30 Kitchen Shelving Decor Ideas to Create a Beautiful Space

Ready to update your kitchen? Consider replacing upper cabinets with open shelving for a more open, airy feel.

Don’t let the fear of clutter stop you – with smart organization, open shelves are both stylish and practical.

Choose materials that harmonize or contrast with your kitchen’s design.

Curate your shelves with essentials (dishes, glasses, cookware) and decorative accents (plants, display-worthy bowls). Relocate lesser-used items to closed storage.

Explore open shelving concepts to bring a fresh, modern look to your kitchen, whether it’s a full renovation or a smaller makeover.

Stack Your Cookware

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Hanging pots and pans makes them easier to reach when you go to cook.

But what if you have more pots than hooks?

Use the shelves above it to stack more! It’s so pretty when your cookware matches, too.

Frame Your Stove

PinBuff Strickland

If you have a stove hood, it might be hard to put shelves up directly over your cooktop.

But do what Ree Drummond did in her new house: frame the sides with extra shelves to utilize the extra space.

Go Vertical

Pinalvarez//Getty Images

While most ideas you’ll see take up a lot of horizontal space, if you don’t have it, don’t fret!

Even a narrow spot in your kitchen can offer a lot of extra space if you go vertical.

Go from the floor to the ceiling!

Add an Edge to Your Backsplash

PinBuff Strickland

When Ree and her sister Betsy redesigned Sister House, they added a lip to the backsplash over the stove.

Not only does it give a finished look, but it doubles as a shallow shelf to display pictures and keep your salt and pepper handy.

Mix Shelving Usage

PinBulgac//Getty Images

Especially if you’ve got a small space, don’t be afraid to mix the shelf storage to maximize your needs.

Stack your everyday plates and cups on one, your go-to pantry staples on another, and even add a few decorations to personalize.

Hang a Shelf Over the Stove

PinBuff Strickland

Hang a long decorative shelf over your stove, just like Ree Drummond has in her kitchen at The Lodge.

This shelf is hung with rope and used to display colorful dinnerware.

Display Appliances

PinKevin J. Miyazaki

Steal Ree’s style by using your shelves to show off your favorite kitchen appliances, as she does here in her pantry.

You’re likely to use them more often when they’re so easy to access.

Display Your Utensils

PinAlison Gootee

With open shelves, function is a top priority!

Use them to display the items you reach for on a daily basis, like your favorite cooking utensils.

Make a Pantry Display

PinAna Drr / EyeEm//Getty Images

Glass jars keep oats, herbs, pasta, and cereal fresh and look super cute lined up together.

Plus, they’re the perfect excuse to design your own adorable labels jar labels.

Add Hints of Copper

PinDavid Tsay

Add copper accents on your shelves for a touch of rustic glam.

These look even better against an emerald green backsplash.

See more at Justina Blakeney.

Display Antiques

PinKevin J. Miyazaki

Open shelves are a perfect opportunity to show off your favorite antiques.

These silver platters, glass bowls, and wooden boards look beautiful on display together.

Add Ambient Lighting

PinThrifty Decor Chick

Showcase your beautiful dishware with lights like an art gallery!

While this blogger talks about under cabinet lighting, her DIY lights can easily be applied to open shelves.

See more at Thrifty Decor Chick.

Layer Plates

PinAlison Gootee

If you have plates that aren’t often seen, go ahead and use them to fill your shelves.

A row of equally colorful cookbooks will add an extra pop.

Embrace Rustic Wood

Pin Becca Interiors

Floating shelves in a farmhouse-style kitchen are often made from stained or reclaimed wood, which looks great in most spaces.

These wooden shelves are given some additional rustic flair with wire hooks supporting each shelf, ultimately supported by the exposed wooden beam ceiling above.

Accent With Open Shelving

Pin Tyler Karu Design

In many instances, open shelving surrounds a range hood evenly on both sides so the entire look feels symmetrical and balanced.

However, consider switching up your kitchen storage by instead opposing some open shelving with hanging storage. 

Create an Open Pantry

Pin Velinda Hellen for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

If you have spare space in your kitchen—whether that be a wall or even a kitchen island–but no pantry, install open shelving to make your space more functional.

This project will help you keep a more organized pantry, and the visibility will help you know exactly how much you have left of certain dry goods.

Remove Cabinet Doors

Pin Arbor & Co.

The easiest way to update your kitchen without going through an entire remodel is to remove the doors from existing cabinets.

To add more of a wow factor, consider painting the interior of your cabinets in a different color. 

Embrace Symmetry

Pin Calimia Home

A pair of chunky wood open shelves on either side of the kitchen sink is a convenient place to keep everyday dishware visible and accessible. 

Calimia Home created a symmetrical arrangement on opposite sides of the window above the sink, hanging wall sconces above the shelving to provide an extra layer of lighting.

The natural wood shelves adds warmth against the bright white backsplash tile.

Create a Coffee Bar

Pin Becca Interiors

If you wake up every morning in need of a cup of coffee, consider using open shelving to create a coffee bar in your kitchen.

