Kitchens can be one of the most difficult rooms to decorate. They require a lot of storage and practical solutions, but you also want them to look nice since people spend so much time there. So how do you find a balance between practicality and style?

Open shelving is one option. It allows you to show off some of your favorite items rather than hiding everything behind cupboard doors. But it can be tricky to style, because even slight disorganization can look sloppy. So here are some tips to style open shelving in your kitchen so that it can look stylish instead of sloppy.

Choose Shelves Wisely.

If you don’t already have open shelves set up in your kitchen, then the size and setup of your shelves is one of the most important items to consider. You can put up simple shelves directly on your wall, or buy a standup unit with open display areas. You’ll need to evaluate the space you have available and consider the types of items you want on display so you will know what you have room for and what will look best.

Choose a Theme.

Since the items on these shelves will be on display for all to see, it’s important that they look good together. So pick a theme or color scheme and only include items that fit. This can mean that you only choose white dishes, your favorite antique items, colorful teacups, or anything else that will look good together.

Mix Types of Items.

Even though you’ll need your items to look good together, it doesn’t mean they all have to be exactly the same. If you want to display your collection of colorful teacups, choose other items from around your kitchen or the rest of your home that will go with those colors and help add some variation and interest to your shelves.

Keep Shelves Stocked.

One very important aspect that some people don’t consider is that you’ll need to ensure your shelves can remain at least mostly stocked at all times. You don’t want to have empty shelves all the time while you wait for the dishwasher to finish. To solve this issue, you could choose some items that you may not use quite as often as others. Or you could just make sure there are enough pieces on your shelves that you can do some shifting when there are missing pieces.

Overall, open shelving is a great way to add some style and added storage to your kitchen, but it just requires some caution and extra planning to make it work.

Pictures: 1,2,3,4and 5.