Creative How To Decorate Above Cabinets In Kitchen

Yes, you absolutely can and should decorate above kitchen cabinets! This often-neglected space is a fantastic opportunity to add style, light, and personality to your kitchen. Many people wonder how to fill gap above kitchen cabinets or what to do when styling kitchen cabinets without crown molding. This guide will give you many easy and creative kitchen cabinet top decor ideas.

Why Decorate Above Kitchen Cabinets?

The area above your cabinets is prime real estate in your kitchen design. Leaving it empty can make a kitchen feel unfinished. It can also collect dust easily. Decorating this space helps draw the eye upward, making the entire room feel taller and grander. It’s a perfect spot to showcase collections or add soft lighting.

Assessing Your Space: Gap Height Matters

The first step in decorating this area is measuring. How much space do you actually have? The height of the gap changes how you can decorate it.

Small Gaps (6 inches or less)

If you have a small space, it might be better to keep things minimal. Large items will look cramped here.

Focus on Trim: This space is often where crown molding should go. If you don’t have it, a simple decorative trim can finish the look nicely.
Low-Profile Items: Use shallow baskets or flat artwork leaning against the wall.
Lighting: This is the perfect spot for subtle uplighting strips.

Medium Gaps (6 to 18 inches)

This is the sweet spot for most kitchen cabinet top decor ideas. You have enough room for moderate-sized objects without making the space look too cluttered. This is a great area for display items above kitchen cabinets.

Large Gaps (18 inches or more)

A large gap requires bigger, bolder items to look balanced. Small trinkets will look lost up high. Think taller vases or substantial decorative pieces. This area offers great potential for creative ways to use space above cabinets.

Top Kitchen Cabinet Top Decor Ideas

Finding the best things to put above kitchen cabinets depends on your kitchen style and how much maintenance you want. Here are several tested and proven ideas.

1. Adding Lighting Above Kitchen Cabinets

Lighting is one of the most effective ways to decorate this space. It adds warmth and dimension to your kitchen, especially in the evening. This is a popular method for decorating open space above cabinets.

Rope Lights or LED Strips

Effect: Creates a soft, ambient glow that washes the ceiling.
Installation: Use adhesive-backed LED strip lighting or thin rope lights. Run them along the top edge of the cabinets.
Tip: Choose warm white bulbs (around 2700K) for a cozy feel.

Puck Lights

Effect: Offers more focused uplighting on specific items you display above the cabinets.
Installation: Battery-operated puck lights are easiest to install. Use remote-controlled versions for convenience.

2. Showcasing Collections and Serveware

If you have beautiful items you don’t use daily, this is their moment to shine. This is key for successful display items above kitchen cabinets.

Faux Greenery and Florals

Why it works: Adds color and life without needing water or sunlight.
What to use: Tall, wispy ferns or olive branches look modern and airy. Use artificial plants that mimic real height. Avoid dusty silk flowers that look dated.
Note: Make sure the plants are tall enough to be seen easily from the floor.

Vintage or Decorative Baskets

Style: Woven baskets bring texture and a farmhouse or rustic feel.
Use: They can hide cords or simply add warmth. Use varying sizes for visual interest. This is a great way to offer kitchen cabinet clutter solutions by using stylish storage up high.

Pottery, Vases, and Ceramics

Look: Group items in odd numbers (three or five). Use pieces that share a color theme (e.g., all white, all blue).
Balance: If your cabinets are dark, use light-colored pottery for contrast. Taller, slender vases work well in narrow gaps.

Cookbooks (Spines Out)

For the avid cook: If you have beautiful, colorful cookbooks, display them here. Turn them so the colorful spines face out.
Tip: Use bookends to keep them neat and tidy.

3. Architectural Elements for Definition

If you are styling kitchen cabinets without crown molding, you can use decorative items to create the illusion of finished trim.

