What better way to entertain than pulling together a cheese plate arranged on a rustic cutting board, some wineglasses that looked plucked from Italy, and a few French linen napkins? But styling the kitchen and dining room is more than just decorating—it’s also about creating a sense of abundance. It doesn’t matter how beautiful your space is; if your dinner party guests aren’t comfortably seated with their glasses full and food within reach, you can be sure they’ll start thinking about an exit plan. As you start planning these spaces, keep your most uptight guests in mind and you can be sure your place will be the most popular on the block.
If you want to get your kitchen countertop in tip-top shape for guests (or a photo shoot), a few easy tweaks will elevate it in a way that is still helpful to your everyday needs. In this vignette, different cutting boards layered in front of each other warm up a stark kitchen. The mixture of wood, marble, glass, and pottery adds secret texture and depth to this vignette—you don’t notice at first, but if all of the materials were the same, the countertop would look flat and boring.
A. A water tray anticipates guests’ needs so they don’t have to rummage through cabinets.
B. A cutting board relaxes the vignette while adding a little height.
D. Plates and bowls in neutral colors keep glass cabinets looking tidy.
Two layers of glass help enhance the sense of space: In these cabinets, art is placed behind clear glassware, which draws the eye to the back of the shelves. Art in cabinets is also an unexpected conversation piece that doesn’t take up valuable counter space.
photo tip Opening cabinets for a shot is an old stylist secret. It lets the viewer easily see what’s inside without any reflection.
A windowsill might be an obvious place for a plant collection, but a vignette like this will look as though it’s been growing for years if you approach the space like a theater set rather than a police lineup. To keep the eye moving, pots sit on wood blocks—the varied depths of the vessels create different “scenes” in the display.
A. A plant gets the VIP treatment with a glass dome.
B. Warm up a black-and-white palette with natural fibers and wood, which help soften any masculine space.
C. No green thumb? Start with succulents—they need light but are hard to kill.
D. A Turkish hammam towel adds a central pop of color, pulling your eye into the vignette.
E. A plate elevates and contains the dish soap and lotion.
You’re probably more used to seeing countertop vignettes in still-life paintings than on Instagram, but they are so easy to put together … why let the masters have all the fun? Here’s a little insight into our styling for this shot:
• We repurposed simple pieces of pottery such as saltcellars and spoon holders to keep the space organized, beautiful, and very functional.
• Instead of styling everything on a few flat plates, we included three different heights of platters and pedestals.
• Placing pieces in front of each other creates depth and invites your eye to explore the vignette.
This amazing industrial store bin is now repurposed as a bookshelf, which creates a graphic and smart storage piece. These color-coded books look neat yet exciting, while anything else in there could have seemed messy. We added huge branches to the island to help separate the kitchen from the living room.
If you have pretty dishware that you don’t use every day, displaying it is better than keeping it hidden away. This perfectly spaced collection of Fornasetti plates looks like one large piece of art. A vintage water dispenser picks up on the shine in all of the plates.
photo tip We added flowers and plants to bring in some color, variety, and life here—otherwise the collection could feel like a store display of dishes. Keep an eye on your kitchen vignettes for this very reason.
Because we tend to have so many memories tied up in the idea of a kitchen—simmering stews, delicious brunches, and holiday fêtes—you want the kitchen to look inviting. But white minimalist countertops on white floors against white tile can easily look flat, stark, and severe. Enter you, the stylist. A few colorful pots and vegetables put that personal stamp on the space and help liven things up.
A. If you don’t use your kitchen that much, arrange cookbooks and art on overhead shelves.
B. A bright red Dutch oven and a Turkish rug will make any visitor want to jump right in and help out the cook.
C. Casually leaving out beets and radishes from the market in a fresh display gives guests a taste of what’s to come.
D. These Scandinavian-style stools are minimalist enough to fit the space’s style with some wood tones to warm up the room (white stools would have disappeared).
E. Get creative in the kitchen: stemmed artichokes make an appropriate culinary “flower” arrangement that’s a delicious treat for later—plus they last a long time.
start-to-finish styling: the kitchen island
If you’re lucky enough to have a built-in island or the space to bring one in, make sure to give it the style treatment it deserves. Don’t just stop at the basic decorative details like a bowl of fruit. Bring in accents that give other folks insight into your idea of a quiet afternoon in the kitchen. Here’s what we did to get this kitchen island magazine-shoot ready:
• In order to emphasize the red and blue details in the kitchen, we set out red ovenware and crisp bread in neat packaging.
