How to Style Open Shelves

Open shelves are one of my favourite design elements in a kitchen. I almost always try to incorporate them into a project because they add visual interest, break up upper cabinetry, and bring warmth and personality into the space.

They’re also incredibly functional. Open shelves give you a place to keep the things you actually reach for — cookbooks, coffee beans, a mortar and pestle — while allowing those everyday objects to become part of the design.

When styled well, open shelving can feel effortless and collected rather than cluttered. Here are a few of the principles I keep in mind when styling them.

Mix Books + Objects

Cookbooks naturally belong on kitchen shelves. They’re beautiful, useful, and something most of us reach for regularly, so it makes sense to keep them visible and easily accessible.

To keep shelves from feeling too uniform, mix books with a few small objects. A mortar and pestle, a small tin of tea, a marble riser with salt and pepper grinders, or a few jars of pantry staples can all work beautifully.

Combining books with everyday objects creates visual interest while still keeping the shelves functional.

Keep The Palette Tight

One of the easiest ways to make open shelves feel intentional rather than chaotic is to keep the colour palette relatively tight.

Try sticking to three or four colour families and choose books and objects that fall within that range. In this example, the palette includes warm caramel tones, creamy whites, soft greys, and touches of blue.

When everything sits within a similar palette, it becomes much easier to mix and move pieces around without the shelves feeling disjointed.

Vary Heights (and Leave Some Breathing Room)

Varying heights helps create rhythm and visual interest on a shelf.

Stacking books, incorporating taller vessels, and mixing in smaller objects helps guide the eye across the display. It also naturally creates moments of negative space.

Those small gaps are important. Without them, shelves can quickly feel cluttered or visually heavy. Allowing a little breathing room keeps the overall composition feeling light and balanced.

Add One Sculptural Piece

I always like to include at least one piece that feels a bit sculptural or artistic.

In this case, it’s a thrifted candle holder that fits a tea light beautifully. Pieces like this don’t necessarily serve a practical purpose, but they add character and give the eye something interesting to land on.

A small vase, candle holder, or ceramic object can work just as well — the key is choosing something you genuinely love seeing every day.

Styling open shelves is a bit of an art form, and it rarely feels perfect on the first try.

The nice thing about shelves is that they’re easy to refresh. You can move things around, swap pieces in and out, and gradually refine the composition over time.

And because these shelves live in a kitchen, function is just as important as aesthetics. The best pieces to display are often the ones you reach for most often.

If you’d like help styling your shelves or creating a more cohesive kitchen design, you can book a design consultation with me here.

You can also find links to some of the pieces featured in this post below.

Shop The Shelf