Faux Crown Molding or Trim

Concept: Buy lightweight, pre-cut decorative trim pieces. You can affix these directly to the top edge of the cabinet boxes.
Benefit: It instantly makes standard cabinets look custom-built.

Decorative Trays or Plates

Use: Large, shallow decorative plates or platters can lean against the wall.
Impact: They add color and pattern across the horizontal line above the cabinets.

4. Artwork and Mirrors

Art adds personality, while mirrors can expand the look of the room.

Framed Prints

Selection: Choose kitchen-themed art, abstract pieces matching your color scheme, or botanical prints.
Placement: Lean small frames against the wall. If the gap is wide, you can stack two vertically.

Small Mirrors

Function: Mirrors bounce light around, which is great if the space above your cabinets tends to be dark.
Caution: Ensure the mirror reflects something pleasant, not just the ceiling texture.

Styling Tips for Cohesive Decor

The key to successful decorating up high is ensuring it looks intentional, not like storage overflow. Avoid turning this space into a messy attic.

Creating Balance and Symmetry

Balance is crucial. If you have a long run of cabinets, don’t put one huge item on one end and nothing on the other.

Decor Strategy	Description	Best For
Symmetry	Place identical items on either end of the cabinet run.	Formal or traditional kitchens.
Asymmetry	Group items in clusters of three or five, varying heights and shapes.	Modern or eclectic styles.
Repetition	Use the same color or texture repeatedly across the entire space.	Unifying a very long stretch of cabinets.

Varying Height and Depth

To avoid a monotonous look, mix up the heights of your display items above kitchen cabinets.

Tallest in the Middle (or at Ends): Place the tallest item slightly off-center or at the ends of the run to anchor the look.
Layering: Place shorter items (like small bowls or candles) in front of taller ones (like vases) to create depth.
Visual Weight: Darker, heavier-looking objects should be placed lower or closer to cabinet hardware to feel grounded.

Maintaining Proper Scale

This is vital when you are trying to fill gap above kitchen cabinets. If the gap is 12 inches high, a 4-inch ceramic bird will disappear. Conversely, a 16-inch vase in an 8-inch gap will look unstable.

Rule of Thumb: Items should take up about 60-70% of the available vertical space to look substantial but not overcrowded.

Addressing Kitchen Cabinet Soffit Decoration

Some kitchens have a soffit—a built-out section between the cabinet tops and the ceiling. This structure is often necessary to hide pipes or vents, but it can look bulky.

If you have a kitchen cabinet soffit decoration, you can treat the soffit itself as the ‘cabinet top.’

Painting or Texturing the Soffit

Blend In: Paint the soffit the exact same color as your upper cabinets. This visually merges them, making the cabinets look taller.
Feature Wall: If you have subway tile or beadboard on your backsplash, carry that material up onto the soffit for a high-end, built-in look.

Utilizing the Soffit’s Top Surface

If the soffit is deep enough, its top surface can be treated like a traditional cabinet top.

Concealed Lighting: This is the best place to hide LED strip lighting, casting light upward without seeing the source directly.
Shallow Decor: Use very shallow decor like small picture frames or long, thin decorative elements.

Dealing with Clutter and Maintenance

A common issue with decorating high spaces is dust and accessibility. How do you keep these spots looking good without constant dusting?

Preventing Kitchen Cabinet Clutter Solutions

The goal is decoration, not storage dumping. To keep things tidy:

Group Like Items: If displaying bowls, use only serving bowls, not everyday cereal bowls.
Use Containers: Wicker baskets or metal bins are excellent for grouping small, similar items together. This makes dusting easier—you lift one basket instead of ten small pieces.
Avoid Paper: Do not place paper receipts, magazines, or loose mail up there. Paper collects dust quickly and looks messy.

Making Cleaning Easier

If you choose items that are hard to reach, you won’t clean them.

Washable Items: Pottery, glass, and metal items are easy to wipe down occasionally.
Artificial Plants: Choose high-quality faux plants that can be lightly dusted with a microfiber cloth or a quick spritz from a can of compressed air.
Accessibility Check: Before buying an item, imagine reaching up there with a step stool. Can you comfortably clean it? If the answer is no, pick something else.

