Make Countertops Pop With This Stylish Shelf-Inspired Decor Idea

There's a lot to be thankful for when you can cook in your own well-decorated, organized kitchen. Countertops are a big part of this equation. Finding a way to design a beautiful kitchen space while optimizing its functionality is a sweet spot when creating stylish and useful interior decor. When you're looking for ways to best utilize your counters and make them pop, consider extending your shelf usage down to the counter to expand the space. Open shelves are a convenient vintage design trend that allows you to use all of that wall space to store kitchenware. Fill your shelves with useful items, some of which double as stylish decor, and then create a unified theme for your wall area by placing the same types of accessories on your counters, right below the shelves.

If you don't have shelves installed on your kitchen wall, you're still in luck. Using Martha Stewart's design trick to create counter space, you can install attractive shelving units on existing wall space with store-bought materials. Another option is to remove the doors from existing above-counter cabinets to make the shelves inside visible.  

There are numerous ways to decorate open kitchen shelves to make your kitchen beautiful. Follow one of Ree Drummond's practical decor tips and place multipurpose, visually appealing items like serveware, casserole dishes, and canisters on your shelves and countertop to add unique style to your kitchen. Decorate areas near these shelves with wall-mounted pot racks, or display aesthetically pleasing dishes on them. You might also set a collection of cookbooks on your shelves, enhance shelf-space with color-coded cups, or position a set of decorative knick-knacks throughout the shelf space to fill your kitchen with personality. Beneath the shelves, set utensils in holders on the counter to create a unified and functional space, choosing holders that match the theme of the surrounding kitchen — rustic, industrial, or whatever appeals to you. 

Since you'll probably be spending quality time cooking and possibly entertaining in your kitchen, another way to dress it up is to spread pieces of artwork, flowers, and plants throughout areas where you can enjoy them. You might even grow an indoor herb garden, which will brighten the space while adding a useful culinary element. Choose your herbs based on their needs for sunlight and maintenance, and then pot a variety of indoor herbs throughout your kitchen for a beautiful display — some on the shelves, and some on the counter. This will improve the look and feel of the area, and make the time spent in it even more pleasing to the senses.