• A cute red purse seemed perfect for the nearby blue chair—it looks ready to be whisked away but in the meantime adds an extra dash of red.
• We brought in another rug for balance and extra comfort.
• Adorable polka dot mugs, a gold teapot, and a pulled-out stool are the final details that make you want to sit down and relax.
With all of the horizontal lines in the paneling and dark window molding (although who would complain about that?), the branches were needed to soften the area. A cutting board provides a platform for propped bottles and glassware, and a casually laid-down tea towel connects the board to the counter.
Here’s an example of great styling for everyday use. A tray holds pretty fruit left out to ripen. Flowers are the eye-catcher that makes you smile every time you enter the kitchen. But don’t stop at flowers—add a few plants: Terrariums are easy to care for and will last longer than a bouquet of blooms.
photo tip While white space isn’t a bad thing, make sure your shot is perfectly balanced so that no holes distract your eye. With a diagonal line of objects in the foreground, we added a flower arrangement to fill the corner so that the cabinets in the back recede.
If only my meals were this dramatic. When cooking and eating happen in the same big space, don’t feel like you have to keep it all white and lose the excitement of a moody dining room. On the contrary, this homeowner goes full-on fabulous with black cabinets and large swaths of magenta. The black pottery—a mix of high-end antiques and new big-box pieces—creates a dynamic collection that has plenty of impact and is more affordable than you’d think.
Silver, gold, and copper accents elevate a simple white kitchen. The wood chairs and blinds act as warm, organic neutrals that pull the three metallics together. The black legs of the stools work perfectly with the black in the pendants, bringing a bit of industrial masculinity to this kitchen.
photo tip Copper is a perfect neutral for photos. These copper pots don’t normally live on the shelves and countertop, but we wanted something that was soft, reflective, and not too busy to sit in the shot.
Don’t pigeonhole your art to the living room or hallway. Smaller pieces of art can live anywhere, and guests will be much more patient while you’re cooking if they have an interesting view to keep them busy.
Sometimes more is more even in kitchens. This artsy couple collects beautiful handmade everything—from pottery to macramé to canned goods. This one-of-a-kind look can travel from country to city—it’s all in your attitude. In a Brooklyn town house, its calming mood would be the envy of every neighbor.
A. Keeping the Mason jars together offers an impressive landscape effect.
C. This hand-knotted macramé is eye-catching and large enough to equal the busy shelving on the right.
D. Arranging similar items together keeps the room from looking insane.
E. Curtains aren’t necessary in a kitchen with a beautiful view.
This simply styled table gets a boost thanks to a nearby banquette that offers extra seating and also serves as a storage buffet for napkins, extra dishes, and serveware. The pillows and artwork speak to the colors in the rug.
This dining room is just so exciting. A few disparate styles come together in a similar color palette: A cozy seventies-style rug, mid-century chairs, and a traditional, ornate chandelier all share brown tones. Tall, sculptural plants help connect the dots of the styles and move your eye around the room.
If you are lucky enough to have an outdoor dining space, I command that you style it, love it, appreciate it, and use it. This space looks plucked straight from a European countryside, so we brought in amenities to suit. Artisanal cutting boards, a tray of craft beer, and a plate of delicious-looking pretzels are fun delectables for a fall gathering. An “all you can eat” sign in the corner is a tongue-in-cheek way to make guests feel welcome year round. Sit down and enjoy the brews, because Octoberfest isn’t just for Germans (or just for October).
A. Extra logs near the woodstove stir thoughts of an outdoor fire and instantly make the space feel cozy.
B. Skip the flowers for an outdoor centerpiece—branches from the backyard are easy, cheap, and beautiful.
C. Wooden cutting boards and pizza paddles are natural outdoor accents (and make you look like a confident cook).
So many people think that mixing wood tones is a design faux pas, but sometimes it’s difficult to avoid with furniture you’ve collected and fallen for over the years. We don’t live in matchy land, so don’t be afraid to mix them up. When you start with white cabinets, lots of light, and not a lot of stuff, a mix of wood tones looks modern and fresh. Avoid any finishes that are too shiny or look fake or generic (like an “espresso” finish). From the chair legs to the table to the floors and every wooden accessory in between, this space makes room for all of it. Skip the rug in the dining room to let the floors shine.
