Tricks To Dress Up Your Cabinets

Most people have cabinets strategically placed around their home to house things like knick knacks or for extra storage. Although they are utilitarian, there is no reason why your bookcase or cabinet can’t be an extension of a room's decor. If you have a bookcase, it is reasonable to dress it up to make it more like a piece of artwork than a series of shelves with stuff on it.

There are several ways that you can decorate a cabinet, but one critical thing to remember is that it has to have character and flow. Whether you decide to go with all white figures or you want to mix in some metal, the key is to have a pattern and a theme and stick to it. These are the best ways to dress up any cabinet in your home.

Mix it up

The first thing that a cabinet maker would tell you to consider when you are dressing up a cabinet is where it is located in your home, but don’t let that overtake its function. For example, if you have a cabinet that is in your pantry then you are going to want to put pantry items in it for function. But mixing in old advertising signs or  adding a mixer or other small appliances will break up the monotony and make it appealing to the eye.

In the same instance, if it is in a study, you are going to want to use it for books. But rows and rows of books are monotonous and unentertaining. Mix in some opera glasses, a mantle clock, or an old-fashioned radio to jazz it up and make it eye-catching. Otherwise, it is nothing but a sea of book titles without character.

Add some lighting

Every cabinet should have interesting pieces that “pop.” The way to make those things you treasure most meet someone’s eye is by spotlighting them -- literally. Using track lighting or lamps to showcase the most eye-catching things in your cabinet will add intrigue and depth. It will draw the viewer’s eye toward the essential components and then let them see the rest afterward.

Vary different heights and shapes

There is nothing more boring than a cabinet full of the same items. If you want to dress up a cabinet, make sure to vary the objects by height and shape. You would be surprised at how much moving things around and organizing them in varying patterns can make a difference on your cabinet decor.

Using vases, cylinders or even domes can add texture and make the eyes see more creativity in the cabinet. If you want to use it more functionally, then use different types of baskets and storage bins to hide those things that aren’t so magnificent. The key is to make it stylish, but you don’t want to lose its original purpose, which was to organize your home and give you extra space to store your things.

Add lighting

Nothing is outstanding or dressy about a cabinet that is so dark that it drowns out all the things contained within it. If you have a dark wood cabinet in an area of the house with very little light, illuminating the cabinet is an excellent way to add beauty to the things displayed.

Things like rope lights can adhere to the top of the shelves or even adhesive battery-powered lights can do the trick. The key is to dress it up and make sure that people can see it. Otherwise, it isn’t worth putting any time into something that no one can see anyway.

Vary colors

If you want your items to stand out, make sure to vary the color scheme. If you are going to use just one color, then stick to your resolve. But if you want to vary colors, then make sure not to set the same colors next to each other. Otherwise, it will look all blocky and disjointed.

Cabinets are very helpful  for storing your books, pantry items, or even your family heirlooms. But just because they are functional, that doesn’t mean they can’t be stylish too. Make sure that if a cabinet is taking up space in your house right out in the open, you take care to dress it up and make it part of the decor by hiding those things you don’t want people to see and showcasing the things that you do.