Decorating Above the Cabinets

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Last week, after I showed our kitchen reveal, I was asked if I could talk more about how I chose to decorate above our kitchen cabinets. HAPPILY!!!

My parents' kitchen didn't have any space between the top of the kitchen cabinets and the ceiling, so when I moved out on my own after college {into the house we just sold}, I was delighted to have a decorating canvas above those cabinets. That's what it felt like to me - a whole opportunity to add decorations that would tie into the theme of the room.

And you know how I do love a good theme. 

I had no idea what I was doing and it showed. It probably still shows in some ways. But in my opinion, it's important for a home to reflect the people who live there. So my goal has always been to try to tie in the decorations above the cabinets with the theme of the room at that time.

Obviously I'm not a design expert, so I did some hunting on Pinterest to find some additional ideas and help, should you be interested! Among my finds...

This article gives some actual design advice, using photos from kitchens in need of decorations. This article gives a tutorial on how to install lighting above your cabinets if you like that look {which I do!} This blogger has a much fuller collection than I do, and she has a Tuscan look, so if your theme leans more that direction, she's got some great ideas. This article gives 10 different decor ideas, ranging from baskets to Ball jars and more! And one more for you here...this blogger shows her own kitchen, and offers tips on how to use textures and heights and more.

I will also tell you that when I first had my own kitchen, years ago, I purchased a package of garden edging that looked like a tiny picket fence, and placed it above my cabinets. I would weave garlands of seasonal flowers around it. My whole kitchen had a garden theme, which is hysterical given that I don't garden and have never been a gardener. {And at that point, I even hated vegetables!}

But as you know, we have a coffee shop feel to our kitchen now, so here's what I chose to do above our cabinets.

Our kitchen cabinets, like most, I'm sure, have a top that sits recessed from the edge of the cabinets. Because of that, anything you place up there is hidden by a couple of inches. That's not a big deal for big items, but for smaller ones, it matters, because you're so far away from the space anyway. I went to Hobby Lobby {years ago} and bought rectangular pieces of florist foam and cut them to fit in each cabinet. I used that so I could stab the fencing pieces into it and they would stand up without bowing. If you just need to have height, you could use old books or magazines - anything that doesn't show from below.

I added burlap as a cover over the foam, since it does stick up just a bit beyond the cabinet top, and it ties in with our curtains that way.

On this end, I took a big basket I've owned for years, turned it on its side, and filled it with burlap and a coffee trivet. I also have a decorative plate sitting beside it that says "Friends don't let friends drink decaf." The flowers {which look much less haphazard from the floor than they do from this eye level perch} match flowers on the curtains at the windows.

So this is one little collection. This part sits above the refrigerator.

I like every room to be personalized, so my next collection includes a monogram {it's burlap too...just hard to see that in this picture} and a little resin coffee cup that says Cuppa Joe! I got it several years ago at some little artsy small town store somewhere. I found a picture frame that fit the feel of the room and put in one of our engagement photos that caught us drinking coffee. I'm a big fan of not excluding pictures from kitchens, so I really like this section.

At our old house, I had a string of Christmas lights scattered at the back of the line of cabinets for soft light, but I decided here, I wanted a lamp. So I pulled this one from our collection of little lamps and put it up there. {The previous owners ran an extension cord to an outlet for a TV that sat up there, so the plug was easily accessible.} Next to that, my very simple piece of art from Lindsay Letters, framed in a plain black frame. The little picture frame next to that currently holds a wedding picture that has nothing to do with coffee at all, but I plan to use the picture from our podcast {our hands with coffee cups} and print it for that frame to tie that area together.

A couple of gifts that represent our coffee love - and were large enough to be easily seen from a distance.

And at the far end, a garage sale find of non-functional machine, a pair of mugs, and a vase filled with coffee beans. {Got those for free from a friend who roasts his own and messed these up.}

While this may be too sparsely decorated for some, I like it that there's some breathing room between the collections, and I like it that each part means something significant to us.

I'm sure it will change, with time, but for now, it's perfect for us!