Our Best Tips for Styling Open Shelves in the Kitchen
THE FARMHOUSE
We’re big fans of open shelves in kitchens! Since buying our first home in 2008, we’ve added shelving to all but one of our 9 kitchen remodels. Why? Because open shelves are inexpensive to build, make it easy to grab everyday items, and provide the perfect spot to showcase beautiful things. What’s not to love, right?! Of course to make open shelves look their best, a little bit of styling is in order. So today I wanted to share my 5 favorite tips for styling open shelves in the kitchen.
Our Farmhouse kitchen, Cathy’s tank, bread pan, other sources here
This post has been a long time coming. Like a decade long. I’m not sure why I never got around to writing it, but last month Rejuvenation asked me for a few tips on styling open shelves for their Instagram channel. So I finally dove in. I shared 3 tips with them but I whole lot more to share. Let’s get into it…
Why I love open shelves
I know that open shelves aren’t for everyone, but here’s why I love them in a kitchen. First, they’re easy and inexpensive to build. Like so much cheaper than buying a cabinet. And they’re also super practical for everyday items like plates, bowls, cups, and mugs. When we’re serving up oatmeal in the morning, the bowls are right there. And same with lunch and dinner - no cabinet opening required. And as a real bonus for entertaining, when guests come over, they don’t have to look inside every cabinet for a plate.
And of course, open shelves are the perfect opportunity to showcase beautiful things. And who couldn’t use a little beauty in their kitchen?
Now to the main attraction, how to make open shelves look their best. Psst: be sure to keep scrolling for a video of my styling these shelves!
Our favorite Tips for Styling Open Shelves in the Kitchen
This is the magic formula that works for me:
Tip 1 // Something functional, something old or nostalgic, and something green or edible
When thinking about what to put on your shelf, my perfect mix includes something functional, something old (or nostalgic-inducing), and something that’s green or edible. That’s not everything that will go on my shelf, but it’s enough to insure you have interest and functionality.
Tip 2 // Play around with scale and shape
I have flat plates, round bowls, tall things, and short things on this shelf. It keeps the shelf interesting.
Tip 3 // Minimal colors
I try to stick with 3 and maybe 4 colors on a shelf to insure a it feels interesting and not overwhelming or messy. White, wood, and black are my main colors here.
Tip 4 // Share a collection
Open shelves are a great spot to display collections or liked-kind items. Here we have repetitive bowls and plates. But I’d love to see a collection of iron ware or old crocks lined up here too.
Tip 5 // Set it and then forget it
Take your time with staging. I like to get it set one day and then give us a little time to live with it and see how we’re liking the look and functionality of it.
styling video
In case you’re a visual person, I filmed myself styling these shelves and you can see that below!
Want more tips on styling? Sarah at Room For Tuesday does a great job styling and shared a post with her basics here.
That’s all of my favorite tips for stying open shelves! I’d love to hear if you have any other tips. And for those of you on Pinterest, here’s an image to pin for later use! Happy styling!
