8 must-have items for styling kitchen shelves*

*This is a sponsored post*

So you've got up your beautiful new scaffold shelf-style shelves up in your kitchen, and now you're all ready to style them to perfection. But where to start? 

There's a few essential items you can use which will transform even the most boring wall into a beautifully styled shelf space. So to show you exactly how its done, I've found some of the most beautiful rustic country homes on Instagram who have open shelving to die for! 

Here's my eight must-have items for styling a kitchen shelf:

Tip: When styling any shelf choose items that are of a complimentary colour but of alternate sizes, meaning you can create a cohesive look, but with enough variation to add interest

Kitchen shelf must-have item no.1: Plants

Always an essential for styling a shelf, a houseplant (real or artificial) will add a touch of colour to any space. An aloe or a peace lily are great for popping in a pot on or underneath the shelves, whilst a trailing fern from the top shelf will fill blank space effectively - just like Emma (@emmas_hygge_home). She's also popped some eucalyptus stems in a pot to add another touch of nature.

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A post shared by Emma Louise 🌿 (@emmas_hygge_home) on Jul 25, 2019 at 1:04am PDT

Kitchen shelf must-have item no.2: Jars of food

Get those essentials out of their boring packets, and style to perfection in pretty glass storage jars. I've recently created a mini pantry in one of my kitchen cupboards - you don't need lots of space to have a beautifully styled space. 

You can have a read of how I created my mini pantry here. 

Kitchen shelf must-have item no.3: Jug of utensils

Pop some pretty spoons and ladles into jug - choose a colour that compliments your other items, and there's no shame in having some 'show' pieces either (just make sure nobody's stirring their baked beans with the gold 'show' ladle)

Kitchen shelf must-have item no.4: Prints

Another great way of filling blank wall space, pop a print or two in different sized frames onto your shelf, layering them behind other items to create depth. 

This is another simple way of adding some colour, and creating a theme like Emma (@behind_door_28) has done with her coffee station.

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A post shared by Emma (@behind_door_28) on Jun 14, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT

Kitchen shelf must-have item no.5: Chopping boards

Perfect for adding some texture, and rustic charm, chopping boards make a great compliment to the farmhouse-style scaffold board shelves  Layer a couple of different sized ones and prop them up below your lowest shelf, if you've got space.

Kitchen shelf must-have item no.6: Statement item

Balance your shelves out and add interest with a beautiful feature item, such as some vintage kitchen scales like Lauren (@a_house_and_its_story), a rustic star or statement ornament, for example.

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A post shared by Lauren (@a_house_and_its_story) on Jul 23, 2019 at 12:04pm PDT

Kitchen shelf must-have item no. 7: Books

My standard go-to styling item - a couple of beautiful hard-back cookery books should always have a place on kitchen shelves. 

Display them with their pretty coloured-spines on show, and lay flat so you can add height with items such as a candle or plant pot on top, like Lucy (@__itslucy__) - she's also got the feature item sorted with that leopard hasn't she!

Kitchen shelf must-have item no.8: Crockery

Display beautiful pieces such as bowls and plates to their fullest on your new shelves. Adding some hooks below a shelf will mean you can also add some mugs or small pans - again great for filling that blank space below too. 

Choose items in similar or complimentary colours to create a theme - how beautiful are those pops of copper in Elle's (@elle_the_home_bird) kitchen?

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A post shared by E l l e (@elle_the_home_bird) on Feb 26, 2019 at 11:16pm PST

Inspired to get some open shelving up in your kitchen? You can pick up timber scaffold boards for sale quite cheaply, or even DIY your own scaffold board shelves using pine planks - have a read of my £6 tutorial here.

What items do you display on your kitchen shelves?

Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx

*This post was sponsored by Sussex Scaffolding Supplies, however as ever, all words and opinions are my own*

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