Catherine Zeta-Jones' display shelf is an example of how to decorate awkward empty spaces in a kitchen

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is no stranger to setting design trends, most usually from the clothes that hang in her closet. However, the Welsh-born New Yorker has (unintentionally) taken her influence to the kitchen – or even more specifically – her kitchen storage. 

Catherine, best known for her roles in Chicago and Wednesday, shared a look inside her $4.7 million home in Irvington, New York – a rarity for the actress who usually keeps her home's interiors more private. She is pictured in the monochromatic, rustic space – featuring a classic white palette and (what appears to be) a black-painted brick ceiling. 

It's easy to admire Catherine's timeless color scheme, but as mentioned, it is her open kitchen shelving that demands the most attention in her space. 

Like many of us, Catherine's kitchen has lots of 'dead' wall space – where it is often impractical to install cabinets (for example, above her stove). However, this wall space still offers an opportunity to store appliances or crockery – something that is especially useful in a small kitchen. Or storage aside, it's a great way to make a design statement, just as Catherine has done. 

We're sure the actress has ample storage in her sprawling country home, but she has chosen to decorate the dead wall space with open shelving. Whether we're looking to decorate above kitchen cabinets or around our stove – we can learn a lot from the actress's simple yet powerful styling technique. 

Catherine has styled her shelves with curated pieces of decorative cast iron oven dishes – continuing the kitchen's rustic aesthetic – and adding interest to otherwise unused space in the process. 

It's hard to label this decorating technique as a 'trend,' as this style is certainly more than a fad. However, in the past year, Google Trends has reported a breakout in searches (+5000%) for floating shelves: something that Catherine pays homage to with her statement open shelving. And unsurprisingly, it's a look that Peter Erlandsson, the co-owner of String Furniture, also supports this design trend. 

Peter Erlandsson

Peter Erlandsson is the co-owner and director of String Furniture – the Scandi-cool storage company hailing from Stockholm, Sweden. In 2020, String Furniture was awarded Furniture Supplier of the Year, but the basis of String's designs has shaped storage habits since 1949. In 1952, String shelves (now String Furniture) were ordered to decorate the newly built UN headquarters in New York City. 

'Open shelving opens up a whole range of possibilities for a design scheme so you can make as big a statement as you would like and even create a work of art out of your shelves,' he says. 

'When designing our homes, we often forget the effectiveness of simply merging storage with the interior design scheme,' Peter adds – but with the right shelving, we can 'merge function with decoration' just as Catherine demonstrates.

To take total inspiration from the actress, we're investing in vintage cast iron pots to decorate our shelves – such as the one from Etsy below.

Vintage cast iron pot | $125 on Etsy 

This antique cast iron pot resembles those seen on Catherine's open shelves. It was recently restored in a lye bath and seasoned with a blend of beeswax, sunflower, and grapeseed oils to ensure it will stand as a focal point long into the future. 

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