Is your kitchen hutch looking a little lackluster these days? Do you find yourself avoiding that out-of-date cabinet crammed with mismatched dishes and tchotchkes? Reviving a tired kitchen hutch can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. With some planning, editing, and creative styling, you can give your hutch a fresh new look that expresses your personal taste and brings function and beauty to your kitchen or dining space.
Whether your style leans toward cozy vintage or sleek modern, this article will provide plenty of hutch decorating inspiration to get you started. Read on for savvy tips and ideas to spruce up your hutch with brilliant style.
Determine Your Style
Before diving into accessorizing your hutch, take some time to think about the overall style you want to achieve. Are you drawn to farmhouse rustic with natural wood and antique finds? Or do you prefer a more contemporary vibe with clean lines and pops of color? Consider the existing decor in your kitchen or dining room and aim for a cohesive aesthetic. Once you settle on the look you’re going for, it will be easier to make styling decisions for your hutch.
Look at hutches you admire in magazines or Pinterest for inspiration. Save ideas you love to a style board or ideabook to reference later. This will help you hone in on the details that speak to you, whether it’s glass-front cabinets, woven baskets, or ironstone pitchers. Don’t be afraid to mix styles a little for an eclectic flair.
Farmhouse Hutch Style
Channel the charm of the countryside with a farmhouse hutch decorated with vintage finds, painted wood, and rustic textures. Display timeworn ceramic pitchers and milk glass cake stands alongside galvanized metal buckets full of utensils. For a homey feel, add cotton tea towels, a wired “Bless This Kitchen” sign, and a distressed wood cutting board.
Modern Hutch Style
For sleek modern style, opt for a hutch with clean lines in a glossy finish. Store white porcelain Dinnerware and glassware in neat rows. Metallic vases, geometric bookends, and ceramic planters will complement the contemporary vibe. Maintain a neutral color scheme and minimize knickknacks for a pared-down look.
Select a Color Scheme
Color sets the tone for any space, so choose a cohesive palette for your hutch makeover. Are you working with existing paint colors in your kitchen or dining room? Pull one or two of those hues into your hutch display. A fresh coat of paint or stain on the hutch itself also helps it coordinate.
Consider all-white for a crisp, clean look or opt for contrasting shades like navy blue hutch cabinets and butcher block countertops. For vintage charm, try pale turquoise or mint green against natural wood tones. If your style is maximalist, don’t be afraid to incorporate bold gem tones like ruby red or sapphire blue.
Neutrals
You can never go wrong with an elegant neutral palette of cream, beige, gray, and wood tones. The versatility allows you to switch out accents seasonally. A neutral foundation also makes treasured antiques or colorful heirlooms really pop.
Pastels
For traditional charm with a lighthearted twist, decorate your hutch with a palette of soothing pastels. Robin’s egg blue, buttercream yellow, and dusky rose will lend a vintage yet playful feel. Accent with painted wood, woven textures, and brass hardware.
Prep and Organize the Hutch
Now comes the fun part–it’s time to clear out your hutch and curate the keepers. Remove everything and sort items into “trash,” “donate,” and “display” piles. Let go of chipped stoneware, unused gadgets, and anything else you don’t absolutely love. Remember, empty space is your friend. It will make your treasures stand out.
Next, think about organizing your dishes and glassware according to how often they’re used. Designate an easy access spot for everyday mugs, plates, and bowls. Entertaining dishes and glassware can go toward the top or back. Group items how it makes sense for you–by color, pattern, material, etc.
Everyday Dishes
Keep daily use dinnerware, glasses, and mugs near the front of the bottom shelves for convenient access while prepping meals or setting the table. Stick with neutrals if the space is small.
Special Occasion Ware
Display beautiful serving platters, engraved barware, and festive holiday dishes together at the top or back of the hutch. Bring special pieces down just for entertaining or leave them on display as cherished items.