A. Oval tables help the flow in “pass-through” rooms.
B. A glass chandelier is quiet but reflects plenty of light.
C. Nesting bowls arranged into a landscape form the centerpiece.
D. The black is the “color pop” here, bouncing your eye around the room from the wine bottles to the black bowls to the black on the stove.
Nothing adds a twist to a vignette like a miniature object. Here a mid-century chair mimics the theme of the room. Check out dollhouse sites for versions of your favorite furniture, then style them on coffee tables, countertops, or even in terrariums. I even like to find the perfect miniature and place it under a dome on my bookshelves.
With so much white space between the counter and the ceiling, just a few branches are a natural fit, plus the stems add another wood tone to the mix. Don’t be afraid of stems—sometimes they can look messy but a few select branches will look simple.
photo tip Huge branches offer insane splash for not much dough. They’re so cheap (even free if you have a backyard), they last a long time, and they have a huge impact in a room. Go for the branches that are more sculptural instead of straight up and down pieces. The more organic and natural the shape, the better.
photo tip A bike brings personality to what is otherwise a serious architecture shot and gives insight into how these folks live with their fabulous indoor-outdoor home. It says, “Hey guys, we just happen to have incredible taste in architecture and we are athletic and stylish in a really casual way.”
Creating depth is all about keeping your eye moving around the room so it doesn’t get bored. This white kitchen was begging for some added dimension so the space would feel full (without looking overwhelming) and layered (like this person has lived here for years). It doesn’t take much, but a few connected details will bounce your eye all over the room:
• For your biggest color, go with what’s in the foundation of your room and then fill it out with similar-colored accessories. Notice here how the same tones—from the pendants and cutting boards to the floors—create a quiet base that still pulls your eye around the room.
• Add two or three unexpected doses of bright color to keep things exciting. Here, a bowl of lemons and a yellow pot as well as a blue vase act as highlights that your eye stops to glance at.
• Add some drama in the back corner. Styling a vignette in the corner has the same effect as the hot guy standing all by himself at the party. Folks just can’t help glancing his way in case they can catch his eye. Farthest from the room’s entry, the corner vignette in this photo makes you look all the way to the back of the room to check it out. He’s available, ladies.
• Add some details near the ceiling to make you look up. This room has just enough space above the fridge to bring in a hand-carved wooden bowl. Serveware is best for these tight spaces—such pieces are nice enough to display and can be kept in a place you won’t need to access every day.
• Pull out a chair. If all of the chairs are pushed in and out of the way, they could look too uniform and not very noticeable. But if you pull one out ever so slightly, it can make you glance at the interruption in repetition.
At first this gorgeous dining room takes on a very classic feel with a blue-and-white palette, an ornate wallpaper design, and antique chairs; but just look up and that uber-modern chandelier will suggest that you are in for quite possibly the best dinner party conversation you’ve ever had. Layering modern art details on a traditional canvas is a bold move, but when it’s done in the same color palette it’s absolutely adventuresome.
A. The ornate wallpaper works because the crisp white doors and windows keep it from becoming too overwhelming.
B. This chandelier pulls in all the colors of the room—blue, gold, white. I’ve never seen a chandelier that changes a room so much.
C. These see-through chairs are solid but not visually heavy.
D. A lofty plant in a gold pot is an impressive centerpiece for when guests arrive (and easy to remove when you’re ready to eat).
E. White dinnerware keeps the table from looking too busy.
A dining room console doesn’t take up as much space as a buffet and holds a few extras for the table: wine, candles, and a centerpiece.
Just outside the dining room is a perfectly ordered bar with mixers, oranges, a cocktail tool set, and plenty of liquor to let guests know that their wish is the bartender’s command.
