Kitchen Islands with shelves always seem like a great design choice, but three weeks after they’re installed you find yourself wondering how to decorate the shelves. As your kitchen Island is the centrepiece of your kitchen there’s a lot of eyes looking at it. And if you’re gone for the trend of open shelving the stress of figuring out what to put there that is visually pretty, doesn’t look like clutter, but also has a functional purpose can feel like a tall order to meet.
Choosing how to decorate your kitchen island shelves is a personal choice. Go for pieces that look good but also serve a storage purpose. Remember, a kitchen island shelf that is open so you can see what is on display is still a space to use for kitchen storage. Looking for storage that is not going to feel like clutter and that fits your visual aesthetic is key to working out how to decorate your kitchen island shelves.
The benefits decorating kitchen island shelves bring to your home
Meaningfully decorating your kitchen island shelves is important to help your kitchen feel more your own. It also means that shelves don’t become irritating places where dust collects. Decorate kitchen island shelves with the colors and style of your kitchen, but also keep in mind what you do in that area of your kitchen and choose items that can be both useful and beautiful.
Kitchen island shelves can become the focal point of your island, offering the following benefits to your kitchen style:
- A beautiful place to store memories
- Combine storage and beauty: seeing your every day items presented in a beautiful way brings a sense of happiness. You can also tell when you need to get more of essentials before you run out.
- Make your kitchen feel pretty, rather than just being full of cupboards
- It’s easier to find things you can see so choosing to store things you use often beautifully on your kitchen island shelves will make your kitchen easier to navigate.
How to style your kitchen island shelves
First things first, measure your shelves. Not just the length but the depth and the height too. The last thing you want to do is decide on one perfect piece of décor only to find it won’t fit or worse doesn’t fit the space as you imagined. Don’t leave it up to chance.
Second, think about what you want from your kitchen shelves. Is storage your main aim and if so, what do you want to store? Do you have any pets you need to mindful of that might investigate what you place on your kitchen island shelves? Do you want them to be decorative?
At this point in your kitchen design, you have probably already settled on a theme or style that you like. Continue with that theme when decorating your shelves, don’t just opt for another style in a small space as it will likely annoy you and look out of place. Whether you have a rustic feel, a minimalist design, or you favour a more eclectic and personal approach to kitchen design, keep that style flowing in your décor choices for your kitchen island shelves.
Finally, balance the practical with the decorative. Glass storage options look good, are fairly easy to maintain, and provide storage for every day items. But what can you store in your containers on your shelves?
What can I store on my kitchen island shelves that will look good?
Kitchen Island shelves are low to the ground so that is something to consider when choosing what to store. Here are some recommendations of what kitchen items you could store that will look good:
- Cook books – Yes, you have recipes on your phone, but nothing beats a cook book recipe, particularly if you have a favourite or family recipe that has been handed down.
- Sweet treats
- Tea and coffee
- Utensils and kitchenware essentials
- Spice jars
- Dried goods
- Baking goods
The choice is endless. A good way to decide is to perhaps think about what you enjoy doing in your kitchen, like baking or making different coffees. Then decorate the island shelves to showcase your kitchen passion. This will not only bring you joy and fond memories, but it will remind you to find time to indulge in what you enjoy doing in the kitchen.
Decorative items for kitchen island shelves
Display your everyday kitchen items with style on your kitchen island shelves to mix design and function as modern organic minimalists do. Use storage made from natural materials that is also air tight to keep your food fresh while maintaining a gorgeous aesthetic.
A trendy and modern design with clean lines that match the organic modern minimalist style. Making your kitchenware art is a perfect way to blend function and style in your kitchen island shelves.
Add decorative accessories
Cookbooks add texture and warmth to any shelving as they tell the story of your culinary palette. Serving both a functional purpose as storage, when cookery books are easily accessible it’s surprising what you are inspired to whip up in the kitchen. Consider breaking up a wall of books with a cookery book stand and an open cookbook to add a creative visual feel to your shelf. Or consider blending in other accessories.
