Level Up Your Kitchen Design With Stunning Shelves

If your kitchen features boring, basic shelves or dated upper cabinets, it may be time for an upgrade. Open shelving creates a lighter, more spacious look and provides the perfect opportunity to add some serious style. Transforming your shelving from purely functional to a gorgeous focal point is surprisingly achievable with the right design techniques and decor ideas.

Follow our guide to take your kitchen shelves from drab to fab. We'll share clever tips for preparing, styling and embellishing your shelves so they become a standout feature that wows.

Step 1: Prepare Your Shelves for a Makeover

Before you can unleash your inner interior designer, it's important to start with a blank canvas. Completely clear everything off your existing shelves so you have a fresh foundation for building your new look.

Give shelves a thorough clean to remove any dust, grime or splatters that may have accumulated. Check carefully for any repairs your shelving unit may need before decorating, like tightening loose brackets, fixing scratches or touching up paint.

Step 2: Style Using Height and Scale

When styling open shelves, consider the height and scale of items you place. Begin by situating some of your tallest decorative elements on the shelves first. This could include:

• Extra-large vases or urns
• Tall kitchen plants
• Stacked cookbooks
• Cutting boards stood upright and leaned against the wall

Positioning vertical elements at intervals first provides anchoring points across your shelves. Fill in the spaces between with ceramic pieces, trays, bowls, and glassware to unite the shelves compositionally.

Achieve Balance Through Scale Contrasts

The key is combining large, medium and small-scale items in balanced groupings. If items are all too uniform in size, shelves may appear monotonous. If pieces are too varied and chaotic, it looks messy.

Aim for around 50/30/20 distribution - 50% larger objects to anchor, 30% mid-sized vessels and glassware, and 20% small decorative items. This formula works visually by allowing the eye to flow smoothly.

Step 3: Incorporate Essentials With Style

While the goal is enhancing your shelves' appearance, most kitchens still require them to store and display functional tableware. The good news is you don't have to choose between practicality and pretty. Use both in thoughtful styling:

• Mix in everyday dishes, mugs and glasses
• Select tableware and serveware with attractive, on-trend designs vs basic white porcelain
• Balance useful pieces with sculptural/decorative vases, trays, ceramic pieces

Edited, purposeful mix ensures your shelves don't become cluttered or overly precious. Tip: Store lesser-used items in lower cabinets to keep favorite pieces on display.

Quality Over Quantity

When incorporating tableware into your shelf style, avoid going for quantity over quality. A couple high-end handmade mugs or artisan stoneware plates make more impact than a whole shelf of cheap basics. Elevate everyday objects into display-worthy accessories.

Step 4: Play With Texture

Beyond color and shape variety, different tactile textures also help shelves feel curated. Try blending:

• Natural wooden cutting boards and serveware
• Ceramic, metal and glass vessels
• Stoneware mixing bowls
• Woven baskets
• Straw or rattan placemats

Contrasting materials creates depth and dimension. Graduated sizes, neutral color palettes, and complementary textures ensure shelves read harmonious rather than haphazard.

Feature Natural Elements

Use items crafted from wood, rattan, stone and other organic materials to echo natural kitchen environments. Handmade and artisanal accessories also inject personality.

Step 5: Add Pops of Green With Plants

What easier way to bring life and vibrancy to shelves than with greenery? Dot in a trailing vine, mini potted herbs, succulents or seasonal blooms. Plant choices like:

• Spider plants
• Sweet potato vine
• Rosemary
• Aloe vera
• African violets

Positioned alongside your favorite cookware and tableware, plants create an inviting, lived-in look. Use faux botanicals if you don't have a green thumb!

Grow An Indoor Garden

Take the nature theme up a notch by dedicating a shelf solely to edible plants. Style a mini indoor herb or vegetable garden with pots of basil, parsley, thyme and tomatoes.

Step 6: Finish With Overall Kitchen Design

The final step to polished, designer-worthy shelves is considering how they coordinate with your overall kitchen aesthetic. Try to:

• Paint the backs of shelves the same tone as base kitchen cabinetry for a unified palette
• Style shelves with finishes that match or complement cabinets and hardware
• Allow shelves to intentionally contrast and become a unique focal point in the kitchen

Most importantly, make sure your dream shelves reflect your personal tastes. Display treasured cookbooks, locally-crafted ceramics and favorite family heirlooms. Blend style with sentimentality.

If using open shelving to replace upper cabinets, select a wall color to suit your new focal point. A vibrant shade echoing accent ceramic or glassware pieces makes the whole wall pop.

You can change ordinary kitchen shelves into extraordinary displays. Follow our guide to prepare, style, embellish and polish your shelves so they elevate your whole kitchen's aesthetic.