Arranging and Displaying Dishware
When styling your hutch, look at it like a gallery wall. Play with creating symmetrically pleasing arrangements and artful vignettes. Mix up heights, sizes, and shapes for visual interest. Avoid rigid rows in favor of organic groupings. Remember the “rule of three”–collections grouped in threes or odd numbers add balance.
Plate Arrangements
Stacking plates of varying sizes and patterns makes for an attractive hutch display. Lean them upright against the back of the shelf or lay them flat and overlap them like fallen leaves. For open shelves, hang plates from plate racks to save space and show off their patterns.
Mug Displays
Mugs can be tricky because their handles take up precious real estate. Hang them from cup hooks attached to the inside of cabinet doors or underneath shelves. A mug tree on the countertop corrals mugs while adding sculptural interest. Designate a whole shelf or cabinet just for the mug collection.
Bowls
Show off your prettiest bowls by lining them up in a row either vertically or horizontally. For more visual interest, cluster them in stacks of various heights and angles. Large serving bowls can be turned bottoms up and used as risers for smaller bowls or other items.
Incorporate Decor Elements
Once your dishes and glassware are attractively arranged, have fun peppering in decorative accents to give your hutch personality. Vases, trays, baskets, and candlesticks are versatile options. Choose pieces that strike a color or style note without looking cluttered. The additions should enhance your cherished kitchenware, not distract.
Baskets
Woven baskets are a quick way to hide small hutch clutter while adding natural texture. Use them to store napkins, linens, or utensils. Try hanging a shallow basket from a rack to display fruit or dried botanicals.
Plants and Flowers
A vase of fresh flowers, trailing ivy, or a blooming plant bring life to hutch decor. Opt for faux botanicals if you don’t have a green thumb. Hanging plants are great space savers. Rotate blooms seasonally for a refreshing change.
Candles
Candles make great hutch decor and emit a welcoming glow when lit. Nestle taper candles in mercury glass votives to add height. Arrange different sized pillar candles and candlestick holders for an artful look. Scatter smaller votives and tealights throughout.
Style with Meaningful Touches
Your hutch should showcase special items that tell the story of you and your family. Sentimental antique platters handed down from grandparents or favorite thrift shop finds bring personality to the display. Rotate these treasured pieces seasonally so you can appreciate them.
Heirlooms
That china set from your great grandmother or engraved silver serving tray passed down from mom–your hutch is the perfect place to proudly display these priceless family heirlooms.
Souvenirs
Fondly remember past vacations and travels by displaying related mementos. A painted ceramic vase from Mexico, Italian drinking glasses, or a hand-carved cutting board from a trip to Africa add global flair.
Collections
If you’ve amassed a collection of one type of item over the years, your hutch can nicely showcase it. Groupings of white pitchers, blue glass bottles, or restaurant souvenir mugs make great focal points.
Change Things Up
No matter how beautifully styled your hutch is, it’s bound to get stale if displays stay static. Fortunately, a hutch makeover takes little time and effort. Mix up your treasures, add new flea market finds, or give the whole space a fresh coat of paint. You can easily redecorate your hutch to complement the changing seasons too.
Reorganize
Once or twice a year, take everything out of the hutch again and rearrange items into a new configuration. Move dish collections to different shelves, switch out decor accents, and update organizational systems.
Rotate Displays
Store sentimental or fragile pieces safely away and bring out other cherished dishes, glasses, and serving pieces you haven’t displayed in awhile. This keeps your hutch feeling fresh.
Seasonal Touches
Decorate your hutch to complement the seasons. In spring, add a vase of fresh tulips or daffodils. For summer, display red-white-and-blue themed pieces. In autumn, incorporate warm tones with mini pumpkins and gourds. For winter holidays, add evergreen sprigs, berries, pinecones, and candles.
You can transform a tired kitchen Hutch into a stunning display that showcases your collections, brings function into your kitchen and reflects your personal style. Follow this article’s guiding tips to spruce up your hutch with brilliant style. Soon it will become your favorite focal point in the kitchen or dining room–a space to savor beautiful dishes, cultivate plants, exhibit treasures, and share meals with loved ones.
