I’m someone who doesn’t inherently have a knack for organization. I struggle to balance the ergonomics of my kitchen — forget making it easy on the eyes. That’s why I adore Ina Garten’s approach to the kitchen: “I love working in a kitchen with beautiful things, but I hate anything that’s purely decorative.” How chic! She finds ways to fully utilize her tools and makes them beautiful to look at, while keeping things simple (my favorite way to decorate my kitchen, too) — which is especially important when it comes to kitchen storage.
To give you an idea of how her brilliant guidelines work, let me show you what my shelf above my fridge looked like before applying them.
Quite frankly, it was a disaster. Over time, I placed any plate, book, or food storage container that fit on that shelf, which rendered … the situation you see above. Here are Ina’s tricks that I couldn’t wait to apply to my shelf.
Ina Garten’s Best Tips for Styling Open Shelving
- Mix old and new.
- Choose a small color palette.
- Choose different shapes and heights to sit next to each other.
- A beautiful plate or platter leaning against the back wall of the shelves can give height to your arrangement.
- Mix it up with books that you love.
I pushed the silver platter to the back of the shelf, which worked as one of my “old” components to mix in with the “new” dishware. Per Ina’s suggestion, the platter is an easy way to vary the height of what’s on the shelf, and I love the look of it. If you’re in the market for a stunning vintage-inspired platter to serve as functional decor, check out this gem from Amazon, or this pick from Pottery Barn (that’s on sale now!) to get the Ina-approved look.
Next I added a few other silver-toned kitchen items, which harmonize so nicely with the whites in the dishware. Then I added some of my favorite cookbooks to anchor the left side and add a splash of color. And voilà! Through Ina’s easy styling tricks, I managed to save my shelf — and you most certainly can, too. I have to give it to her — these five simple rules helped even the most organizationally helpless person create some super-sophisticated (and tidy!) shelves.
What do you think of Ina’s tips? Let us know in the comments below!