25 Decorating Ideas for Above Kitchen Cabinets

Don’t think of the gap between your upper cabinets and kitchen ceiling as a challenge. Instead, see it as a golden opportunity for stunning above kitchen cabinet decor, like statement-making light fixtures.

Follow interior designer Tiffany Brooks’ lead and flank your range with a pair of oversized swing-arm sconces. Pro tip: Achieve a dramatic look by selecting light fixtures in a finish or style that pops against your existing wall and cabinet color.

If you love the concept of over-the-cabinet lights but are not sold on the oversized look, here’s another idea: spotlight sconces. Install a series of spotlight sconces across the length of your upper cabinets. This technique instantly makes the awkward gap overhead appear intentional and grants your space a luxe, designer-worthy look. Take cues from this inviting family kitchen and use eye-catching sconces in an inky finish to invite attention, or take an understated approach with sconces in a metallic finish that matches your cabinet hardware.

Our go-to, foolproof method to make a kitchen look expensive (and eliminate the awkward cabinet gap) is installing custom millwork to the walls. Make this airy transitional kitchen your muse and add custom wainscoting to the bare wall above your cabinets, then paint the trim-adorned walls to match your cupboards to achieve a cohesive, built-in look.

Another tip from Tiffany Brooks: Continue your backsplash tile above your upper cabinets. Not only does this technique create a seamless visual, but it brings a sense of cohesion and grandeur to your design.

Make your upper cabinets a stowaway shelf for your favorite woven baskets. Timeless woven baskets offer out-of-sight storage overhead and bring organic texture and warmth to any design. The Refined Group nestled a stack of whitewashed baskets above upper cabinets to enhance the soaring ceiling height in this stately French country-inspired kitchen.

Bridge the gap overhead with a dazzling mirror a la LABLstudio. Re-creating their technique will wash your space with natural sunlight and visually expand your kitchen. Be sure to select a mirror that reflects (get it?) your style and complements the architectural lines of your home.

If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Reimagine the “awkward gap” into an intentional, stylized component of your design. Make this moody kitchen by Zoe Feldman Design your muse and paint your gap a bold hue that contrasts against your existing cabinets or ceiling color.

Interior designer Ashley Gilbreath wields a vintage surfboard to prove more is, in fact, more in this cool coastal kitchen. Achieve the same curated look by installing an oversized object or over-the-top artwork above your upper cabinets. Pro tip: Use your town's setting or geography to inspire your artwork selection.

Consider this playful contemporary kitchen your sign to dust off your prized vase collection and give those beauties a new lease on life. Line your vessels atop your kitchen cabinets to invite a dreamy wash of color and shine overhead. Not only will this storage hack add a natural intrigue to your kitchen, but it also serves as an omnipresent reminder for your partner to pick up a bundle of blooms on their way home from work.

When in doubt, shiplap it out! Install shiplap on the empty wall above your kitchen cabinet (and throughout the rest of the space) like this pattern-packed aqua kitchen. The simple paneling adds a layer of interest to your kitchen design and serves as a captivating backdrop for family meals and entertaining alike. Stick to a snowy-white finish for an understated look that takes a backseat to your punchy cabinets, or paint your shiplap a rich hue for a dynamic contemporary appeal.

Infuse personality into your kitchen with a custom, cabinet-top display of your collected items. Designer Lauren Svenstrup lines the upper cabinets in this colorful midcentury-modern kitchen with vibrant vintage lunchboxes. The prismatic lunchboxes bring retro charm to the design; their colors complement the glazed teal tiles and saturated emerald ceiling overhead.

A splash of pattern adds dimension — especially in kitchens with painted cabinets. Kristi O'Meara lined her cabinet-ceiling gap with wallpaper. Now, her restaurant-style cooking space is even prettier.

If your innocent cookbook-hoarding habit leaves you with perpetually cluttered countertops, it’s time to take control of your kitchen. Use the gap between your upper cabinets and ceiling to create a custom cookbook library like this beauty by interior designer Jenn Feldman. Not only will adding bookshelves enable you to use your counters, but it will also bring character and height to your kitchen design.

Want to build out the gap without using a single tool to do so? Install a series of savvy storage baskets above your cabinets like Jenn Feldman did here. The key is to find storage baskets with a similar color and texture to your cabinet and wall color. Inky woven baskets blend with the moody teal backdrop allowing other elements to shine too.

This streamlined kitchen uses the empty space above the cabinets to showcase and store entertaining essentials like a plaster candelabra. Use the same concept and showcase your special occasion tableware (think: crystal candle holders, silver platters, sparkling stemware) above your cabinets where you can admire it daily. And, even better? Your kids and pets are much less likely to shatter your priceless pieces when they are stowed far from reach.

Do like designer Gina Sims and liven up your kitchen with cabinet-top houseplants. Vibrant green hues will brighten the shadowy gap. Pro tip: Since they're so high up, go for faux plants. No watering required.

Warm your white kitchen perimeter right up with live-edge wooden bowls. The organic material and honey-toned hue bring balance to this otherwise snowy kitchen. Bonus points if you roll out a rug with coordinating warm tones.

Show off your design chops with a larger-than-life painting, photo or print. Designer Andre Rothblatt brings an unexpected artful edge to this otherwise understated white kitchen with an eclectic black-and-white portrait overhead.

Take advantage of the extra space above your kitchen cabinets and install statement-making ceiling beams a la this breathtaking transitional kitchen by Copper Sky Design + Remodel. Installing faux beams draws the eye up to accentuate the ceiling height and can create a visual illusion of width or length to suit your room's needs. Finish your ceiling beams in a wood tone that mirrors your floors or other wood furnishings for a cohesive, intentional design.

Make the most of your cabinet-ceiling gap by creating a custom cubby system overhead. Use this dreamy space by Karen B Wolf Interiors as your reference and frame out your cabinet tops to create various compartments. Top with crown molding and add woven baskets for out-of-sight, accessible storage.

Use the top of your upper cabinets as a jumping point for floating shelves. Designer Natalie Myers uses this technique here in a timeless midcentury design. To re-create her magic, style your floating shelves with cookbooks, candlesticks, sculptural vases and everyday glassware. Fresh-cut blooms are always a good idea, too.

Follow the pros at Urbanology Designs’ lead and enrich your white kitchen with natural texture and color using contrasting wood trim. A rustic, midtone wood crown molding bridges the gap between the snowy upper cabinets and ceiling, softening the contemporary black-and-white palette at play along the way. This accent looks equally stunning when implemented in vibrant, color-clad kitchens.

Forgo modest crown molding for head-turning trim work like this bold black-and-white Hollywood Regency kitchen. Here, the designers at Maestri Studio filled the walls above the cabinets with brass hardware and finished with oversized dentil crown molding. The millwork transforms the otherwise empty space into a decidedly fashionable focal point within the design.

While this stunning over-the-cabinet idea is definitely a splurge, it’s worth considering if you’re renovating or building your dream kitchen. Maximize the wall space above your cabinets with a series of windows to wash your kitchen with natural light. This striking update adds grandeur to even the most modest kitchens and creates an illusion of a larger space. Plus, over-the-cabinet windows look ravishing installed on standard or vaulted ceilings.