How to Accessorize a Kitchen 101

This post is in collaboration with MacKenzie-Childs

I find the kitchen to be one of the most difficult rooms in a house to decorate. It’s probably one of the busiest spaces in a home that people continually congregate to and it needs to be full of necessities vs. non-necessities. Besides some extra counter space and maybe an empty wall here or there, there also isn’t a ton of wiggle room for “decorating.” But just like the rest of your home, your kitchen should reflect you and your family just like the décor does throughout the rest of your house, so I thought today it might be helpful to share some tips for how I “decorate” my kitchen.

How I Decorate My Kitchen With Mackenzie-Childs

#1. Okay, I know this is “huge” in some people’s eyes, but I’m going to go ahead and throw it out anyway and say you’re paint colors (both on the walls and cabinets) should reflect you and what vision you have. I know easier said than done, but paint is such a small change that makes a huge difference. I know it can get pricey, but there are also so many great DIY sites for painting your own cabinets. Aaron and I did it in our first home in North Carolina and as long as you have some patience and a bit of space, it’s really not so daunting! Our paint color is Benjamin Moore White Dove (we selected) on the walls and Sherwin Williams basic white on the kitchen cabinets (were already painted this color).

#2. Turn functional items into décor. Y’all know I love my MacKenzie-Childs stuff (past posts here, here and here), so using their dog treat canister and Courtly Check Wood paper towel holder seemed like no brainers when we moved and I needed some new goodies for the kitchen. Both items are completely functional and still appeasing to the eye. I also have this soap set that I absolutely love and bring me so much joy in their little carrier.

#3. Get rid of dingy dishtowels and pan holders. This is perhaps one of the cheaper ways to bring some decorative flare to your space, and also a fun way! I love decorating with holiday handtowels, etc. throughout our home, but off holiday towels are also something I utilize in my décor. I love these towels (currently sitting in my MC cart) and we often hang this and this on the end of the island for easy access.

#4. Create small vignettes with everyday items. For me, a great vignette in the kitchen typically starts with a tray. I actually have two little spaces I use trays in our kitchen, near the stove top and also on the island. I use a gold tray and a round pizza board, but this Courtly Check Rattan oval tray from MacKenzie-Childs would make a beautiful vignette or how cute is this Royal Dot Serving Tray? I basically “style” these little areas with necessities that I use daily. For example, on our tray near the stove I have our Royal Check salt and pepper shakers, a Courtly Check Enamel spoon rest (I still need this one for my collection), our utensil bin, etc.)

#5. Bring some beloved pieces out. I’ve chatted a lot on instastories about using your “finer” pieces as décor if you don’t have a ton of storage for them, the same goes for counters, vignettes, etc. As you can see on our metal tray, I display our Sweet Briar (one of my fave. Mackenzie-Childs collections) Sweebriar butter dish. The rest of my Sweetbriar collection is in our china cabinet, but I like having a bit in the kitchen because it brings me so much joy (and someone we use it for corn on the cob, etc.). I also keep my MacKenzie-Childs tea kettle out on the stove at all times.

#6. Utilize some greenery: I am a plant lady and really feel like plants truly create an ambiance and good vibes through a home, so it’s no wonder I have two plants in our kitchen area. I also pick up weekly flowers for the island (a splurge yes, but again, it’s all about bringing joy to the everyday). Small kitchen plants are a great inexpensive way to bring some character into a room and I love the idea of a smaller plant(s) on the kitchen counter to add some personality.

#7. Display your cookbooks: I wish we had some open shelving in our kitchen and I hope to make some changes to make that a possibility at some point (we do have some in our breakfast area), but I love using coffee table books and cookbooks in my décor. You can see the little vignette I created (again with a tray) right near our backdoor in the breakfast room with the MacKenzie-Childs cloche (looking for a faux succulent for it)  and I used a cookbook to create some height and visual appeal.

#8. Keep small appliances at a minimum: I get that having EVERYTHING on the counter would be convenient and easy to access, but I hate it. We’re lucky enough to have slide out cabinets on our lower cabinets so I store our less used appliances (toaster, food processor, instapots, etc.) there. We only keep things on the counter that we use almost daily (coffee maker, fruit basket, salt and pepper, knives, Vitamix, etc.). Less clutter instantly brightens and makes a kitchen feel more decorated; sometimes less truly is more.

#9. Hang something that bring you joy: We have a dinner bell Penelope gets to ring every night and it’s one of the few pieces of wall décor in our kitchen. It’s a tradition I love sharing with her and it brings us great joy. No matter what you hang on the walls anywhere in your home, it should spark joy.

#10. Incorporate different textures and styles. Wood, tile, granite, metals, we have all of them in our kitchen. On our kitchen island for example, I have a circular wood cutting board, a metal bowl we keep “potty treats” in (we also use this SoHo bowl), a geode I found at a store to layer on top of the wood bowl, our Sweetbriar candle (you guys, this smells amazing when not even lit!) and then of course, my weekly flowers.

This ended up being a little longer than expected, but kitchens can be challenging! Hope these little tips help you guys, and if you need some great statement pieces in your life for your kitchen (or anywhere in your house) definitely grab something from Mackenzie-Childs. I recommend if it’s your first piece, you start with a classic tea kettle!

Now, coffee in the kitchen to start this Friday and celebrate another weekend being here!

Do you own any pieces from Mackenzie-Childs?  Let me know in a comment below!

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