Cruz Beckham's kitchen showcases a beautiful way to decorate above lower kitchen cabinets, and it is easy to recreate at home

Cruz Beckham, the youngest son of David and Victoria Beckham is no stranger to impeccable style, so when the aspiring musician posted a picture of his kitchen online, we noticed a lack of upper cabinetry. Instead, a simple visual design trick caught our eye.

While kitchen cabinets are fundamental for storage, the size of a kitchen will often dictate whether they are truly worth it, especially if you want a small kitchen to look bigger. If you decide to do without, there are so many beautiful ways to decorate above kitchen cabinets that will inject modernity, textural interest, and decorative style into your kitchen, similar to Cruz Beckham's modern kitchen shelving idea.

Decorating above lower cabinets is a wonderful way to fill the space with an attractive feature, rather than installing yet more upper cabinetry or leaving your kitchen wall bare.

Kitchen shelving is a great option if you are the proud owner of an impressive crockery collection, or are a keen cook who appreciates having ingredients close at hand. Having everything on display, however, is not for the faint-hearted as it requires a certain amount of dedication to keep shelves looking smart and uncluttered. 

Here's why some of the best kitchen designers and experts love Cruz Beckham's curated display that proves you can do more with your kitchen walls than just adding kitchen cabinets.

Not everything needs to be hidden away when it comes to storage. In fact, decorative kitchen storage ideas and solutions can make a huge difference to your kitchen's look and feel. 

Shelving doesn't always have to be the star of the show. Sometimes just a single shelf is enough to add interest without detracting away from the rest of the space. 

In the space above, a single floating shelf works particularly well in a small kitchen where there may be a fair amount of closed cabinetry taking up space along the walls. This individual display adds an element of interest that draws the eye, all while helping to keep kitchen countertops clear.

It’s best to mount open shelving just above eye level and within easy reach if you intend for the shelves to hold day-to-day items, such as plates and mugs. 

For a stylized look, stack collections of your favorite crockery, line up fresh herbs and incorporate small pieces of art along a run of open shelving. Or, make like Cruz Beckham, and invest in objects from the same color palette. 

Mark Wilkinson, founder of Mark Wilkinson Furniture, believes that the kitchen colors we choose automatically are naturally influenced by current fashions. 

'The color in a kitchen – be it on shelves or walls – should last for at least five years, minimum, so try to look beyond immediate kitchen trends and choose a color that will keep you feeling good long term,' he advises.

When choosing the overall look, decide if you want the shelves to be made in a material which is a statement in itself, or if you want them to have a less prominent role, allow your display to do all the talking.

Shop Cruz Beckham's kitchen edit