I’m sharing some fun kitchen styling basics here today. These are my favorite items to use and I describe how I use them when I’m getting ready to photograph a kitchen.
As I was getting ready for my last kitchen shoot, I made some mental notes about the way I approach the styling. I hope you’ll find these helpful to give your kitchen a bit of a refresh here this spring.
Kitchen Styling Basics - General Thoughts
My approach is never to over-decorate or fill the counters too full. I want the styling to enhance the space, not distract from it. I want the materials or the features we’ve created to be the stand out, using simple, beautiful, useful items that help accentuate those features.
I typically group objects together at the range, the kitchen island, by the sink and space some along the countertop. A butler’s pantry area will also get some attention and then stools, rugs, dishtowels, etc. are added in if they weren’t there in the first place. Any open shelves are also addressed.
How to introduce color with white kitchens?
I do a lot of white or neutral kitchens and the way I introduce color is with flowers, bowls of fruit and veggies, ceramics and cookbooks. White flowers also have a fresh appeal, the green stems and leaves really stand out when going with white.
The beautiful color in the veggies creates an interesting grouping in front of this white kitchen’s mosaic tile backsplash. Carla Aston, Designer | Tori Aston, Photographer
I love the way the yellow accent color danced around the space in this kitchen’s photo, using flowers and citrus to contrast with the bold blue backsplash. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
styling Accessories For Cooktop or Range area
Here’s what I typically try to have on hand for the cooking area.
A crock of cooking utensils - I like to do all wood in one container and maybe all stainless in another. It helps to simplify the look when all are the same material.
A tray of ready to use oils, salt and pepper mill, and special seasoning containers is convenient and nice to have out. I will sometimes add a vase with a few flowers or a small plant here too.
A knife block - This can help to add a bit of a wood element to the hard surfaced area of a kitchen. If my client has one, I use it.
I usually have stock pot of some kind on the range or cooktop.
Including a dishtowel on the handle of the range can add a touch of color.
Cutting boards - I have a variety of wood boards in different shapes and they always look great leaning up against the splash.
A tray of oils with a pepper mill, and small plant, bowl of veggies, crocks filled with utensils and some shapely cutting boards style this cooking area in a recent photo shoot. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
The round cutting board is a nice shape against the simple backsplash tile. I did a hammered metal crock with wooden utensils for little gleam there by the range. A tray of oils and spices with the client’s unique pepper grinder takes the opposite side of the range. Carla Aston, Designer | Tori Aston, Photographer
Crocks with utensils, a cutting board, and a Le Creuset pot on the range style this kitchen’s cooking area. The dishtowels and fruit add a spot of contrasting color. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
Styling accessories For long kitchen counters
If I don’t use something at the cooking area, like a knife block or extra crock of utensils, I will spread them out and use them in other groupings along the counter.
I use trays to create groupings sometimes with a small plant or a bowl of fruit. I have ceramic and marble fruit that I use too, they are nice objects for kitchen styling.
In almost every kitchen I design I bring my 3 lidded glass crocks full of some kind of beans, nuts, or maybe some flour. They take up space nicely without interfering with the overall look or finishes, since they are clear glass. I think they are the perfect styling tool for a kitchen and are, of course, quite useful!
One appliance - I try not to have more than one small appliance out on the counter in a shoot. It might be a Kitchenaid mixer, a fabulous toaster or an espresso machine, but one is enough, usually.
If I’m running out of items and need some color, I’ll try a tray with some sodas and an ice bucket. A few glasses and some citrus and it looks ready for a party.
