How I Styled our Kitchen Island (Without Cluttering It)

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

When we first moved in, I loved the look of our large bare kitchen island. It was clutter-free, and there was so much room for activities! I never really wanted to put anything on there. We had a rainy, dreary weekend this spring, and I was swapping home decor throughout the house to pass the time and see what I liked. Somehow, I landed on something that I love and brings me joy.

First, I was heavily influenced to purchase the large striped green vase. I absolutely love it, and I’m so glad I found the perfect home for it in the kitchen. I’ve heard it’s a super millennial thing to use cookbooks and coffee table books to decorate your home. Well, I am in fact a millennial, and I can’t stop buying these books! I think it’s a fun way to swap out decor for the seasons as well by changing the summer-themed cookbooks to more fall baking cookbooks. However, it’s 95 degrees and sunny in September, so the summer cookbooks will stay for a bit.

Most people may say that decorating with wine & champagne corks is tacky, and that’s okay. My husband and I save all of our corks and write the date and a little something special about the day we enjoyed the bottle. I love to keep them around the house and be reminded that we made “Fresh pasta” and enjoyed a nice red wine that night.

I purchased an extra-large tray, an extra-large vase, some cookbooks and the perfect candle to brighten up this blank canvas. Again, I’d like to have some faux or real florals in that vase… and so would Emma! So it remains bare.

I see so many interior designers online showing ways to style spaces like this and recommending products to fit. I think it can be easy to get lost in that and buy things that don’t fit your personality or just look bland. Find a vase that speaks to you with some texture or your favorite colors. Buy some cookbooks that you use and love! I’m Italian and wanted to lean into some fun summer Italian cookbooks. Also, use those old cookbooks in the closet! I have many of those sprinkled throughout our home as well. Search for your favorite scent in a candle and use it, don’t wait for a special occasion. I love the little blue glass bowl with our corks, but make this your own and add something fun.

Shop the Pieces I Used

Stay inspired to shop your own home while decorating. Move a bowl from one room and swap it with a tray in another! Nothing like a rainy day of swapping and rearranging to add some decor to a blank canvas.

But is it practical?

Worth bringing home if: You have a blank space that you want to add a little personality to, and you’ve found something you truly love that works there. Even better—shop your own home first! Move things around, pull out those cookbooks you’ve forgotten about, and see what you already have before buying something new.

Probably skip it if: You’re buying a bunch of décor just to recreate someone else’s kitchen. Your home should feel like you, and sometimes the best décor is something you already own—or a bowl full of wine corks that everyone else thinks is tacky.