If the empty space above your kitchen cabinets makes your kitchen feel unfinished, you’re definitely not the only one.
You might wonder if you should decorate it or just leave it empty.
If you choose the wrong decor, you could make the space feel cluttered, but the right pieces can make your kitchen look more stylish and complete.
In this article, you’ll learn when you should decorate above your kitchen cabinets, what you can place there, and how you can create a clean, balanced look.
Let’s jump in!
Table of Contents
- Should You Decorate Above Kitchen Cabinets?
- How to Know If Your Kitchen Needs Cabinet-Top Decor
- What Should You Put Above Kitchen Cabinets?
- How to Decorate Above Kitchen Cabinets Like a Designer?
- Best Decor Ideas for Different Kitchen Styles
- Common Mistakes to Avoid When Decorating Above Kitchen Cabinets
- How to Keep Above Kitchen Cabinet Decor Clean?
- Conclusion
Should You Decorate Above Kitchen Cabinets?
Whether you should decorate above your kitchen cabinets really depends on your kitchen layout, cabinet height, and the style you want to create.
You might think you need to fill every empty space, but that isn’t always the case.
If your cabinets reach the ceiling, you probably won’t need any decorations because your kitchen already feels complete.
However, if you have a large gap between the cabinets and the ceiling, that empty space can make your kitchen look unfinished.
Before you start decorating, you should step back and look at your kitchen as a whole.
Ask yourself if the empty space really stands out or if your kitchen already feels balanced.
If you have a modern or minimalist kitchen, you might want to leave the space empty because those clean lines are part of the style.
If your kitchen has a farmhouse, traditional, or French country look, you can add a few carefully chosen decorations to bring in more warmth and character.
You don’t need to fill the space with random items. Instead, you should make your kitchen feel complete without making it look cluttered.
If you decide to decorate, you can use just a few larger pieces that match the rest of your kitchen.
When your kitchen already looks good without anything above the cabinets, you don’t have to add more.
Sometimes, you can create the best look by simply keeping the space clean and simple.
How to Know If Your Kitchen Needs Cabinet-Top Decor
Not every kitchen needs decorations above the cabinets. You can usually decide by looking at the size of the gap and the overall style of your kitchen.
If you only have a small space between the cabinets and the ceiling, decorating it could make your kitchen feel crowded.
If you have a larger gap, though, you can use a few carefully chosen pieces to make the space feel more complete.
You should also think about your ceiling height. If your kitchen has nine or ten-foot ceilings.
You will usually have more open space above the cabinets, so you can create a balanced display more easily.
If you have standard eight-foot ceilings, you might want to keep the area simple because it often looks better that way.
When you look around your kitchen, pay attention to what you already have.
If your countertops are filled with small appliances and decorations, adding more items above the cabinets could make the room feel too busy.
If the rest of your kitchen is simple, you can add a few baskets or vases to draw your eyes upward and make the space feel more finished.
Before you decorate, you should also think about cleaning. The top of your cabinets can collect dust and grease over time.
If you don’t want another spot to clean, you can simply leave the space empty.
Your decorations should make your kitchen look better without giving you extra work.
What Should You Put Above Kitchen Cabinets?
The best decorations for above your kitchen cabinets are large, simple pieces that can match the style of your kitchen.
Instead of filling the space with lots of small decorations, you should choose a few statement pieces that create a clean, balanced look.
You can use oversized woven baskets, ceramic vases, wooden bowls, decorative trays, or pottery because they add texture without making the space feel crowded.
If you want an easy option, you can add plants. Faux plants will stay fresh-looking all year and won’t need any care.
If your kitchen gets enough natural light, you could also use real trailing plants to soften the space and bring in a little color.
You can even lean a large framed piece of artwork against the wall above your cabinets to add height without drilling extra holes.
When your kitchen has natural wood finishes, you should choose wooden accessories to tie everything together.
If you have a modern kitchen, you can stick with neutral pottery, black accents, or simple sculptural pieces.
If your kitchen has a farmhouse style, baskets, vintage containers, and rustic wooden items can help create that warm, welcoming feel.
Whatever you choose, you should keep the colors close to the rest of your kitchen.
When your cabinet-top decor matches your countertops, backsplash, or hardware, your whole kitchen will feel more connected.
A few carefully chosen pieces will always look better than filling the space with too many decorations.
How to Decorate Above Kitchen Cabinets Like a Designer?
Professional designers usually focus on balance instead of quantity, and you should too.
The biggest mistake you can make is trying to fill every empty space.
If you use fewer decorations with more impact, your kitchen will usually look much better.
When you start decorating, you should pick one main style for your display.
For example, you can pair woven baskets with ceramic vases and a touch of greenery.