My three lidded glass crocks go with me to many kitchen photo shoots and sit proudly in my kitchen, year round. They go with almost any style and they are more about the natural ingredients within, which I love. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
A tray of drinks and bowl of fruit add color to this white kitchen. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
The fab espresso machine sits at the ready in this kitchen. The cabinets were designed at a taller height specifically for this small appliance to sit out on the counter. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
White ceramic fruit is a nice kitchen styling accessory. Sitting on the wood tray, they contrast nicely and stand out on the white counters. I have a variety of pitchers that I use too, for flowers or as stand alone objects. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
Styling Accessories For the Sink Area
These days flowers in the sink is a big trend on photoshoots. I love them, they look fresh and cheery. Aside from that, I will sometimes have a little dish with a scrubber and soap. It has to be pretty though! No “Joy” in the original bottle with gummy soap clogging the top. :-)
If the sink is at the window, I always add a few items there, a small plant if there are flowers in the sink.
I love how delicate chamomile looks in the sink with a close up shot.
Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
Styling Accesories For the Kitchen Island
Bowl of fruit - I like doing a large platter or bowl of fruit here. Citrus always looks fresh, but in my last shoot I opted for some warm toned fruit, kiwi and pears. I’d done three other blue and white kitchens and used citrus with yellow and orange as accents before, and I just wanted to depart from that look here.
Flowers - I also do some big flowers of some kind, whatever looks great at the market. It’s always wise to overbuy, you can never have too many flowers. I always get eucalyptus too, sometimes I just need a touch of green without a lot of color.
Cutting Board - If we need more items on the island, a cutting board with something just cut is nice or a grouping like a sugar bowl or pepper mill with a plant is nice.
Kitchen Styling Basics - Big flowers and a platter of citrus liven up this kitchen island. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
Kitchen Styling Basics - Instead of fresh flowers I opted for a bromeliad here on this smaller sized island. Paired with marble fruit and a bowl of citrus, it was just the right touch. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
Kitchen Styling Basics - Bowls of citrus do wonders for making a kitchen look fresh. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
Kitchen Styling Basics - Fresh hydrangeas and some warm toned fruit decorate the island countertop of this kitchen. The natural tones of the greens and golden fruit are nice contrasts in this image, letting the counterstools, subtlety of the leathered countertop and backsplash pattern shine. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
Styling Accessories For open shelving
I love some open shelves in a kitchen. Even just one open shelf can break up a wall of boring cabinetry and add personality and interest to a kitchen. Here are some of the items I love to style open shelving with.
Cookbooks - I don’t like them packed in here, but I do like a generous stack of nice cookbooks on shelving in a kitchen. I stack them vertically and horiztonally, always adding something on top when laid flat. I typically take the bold red covered ones out, as they kind of stand out like neon to me on a shelf. :-)
Pitchers - You need items with height here and pitchers and teapots are a natural kitchen item that will give you that. Here’s where you can add some some color or play with shapes, grouping different similar ones together.
A touch of green - I like to add some small succulents or a plant or two in the mix.
Platters or plates propped on stands - These make great backdrops for other decorative items. Even a plain white plate can frame out a lovely small object sitting in front.
This open shelf in a hutch type of open shelf is styled with cookbooks, pitchers, a propped plate and platter and some marble fruit. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
Here’s single open shelf in a kitchen styled with cookbooks, white dishes and pitcher, and a brassy clock. Ceramic and marble fruit make a great accessory item in a kitchen. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
I love the groupings of white dishes here in this open kitchen shelving as their shapes stand out nicely against the lovely wall color. Some soft colored items and a few fresh green plants add color. The seltzer bottles work so well with the kitchen color. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer
White on white was the theme here in this farmhouse style kitchen. Blending the items with the backdrop caused the warmth of the wood shelving to shine. Carla Aston, Designer | Tori Aston, Photographer
The open bookshelves in this kitchen island are the perfect place for favorite cookbooks and a marble pear. Carla Aston, Designer | Tori Aston, Photographer
Want to share photos of your kitchen styling? Tag me on Instagram on your fave kitchen styling photo. I’d love to see. :-) Or you can upload one in the comments below.
This blogpost was thoughtfully written by me, Carla Aston, and not by AI, ghostwriters, or guest posters.
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