How to Style Open Shelves in Your Kitchen

Open shelving in kitchens seems to be all the craze lately- and it's showing no signs of slowing down. Decluttering is actually one of the best ways to add your own style and unique flair to your kitchen space. The team at Appliance Educator is here for the trend and will show you the best tips to transition your kitchen to the open-shelf life!

The first step is identifying which areas of your kitchen already have open shelving, or which areas you can add it to. If you don’t have open shelving already, you can pick some places that have an odd space that you need to fill, like next to an entryway or corner of a cabinet. The other option is to pick a section in your kitchen that you want open shelving, and take off the cabinet doors. If you’re not totally sold on an all open shelving kitchen, you could try just a little section of open shelving first or go half open and half closed.

The next step, and arguably the most important, is to keep your shelves neat. If your shelves aren’t organized, your beautiful kitchen shelves could be mistaken for a cluttered garage shelf instead. The key to keeping your shelves neat and tidy is to have a “home” for all of your kitchen items and decor you are planning to store on your shelves. When planning out your open-shelf look, it's important to decide a permanent home for each item you'd like to display. After determining which items you will be displaying on your shelves, start to organize where each item will be going.

One of the most popular ways to style open-shelves is to vary your items based on height. Start with taller items then accessorize with smaller items to create a balanced feel. Too many smaller items will make the shelves look cluttered while too many large items will make the shelves look plain.

Another great rule to stick to when organizing your shelves is using groups of three. Our eyes love groups of three and the visual appeal it has. Organize your items into sections of three with a mixture of heights to create an aesthetic look. Lastly, to make the shelves feel cohesive, add in some repetition. This can mean using the same set of bowls in the top corner and bottom corner or using the same piece of decor in different spots. 

Once you have all of the necessary pieces on your kitchen shelves, you can start to mix in some decor items. Plants or flowers are a great way to add some color and style to your shelves. They are easy to pop in between items or place on an empty corner of the shelf. Add more style to your shelves by throwing in pieces of decor in empty spots. Mix patterns, designs, shapes, texture, etc to create your unique look. Just be sure to stick to a similar color palette and style to avoid a cluttered and messy look. 

Remember to get creative and communicate your unique style within these shelves. Find items that fit you and the style of your kitchen. After all, you are the one who has to look at it every day. If you try out open shelving, let us know how it goes!