How to Decorate Above Kitchen Cabinets

Our Work | May 15, 2013

For some reason one of the questions I get asked most by my clients and my readers is, “What should I put above my Kitchen cabinets”. My answer is typically, “nothing”. I don’t think this is the answer my clients are always looking for. Most of them can’t imagine having so much blank space above their cabinets. In fact I think it’s a little unnerving for people. But I actually like the negative space you create by leaving all that empty space above your cabinets. 
Plus I feel like you are able to focus more of your attention on all of the other details in a Kitchen instead of focusing on all the clutter! 

I feel like design is trending cleaner and cleaner these days. More people are craving clean and clutter free living spaces. 
image from this post
I honestly just don’t see anything wrong with having nothing at all above your cabinets! 
However there are instances when a client can’t bear the idea of not having once single knick-knack or decoration above their Kitchen cabinets and for those people here are some ideas… 

Stick to larger objects or the item will get totally lost and if you do want to use smaller objects group them together so they feel like one large statement piece instead of a bunch of smaller pieces. 
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Keep the items minimal in shape and design. I love love love white ceramic pieces above cabinets because it gives you the chance to display objects but visually it doesn’t appear to cluttered. 

via house beautiful 
If you are going to display something I think dishes make the most sense, it’s a Kitchen after all! If you are going to display dishes make sure they are really beautiful. You can’t go wrong with antique silver or pewter. 
domino

I like items to be similar in color so the eye isn’t getting tired and going crazy with too much going on. Baskets in similar tones are a great idea! They are big enough that they can take up large amounts of space without creating too much clutter. 

photo via Me Oh My Photo by Ashlee Raubach
One of my favorite ideas is to take your backsplash all the way to the ceiling. I love the look of subway tile on an entire wall. This way you get a little texture and sheen but you don’t have to actually put anything above your cabinets. 
If the idea of going totally “bare” above your cabinets is a little daunting start slowly… remove all the items and then just put a few things up that you really love. Or if you are brave enough try living with it empty for a few weeks and see if you can get used to it. 
No matter what don’t add faux ivy… please. 
What are your tips for decorating above your cabinets! I’d love to get more ideas.