This project can be as simple as adding a couple of open shelves above the coffee pot or espresso machine at the end of the main countertop or in a niche as seen here.

Pair Glass and Brass

Pin Jessica Nelson Design

Open shelving isn’t limited to farmhouse style.

There are numerous ways you can design shelves to fit in with your aesthetic.

For a more modern look, consider gold and brass finishes in more geometric patterns, and opt for glass instead of wooden shelves to lighten up the look.

Maximize Open Shelf Space

Pin Studio Peake

In most traditional kitchen layouts, there is a shorter cabinet placed above the sink.

To create a more airy feel, remove that cabinet and opt for a couple of well-placed shelves instead.

This area can be an ideal storage space for dish soaps and anything you don’t mind being exposed to moisture from the sink.

It can also work in your favor to set shelves higher up to store glasses, mugs, and other decor that you want to display.

Many houseplants will thrive in this location. 

Install Corner Shelves

Pin Velinda Hellen for Emily Henderson / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

It’s easy enough to run open shelving along an entire wall and stop it at the end.

Instead, consider creating a right angle and making use of the corner space, too.

Since most corners are relatively hidden from view, you can use this space for microwaves and other less attractive kitchen appliances and gadgets.

You can also opt for items that aren’t used as often, to keep those corners covered.

Play With Styling

Pin Cathie Hong

Perhaps the most fun and challenging part about open shelving is the styling.

Once you get the hang of how items group together, styling becomes easier and more enjoyable.

Keep your color palette simple for a more streamlined look. 

Add in greenery using houseplants with differing textures for a mood-boosting dose of greenery.

Add Pops of Color

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Style your kitchen shelves with brightly colored décor and glassware to make the space feel more welcoming, which is what Bryan Yates of Yates Desygn did in this kitchen.

“Our goal for this project was to utilize the shelves to transform the clients’ once dark and dated kitchen into a cheerful, Southern space with easy access to everyday glassware,” he says.

Yates decorated the shelves with white-and-blue bowls, colorful glassware, and a fruit bowl filled with bright green apples to achieve his vision.

Repurpose an Antique Cabinet

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Repurpose a historic cabinet for shelving to meld vintage and new elements in a sophisticated way.

“This shelf was from the original house and painstakingly restored and integrated into the kitchen in a new spot to hold glassware,” says O’Connor.

Create a Curated Look

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While a kitchen should be functional first and foremost, it should also echo the rest of your home’s aesthetic—and shelves are the perfect opportunity to do so.

“By adding and layering art and accessories, you can achieve a curated, designer look that generates visual interest,” says Tracee Murphy of Trade Mark Interiors.

Break Up Appliances

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Break up big kitchen appliances by installing shelving in between them.

“Two refrigeration units, separated by open shelving, offer a beautiful and functional space to display serving pieces and everyday essentials,” says cabinet craftsmen O’Brien Harris.

“The shelves break up the cabinetry’s elevation, adding visual interest, and float above a stone counter that provides a practical area for prepping items from the refrigeration units.”

Opt for a Small Shelf

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Even a small shelf in the kitchen packs a major design punch, which is evidenced by this design by NAVYBLACK Studio and PROjECT.interiors.

For this tableau, they created a small ledge made of honed Calacutta Lincoln that’s perfect for holding small decorative pieces like artwork and taper candles.

Use Live-Edge Floating Shelves

PinDIY in PDX

Installing these floating shelves instantly transforms a kitchen wall.

The live-edge shelves pair beautifully with white dinnerware and a selection of plants.

See more at DIY in PDX.

Keep It Simple

PinKevin J. Miyazaki

These wood shelves match the butcher block below.

Don’t worry about how you arrange your dishes or glasses—anything goes!

Hang Pots and Pans By Size

PinSebastian Schollmeyer / EyeEm//Getty Images

Hanging pots are a great way to give your kitchen a rustic-chic edge and when you line them up by size, it makes cooking a breeze!

The same can be said for pans and cooking utensils.

Mix Wood and Whites

PinStacey Brandford

Wood shelves pop against this gray and white kitchen.

These shelves are so gorgeous that pretty much anything you put on them will look fantastic.

See more at Lark and Linen.

Be Practical

PinThe Merrythought

Storing everyday items likes pots, pans, and dinnerware on your open shelves is an easy way to avoid dust piling up.

You’ll be moving these items around constantly, so they’ll be cleaned often.

See more at The Merrythought.

Use Pops of Greenery

PinRooms for Rent Blog

Dot your shelves with small potted plants for pops of greenery, especially in a sunny corner of your kitchen.

This blogger also includes design tips on how to style your items.

See more at Rooms for Rent Blog.

Go for the Gold

PinAddison’s Wonderland

Your eye goes goes straight to the striking gold shelves in this chic kitchen.

Placing decorative pitchers, vases, and plants on them will maximize the look.

See more at Addison’s Wonderland.

Match Shelves to Cabinets

PinAvery Michaels / Holland Avenue Home

Taking the doors off side-by-side cabinets is an easy way to dip your toe into the open shelving idea.

The wall behind these shelves was painted to match the cabinets below, drawing the room together.

See more at Holland Avenue Home.