Yes, you absolutely can and should decorate above kitchen cabinets! This often overlooked space, whether you have a gap to the ceiling or a kitchen cabinet soffit, is prime real estate for adding personality, height, and visual interest to your kitchen. Many people wonder how to fill this vertical area, and the good news is there are many great display ideas for kitchen cabinets and beyond.
Why Decorate Above Kitchen Cabinets?
That area above your upper cabinets is more than just empty space. It’s a chance to make your kitchen feel taller and more complete. When this space is left bare, it can make your ceiling look lower. Adding thoughtful decoration helps draw the eye upward. This is key when styling above kitchen cabinets.
Adding Height and Scale
Tall ceilings benefit greatly from decoration up high. It balances the room. If your cabinets stop short of the ceiling, filling that gap prevents the cabinets from looking stunted. Good kitchen cabinet toppers draw the eye up, making the whole room feel grander.
Personalizing Your Space
The kitchen is the heart of the home. The space above cabinets lets you showcase collections or items that reflect your taste. It’s a great spot for creative kitchen cabinet display that doesn’t involve daily clutter.
Covering Imperfections
Sometimes, the gap above cabinets isn’t uniform. If you have an older home, the ceiling might not be perfectly level. Filler strips above cabinets can sometimes be used if the gap is small, but decoration is often a better solution for larger, uneven spaces.
Assessing Your Space: Gap Size Matters
Before diving into décor, you must look closely at the space you have. The best approach for decorating high kitchen cabinets depends on how much room you have between the cabinet top and the ceiling.
Small Gaps (0 to 6 Inches)
If the gap is small, you need items that are low profile but visually engaging. Large, bulky items will look crammed.
What works well in small gaps:
- Shallow Baskets: Woven textures add warmth without taking up much depth.
- Framed Art (Leaning): Thin pieces of artwork or decorative cutting boards can lean nicely.
- Simple Greenery: Faux trailing plants work well here, provided they don’t droop too far down.
- Flat Decorative Plates: Mounted or resting in thin stands.
Medium Gaps (6 to 18 Inches)
This is the sweet spot for most kitchen cabinet top decor. You have enough room for height and volume without looking too sparse or too crowded.
Great display options for medium gaps:
- Tall, matching canisters.
- Small collections of cohesive items (e.g., blue and white pottery).
- Vintage signage or framed mirrors.
- Staggered heights of vases or pitchers.
Large Gaps (18 Inches Plus)
Large spaces offer the biggest opportunity for impact but require larger items to prevent the décor from looking lost. This is where utilizing space above kitchen cabinets becomes very important.
Tips for very large gaps:
- Use oversized items that command attention.
- Ensure items are spaced out. Too many small items will look messy.
- Consider built-in shelving if possible (though this is usually a renovation step).
Design Styles for Kitchen Cabinet Top Decor
The décor you choose should match your kitchen’s overall style. A rustic farmhouse kitchen will look odd with ultra-modern chrome sculptures above the cabinets.
Farmhouse and Rustic Styles
These styles thrive on texture and vintage charm.
- Materials: Wood, galvanized metal, wire, and aged pottery.
- Items: Old wooden crates, galvanized buckets, antique scales, or iron cookware hanging on hooks (if the space allows).
- Color Palette: Neutrals, creams, muted blues, and greens.
Modern and Minimalist Styles
Clean lines and limited items are key here.
- Materials: Glass, ceramic, matte metal, or concrete.
- Items: A few tall, slender vases or sculptural pieces with strong shapes. Symmetry often works well.
- Color Palette: Black, white, grey, or a single, bold accent color used sparingly.
Traditional and Classic Styles
This style welcomes curated collections and richer materials.
- Materials: Brass, crystal, fine china, and dark wood.
- Items: Matching sets of fine china, ornate clocks, or classic urns. Groupings often look richer than single items.
- Color Palette: Deep jewel tones or classic white and gold accents.
Coastal or Bohemian Styles
These styles embrace natural textures and collected items.
- Materials: Rattan, wicker, shells, macrame, and colorful textiles.
- Items: Woven baskets, sea-inspired glass floats, or colorful patterned pottery.
Effective Display Ideas for Kitchen Cabinets
When planning your kitchen decor above cabinets, think in terms of grouping, height, and texture.
The Power of Repetition and Collection
Nothing looks more intentional than a collection of similar items. This is a top method for styling above kitchen cabinets beautifully.
| Collection Type | Why It Works | Styling Tip |
|---|---|---|
| White Pottery | Classic, bright, and uniform look. | Mix shapes (vases, pitchers, bowls) but keep the color consistent. |
| Mixing Bowls | Functional yet decorative; adds depth. | Stack them in graduating sizes. |
| Matching Baskets | Adds great texture and warmth. | Use three of the same size, perhaps slightly overlapping. |
| Vintage Glassware | Catches the light beautifully. | Group clear or slightly tinted pieces near the center. |
Using Vertical Elements
Items that are tall help to emphasize the height of the wall. This is crucial for decorating high kitchen cabinets effectively.
