What to do with Empty Space Above Kitchen Cabinets? (Elevating Style to The Empty Spaces)

Use these interesting ideas to decorate empty space above your kitchen cabinets. Written by : Andre A & Roomdsign.com Editors | Last Updated : November 7th, 2023

An empty space above kitchen cabinets can disrupt the overall aesthetics of your kitchen, leading to a visual void that often appears awkward and incomplete.

Empty spaces above kitchen cabinet
Empty space above cabinets

Looks really boring and awkward, isn’t it?

However, this gap can be easily decorated, so you can transform this empty space into a more visually appealing feature, while at the same time giving more additional functionality to improve your cooking space.

According to our experienced designers, here are some interesting things that you can do with the empty space above your kitchen cabinets :

  • Wine rack
  • Showcasing artwork
  • Wall stickers
  • Mirrors
  • Additional cabinetry
  • String lights
  • Cookbook-shelves
  • Decorative basket

Below, you can find some illustrations of all those approaches, along with other interesting things that you can do with the empty spaces :

17 Creative Above Kitchen Cabinet Decor Ideas

1. Create a Wine Rack

Creative ideas for above kitchen cabinets with wine rack
Wine rack

If you are a wine lover and had a lot of wine collections then you can use the empty space above your kitchen cabinet to put those wine bottles.

You can create or order custom shelves with bottle rack that will perfectly fit the space, or buy a ready-to-use wine rack.

Here are some beautiful and affordable wine rack that you can buy online :

KINGRACK Stylish Elegant Classic Style Wine Rack

FOSTERSOURCE Natural Bamboo Storage Shelf Wine Rack

Baridoo Stylish and Practical 12 Bottles Wine Rack


2. Use Set of Wall Art

Decor ideas above kitchen cabinets with set of kitchen themed wall art
Set of kitchen wall art

Another way that you can use easily decorate the space is by using some set of wall art. By using this approach, you can turn those boring spaces into a more attractive and artistic one.

It’s recommended to use two or more different pieces of wall art to make all the space filled.

To make it perfect, choose any wall art that specially designed for the kitchen. There is a lot of options available, and here is some of them :

Colorful Funny Kitchen Decoration Print Art – 6 Set

Inspirational Modern Rustic Farmhouse Kitchen Wall Decor Art – 4 Pcs


3. Using Inspirational Wall Stickers/Vinyl

Above kitchen cabinet ideas using Inspirational wall stickers
Inspirational kitchen wall sticker

Sometimes cooking can be a tough job and you need some extra motivation in order to create great quality food, and one way to get those additional motivations is by using an inspirational wall sticker quote in your kitchen. You can utilize the empty wall space as a place to put this kind of stickers.

If the empty wall spaces is too deep which makes the stickers can’t be seen, you can create a custom frame for the wall stickers by using a wood or MDF and place it right at the edge of your cabinet. This way, the stickers can be more visible.

Kitchen Dining Room Love Family Prayer Quote Sticker

This Kitchen is Seasoned with Love Wall Quote Sticker by Picniva


4. Using Wall Mirror

Decor ideas above kitchen cabinets using wall mirror
Kitchen decor using wall mirror

If you had a relatively small kitchen, then using this trick not only can make the boring wall area looks more attractive but also can help make your kitchen feel much larger and spacious.

For the best results, you can order a custom-size mirror that will fit the entire space, but of course, this will cost you some serious money. Another more affordable approach is by buying a ready to use mirror, or, the most cheaper options is by using mirror sheets or mirror looks stickers like this :

EDGEWOOD Flexible Wall Mirrors

Hexagonal Acrylic Mirror Wall Stickers


5. Add Extra Cabinet for More Storage

Storage ideas above kitchen cabinets with extra cabinet
Extra cabinet

This option is the best for you who want a clean and organized kitchen, yes, you can add an extra cabinet above the old existing ones. To make it looks integrated, create them with the same or at least similar material, color, and style.

For this approach, you should order a custom size one as it will be difficult to find ones that will exactly fit the spaces, and surely it will cost you some money, but the result will be worth it.


6. String Light for Fun Kitchen

Decor ideas above kitchen cabinets with string / twinkle light
Kitchen with string light decor

You can make boring spaces look magical using string light/twinkle light. By using this items, not only it will give some additional lighting at the night, but also bring a happy and cheerful ambient to the kitchen all year long.

And here is some string light that we highly recommend for you :

Fairy Firefly LED String Lights

100 LED Star String Lights


7. Create a Bookshelves

Storage ideas above kitchen cabinet with bookshelves
Kitchen bookshelves

When you asking random homeowners on what to put on top of your cabinets, than certainly almost no one will answer that question with books. Placing a book in the kitchen may be sound weird for most people, but in reality they aren’t.

If you had a lot of cookbooks or recipe, than that’s a good ideas to turn the spaces into a bookshelf to put and organize those books.

