Inspiration | Kitchen Styling Ideas

Often referred to as the heart of the home, the kitchen has a way of naturally bringing people closer together. Whether you are cooking with your family or having a meal with friends, this space is an opportunity to create connections and memories. A place where function and aesthetics combine, our styling choices influence the way that we use and enjoy our kitchens. Our homes today are often designed with kitchens in full view from other areas of the home, so it is important that they tie in with the overall interior decor while still being functional.

We’ve curated some key tips for styling your kitchen to help you to create a space that feels welcoming, organised and very much your own. We asked the experts – Shelley White from Pantry Girl, kitchen styling specialist Dakota Drury from Studio Haus Co and interior designer Georgie Shepherd – about their top kitchen styling ideas and tips. 

Purposeful Kitchen Styling 

There are a variety of ways to incorporate styling elements into your kitchen while keeping your space clean and functional. Purposeful styling is the key to usability in your space. We spoke to Dakota Drury, an interior designer and property stylist who is well versed in making beautifully styled spaces feel like home.

“When it comes to styling someone's kitchen you have to take into consideration who the person is and what they love to do in their kitchen. A combination of items they will actually use as well as the more unique styling pieces is key. When I style a kitchen, everything you see has a purpose whether it is cookbooks, cutting boards, serving ware, or vessels. Whilst also bringing colour and texture into the space like using a plant or a unique vase.” - Dakota Drury of Studio Haus Co.

How do you use your kitchen and the items within it? Consider each item and what purpose it fulfils in your space. Ensure the pieces that you present in your kitchen are both beautiful and useful to be sure the space doesn’t feel too cluttered. We also spoke with Shelley White of Pantry Girl, a professional organiser who helps busy families and individuals create systematic and sustainable solutions within their homes.

“We like to keep minimal items on the countertop and keep only what you regularly need on the counters. We love placing our most used cooking items on a wooden or marble tray to simplify the cooking process - a couple of our oil cruets containing your most used cooking oils, seasoning or fresh herbs.” - Shelley White of Pantry Girl

Practical and Beautiful Kitchen Storage 

Organisation is essential to allowing your kitchen space to remain clean, functional and presentable. Finding effective ways to store your household items will transform your time in the kitchen. Styling with small woven baskets is one of the easiest ways to add a touch of practical texture to your kitchen. Place handwoven baskets on an open shelf or the kitchen bench to hold items you need to keep within close reach like utensils or spices. Grouping multiple baskets on kitchen shelving - like our Sona Square Duo, the palm fibre Dhali Baskets or Buna Baskets - will create a textural vignette and a point of interest in your kitchen as well as enable easy access to the items you chose to store in each basket.  

“We love using jars and canisters to display everyday ingredients and labelled accordingly. Not only do they keep your dry ingredients fresher longer, but you can visibly see what items you have on hand. Baskets can also help break up the clutter and make your pantry easier to navigate. We like using them to store loose snacks for grab-and-go access, refills or backstock of groceries, or in open shelving to store extra kitchen linens. Setting aside a couple of hours a week to maintain and keep the area clean can also make a world of difference when keeping the space organised.” - Shelley White of Pantry Girl

Medium sized jute baskets provide practical storage and can be used for a variety of purposes in the kitchen. You can also use jute baskets to conceal items like containers and lids, boxes of wrap, foil and sandwich bags. Fresh fruit or vegetables can be displayed as a stunning focal point on kitchen islands or countertops. The Trio of Round Baskets, Minikin Bowl and Jute Bowl are all practical baskets that will add a touch of handwoven texture to your styling while providing a home for your fruit and vegetables. The Small Rectangle Jute Basket is a great way to store your cookbooks and table linens.  

“We quite often use baskets as an alternative storage solution to drawers or cupboards. We often like to leave an open shelf in a joinery piece which we can then add in a basket for storage. This creates a more relaxed feel to a space and also gives a less permanent storage option which can be removed and moved around. We especially love natural baskets as they help to ground a palette and give a handmade quality to a space.” Georgie Shepherd

Shelf Styling and Arrangements

Creating arrangements of your favourite items can be the most significant styling change you can incorporate to instantly add style to your kitchen. Layered arrangements can rest against your wall or splashback, or sit on a shelf or behind glass cabinetry. Cutting boards, salt and pepper grinders, ceramics, bowls, trays, baskets and cookbooks are some examples of items you can use to layer in your arrangement. To create depth and interest use contrasting shapes, sizes and materials. For example, style a round Pata Palm Fibre Tray - Large with a smaller rectangular wooden cutting board and tall ceramics.  

