Kitchen decorating ideas: How to create open kitchen shelves

My kitchen was looking a little drab. Then my brother gave me an accent cabinet and I decided to make use of it in my kitchen. With a few touches, this became an open shelving concept that was chic and functional. Take a look at these kitchen decorating ideas.

DIY “eat” sign

I tried to find an “eat” sign to put on top of the cabinet, but couldn’t find any that I liked. So I made one myself. I ran to the closest wood store and bought each individual letter. You can also buy them here. Then, I painted one layer of barnwood stain and then immediately wiped the stain off. It left a cool barnwood effect. You can tie some string into a bow onto one of the letters if you want for added cuteness.

Add multi-use items to shelves

Instead of decorating your open kitchen shelves with items that you’ll never use, try adding functional kitchen items that also double as cute home decor.

This gravy boat and salt and pepper shakers were a nice touch. Plus, we actually use them.

*Butter container, cute quote board, glass measuring spoons and plant.*

This butter container is my favorite. It keeps the butter fresh without having to deal with the mess. It’s always nice to find some kind of quote that can inspire you throughout the day and I use the cute glass measuring spoons all the time. Instead of the quote, you could also put a recipe book holder with a recipe book.

Simplicity is key

Don’t overcrowd your kitchen shelves with unnecessary items. I bought this glass jar and filled it with artificial lemons for added color. That’s all I needed to make this shelf look complete. Instead of lemons, you could put cookies, gumballs or even flour or sugar to make it even more functional.

Keep your kitchen kid-proof

I didn’t put the basket of paper goods on the bottom shelves on accident. Our home is full of little hands that will break anything I put there. So, I put something boring and my kids haven’t touched it at all. Plus, I have my paper goods readily available whenever I need them.