19 Ideas for Decorating the Top of Kitchen Cabinets

Decorative Baskets

This London kitchen from Studio Peake has tall, seamless built-in cabinetry painted in a serene shade of pale gray that ends a few feet short of the glass roof.

A row of decorative woven baskets defines the empty space while adding a touch of warmth that complements the organic wood bar stools.

Vintage Mirrors

In this light-flooded kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors, a pair of vintage mirrors perched on the top row of open shelving reflects light and views while adding another layer of decor in the bright and homey kitchen that mixes old and new.

Patterned Wallpaper

To fill the blank space above the cabinetry, deVOL Kitchens hung nature-themed illustrated kitchen wallpaper that complements the dark green tile backsplash and adds a layer of visual interest without cluttering up the narrow space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling.

Bar Storage

While it's perfectly acceptable to decorate the top of your kitchen cabinets just for show, there's valuable real estate up there that can be used for storing infrequently used items, or things that you don't want the kids to get their hands on.

A Beautiful Mess child-proofed the liquor cabinet by storing it on top of the kitchen cabinets, with bottles neatly organized in a row of wire baskets.

Trailing Vines

This elegant British kitchen from the U.K.'s deVOL Kitchens is decorated with illustrated wallpaper, shades of green and cream, copper accents, and plants with delicate trailing vines perched atop the closed and glass-front cabinetry that add a natural touch.

Art and Objects

Mindy Gayer Design Co. layered art and objects on top of the kitchen cabinets in this high-ceilinged lower-level Lake Arrowhead kitchen that focuses the eye and makes the space feel cozier.

The top of similar cabinets in the corner is left bare to keep the space from feeling cluttered.

Dried Botanicals

The top of this olive green painted china cabinet in a rustic English DIY kitchen from Lobster and Swan is layered with objects and a tall vase of branches that fills in the empty space above the relatively short cabinet and draws the eye upward.

Everyday Objects

Use everyday kitchen objects to decorate the tops of cabinets. In this timeless English country space from deVOL Kitchens, the top of a freestanding cabinet is styled with a basket and spillover earthenware that is displayed inside and on the open shelving above the sink, creating a casual but coordinated look.

Storage Baskets

Thistlewood Farms added a row of matching storage baskets to the top of an open china hutch in her modern farmhouse-style kitchen.

Row of Plants

Kitchen cabinets come in various shapes and sizes. In this spacious kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors, a large curvy antique wooden hutch that stores dishware and cookbooks is topped with a row of bushy Boston ferns that create a lush look and introduce some vibrant greenery into the kitchen.

More Cabinets

Instead of leaving blank space above the kitchen cabinets, Leanne Ford Interiors added a row of glass-front built-in cabinetry that seamlessly fits the space and can be used to stow non-essential items.

The glass fronts add contrast with the larger closed cabinetry below and preserve an airy feel. A sliding library-style ladder attached to the wall allows for easy access.

Colorful Vases

Dazey Den added plants and colorful glassware to the tops of opposite rows of cabinetry in this kitschy midcentury modern space that helps define zones in the semi-open-plan kitchen and dining room.

Mixed Objects

A pair of rustic vintage painted wood cabinets with a charmingly worn patina stacked on a side wall of this kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors provide extra storage and give the room a sense of history.

The top of the cabinet is styled with rustic objects in a mix of materials to give it an effortless feel.

Open Storage Nooks

Interior designer Alvin Wayne added open stained wood niches above the white kitchen cabinets that serve as display space and storage for those cookbooks that only get trotted out during the holidays.

Everyday Items

In this garage-turned-guest-house from Arbor & Co., an L-shaped kitchen has a mix of upper cabinetry and open shelving to accommodate the small space.

The cabinetry top is treated as an extension of the open shelving, housing a pair of simple bowls that make the corner space look cohesive and keep everything visible and accessible.

Cookbooks

Whittney Parkinson Design added a cookbook storage nook in the dead space between a built-in refrigerator and matching kitchen cabinetry that extends to the ceiling in this neutral-toned 1920s Tudor kitchen renovation.

Floor-to-Ceiling Backsplash

One way to eliminate the problem of filling the empty space above your kitchen cabinetry is to install an eye-catching kitchen backsplash that extends all the way up to the ceiling, like this contemporary kitchen from Brophy Interiors. A blackened wood drop ceiling also helps to fill in the space while providing additional lighting.

Faux Greenery

Decorating the top of your kitchen cabinets can be challenging from a maintenance standpoint when it comes time to watering and pruning, especially if you don't enjoy climbing up on kitchen stools and ladders to get the job done.

These days you can find beautiful, realistic-looking faux plants that will take care of themselves, like this space from M. Wilcox Design.

Custom Built-Ins

If you're designing a kitchen from scratch, you might want to remove the need to decorate the space above your kitchen cabinets by custom building cabinets that kiss the ceiling instead, like this spacious kitchen from Louis Duncan-He Designs that maximizes every last inch of vertical space.