Glasses with different decals help guests keep track of which drink is theirs. Also, never underestimate what functional tools can do for the look of your bar—gold finishes match this pretty space and make these homeowners look like the craft cocktail bartenders they are.
set the bar:
beyond the basics
A bar that’s styled and ready to go as soon as guests arrive allows you to finish up any dinner details while they help themselves to drinks. First, make sure you have plenty of liquor options for all kinds of drinkers: Vodka, gin, and whiskey are the minimum requirements. Tequila, brandy, Scotch, and more will get you bonus points. Don’t forget the fruit, soda, tools, and all of the appropriate glasses so they can shake and stir to their heart’s content. Here are more ideas:
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1 Trays help separate tools, liquor, and fruit so guests can find exactly what they need and corral all the tools. A cocktail book gives them courage to try that new artisanal manhattan all the kids are raving about. |
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2 Transferring your spirits into glass decanters makes them feel special, but be sure each one is labeled so you know what’s what. |
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3 No area of your home is too precious to set up a bar. Here, a few coupes and liquor bottles sit on a cabinet shelf with lots of high-end art. |
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4 Don’t try to cram it all on the cart. With no space to stash bottles, the ingenious homeowner installed a vertical wine rack right on the wall. |
When painting only one room in a saturated shade, you’ll always have the challenge of transitioning colors to the next room. Rather than thinking of the rooms in your home as completely separate spaces, you should have them speak to each other in some way. With this dining room next to a deep blue room, it was important to add touches of blue so the rooms related to each other. Then we worked in some colors—reds, pinks, and tans—that contrasted nicely with and felt as visually exciting as the blue but also felt right for the laid-back mood of this room.
A. The runner picks up the blue wall color to help the two rooms relate.
B. Large white flowers contrast against the dark blue walls.
Mixing woods can feel tricky, but in this sunny breakfast nook, all of these woods tell a coherent story, which even travels to the nearby wall: under the window, a sculptural piece of wall art balances out the folk art on the table.
I’m a collector and displayer of pretty objects, which is why even in my very own kitchen such things are out in the open, so I can admire my obsessions. I keep my wooden cutting boards and cooking utensils on the counter, which breaks up the marble backsplash and adds depth to the counters. The vintage stools were reupholstered in a soft gray Sunbrella fabric—when in doubt, go heather gray. We infused the space with a few creative comforts: a simple rug (a must in a space where you stand for long periods), a roman shade to keep the space cool when the sunlight is strong, and a piece of abstract art to help set a mood and inspire me to hang out long enough to cook.
A. This art was the inspiration for the whole color palette.
B. A basket picks up the wood tones in the cutting boards and cabinetry.
C. This rug may not look like it relates to the palette, but it ties in nicely with the art on the right wall. Small vintage throw rugs are easy to find at flea markets and they hide stains easily while adding a lot of personality to the space (and to a photo!).
photo tip Jump on any opportunities to style your favorite colors in a photo. Here, I styled mine: A bright pink peony sits on the windowsill, a clear container shows off turquoise dish soap, and a roman shade brings in just enough navy for it to be the foundation color without weighing down the photo.
Modern meets her older Italian lover in an all-white kitchen that brings in just the right amount of vintage-rustic touches. A few copper pots hanging over the stove, Le Creuset kitchenware, and, of course, a bounty of oranges transport you to the romantic countryside of Umbria—no passport necessary.
style a unique, useful kitchen
Not big on cooking? I wasn’t either until I tackled my kitchen with a few styling tricks. Once you set up this space to your liking, don’t be surprised if you start whipping up homemade soups on weeknights. But it’s not enough to have a functional kitchen or just a stylish one—in a space that you use every day, fight to have it both ways. Try these ideas:
• Enamel cast-iron pots set out on the stove. Made in almost any color, these pots can sit out all the time and are immediately accessible (they’re easy to clean, too!). Le Creuset is the classic name brand, but check out cheaper options at discount stores.
• Organically shaped pottery for fruit bowls. Large pieces can hold your farmers’ market finds on the countertop, and later turn into serving trays and bowls at dinner. Classic hand-thrown shapes in tonal glazes make your kitchen look cohesive.
• A patterned rug. Kilim rugs are easy to clean and add color and a soft layer in front of the sink or stove. For extra padding beneath the rug, check out those gel mats made for long hours in the kitchen.
• Rustic cutting boards arranged like art. Whether you hang them on the wall or lean them against the backsplash, a variety of wood cutting boards in natural shapes will come in handy almost every night.
