Ideas for Decorating Above Your Cabinets
It’s always fun to switch up our home decor and try something different. My husband and I picked out our home before we were married and he moved into it right away. When I moved in when we got married, I got to start adding feminine touches and decor all around the home. Over the years, though, our family grew and changed to where our small starter home is now a bustling hub of kids coming and going. While I’m itching to move into something a bit bigger, we both still feel we are in the right place for our family.
To keep from going stir crazy, I switch up the furniture, rearrange, and add a new pop of color every so often to help my home feel “new” again. It’s absolutely amazing the effect just moving around plants and pictures frames can have on breathing new life into your space. When we first got married, 9 years ago, it was the style to have plants up above our cabinets. We placed a bunch up there and let them sit. A few months ago, my mom gently nudged me telling me it was time for the plants to go – my cabinets looked cluttered! The funny thing is, I had been thinking the same thing. It was just the motivation I needed to tackle the project!
Here’s a look at my “before” cabinets.
This post is sponsored by Savers. All opinions are my own.
Ideas for Decorating Above Your Cabinets
To be inspired in changing up our cabinet decorations, I searched and searched Google images to see what people typically put above their cabinets. It was really helpful to see what I liked and what had to go. Here’s what I gleaned that can help you, too, figure out how to decorate above your cabinets.
Leave Them Bare – Several sites I stumbled across suggested leaving the space above your cabinets completely empty. I think this approach is wonderful if you have a small space above your cabinets as it keeps them from looking cluttered. I With a vault in our kitchen that leads into the family room, my cabinets look very bare without anything up top.
Add Molding – If you have a foot or less space to go to reach the ceiling, you can add visual appeal inexpensively by adding a board and a piece of decorative molding at the top edge of your cabinets. This will make your ceilings appear taller, too!
Decorative Plates – Displaying sentimental dishes like a decorative plate or platter with a plate stand can add a bit of color and keep those special dishes on display instead of buried in the back of a cupboard.
Quotes – Make a statement with a wood board painted in a color that coordinates with your kitchen decor and easily add your own favorite quote with a stencil, stickers, or vinyl. Prop up the board with a stand or lean it against your wall.
Vases – A vase can quickly add interest above your cabinets, especially if you refashion the vase to match your decor. It’s a bold piece that will add some weight and take up a good amount of space so you just need one or two good vases to make a statement.
Give it a few days – When you make a big change, it usually takes a few days to settle in. Try switching up the decor and give it a few days before deciding if you are happy with the switch. You can always move things around again, add or remove items, or go back to the way you started.
Don’t Go Overboard – Probably the most important tip I could share is to not overdo it. It’s easy to be tempted to keep filling in the empty spaces you see, but leaving some blank space will keep your cabinets from looking heavy and cluttered.
I wanted to keep above my cabinets simple, yet tie in the pop of teal we use throughout our living room to tie our two adjoining rooms together nicely. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, because I like to switch up my decor every few years. I started my cabinet makeover by heading to Savers. I wasn’t sure what I would find, but that was half the fun! I browsed up and down the home aisles to see if anything caught my eye.
I passed a row of vases, but they were all strange colors or shapes. Color was something I knew I could fix, so I picked up two vases that I liked other than color and a small counter sized planter that I thought would do just the trick. The first step now was to spray paint! I coated all three pieces transforming them from old dingy nicked paint jobs to a beautiful fresh coat of paint that made the vases look like new!
When the vases were dry, it was time to pull down all my old decor and get ready for my fresh start! This part was exciting!! I’ll admit, it was really strange for the first few days to walk past my kitchen and see how empty it looked above my cabinets. However, after the initial shock wore off, I have been so much happier with my new look! The few simple statement pieces adds in the color I wanted and the interest without cluttering up my already full and busy kitchen.
I love finding decor that can be re-purposed and Savers is the perfect place to look! They accept donations and every incoming donation helps give back to a local charity effort – regardless of if the item sales! As a shopper, I love that items are priced well below retail so I don’t have to feel guilty when I want to make some changes around my home as I can easily do so on a tight budget. No matter what area of your home you’re ready to switch up, visit your local Savers to find your inspiration on a budget!
I think it looks lots better with the plants gone!
My cabinets go to the ceiling. I think they do, at least. I had one of those odd vault ledge things in an old house, though, and it was always a battle with what to do with it
Great ideas. We don’t have space above our cabinets but my inlaws do. They have different wicker baskets.
What great ideas… we have nothing but junk and need to do something to make it look better. Thanks for sharing.
We have cabinets like this too and we have a lot of my glass decorations on the top. Personally it is all a dust magnet up there and so hard to keep clean. From time to time I take it all down and put it in the dishwasher instead of dusting.
You’ve got some great decorating ideas! Love them. And nice picks Janel!
Right now I have a bunch of dusty stuff. I have super high ceilings. I need to get a ladder and take care of business!
Awesome, I love the ideas and tips especially the last one “Don’t Go Overboard”- yup, super true!
I love those vases. That’s really pretty!
I love the “don’t go overboard” tip. Some people take a good thing and just kill it.
Our cabinets dont have space above them but when we did have space I put tea cups and tea pots.
I love the greenery idea. It’s so pretty!
I have so much stuff up there I need to move. This will come in handy afterwards!
I love finding fun spaces to decorate, like above the cabinets!
I love the idea of adding vases to the top of our cabinets! Thanks for the great ideas!
These are great ideas. We have quite a bit of above cabinet space so I am going to do something now that I have some inspiration.
I am forever giving donations to Savers. They always have a red dumpster for them out front.
I love this! There’s nothing worse than an empty space in a house. At least to me. I like my nick knacks.
I love the change! Just a few pieces can make the look less cluttered and totally open up the kitchen!
I wish i had space above my kitchen cabinets. It looks so nice with the vases above. My cabinets go to the ceiling.
I use my above the cabinet space to cookbooks and small appliance storage. I love the vases you chose for your re-do.
Personally, I do not decorate above my cabinetry. But, these are wonderful tips & great ideas for those who do.
Thanks for these great ideas. I have a space above my cabinets, and it’s just a barren wasteland of drabness.
What a great idea! I used to have space above my kitchen cupboards and living room in my last home. Now, I am limited with space for decorating. Thanks.
We have some personalized wine bottles from our wedding and some fake grape silk plants and wines – definitely a ‘wine’ feel. Great tips!
My cabinets go all the way up to the ceiling, but I have always wished I had that extra space up there.
I don’t have space above my cabinets but I have shelves in my kitchen. This would be a great idea for those shelves also. They are on the wall above the table and it would make the room more warm and inviting.
I don’t have any above cabinet space. My friend has some nice baskets on hers.
Oh I love what you did! In my old home we had space above the cabinets and I loved it. My home now doesnt and I sure miss it!!! Love those vases you found!
I like to put artificial plants and above the cabinets in baskets or some really nice colorful vases.
What great ideas. As much as I like the plants you had before I really loved the more simpler look you did with the vases.
These are all great tips. I really like the Vases you chose for the tops of the cabinets.
Thank you for this we just moved in to a house that has high ceilings with a ton of room above the cabinets. I am now inspired to decorate up there!
I like Decorative Plates and candles above my cabinets. It makes it look very nice. I would love to try some vases that are colorful like these in the post.
I really like the vases you picked to put up there. I like how it is not so busy now. I am a firm believer that less is more. I have a few decorative bottles up on my cabinet tops. I appreciate you including the link for Savers. I went to their site to find my closest store. In our area they are called Value Village. Which you can find some great deals! Thanks!