15 Decorating Ideas for Above Kitchen Cabinets

Have you ever wondered what to do with that awkward space above your kitchen cabinets? We've got 15 smart solutions for easy decor and stylish storage.

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By: Maria Conti

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Install Statement-Making Light Fixtures

Don’t think of the gap between your upper cabinets and kitchen ceiling as a challenge. Think of it as a golden opportunity. Specifically, a golden opportunity that allows you to splurge on 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.

From: Tiffany Brooks

Bridge the Gap With a Backsplash

Another tip from Tiffany: 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.

See More Photos: Gorgeous Kitchen Backsplash Options and Ideas

From: Tiffany Brooks

Add Texture With Woven Baskets

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 white-washed baskets above upper cabinets to enhance the soaring ceiling height in this stately French country-inspired kitchen.

From: The Refined Group

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Bridge the gap overhead with a dazzling mirror à la LABLstudio. Recreating 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.

From: LABLstudio

Create Killer Contrast

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.

See More Photos: 60+ Paint Shades We Love and How You Can Use Them

From: Zoe Feldman Design

Install Over-the-Top Art

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.

From: Ashley Gilbreath

Display Your Collection

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.

Create a Cookbook Library

If your innocent cookbook-hoarding habit leaves you with perpetually cluttered countertops and non-existent counter space, 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.

From: Jenn Feldman Designs

Sneak Storage In

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 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.

see more: 17 Smart Kitchen Storage Ideas You'll Want to Try ASAP

From: Jenn Feldman Designs

Pile With Houseplants

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.

See More Photos: 20 Best Plants for Cleaning Indoor Air

From: Gina Sims

Wrap It In Wallpaper

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.

A Restaurant-Style Kitchen at Home

From: HGTV Magazine

Warm It Up

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.

Pack Panache Overhead

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.

From: Andre Rothblatt

Create Custom Cubbies

The secret to maintaining your sanity while cohabitating with kiddos is storage space. 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.

From: Karen B Wolf Interiors

Fashion Floating Shelves

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 recreate her magic, style your floating shelves with cookbooks, candlesticks, sculptural vases and everyday glassware. Fresh-cut blooms are always a good idea, too.

From: Natalie Myers