If you keep the colors and materials similar, you will create a more polished look than if you mix too many different styles together.
You should also vary the height of your decorations to make the display more interesting.
Place taller pieces next to shorter ones, and leave a few small gaps between them.
Those empty spaces can be just as important because they keep your display from feeling crowded.
If you want everything to feel connected, you should repeat design details that already exist in your kitchen.
If you have black cabinet handles, you can add black picture frames or dark pottery.
If your kitchen features natural wood, you could place wooden bowls or baskets above the cabinets.
That simple repetition will make your kitchen feel more cohesive.
When you finish arranging everything, step back and look at your kitchen from different angles.
If one side feels heavier than the other, you can move a few pieces until everything looks balanced.
Decorating above your kitchen cabinets isn’t about adding more items, it’s about choosing the right ones.
Best Decor Ideas for Different Kitchen Styles
Your cabinet-top decor should match the overall style of your kitchen so everything feels natural and well planned.
When you choose decorations that fit your existing design, you can make your kitchen look more complete.
If you have a modern kitchen, you should keep things simple with large ceramic vases, sculptural pieces, or a little greenery.
You can stick with neutral colors and clean shapes to maintain that minimalist feel.
If your kitchen has a farmhouse style, you can decorate with woven baskets, wooden crates, vintage pitchers, and rustic signs.
Those natural materials will help you create the warm, welcoming look farmhouse kitchens are known for.
When you have a French country kitchen, you could choose antique-style pottery, copper accessories, dried flowers, and elegant baskets.
These details can add charm without making the space feel overcrowded.
If your kitchen has a rustic look, you can use reclaimed wood pieces, clay pots, metal containers, and earthy colors.
If you have a traditional kitchen, decorative plates, classic pottery, and timeless accessories can match your cabinetry beautifully.
Whatever your kitchen style, you shouldn’t mix too many different themes.
You should choose decorations that blend naturally with your cabinets, countertops, and lighting.
When everything works together, your kitchen will feel thoughtfully designed instead of randomly decorated.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Decorating Above Kitchen Cabinets
Many homeowners accidentally make their kitchen look cluttered by adding too many decorations.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is placing lots of small items across every cabinet.
While each piece might look nice on its own, together they can create visual clutter instead of a stylish display.
You should also avoid mixing too many colors and materials. If every decoration looks different, your kitchen can start to feel random and unorganized.
Instead, you can stick to a simple color palette and repeat similar materials like wood, ceramic, or woven textures.
When you choose your decor, you should think about cleaning too.
Fabric decorations, paper items, or anything with detailed textures can quickly collect grease and dust, especially near the stove.
If you want less maintenance, you can choose decorations that wipe clean with very little effort.
You also shouldn’t forget to leave some empty space. If you fill every inch above your cabinets, your kitchen could feel smaller than it really is.
A little breathing room will help each decorative piece stand out.
Finally, you don’t have to follow every trend. Just because a decoration is popular doesn’t mean it will suit your kitchen.
You should always choose decor that matches your kitchen’s style so everything feels balanced and well put together.
How to Keep Above Kitchen Cabinet Decor Clean?
One reason you might avoid decorating above your kitchen cabinets is that the area can collect dust and grease.
Since it’s close to where you cook, airborne grease will naturally settle on your decorations over time.
The good news is that if you choose the right decor, you can make cleaning much easier.
When you pick your decorations, you should look for pieces with smooth surfaces.
Ceramic vases, metal containers, wooden bowls, and glass pieces can be wiped clean much more easily than fabric items or decorations with lots of small details.
If you want less cleaning, you should avoid delicate pieces that trap dust in hard-to-reach spots.
You should also try not to place decorations directly above your stove because that’s where grease builds up the fastest.
If you do decorate that area, you will need to clean those pieces a little more often to keep them looking fresh.
You can simply wipe them with a damp microfiber cloth every few weeks before the dust becomes harder to remove.
If you enjoy changing your decor with the seasons, you can swap out your decorations whenever you clean the space.
That way, you can remove dust while giving your kitchen a fresh new look.
Regular maintenance only takes a few minutes, and it will help your cabinet-top decor stay beautiful all year long.
Conclusion
Choosing the right kitchen cabinet hardware color can be much easier when you focus on your cabinet color, your kitchen style, and the finishes you already have.
You don’t have to match everything perfectly. Instead, you should aim for a look that feels balanced and works well together.
Before you buy anything, you should compare a few hardware samples in your kitchen and see how they look in your lighting.
If you take a little extra time now, you can avoid an expensive mistake later.
When you choose the right finish, your cabinet hardware will tie your whole kitchen together and give it a polished, timeless look.
You may interested to read!
