Style Your Kitchen Like a Designer

Interior Styling 101

Ready to learn how to style your kitchen like a designer? It’s time for Interior Styling 101. I’m going to be teaching you how to style a welcoming, sophisticated, and layered kitchen. Kitchens are one of my all-time favorite rooms to style, and there are a few designer tricks that I’m going to be sharing to help you achieve a magazine-worthy look in your kitchen styling. Now let’s jump right in to get your kitchen ready for spring.

We’ll be using our four design principles of Interest, Scale, Repetition, and Movement and teaching you how to apply those four principles when you style your space. I want to first break this kitchen down into styling segments. We will be focusing on styling the range wall, floating shelves, perimeter countertops, and island.

Style Your Kitchen- What to Use

The first thing I like to do before styling is to clear everything away and start with a blank slate. This helps our eye to be a bit more decisive as we are styling and adding elements back in. After clearing, group the decorative and functional pieces together that you’ll be using to style the space. I like using cutting boards, vintage ceramics, stone platters, art, herb plants, and fresh flowers for styling. Glass cups, dinnerware, cooking essentials, pretty hand towels, and a few other cool antique and vintage accessories complete the look.

Style Your Kitchen – The Range Wall

For styling… Let’s start with the range wall first; let’s discuss the large area behind the range. We have our modern pot filler on a very traditional creamy subway tile.

I’m going to use my cute little LeCruset teapot in front. We drink tea every day, so this little cutie stays out at all times, and I actually love how it adds some cottage charm to this part of the kitchen.

Beside the Range

Now let’s move on to the area that I like to style with oil and wooden cooking utensils. Having items like this at close reach is not only a functional addition to styling this part of the kitchen, but they are also beautiful when styled properly.

After getting the height at the back, let’s add in other useful items that I like to have in quick reach of the range. First, I decanted oil and vinegar into a clear glass jar. This is another pro tip to elevate your styling… Decanting your liquids into pretty clear jars… makes such a difference. For salt and pepper, I like wooden ones because they tie into my antique cutting board and give us that repetition of material. I’ll add a marble butter jar my mom gave me and a little spoon holder to complete the look.

Countertops by the Windows

It is also great because they are at arm’s reach when cooking… pretty and practical… the very best combo. On the other side of the range wall, I added an antique beaker stand. I found the unique piece at a market in High Point, North Carolina.

Style Your Kitchen – Open Shelves

Open shelves in kitchens are so popular now. But often, people have difficulty styling them in a sophisticated and thoughtful way. Let’s go through how to achieve beautifully styled open shelving.

First, I have several shelves in my kitchen. It’s quite a lot of display area. So I want to go back to those four design principles. Which are Interest, Scale, Repetition, and Movement. Let’s start with interest and scale. By using a mix of functional and decorative items in varying materials, I layer in different size pieces.

Also, l popped in a vintage barware set that brings together the brass and black colors. So does the cool antique kitchen scale. The shelf closest to the bottom is where I like to keep easy-access dishes and wine glasses. Displaying these items on open shelving is both pretty and practical.

We use these dishes every day and often have a glass of wine as we cook. Therefore, I love having these glasses in close reach. Now for this countertop area, I added some dimension with an olive wood cutting board.

Shop these looks for your open shelving:

Also, I always love tucking in a little lamp, if possible, in a kitchen. I think it adds so much cozy charm, and I highly recommend it if you have the space on your countertops. I placed a little funky ceramic vase with fresh flowers to complete the look. Plus, a towel, a few books, and a little handmade bowl.

Style Your Kitchen- The Island

Now the final area of the kitchen that we styled is the island. The island is the center point of your kitchen. It’s where we gather and socialize, so we love for this space to be inviting. Let’s think about the design principle of movement real quick.

I then placed a bowl of pears to tie into the pears on the countertop and layered a hand towel as well to soften everything up. I added a little stone candle votive, ceramic ring holder, and dish soap dispenser to the back of the cutting board.

I hope this helps inspire you to style your kitchen for the new season! Watch the complete How to Style Your Kitchen Like a Designer YouTube video here.

Shop these looks for your kitchen:

As Always, Thank you for reading, and remember, good design is for everyone. So create a home that inspires you and fall in love with where you live, one room at a time.

XO, Ashley