What To Put On Open Kitchen Shelves? (15 Ideas)

Decorating open kitchen shelves is such a breeze as this easy and simple task gives you an opportunity to display some of your favorite ornaments and dishes that will add personality and style to your kitchen.

The best items to put on open kitchen shelves are dishes, tea cups, flower vases or pot plants, a small clock, framed artwork, decorative colored glass jars, bowls, utensils in a jar or container, mason jars filled with snacks or flour, a chopping board, wreaths, cookbooks or even coffee pot with a packet of coffee beans.

Customizing and choosing the objects to go on the open shelves depends on the style of your kitchen but also what you’d like to showcase over here.

You can have just a few simple ornaments or you can include all of these items listed above depending on the available space.

Whichever items you go for, they will definitely enhance the interior of your kitchen.

Here’s a full list of all the items you can browse and put together:

Best Items To Put On Open Kitchen Shelves

Dishes

Display some of your best dishes on the open shelves. This could be a stack of dishes or you can place one or two standing up along with a couple of other items to create a lovely display.

If you’d like to go all out, consider color coordinating with the rest of your kitchen by putting a particular dish color on these shelves.

Tea Cups

A small item that won’t take up too much space is tea cups and you can put a set of 2 tea cups on these shelves along with the dishes from earlier.

Choose your prettiest set of tea cups to display or if you’re a coffee/mug lover, place a few on the shelves or get this gorgeous floral teacup set with saucers from Amazon:

Flower Vase

A flower vase or pot plants will add a natural and pretty aesthetic vibe to the decor and make these open shelves more appealing. You can place a few flower vases or pot plants in between other items for extra variety.

Ornaments

Another great item to put on open kitchen shelves is ornaments that will showcase your personality and charm.

You can choose to display seasonal ornaments like pumpkins, faux leaves, or acorns for the fall and switch them out accordingly for every season.

This just adds a fun and unique element that will give a fresh new look every season.

Decorative Glass Jars

Grab a set of decorative glass jars in different colors and patterns to place on these open shelves.

You’ll instantly take notice of them and they will no doubt create a favorable impression on anyone. It’s an ideal accessory if you’d like to decorate it in a way that is elegant and stylish.

Bowls

For a simple accessory to decorate the shelves, place a bowl in any suitable style.

This item pairs perfectly with other accessories like pot plants, dishes, and picture frames and it’s a great way to fill up empty space on the shelf.

Get this 14″ Round Hammered Metal Bowl from Amazon

Utensils In A Jar

Since these are kitchen shelves, grab a fancy jar and fill them with common kitchen utensils like cooking or baking spoons, forks spatulas, and whisks.

Just one jar of this is all you need on the shelf and the great thing about this option is that you don’t need to spend extra money. Just grab the necessary items from your drawers and you’re good to go.

Glass Mason Jars

For a complete aesthetic and striking feature, grab a few glass mason jars and fill them with flour, cereal, beans, or candy and place them on these shelves.

Not only is this a fantastic storage solution but they look gorgeous placed in a row on these open shelves.

Check out these Clear Glass & Copper-Tone Kitchen Containers on Amazon

It’s totally okay if all you’d like to do is decorate the shelves with these jars but you can alternate and add other accessories in between.

Chopping Board

The next item you can put on open kitchen shelves is a chopping board. You could place a small wooden one or you can be a bit extra and place a customized chopping board that is tailored for this purpose.

Cooking Books

Another inexpensive item you can put on open kitchen shelves is a stack of cooking books.

You could also arrange them against the wall so that they stand up and this becomes a feature of its own. Otherwise, placing a stack of cookbooks is perfect for this area.

Wreath

Add a bit of greenery by placing a simple wreath on the open shelves.

You can place this in between other items like a picture frame or a stack of dishes and this should add that chic and stylish little touch that will enhance the display.

Clock

Clocks can look great in the kitchen and they don’t only need to be mounted to a wall. Place a small clock in your chosen design along with other items or place a large clock standing up.

This way, you can also use this clock to keep track of time while cooking and preparing for the day.

See also: What Do You Hang Beside A Wall Clock? (9 Finest Items)

Signs

Wooden or metal signs are definitely a fun and creative feature and element to add to a kitchen.

There are plenty of kitchen-related signs that will look gorgeous sitting on these open shelves and you’ll love the way it gives character to your decor.

Get this Cutting Board Eat Sign from Amazon

Framed Artwork

Consider placing one or two framed artworks of quotes and sayings or personal family photos to make it look and feel more homely.

This feature is a great opportunity to decorate with charm and a bit of creativity. Mix and match frame sizes for a fun visual element.

Coffee Pot

The last item you can choose to put on an open kitchen shelf is a coffee pot with a bag of coffee beans.

This is a small item that can easily slot in with the other items but it’s a fantastic item to add that will showcase your love for coffee.

It would be even better if you place a fancy vintage coffee pot that will become one of the best features on this shelf.

Final Thoughts

Have you managed to decide which items made your list?

If you’re looking to keep things simple and straightforward that will match the theme and style, you could always try displaying a few dishes, a set of tea cups, a few framed artworks, and a pot plant.

This combination tends to work excellent for decorating any size and amount of open kitchen shelves and they do look wonderful.

You can easily position them accordingly to get the look and arrangement that will suit your style best.

Open shelves with just a few items spaced apart will achieve an overall clean and neat finish but shelves packed with most of the items on this list can create an interesting feature that stands out.

If you found these items interesting and fun, do check out some of our other ideas:

Where Do You Put Paper Towels In The Kitchen? (8 Places)

Where To Put A Microwave In A Small Kitchen? (Ideal Placements)