- Tall Vases or Canisters: Use these to anchor the corners or the center of the display area. Always ensure they don’t hit the ceiling awkwardly. If they are too tall, they can look top-heavy.
- Faux or Real Tall Grasses: Pampas grass or dried wheat stalks add height and movement, softening the hard lines of the cabinets.
Incorporating Light
Lighting can transform the space, especially if your cabinets are dark or the area feels shadowy.
- Battery-Operated Puck Lights: These small lights can be attached to the underside of the items or placed strategically to illuminate a favorite piece. This turns the area into a dedicated spotlight feature.
- Slim LED Strips: If you have a dedicated soffit, you can sometimes install low-profile strips beneath the top edge of the cabinet to cast light upwards onto the décor.
Embracing Greenery (Faux or Real)
Plants bring life to any space, even high up. Since watering can be difficult up there, high-quality faux plants are often the best choice for utilizing space above kitchen cabinets.
- Trailing Pothos or Ivy: These work well if they can hang slightly over the edge without obscuring the cabinet faces too much.
- Faux Boxwood or Ferns: Placed in simple, square pots for a tidy look.
Dealing with the Kitchen Cabinet Soffit
A kitchen cabinet soffit is that short vertical wall built between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling, often housing ventilation or plumbing runs. It makes decorating high cabinets trickier because the space is often completely closed off.
If the Soffit is Solid and Closed
If your soffit is a solid structure with no open space above it, your options change significantly. You are now decorating the front face of the soffit or the top surface if it’s flat and accessible.
- Fascia Application: Treat the vertical face of the soffit like a short wall. You can paint it a contrasting color, apply peel-and-stick wallpaper, or even install beadboard for added texture. This makes the soffit look intentional rather than an afterthought.
- Base Molding Addition: Sometimes, adding thicker crown molding or decorative trim to the bottom edge of the soffit can give it a finished, built-in look, hiding any unevenness where it meets the cabinet.
- Art Display (If Shallow): If the soffit is wide enough, you might lean very thin decorative items against it. This is less common but possible in very wide soffit installations.
If the Soffit Has an Open Top
In some older kitchens, the “soffit” might just be a decorative frame with an open top space above the cabinets. In this case, treat it like a standard gap, keeping in mind that the visual frame of the soffit will naturally draw attention to whatever you place inside. Keep the items contained within the boundaries of the soffit frame for a neat appearance.
Integrating Décor When Cabinets Meet the Ceiling
What if your cabinets do go all the way up, but you still want decoration? This is where crown molding and built-in solutions come into play.
Upgrading with Crown Molding
If you have a small gap above your cabinets, installing substantial crown molding can bridge the space elegantly. The molding itself becomes the decoration.
- Proportion is Key: The wider and taller the gap, the deeper the crown molding needs to be to look balanced.
- Color Matching: Usually, the molding should match the cabinet color for a seamless, custom look.
Faux Cabinets or “Toppers”
If you have the budget and truly want a finished look, you can install cabinet boxes or sections above your existing cabinets to fill the entire space up to the ceiling. These are custom additions, but they provide the most polished finish. This is the ultimate approach to kitchen cabinet toppers.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Kitchen Cabinet Decor
Improper kitchen cabinet top decor can quickly make your kitchen look messy or cluttered. Avoid these common mistakes.
Overcrowding the Space
This is the number one error. Too many items look like storage overflow, not decoration. Less is often more, especially when things are high up and hard to see clearly. Every item should earn its spot.
Using Items That Attract Grease and Dust
The area above cabinets is notoriously hard to clean. Grease vaporizes and settles everywhere.
- Avoid highly textured fabrics or items with intricate crevices that trap dust easily.
- Do not use open containers like wicker baskets without liners if they are directly over the stovetop area.
Choosing Items That Are Too Small
If your cabinets are standard height (around 36 inches), the space above is already high. If you place tiny knick-knacks up there, they will disappear or look like dust bunnies from the floor. Stick to pieces that are at least 8 inches tall to have a visual impact.
Ignoring Scale and Proportion
A single, tiny teacup on a 24-inch gap will look silly. A massive, oversized vase might look overwhelming. Always step back and look at the display from the doorway. Does it feel balanced with the rest of the kitchen?
Practical Considerations for High-Level Styling
Styling above kitchen cabinets requires a bit of planning because you need to get up there to set things up and clean them later.
Accessibility Tools
You will need a steady ladder or step stool. If you plan on changing the décor often, make sure your access method is safe and easy to use. Heavy, breakable items that require constant rearrangement are not ideal for this high spot.
