If you are anything like me, you find joy in beautiful home interiors. I love seeing stylized and organized homes in magazines, on Pinterest and throughout my Instagram feed. Not only are they beautiful, but they inspire me when it comes to designing my own space.
Recently, I’ve gotten really into the #shelfie movement. I’ve had my fair share of practice when it comes to mastering the art of shelf styling, one of the things I love about interior design is that you can move just a few things around and give a room a whole new look and feeling. This is something I like to do every once in awhile, when I’m feeling creative or even more so when I’m in need of a creative boost. And especially come the new year (hello!) when everyone is going all #Kondo on their spaces!
Ever since we purchased our home, and then began remodeling, I KNEW I wanted kitchen open shelves… and I’m still SO GLAD we added them to our space. So now? It’s all about styling them!
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Related: See our full kitchen makeover here!
When it comes to creative expression I definitely think that you shouldn’t feel like you have to fit into someone else’s style mold. That being said, sometimes having a few guidelines can help us find our own version of a style.
Here are 5 tips I’ve learned over the years that have helped me find my personal home interior style and to truly perfect that subtle art of styling kitchen open shelves
1. Start with Everyday Essentials.
While the majority of us love the look of open shelves in magazines, it isn’t always an easy look to achieve at home because you have to actually put the bowls and items you use on your shelves. When we decided to do open shelves in our kitchen, I started being even more selective with the kitchen items I purchased; making sure the everyday items were ones that I truly loved and wouldn’t mind displaying. (AKA sparking joy!)
2. Think about your Color Palette.
One of the easiest ways to get that pulled together, organized look that you see on all the blogs and Pinterest is to look at your items and decide on 1-3 main colors. I personally like to stick to grey, white and black with bits of wood and gold.
But during certain seasons, for example, the holiday season, I add in pops of red or during the spring I’ll add in pink or teal for a fun colorful addition to my kitchen open shelves. So feel free to go crazy with your own color favorites!
3. Use White or Neutrals to Ground the Look.
Using a neutral base color brings balance and gives your shelf a clean and consistent look. The great thing about neutrals? White isn’t the only neutral color, and in fact, blacks, grays and blues like navy are also considered neutral in the design world. So choose your favorite and use it as a grounding color.
4. Add a Statement Piece or Art.
One of the ways to pull together your kitchen open shelves is to treat them the same way you would a book shelf. Don’t be afraid to mix in your favorite vase or prints, and feel free to throw in a stack of cook books and a figurine.
5. Bring in natural elements.
Lastly, just like every other area of the home, your kitchen open shelves will benefit from a little green. Be sure to find a few succulents or plants to scatter among your plates and other items. If you don’t have a green thumb, invest in some nicely made faux greenery.
How to Style Your Kitchen Open Shelves
When you’ve gathered the goods and you’re ready to get started, clear EVERYTHING off of your kitchen open shelves and begin with a clean slate. When I’m putting items together on the shelves, I like to mix heights and textures, and remember the rule of THREE… everything looks better in threes.
Really though, this part is a little bit of trial and error. Move things around until you find a grouping you like!
Also, think practically… you may not want the plates that you use DAILY on the top shelf where it’s more difficult to reach. Keep the items you need more often within reach, and then the items that are used a little less often, like a cake stand or strainer, can go a little higher on your beautiful kitchen open shelves.
Obviously, these are just loose tips to get you started on finding your own version of the perfect kitchen open shelves. I’d love to see what you all come up with, be sure to share your perfect shelf style and tag me at on Instagram! I’ll be sure to check them out and I’ll share some of my faves on my Instagram stories.
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