6 Tips for Styling Open Shelving in a Kitchen

As one of the newest trends in kitchen decor, we thought we should explore just how people make open shelving work in their space. Brit Pierce chronicles her constant mini home makeovers on her blog, House Updated, Instagram, and right here on IBT where she shared her master bedroom! Her personal kitchen features many gorgeous elements, one of which is open wooden shelves that make a BIG impact. So, who better to share a few tips for styling open shelving in a kitchen than her?

1. In the kitchen function is key. Start by making sure your most often used dishes are easily accessible and build from there.  For our kitchen I kept our most often used plates closest to the dishwasher for easy unloading and our serving dishes furthest away.

2. Deciding on a color palette can help open shelves feel cohesive and less cluttered, even when filled with many dishes and objects.  I stick with all white but then layer in different colors with the season.  For summer, blush is the perfect accent while during the holidays I add in more metallics like copper, and silver.

3. To keep the eye interested and moving along the shelves, use varying heights, shapes, and layers of dishes and objects. Stacks of dishes are always a great solution. And be sure to balance out any color. For these shelves I mixed the blush accents in with the white, but kept them balanced so one shelf doesn’t look too color heavy.

4. Books are always a good idea. Keep them in your color palette or turn them around so just the pages show forward.

5. Adding in natural greenery really helps keep the styling fresh and adds the perfect organic element.

6. To keep open shelves from being too generic, make sure you add in some favorite objects and even art.  Art brings in color and personality and adding favorite objects, like my collected mortars and pestles, add a personal touch.

What are your best tips for a functional, beautiful kitchen?

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