How to Style Kitchen Shelves for Spring
William Morris once stated, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” I’ve heard this quote several times and it always resonates with me. Actually, I was curious about its author and learned to appreciate this sentiment so much more after reading all about his beliefs and his impact on the world. I am all about using what you have and flexing your creativity muscle to design a beautiful, personal, sustainable home on a budget, and today I am going to show you how to style kitchen shelves for spring in such a manner using every day useful items as well as unique pieces that speak to my soul, especially this time of year. I’ve joined several other bloggers today who are sharing their spring mantles or vignettes and you can find their links at the bottom of this post. (Thank you Krista, for hosting!) Our own fireplace and mantle still need loads of love, but I welcome any opportunity to play with my newish kitchen shelves. Shelf styling ranks up their with hiking and reading as a top hobby. When it comes to gathering items for a shelfie vignette, I’ve got a few tips I am going to share with you today that always work.
Pick a Theme
Select a theme for the season, in this case Spring. Spring has so many themes… flowers, birds, gardening, soccer (if you are in my family!) I selected a “woodsy” theme because one of my favorite activities to do in the Spring is to hike. There is just something about the smell of freshly unfurled ferns… every time I pass them by I have to take nice deep breaths in and just savor it. Hiking is also a very nostalgic activity for me. As a child, I used to hike often with my dad. We’d head off to Quabbin Reservoir or Skinner Mountain and take in the scenery together, with spring and fall being our favorite times of year to go. He always pointed out interesting things like mushrooms, birds, butterflies, and even animal droppings which let us know which animals had been nearby. While hikers should be quiet if they want to see the actual animals, I often ran my mouth our entire walk and wondered aloud why we didn’t see any deer. 😉 (Thanks for putting up with me, Dad!)
With a woodsy theme in mind, I gathered artwork such as a beautiful framed photograph I of trees I found at a flea market in Seattle, my DIY stripped log candlesticks, and creatures I consider to be woodsy. As you can see above, I added a little gnome plant pick, and some bunnies I created (that tutorial is coming next week! I also always have my fox utensil crock out on display. I SO wish I could find the artist who created it so I could share it with you… My mom bought it for me years ago at the Country Living Fair in Ohio, and I just treasure it. Yes, it’s filled with a million whisks, but it’s sort of a running family joke so I keep them all in there as well because they make me laugh and think of my parents. And sometimes I whisk things.
Pick a Color Palette
The number one way to create cohesion in a space is with unifying colors. I am a huge lover of neutrals and high contrast, so I’ve always got lots of black and white and wood going on, but since it’s Spring, I wanted to bring in a touch of color. I selected green and brought it in with plants, artwork, and candles. Selecting a color palette for your shelves will create immediate cohesion.
Black, white, wood, and green create a warm and earthy spring vibe that suits my style well. Of course, I do have a basket of oranges that don’t really go, but what can I say? They’re tasty… As I mentioned in the beginning, I am all about useful!
To bring in more of the color, as well as the woodsy theme, I also created a new piece of art. We had a black and white print on that top shelf, but I wanted something a little more seasonal and special. I used my daughter’s markers to create a hand lettered piece with one of my all time favorite quotes, and I added some roughly drawn pine trees to bring in a bit of that green. It’s far from perfect, but I am not subscriber to perfection. I think that the imperfection gives it a personal touch… like “aaaaw, someone made this! They didn’t do a great job, but they made this!”
Use Every Day Items
As I mentioned, I am a believer in keeping things that are useful, and that extends to keeping things out that are useful as well as pretty. Over the years, I’ve tried to acquire pieces that are lovely to my eye, and that I can use daily. We use cutting boards all the time, and it’s important to me that we have a variety of sizes depending on our need at that moment. Our glassware sits on the shelves for easy access next to the refrigerator (which is just to the left.). On the very top shelf to the right, you can see one of our large stock pots that we use frequently with these soup days. That mortar and pestle you see doesn’t get a whole lot of use as a mortar and pestle, to be perfectly honest with you; however, we use it to store our garlic which we do use frequently when cooking. (We like our onions and garlic and stinky breath over here!)
Those are all of my super easy tips for styling your kitchen shelves for the season! I’ve focused on spring, but you can apply these tips to any season to make your shelves shine.
In case you’re looking for anything in particular, I’ve got all of my sources below for you, and you can also visit my kitchen reveal for a more in depth look.
Cabinets & Flooring: Cabinets-To-Go
Countertops & Backsplash: Terrazzco
Double Oven: Cafe Appliances
Sconce: Sazerac Stitches
Overhead Lighting: My Mitzi
Knives & Stockpot: Cuisinart
ZZ Plant: 1-800-Flowers
Chicken Cutting Board: Vintage (similar here)
Candlesticks: DIY
Bayberry Candles: Amazon (they were a gift from a friend and when burned all the way down bring good luck!)
Artwork: DIY
Glassware: Ikea
Framed Photo: Flea Market find I framed
Wood-Burned Cutting Board: DIY
Bunnies: DIY coming next week
Today I’m joined by some of my talented blogging friends who are also sharing their Spring Mantel (or vignettes) with you. Be sure to see what they are sharing by clinking the links below the images.
Simple Pink Spring Mantel Decor (with free printables) at The Happy Housie
How to Style Kitchen Shelves for Spring at Cassie Bustamante
Propagating Pothos as Simple Spring Mantel Decor at Grace in My Space
Spring Mantel Decor Trends at Hallstrom Home
Spring Bulb Centrepieces at Craftberry Bush
Early Spring Mantel at Finding Silver Pennies
How to Decorate Your Mantel for Spring at Modern Glam
Simple Spring Flower Mantel at Tatertots and Jello
A Traditional Spring Table Vignette at Sincerely, Marie Designs
Farmhouse Style Decor Idea for Spring at She Gave it a Go
Minimalist Spring Mantel Decor at Cherished Bliss
Neutral Spring Mantel at Two Twenty One
Serene Living Room and Mantel at House by Hoff
Seasonal Simplicity Spring Mantel at Willow Street Interiors
Butterfly Spring Mantel at Life is a Party
Spring Vignettes & a Hyacinth Printable at Deeply Southern Home
Free Spring Coffee Bar Printable at My Sweet Savannah
How to Decorate for Spring for Free at This is Our Bliss
Easy Spring Decorating in the Living Room at Maison de Cinq
Spring Mantel with Large Floral Art at Place of My Taste
Neutral Spring Mantel at Taryn Whiteaker Designs
Light and Neutral Spring Mantel at Life is Better at Home
Spring Mantel at Rooms FOR Rent