Advanced Techniques: Extending Cabinets to the Ceiling

If you have a significant gap and want a truly custom look, consider closing that gap entirely. This requires more effort but eliminates the dust trap completely and offers a polished result. This is a common way to add height to existing cabinets.

Option 1: Building a Bulkhead or False Top

This involves building a simple wooden frame (a box) that fits snugly between your current cabinets and the ceiling.

Construction: Use plywood or MDF to construct the box.
Finishing: Paint it to match the cabinets or the ceiling color.
Benefit: This creates a seamless, built-in look, instantly solving the problem of how to fill gap above kitchen cabinets.

Option 2: Installing New Cabinets Above

If budget allows, the best solution is installing shallower cabinets that fit into the space.

Measurement: Measure the gap precisely. Order new upper cabinets with a reduced depth (e.g., 12 inches deep instead of standard 15 inches).
Installation: Install these new cabinets directly onto your existing ones.
Result: You gain functional storage and eliminate the awkward gap entirely. This is the ultimate answer to decorating open space above cabinets by turning it into usable space.

The Look: Material Choices by Kitchen Style

The materials you choose must match your overall kitchen aesthetic.

Modern/Contemporary Kitchens

Modern design favors clean lines and minimal fuss.

Best Items: Simple geometric shapes, monochrome pottery (black, white, grey), minimalist metal sculptures.
Lighting: Sleek LED strips are ideal.
Avoid: Ornate, fussy items or overly bright colors.

Farmhouse/Rustic Kitchens

These styles thrive on texture and warmth.

Best Items: Woven baskets, galvanized metal pieces, aged wooden signs, simple white ironstone pitchers.
Greenery: Faux eucalyptus or dried wheat bundles.
Tip: Use matte finishes over high gloss.

Traditional/Classic Kitchens

These styles allow for more detail and history.

Best Items: Copper pots (polished or antiqued), fine china plates displayed on stands, crystal decanters.
Color Palette: Rich blues, deep reds, and warm creams work well.
Crown Molding: If you are styling kitchen cabinets without crown molding, use items that mimic architectural details, like small decorative urns.

Eclectic/Bohemian Kitchens

Here, you mix and match freely, focusing on color and global inspiration.

Best Items: Colorful Moroccan-style ceramics, beaded garlands, small, interesting artifacts from travels.
Key: The connection should be color, not style. Pull a dominant color from your backsplash or countertop and repeat it in 70% of the items displayed above the cabinets.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Is it okay to put food items above kitchen cabinets?

A: Generally, no. Food items like open bags of flour or bulk grains attract pests and are susceptible to temperature fluctuations. If you display food, use sealed, attractive containers like glass canisters. However, decorative, sealed items like vintage tins are usually fine.

Q: Do I need to use the same color decor across the entire top of the cabinets?

A: No, but consistency helps. It is better to choose two main accent colors and one neutral (like white or wood tone) and stick to those three colors. This keeps the display looking unified, even if the items themselves are varied.

Q: What is the easiest way to add lighting above kitchen cabinets?

A: Battery-operated, remote-controlled LED puck lights are the easiest. They require no wiring and can be placed precisely where you want a spotlight on your decor.

Q: My cabinets don’t go all the way to the ceiling. What’s the fastest fix?

A: The fastest fix is to paint the wall space above the cabinets the same color as the cabinets themselves, then place a long, shallow decorative element like a line of matching, low-profile wicker baskets or LED lighting across the top. This minimizes the visual gap instantly.

Q: How can I ensure my decorations don’t look like junk when decorating open space above cabinets?

A: The secret is intentional grouping and height variation. Always group items in odd numbers (3 or 5). Ensure all items are clean and dust-free. If you are using baskets, ensure they are sturdy and not sagging. Quality over quantity is key here.