Ceramic additions break up the textured and sometimes cluttered look of books. Adding in a small vase or decorative plate from your travels creates a more personal look to make your kitchen feel like your own. Whether your island shelves are narrow or wide, consider adding more than one texture to your display.
Plants are another great option to add a decorative look. Choose plants that don’t need too much sunlight when displaying them on a kitchen island shelf unless your unit directly faces a window. Succulents often do well as they aren’t tall and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Mix the natural materials you display to create balance
Mixing natural materials like glass or stone with woven textures like hemp baskets adds a natural vibe to your aesthetic. Consider using one material in a storage capacity and another to create a visual display. Like storing fruit and displaying cut flowers for a colourful visual display.
Seasonal displays
Kitchen island shelves are the perfect places to display seasonal decorations. Not only is this open space small and easy to declutter, it is also easy to add seasonal flair to decorations such as vases, ceramics, bowls or plants that you may already display. Consider adding pumpkins to bowls in autumn and pine cones in winter to bring outdoor natural elements into your kitchen décor.
Tips for Organizing Kitchen Island Shelves
Place the heavier items on lower shelves and light decorative pieces on the higher shelves. If you want to add a storage element to your shelves, place your boxes on the lower shelves where you keep heavy items out of sight while using top shelves for pretty decorations.
Remember when decorating always opt for balance by grouping your decorations in odds numbers. Consider a mix of sizes. Think a wooden circular plate with 2 bud vases and flowers from the garden next to salt and pepper mills.
Alternatively, create statements with specific pieces that you love or that are heavy, like a basalt pestle and mortar, and other heavy stone decorative items like vases and trays. Displaying any Le Creuset kitchenware on open shelving also looks good.
Lighting Considerations for Kitchen Island Shelves
Highlight you kitchen island décor with lighting to add visual depth and a sophisticated tone to your kitchen lighting. Consider using led strips to provide back lighting for your shelf. Add the strips in the join at the back on the bottom of the shelf. Books hide lower-level backlighting so it can’t be seen, and you get a stylish warm glow.
If you choose to light from the top hide your strip behind a lip at the front if you have one. If you want, you can always blend your led strip into your style so it can be seen.
String lights that can be added to vases or bowls make a nice focal point and can be seasonally adapted too.
Design mistakes to avoid
Don’t be tempted to overcrowd your shelves, less is always more. Plus it is easier to maintain the look when cleaning.
Not being true to what you like and following a design trend just to get a look. You won’t get any joy from looking at the shelves and you won’t use them.
Blend storage and design together. Kitchen islands are at the heart of the kitchen and they have a functional purpose, whether you chop, cook, or chat at them. Decorate your shelves with that purpose in mind so you can make use of the space you have. Think decorative and easy access for your kitchen items.
DIY Kitchen Island Shelf Decorating Ideas
Consider using your kitchen island shelves in a unique way. Grow herbs in mason jars that you create and label yourself. This looks pretty and is a great way to feel more involved in your cooking. You can use the herbs you grow, while having a shelf on your kitchen island that has unique DIY decoration.
You can also keep a shelf purely for seasonal decorations you create. Think flower decorations for each season or displays on a long white ceramic serving tray with jars of cooking supplies.
Conclusion
Remember to always personalise your decorations when styling you kitchen island shelves and choose décor items you love. Whether you choose to light your decorations, opt for natural elements, or add storage baskets to keep your kitchen items safe, kitchen island shelves should combine purpose and beauty.
FAQs
How do you decorate kitchen island shelves without making them look cluttered?
Decorate in uneven numbers and don’t overload your shelves with items. Less is always more when decorating a kitchen island shelf.
What are some budget-friendly ideas for decorating kitchen island shelves?
Create your own decorations like mason jar plant pots to fill with herbs or pick up a couple of cheap bud vases to display flowers from the garden. Use you kitchenware as artwork, displaying fruit bowls or serving platters.
How often should I update my kitchen island shelf décor?
Updating your kitchen island shelf décor seasonally is a great way to bring nature inside and add seasonal hues to your kitchen. From pumpkins in fall, flowers in spring, to Christmas baubles in a bowl in Winter, your kitchen island shelves are the perfect place to add seasonal trends to your home.
