HOW TO ACCESSORIZE AND STYLE YOUR KITCHEN SHELVES AND CABINETS
Are you at a loss for ideas on what to do with your kitchen shelves? What about the beautiful glass cabinets you have - are they showing more of your clutter than your style? Finding the perfect items to be displayed can be harder than it seems. That’s why I am here to help you with a step by step guide on how to simplify and stylize your visible kitchen shelves and cabinets!
Step 1: Remove everything from your shelves, counter-tops, and glass cabinets — yes, I mean everything! Even if its something you want to use again, clear the space for now. This is to give you a fresh palette to work with. If you have a blank slate, you may find new ways to use items. Now that everything is clear, use this opportunity to clean off the dust — especially from the pesky top shelves!
Step 2: Gather all the items that you can use. This could include dishes such as; cake stands, serving bowls, white plates, and white mugs. This could also include useful or needed items like flour and sugar canisters, cutting boards, cookbooks, mortar and pestle, or decorative items (such as framed photos or natural items like succulents, shells, driftwood and antlers.)
Step 3: Start to place the items that you use more frequently on the lower, more accessible shelves. Items such as coffee mugs, flour/sugar canisters, and serving bowls.
Putting the most used items down below merges function with style!
Step 4: Create visual interest in scale, both wide and vertical, without over cluttering. What does this look like? It could mean stacking 2 or 3 cookbooks with an object on top or having some cake plates out — both of these help to create visual height. If you are using your cookbooks as part of a display, this is exactly the time to start judging a book by its cover! Choose the prettiest, hardback cookbooks you own. Save the ugly, softcover, and spiral bound cookbooks for the drawers that you cannot see!
Step 5: Achieve balance. This means that your bulkier items should be dispersed throughout the lengths of your shelves, not just concentrated on one area.
Step 6: Create groupings of 2 - 4 items. Some shelves could have one group of 3 - 4 items, while another shelf could have 2 separate clusters of 2 - 4 items.
Step 7: Vary your placement of textures, natural elements, and metal finishes.
Step 8: Less is more! Make sure you go back to edit your work… don’t put everything you have on the shelves. A little can go a long way.
Remember, it isn’t necessary to fill the entire space. Be bold, yet simplistic.
Step 9: Take steps back as you place items on the shelves to get a deeper perspective and to make sure that your groupings balance out.
Once you are finished, you should have a well-blended and well-balanced kitchen. Don’t forget to consider some cohesiveness of color — for example, all-white dishes, with pops of other colors and natural materials. You can also use these same steps for a small vignette on your countertop!
Did you do something or add something that worked brilliantly for your kitchen shelves? You can share your own tips in the comments below!