Friends, the kitchen is still slowly coming together. While in previous years I knew I had the luxury of adding cabinets in with the click of my computer mouse and having them at my doorstep within a few days, this renovation is a little different as it’s all taken place during the pandemic. Items are not as readily available, which means you need to be flexible, and willing to work through some obstacles. We’ve been waiting on 2 cabinets for over 3 months, so when the thought crossed my mind to add a wall cabinet next to the sink, I had to give myself a reality check, that if I placed an order, it probably wouldn’t make it to us until Christmas! So instead, I decided to put up some simple shelves for now, and today I’m sharing how I styled them with some of my new favorite items from Better Homes & Gardens this spring.
Stoneware and natural/natural looking elements are definitely on trend right now, so with a quick trip to my local Walmart, I was able to find some really beautiful Better Homes & Gardens items that had my neutral and texture loving heart going pitter patter.
I’ve always been a lover of calm, neutral spaces, with a bit of black for contrast, but in the kitchen I actually kept the black elements at a minimum. I just wanted my shelves to feel fresh and clean. And to be honest, styling shelves actually takes quite a lot of time and tweaking. It took me a good hour to get these shelves exactly how I wanted them: pretty and functional (how I like everything!)
A few quick tips for kitchen shelf styling:
- Cohesion: Display plates and dinnerware that are cohesive in color or tone
- Create a backdrop, platters, wall art, and even flat baskets or trays work great to create height and a focal point
- Use items with different textures to create interest
- Balance: Vary the height of items, keeping things slightly asymmetrical to keep things from looking boring
- Be sure to add some fresh greenery, a small plant or herbs are the perfect addition to your shelves or kitchen vignette.
I started on the counter with this beautiful rattan tray and downloadable artwork as a backdrop. I then added these planters turned utensil holders. I am absolutely in love with the tone and texture of these planters and when I saw them, I knew they were the exact vibe I was going for in my kitchen.
I love using cake stands to prop up candles and plants near the sink: I styled this warm acacia wood cake stand, with my favorite striped Better Homes & Gardens dish towel, this delicious smelling candle and a planter chock full of fresh basil–perfectly within reach. 
While I’ve always been partial to white dishes, I’ve recently found myself to be drawn more to stoneware, it’s warm and has a sort of old world feeling. This 16 piece stoneware set was a steal for only $40, I just couldn’t leave it behind.
On the 1st shelf the bowls and this oven to table platter take center stage, and the stacked plates and glassware flank them to balance it out.
On the second shelf I stacked 4 matching dinner bowls, which I love for spaghetti nights, some art my mortar and pestles and the generous sized mugs that came with the dinnerware set.
I’m really happy with how these shelves turned out, the neutral vibe keep my kitchen feeling clean and calm.
Now with having space to finally store pretty stuff, and to celebrate having an almost complete kitchen, I decided to treat my boys to a fun and easy continental breakfast. Breakfast in our household usually consists of cereal, toast, or oatmeal on weekdays, and we occasionally have big pancake or waffle breakfasts on the weekends, which leaves me exhausted with a big mess to clean.
That’s when the idea of a continental breakfast buffet popped into my head. While I was at Walmart, I picked up a bunch of bakery items, some yogurt, fruit, and breakfast meats that I could easily fry up. I lined the island with this beautiful table runner, and Cayden and I began laying everything out on my new tableware. It was literally the perfect morning!
The hubs and I chilled champagne in this galvanized ice bucket with scoop, and enjoyed bellinis, out of our new champagne glasses.
and the kids loved the fact that they could pick and choose from a plethora of delicious options.
I was able to create a great little platter using my Better Homes & Gardens Cake stand, that when flipped over doubles as a chip/dip platter –quite literally one of the smartest things ever! And it happened to fit perfectly in the rattan tray for transport. My hope originally was to dine al fresco, but the weather wasn’t cooperating.
My other favorite new purchase is this oven to table casserole dish with lid that doubles as a platter, another genius invention, that would make a perfect gift!
I picked up this sugar and creamer set, to store powdered sugar and serve syrup, because those deserve to look pretty too!
To make the buffet a little extra special, I picked up a few Better Homes & Gardens annuals, in lieu of cut flowers.
I love this rattan utensil caddy, it’s petite, so it doesn’t take up a bunch of space, but has good enough space to what you need!
Lastly, I grabbed these striped cups to serve yogurt parfaits, and these cute little bowls for toppings.
We had the absolute best time creating (and eating) this Easy and beautiful Continental Breakfast, I don’t know why I didn’t think of doing this before.
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