“For open shelving, we are always conscious of balancing functionality and aesthetics. Open shelving isn’t just about decorating — we love to understand how our clients utilise the space every day before considering the placement of items. For example, if your dishwasher is positioned directly below the shelving and you have limited drawer space, we love placing dinnerware and serving trays above for ease of use. We also love finding those cookbooks tucked away in our client's cupboards and placing them on open shelving.” Shelley White of Pantry Girl

Choose items that you use most frequently and include them in your arrangements to match functionality and aesthetics in your space. Jute placemats and coasters can be another great way to incorporate natural textures into your kitchen styling while maintaining functionality. Keeping coasters and placemats in close reach can limit mess and save your countertops from spills and scratches.  

Incorporate practicality into your styling by using trays, providing both depth in your arrangement as well as protecting your benchtop. To make entertaining guests a breeze, use a Pata Palm Fibre Drinks Tray in your styling and keep on hand while serving up your favourite drinks.

Textiles

Textiles are another way to introduce character and depth into your home decor. Choosing a handloomed tea towel, linen hand towel or apron to display draped over your sink or stove is a great final touch, as it will bring texture and a ‘lived in’ feel to your kitchen. Or a simple touch like a crocheted hemp washcloth is both practical and textural. It is important to consider texture and tone when choosing textiles in your kitchen space. Neutral tones are great for maintaining balance and a sense of calm. 

“When we organise our client's homes, we're always considering how our clients will use the space, and bringing beauty to functional details is where the magic happens. Whether it's a simple centrepiece left on the kitchen bench like a floral arrangement or a tray to display decanted spices or oils, it's the personal touches that create warmth and another dimension to feel like home. Quality over quantity and design with everyday intention is always at the forefront when organising a client's home.”- Shelley White of Pantry Girl

Plants and Fresh Flowers

Adding plants and fresh flowers to your kitchen is a great way to soften hard surfaces and bring life to your kitchen. Choose your plant's vessel based on how it compliments your interior style. Neutral toned pots or baskets will fit into a wide range of interior styles and handwoven vessels will add a touch of texture to your kitchen in the process. The Woven Pot Duo and Woven Pot Large have been designed with this purpose in mind.

Floor Mats and Runners

Hard flooring is typically applied to modern kitchens, whether you have tiles, timber or laminate floors, luxury vinyl tiles or polished concrete, they can be heavy going on our feet after standing in this space for too long. A woven floor mat or runner with a non-slip underlay will help to soften the overall feel of a kitchen while adding much needed comfort underfoot. Our Lahari Floor Runners are a textural combination of jute and cotton, available in Charcoal, Natural and Bone; these runners will fit seamlessly into a variety of decor styles. 

If you are looking for a smaller mat for your workspace or in front of the sink, the Badami and Amada mats are the perfect way to add texture and maintain comfort.

Kitchen Lighting

Lighting is a significant element to any kitchen, and getting the right mix of task and decorative lighting sets the tone for all of the uses of the space. A well thought out light fixture can bring your kitchen decor to life and one of the most adaptable and beautiful lighting solutions is a pendant light. 

Woven pendant lights come in a variety of shapes and sizes and create an aesthetically pleasing piece in the centre of the room. This lighting solution has the ability to cast direct light onto a working space and be dimmed to create soft mood lighting when entertaining. When choosing a pendant light, consider the aspects of your kitchen design that you can assimilate into your lighting. For example, think about matching your light with tapware or doorknobs, or if you have warm elements around your kitchen a warm toned light can bring your kitchen decor together. 

The Experts: Shelley White of Pantry Girl @pantry_girl | Dakota Drury of Studio Haus Co @studiohausco | Georgie Shepherd @gshepherdinterior