Cleaning Routines
Plan how you will clean these items. Since they are magnets for dust and grease:
- Choose items made of glass, ceramic, or smooth metal that can be wiped down easily.
- If you use wicker or porous wood, be prepared to remove them periodically for a deeper wash outside the kitchen.
Weighing Items Safely
If you are using very tall or wide items, consider their weight distribution. You don’t want a tall, top-heavy item tipping over if the cabinet top isn’t perfectly level. This is why anchoring items slightly, even with museum putty, can be a good idea, especially in earthquake-prone areas or homes with heavy foot traffic.
Creative Kitchen Cabinet Display Enhancements
Let’s explore more innovative ways to enhance this area beyond simple placement.
Creating an Architectural Feature
If you are renovating or have a solid soffit, you can turn it into an architectural feature rather than a place for knick-knacks.
- Faux Ceiling Detail: Install detailed trim work or crown molding that extends across the top of the cabinets and onto the ceiling line. This creates the illusion that the cabinets were custom-built all the way up.
- Contrasting Color: Paint the wall area above the cabinets a slightly different shade than the rest of the kitchen walls. This frames the upper section and makes the cabinets look deliberate rather than floating awkwardly below the ceiling.
Utilizing Filler Strips Above Cabinets
For those small, frustrating gaps where filler strips above cabinets might seem like a possibility, remember that these are usually meant to hide construction seams, not serve as a decorative surface. If the gap is very small (less than 2 inches) and you want a clean look, professional installers sometimes use painted wood strips to bridge the gap completely, effectively eliminating the decorating space but providing a seamless, built-in appearance. This eliminates the need for kitchen cabinet top decor entirely in favor of sleek design.
Themed Rotations
If you love variety, use the height for seasonal rotations.
- Fall: Groupings of small, painted pumpkins or gourds (plastic or ceramic).
- Winter: Simple white or silver decorative elements that catch holiday lights.
- Spring/Summer: Blue and white pottery or light, airy glassware.
This keeps the display ideas for kitchen cabinets fresh without requiring a full kitchen overhaul.
Summarized Guide to Styling Above Cabinets
Here is a quick checklist to ensure your kitchen decor above cabinets is successful:
| Step | Action Required | Goal Achieved |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Measure Gap | Accurately measure the vertical distance. | Determines item size constraints. |
| 2. Define Style | Select décor matching your kitchen theme. | Ensures cohesion. |
| 3. Grouping Strategy | Use odd numbers (3 or 5) for visual appeal. | Creates dynamic arrangements. |
| 4. Vary Height | Mix tall, medium, and short items. | Adds visual movement and interest. |
| 5. Limit Color | Stick to 2-3 main colors in the display. | Prevents the area from looking chaotic. |
| 6. Access Plan | Know how you will safely clean up high. | Ensures long-term maintenance is feasible. |
The goal when decorating high kitchen cabinets is always to make the space look purposeful. Whether you are showcasing a beloved collection or simply adding height with tall vases, intention is what separates styled space from clutter. Mastering utilizing space above kitchen cabinets adds a designer touch to your kitchen without taking up precious countertop space.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Decorating Above Kitchen Cabinets
Q: Is it okay to put food items above kitchen cabinets?
A: Generally, it is not recommended to store actual perishable food items above cabinets. This area can get warm and dusty. If you choose to display items like antique flour tins or decorative pasta jars, ensure they are sealed tightly. For most people, decorative, non-edible items are better for kitchen cabinet top decor.
Q: How can I make the gap above my cabinets look seamless if I don’t want to decorate?
A: If you prefer a clean, seamless look, you should hire a carpenter to install crown molding or custom cabinet toppers that extend all the way to the ceiling. If you have a kitchen cabinet soffit, painting that soffit the exact same color as your cabinets can help it blend in, minimizing its visual distraction.
Q: Can I hang things from the area above the cabinets?
A: Hanging things depends entirely on your ceiling structure. If you have open space, you could potentially hang lightweight décor from the ceiling beam or use adhesive hooks placed on the wall just above the cabinets, but this is less common for creative kitchen cabinet display. Be cautious about drilling into the top of the cabinets themselves, as this can compromise their structure or void warranties.
Q: What is the hardest part about styling above kitchen cabinets?
A: The hardest part is often the cleaning. Dust, grease, and cooking odors settle in this high, often hard-to-reach area. Therefore, choosing materials that are easy to wipe down is essential for successful utilizing space above kitchen cabinets.
Q: Should all items above my cabinets match exactly?
A: No, they shouldn’t match exactly, but they should coordinate. A collection looks best when there is a theme (e.g., color, material, or item type) tying them together. Mixing a few different heights and shapes within that theme adds interest while keeping the display cohesive.