Decorating the Tops of Kitchen Cabinets
Today’s post is all about decorating the tops of kitchen cabinets!
Do the kitchen cabinets in your home extend all the way up to the ceiling?
Or do you have the tops of the kitchen cabinets decorated because there is so much extra room between the tops of the cabinets and the ceiling?
I ask because the top of the kitchen cabinets have been decorated in our house for years now and I still love it.
I know it’s popular to have kitchen cabinets that go all the up way to the ceiling. And they really are beautiful that way.
But truthfully, I only have a handful of friends that actually have a setup like that in their kitchen. Most of them have a setup like mine where there is a 2-foot gap between the kitchen cabinets and the ceiling.
I searched Pinterest for a little inspiration and I didn’t find a lot. It’s like decorating the tops of kitchen cabinets is uncool somehow.
But I’m not letting that stop me.
If your kitchen needs a little something extra, I hope it won’t stop you either.
What Should I Decorate the Tops of Kitchen Cabinets With?
To decorate the tops of our kitchen cabinets I gathered materials I’ve loved and have been collecting for a while now.
Mostly, ironstone pieces and vintage baskets that play well with multiple styles. Our home is very cottage meets farmhouse, and we like to keep the color palette simple and calm.
I don’t follow any particular design rules, I play with each vignette varying the height, shape, and layers of texture until I’m satisfied with the way it looks.
Taking the time to be creative without rushing always feels like a big gift.
It took the better part of an afternoon to finish decorating the tops of our kitchen cabinets. So, don’t feel like you have to rush at all.
Decorating is a such fine balance, isn’t it?
On one hand, you don’t want someone to walk into your kitchen and say, “Wow, I love the tops of your cabinets.”
On the other, it is nice to decorate with collections that hold special memories. Almost all of these pieces came from trips spent treasure hunting in old barns, charity shops, and estate sales with my Mom.
Things to Keep In Mind…
As I shared above there is an almost 2-foot gap between the tops of the cabinet molding and our 9-foot ceilings, which gave me plenty of room to display things I love.
A note of caution though, if you’re thinking about decorating the tops of your kitchen cabinets (or the tops of any cabinet or piece of furniture) too, anything less than 18 inches of display space might make your room feel a bit squatty.
Also, choosing a tone-on-tone color scheme, pieces that complement your existing decor or enhance the feeling you’re trying to achieve will also help keep things from looking cluttered.
When in doubt, edit!
It’s not always easy, especially if you love collections (me too!). It’s a good thing to let your special pieces have some room to breathe though.
Creating a home you love takes time. But as we grow confident in our decorating choices and hone our nesting instincts with practice and patience, it becomes an adventure that tells the story of you and your family.
So, don’t be afraid to try new things!
Let us know if you’re decorating the tops of your kitchen cabinets! Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Other Posts Featuring Our Kitchen To Enjoy:
- One Room Challenge: Kitchen and Pantry Makeover Reveal
- How to Stencil Textured Walls
- 11 Ways to Clean, Organize and Maintain Your Kitchen
- The Best Way to Organize Your Kitchen
- Pantry Organization Tips Made Easy
- How to Organize a Kitchen Desk
Many blessings,
CoCo
CoCo – You did a great job!. I know it’s hard to know what to do with that bare space. And cabinets that go all of the way to the ceiling creates the problem of not being able to reach anything in the cupboards. I love your curated and collected look…the neutrals and whites look so good. But, how come you have a pitcher wit a bee on it? LOL
Ha ha you noticed that did ya? I’ve had that bee pitcher for a long time. Thank you for your kind words on my vignette styling, I get lots of practice 🙂
You did a great job! The vignettes look beautiful. You’ve definitely got an eye for composition when it comes to putting vignettes together 🙂
Hugs!!
Aww, Angie, that means a lot to me thank you. It’s a lot of playing around to try and create just the look you want but I love it. I’m so glad I get to do this all the time. Hugs, Coco
Coco, what a great idea to share how to decorate above your cabinets. Ours go all the way up but out old house didn’t so I know that can be a challenge. I love how you pulled your white ironstone, rustic elements, the straw and the old scale etc. It looks wonderful and I would definitely enjoy cooking and eating in there seeing all those pretties. Have a great day, Lisa
Thanks so much, Lisa, having to play around with all of those little vignettes up there was good practice for my booth. Hugs, Coco
You styled the tops of your cabinets beautifully. My cabinets go up the ceiling only because they are fairly new and I requested it when we did our kitchen remodel. My mom’s don’t and she creates lovely vignettes like you did.
Paula, your compliments are so sweet, thank you! I think I would ask for the cabinets to go all the way to the ceiling in the next house just for the extra storage 🙂
I love this so much. As you probably noticed in my kitchen refresh post, my cabinets do not go to the ceiling either. I have found a great opportunity in that for displaying my vintage copper collection…like you said, I constantly have to edit it though to make sure it doesn’t become too cluttered…there’s fine balance!! Thanks for the encouragement CoCo!!
You are so welcome, Rachel! I loved the displays on the tops of your kitchen cabinets – they were fabulous. When I was in graduate school I had the TINIEST apartment so I would try all sorts of things. That’s really how you come to understand your signature style so it’s great you guys are willing to try and DIY so many things too. It will serve you well in so many ways now and in years to come! Hugs, CoCo
I used to love decorating the tops of our cabinets at our old house. Especially during the holidays! I haven’t done anything with these at our rental but it might be time to pull out a few pieces now!!
My parents just took down pieces from the tops of their cabinets at Bliss Barracks too, Christine. My Mom was on the fence about it at first but there is nothing wrong with a streamlined look at all. Plus, like you say if you decide you want to add a little something you can do it at any time! Big hugs, CoCo
I love these ideas! You are featured at myhomierhome.com this week for the Wonderful Wednesday blog hop. Happy Wednesday friend!
Thanks so much for the sweet feature, Christin, I really appreciate it. Hope you have the best week – you definitely made mine special, CoCo