Style Tips: Kitchen Shelves

Photo Credit: Charlotte Lea Photography

Finalizing all the items on these two floating shelves took more time than I’d like to admit. When I am working on a client project, strict timelines force me to make decisions super fast, but when it comes to my own home, I am always willing to take my time and wait until things feel right…even though it drives my husband a little crazy. I broke my simple process down into three steps-

Step one: the first thing I think of when I start sourcing items for open shelves (especially in the kitchen) is the 80/20 rule. About 80% of items should be functional––cups, plates, bowls, etc.––items you’ll use regularly and around 20% of items are decorative––art, vases, etc.––that you won’t need on a daily bases. Make a list of the functional items you need/ want to place on the shelves. Typically most of the functional items are placed on the lower shelves to make them easily accessible and more decorative pieces will usually placed on a higher shelf. Once you figure out the functional items, you can easily figure out the decorative pieces to fill in the empty spots. In this kitchen, I knew I wanted my salad plates and small bowls on the lower shelf because they are the items we use daily. Just remember, whether you’re styling two floating shelves in a kitchen or an entire bookcase in an office, using the 80/20 rule will make the project feel much more manageable. If you add the functional pieces first, you’ll usually be pleasantly surprised at how much space these items take up. Then you’ll just need to source the decorative items to fill in the bare spots.

Step two: in any styling situation––work or personal––I always try to set aside 1-3 special or sentimental items. I think having a few special touches, even in a kitchen, make your space feel unique and different. When it came time to style my kitchen shelves, I knew I wanted to have an unexpected piece of art on the top shelf. I pulled from our own collection and added a vintage piece that we purchased in Shanghai when we lived there 10 years ago. I loved how it added a little pop of color that complemented the deep blue cabinets. Then I added the Moonlight vase my husband bought me from Velvet Bones. After selecting these sentimental pieces, I only had room for a few more items without the shelves looking crowded and overly accessorized. I decided to add a big geometric vase to fill in the top shelf and one more pop of color with this *Equinox bowl. *This bowl has become one of my favorites. I bring it down a lot and use it for different occasions.

Step three: make sure you have an interesting mix of sizes and materials. You don’t want things to look too structured and uniform. I made sure the stacks of bowls and plates weren’t even so they would vary in height. I also knew I needed to add a little more texture so I sourced a speckled ceramic vase (the best Target find) on the counter with a pretty orchid. The last and final touch were the stacked vintage dough bowls that I placed on the counter.

This little corner has become one of my favorite spaces in our home. We love to host and cook for our friends and family so making our kitchen feel warm and inviting was a must.