• Tea towels in your favorite colors. Tea towels are the new tote bags: you can now find them in almost any color, pattern, or design. Keep them folded over the sink or on the counter so they stay within reach.
• A freestanding island. Albeit more of a splurge, a kitchen island can do wonders for a small space where surfaces and storage are usually at a premium. An island on rollers means you can rearrange your workspace to be closer to the sink or fridge when needed and easily set it back at the end of the night.
This look is country meets modern. The whole family will fit at this table with plenty of chairs to go around and a large bench to squeeze in extra seats. The bench really drives home the rustic look; otherwise the early Americana chairs would make the table look a bit more traditional than this homeowner wants. Don’t feel like you have to set the table every time you style your dining room. Sometimes simplicity—in this case a linen runner and a huge natural fiber bowl with a bounty of apples—is all you need to make a statement.
A. The runner matches the blue buffet and relates it to the room.
B. A blanket breaks up the bench’s long line, while a fur brings in a little luxe texture.
C. Wheels on the table’s legs add both whimsy and functionality.
D. These horizontal stripes nicely “intersect” the long table legs.
E. Antique brass and electric candles add to the agrarian feel of the room.
This Spanish-style farmhouse kitchen is testament that blue and black can live very well together. Cool blue cabinets modernize a rustic kitchen, while graphic black-and-cream tile backsplash stays true to the house’s Spanish influence. Mimicking the black appliances, the black accents feel right at home and give this Old World style kitchen an edge. White and wood are warm neutrals that weave the black and blue together.
A. Brackets dress up simple white shelves nicely.
B. Open shelving helps the smallish kitchen feel more spacious and open.
C. Two wood cutting boards bridge the sides of the kitchen.
D. A rug adds a few extra colors to keep the room from feeling flat, and red apples pick up on its hues.
E. White dahlias carry your eye from the sink to the roman shade.
Don’t be afraid to hang an oversized piece of art over a buffet—just make sure it’s either slightly smaller or bigger than the buffet. The brass helmet adds an edge, while a simple tray grounds the barware and bottles. A black-finished ladderback chair has just enough burnish on its arms and legs to match the brown undertones of the blue buffet.
photo tip Rather than organizing a blue pot above a stack of blue plates and white above white, we “crisscrossed” the colors between shelves so that your eye moves diagonally across the photo and not just up and down. The art turns ordinary stacks of plates into a stylish vignette.
A sweet, traditional breakfast nook feels like something out of a European countryside with the addition of greenery and an antique painting at the left. Outfitted with a crystal chandelier, this space feels celebratory, even though it’s a place meant for everyday use. An open window, fresh-cut grapefruit, and a carafe of orange juice make you want to curl up at that table with the morning paper.
Cool oxfords and a graphic scarf pulled off just inside the home reinforce the black-and-white palette in this kitchen nook, which is right off the entryway. The melon, teapot, and tray pull the colors of the painting onto the table, and tell the story of what possibilities can happen in this dining table.
If you love to entertain, then you should invest in a few luxuries so that guests feel comfortable and relaxed during your long conversations over dinner. Make sure your furniture and accessories reinforce the feeling:
• Upholstered chairs make sitting for long periods an indulgence, and they instantly dress up the space. If you don’t have any, then make sure to move the party to your living room for after-dinner drinks, especially if anyone starts shifting in his or her seat.
• Go all out with a dramatic centerpiece—but keep it low. Don’t spend tons of money on a floral arrangement that you have to move out of the way in order to see your guests (that’s assuming you want to see your guests).
• Have fun with your glassware. It doesn’t matter what drink goes in what glass, as long as there are ample drinks for all. Break out a decorative glass, and everyone will feel so glamorous holding it that they won’t judge a thing.
• Mix in a bench to keep your table from looking too chair-heavy. It’ll also help a gussied-up space feel a bit more masculine and balanced.
• Candles make everyone look beautiful. If you can’t dim your lights, try turning them off and lighting a corner with a small lamp. Then let the table candlelight cast a glow.
• A tonal color palette will reinforce a relaxing atmosphere. Go with more serious colors in your napkins and table runner, like gray or blue, and see how they transform the room. For dinnerware, white is always best, as it lets the food you worked so hard to prepare (or have catered!) shine.
why this works
