Ever wondered how stylists organise perfectly balanced and yet natural-looking shelf arrangements in the kitchen? Neptune in-house stylist, Meaghan Hunter, shares her insider tips.
As the centre of household activity, kitchens can very easily become all about the practical, but whether your style features open shelving, glass-fronted cabinets or a dresser, chances are you have a shelf or two in your kitchen that catches and hold the eye. If this is the case, according to Neptune, the secret to making your kitchen feel like the heart of the home is to dress these visual spaces accordingly.
The first step to cultivating harmony in your kitchen space is the art of kitchen zoning: the process of giving each cabinet a specific purpose. That could be a breakfast cupboard, where granola, coffee mugs and the toaster live side-by-side, or perhaps a baking area on an island, where you keep jars of flour, measuring scales and baking books within easy reach.
Organising your shelves by purpose, rather than the type of object, will make styling them in an eclectic, but considered way, much easier. Once the practical pieces have their home, the next step is to introduce the slightly unexpected. Open shelves are the perfect opportunity to introduce things like paintings, plants, books, decorative ornaments, collected finds from nature walks, and even lighting.
A good tip to prevent the arrangement from feeling overly stylised is to brighten things with small pops of colour and life, such as children’s pictures or postcards. Simply tuck them in amongst your crockery and glassware. These objects might also be an opportunity to introduce a little accent colour, especially if you prefer to keep your crockery classic and white.
When you consider placement, Meaghan advises going for a look that is asymmetrical but visually balanced. While a symmetrical arrangement might be pleasing to the eye, can feel quite traditional and possibly even a little dull, not to mention it is easier to see if something is out of place. Meaghan suggests creating little clusters of objects with some thematic similarity, for instance, crockery of different heights and shapes, but united by the same colour and material.
Neptune’s Suffolk range is a style that is inspired by the Shaker concept of doing things simply but perfectly. neptune.com
Arranging in this way means that you won’t have lone and lost-looking objects floating around, or a disparate display of many individuals, but unconnected, pieces. Thinking about the way you vary heights, materials, shapes and orientations around your shelves like this will breathe interesting and visually balanced sentiment into the space, allowing the kitchen to step forward as a comfortable and engaging space within your home.