You can do this by just stacking those books, or, for a more organized approach, you can create a custom shelves with several section that can help you categorize your books collection.


8. Move Your Cabinet up to The Ceiling

Remove space above kitchen cabinet swith moving up your existing cabinets
Cabinet moved up into the ceiling

This is one of the most simple and easy methods among all of the list here. Yes, you can move the cabinet up so there is no space left.

But one downside of this method is that it will be more difficult to reach, especially when you had a high ceiling in your home.


9. Decorative Baskets

Decorative baskets for above kitchen cabinets
Kitchen decor using decorative baskets

This is another important technique of getting rid of that annoying space. Just go to the market and purchase beautiful baskets where you can store valuable items.

The length of the empty wall spaces will determine the number of baskets you’re to purchase, that is if you want an orderly arrangement. Again, this method technique serves as extra storage for different kitchen items.

Things like cooking books, journals, and some other important spices and condiments that you use occasionally.

Instead of using an old boring basket, you can use some beautiful one like these :

Woven Strap Basket

DECOMOMO Large Foldable Storage Basket


10. Cafe Style Chalkboard

Artistic decor ideas above kitchen cabinets with cafe style chalkboard
Kitchen decor using cafe style chalkboard

If you had an artistic soul then you can create a chalkboard on the spaces and use it as a canvas for creating some art or quotes there.

By using this method, you can easily change the art or text based on your mood or even the season. For example, you can craft Merry Christmas quotes or happy birthday greetings on your spouse’s birthday.

Blackboard/Chalkboard Adhesive Wall Decals


11. Wall Garden

above kitchen cabinet decor using plant and vegetation
Kitchen decor using plants and vegetation

Sometimes cooking can be a stressful job, and one of the most effective way to reduce the stressfulness is by adding some greenery into your kitchen. A lot of scientific research proven that looking at some plant or vegetation can reduce the stress level.

If there is not any available space in your kitchen to put the plant, than you can use the empty wall space above your cabinet. Although surely you only can put artificial plants rather than the real ones there.

The most easy and simple way is by using vases with artificial plants and put it up there. But there is another creative approach that you can use, by using some artificial vines or leaf, where you can hang them in the wall and than you can turn the boring spaces into a beautiful wall garden.

Here is some beautiful and realistic looks artificial hanging leaf or vines that you can buy and use to create your own wall garden in your kitchen :

Ivy Greenery Leaf Vine Artificial Foliage

Artificial Eucalyptus Leaf Vines


12. 3D Wallpaper / Wall Panel

3d Wallpaper ideas for kitchen
Decorative 3d wall panel

Another method that you can use is by installing a 3d wall panel / wallpaper. Using this method, the uninviting space will looks more attractive and anyone who see it will think that the space is created on purpose.

Today, there are a lot of different 3d wall panel textures and designs available on the market. You can choose the ones that will match your entire kitchen or home decor.

In the example above, we use a white stone looks panel to bring some natural vibe in contemporary style. Use your creativity and imagination to create your own!

Here is some beautiful 3d wall panel that can be a great option for you if you prefer this method :

Peel and Stick 3D White Brick Wall Panels/Wallpaper

3D Wavy Wall Panel


13. Place Unused Glasses and Plate

glass and plate above cabinet
Plate and glasses on top of kitchen cabinet

Almost every homeowner had some glasses or plates that rarely been used, for example, the ones that you only used when hosting some party or seasonal events. You can use the space to put all of those items.

To make it looks more organized, you can build your own shelf to put those tableware.


14. Use Bold/Dark Paint

Dark brown paint for kitchen
Dark paint for the wall above cabinet

As we already said before, the empty wall space will be dusty most of the time, and it’s not a good ideas to paint it with a clear or light paint since it will looks dirty. The easy way to avoid this is by using any dark wall paint to paint those walls.

With dark wall paint, those area will look darker and anyone wouldn’t really notice if there is some dust or even any cobwebs there.


15. Add Crown Molding

Use crown molding above kitchen cabinet
Crown molding

This trick not only will make the empty wall space looks like created on purpose, but also will make your entire kitchen looks more attractive and beautiful.

But one important thing when applying this trick is that you should choose a big crown molding that will cover almost all of the spaces. If you can find ones, combining any crown molding with baseboard can also work well.


16. Set of Colorful Jars

This is another way of keeping a collection together like the basket we talked about earlier. The space above the cabinet may be enough to contain some jars and you can arrange it based on the colors to create a beautiful looks.


17. Try Hanging Artifacts

These man-made objects are very beautiful. For those that love history and archaeology, you can place one or two artifacts there. They are vintage arts and good for memories of ancient history.

I would say it’s a very mature design, you could be tired of many baskets, tins, and jars because you’re not needing any extra storage.


And that’s it! Hope you like our creative above kitchen cabinet decor ideas, and get some new and fresh inspiration to create your own.

You can use one of those ideas separately or even mixing two or more different ideas to get a better results.

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Category : Home Decor, Kitchen