tired of.
Additionally, add seasonal touches like fall accents or holiday serveware to freshen up the look for special occasions through the year.
Aim to fully re-organize your shelves once or twice a year to rediscover forgotten items and rearrange everything with a renewed sense of space.
With an afternoon of planning and decorating, open shelves can utterly transform the aesthetic of your kitchen. Implement the tips above to turn those open spaces into an eye-catching focal feature brimming with your personality and favorite items.
You'll gain visual appeal and stylish functionality all in one. So embrace the creative possibilities of open shelf decor!