First thing I thought of was cookbooks, as well. And you can arrange them with a couple of pieces of pottery or other useful-decorative items.

I’d stack/lean/store white dishes/bowls/pitchers/serve ware, but then I’m boring!

to simplify the look of multiple items, you can put painted foam core or something in the back of the shelves. it would brighten them up, too.

I would also add cookbooks here. Or nice, white plates and bowls. Or both! Pottery pieces would look nice to break up books or stacks of plates.

Works great with a bohemian style.

You can convert the bottom to a plate rail if you would like that look. I have one - have to admit that the dishes I keep there are not ones I use much.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~93784236

You can do similar, but with some of those pretty Anthropologie dishes - would add some pretty color and make your kitchen uniquely yours:)

Love the idea of using all white dishware/pottery there. I would make it very simple...even one item on each shelf. I did that in 4 glass-covered wood cabinets in our kitchen. I really like the simplicity of it.

Maybe you should start a collection:

If you have any vintage decorative bowls and plates (I have several), they would look beautiful displayed on those open shelves. I agree with the others who said that storing your cookbooks there would be perfect as well!

Can you post additional photos of the kitchen? If use cookbooks but would be selective about the color. If then consider other dishes/ironstone/pottery. You could add in maybe a picture or two but I think shelves and vignettes in general look best when there's a tight color palette. I'll try and find some photos in s but of what I mean. You could try some arrangements out and post here for feedback.

I like all of the examples shown here because they have a cohesive look to them. Somehow having picture frames on kitchen shelves which have different patterns and colors doesn't seem to lend itself to that cohesive look, but what pleases you is what matters in the end.

I would do cookbooks on the bottom two shelves (because you can get to them) and then something pretty that you don't use much on the top shelf -- it can be just one big thing or three smaller things.

I like all the suggestions

(and I like Anthropologie too))

if I had three open shelves-I'd be very happy to keep there my cookbooks, and use the rest of the space for my favorite teapots and the like. I'm into teapots lately. I also like pitchers etc. In short, vessels and urns:)

So I'd say it boils down to holding there things both useful and pretty, unified by either function or, say, color..collections of sorts, but the ones that are handy. Where they are.

Picture frames can be very pretty, but are you tall enough to appreciate the pictures inside? or do you collect frames?

how about adding some interest in pattern or color on the back with paint or wallpaper? to break up all the brown. see below for ideas not necessary color options.

Cook books. Done. When I read your title I was a bit put off. The idea one needs to/should "style" shelves that are daily used i.e. work horses, seems INSANE. Just sayin.

Extra, for display is different.

I wonder if cookbooks have become a generational "thing"? With so many younger people not really cooking, or at least using recipes, do they even HAVE cookbooks? I have a large collection of them but these days seem to use the computer for finding recipes and I'm OLD! So perhaps people don't think cookbooks because they don't have any? Or many?

Olychick, it does seem like a generational thing. Although I use the internet A LOT for recipes, I'm a big foodie and still enjoy flipping through my cookbooks. LOL...I won't even mention how many I have!

Thank you all for the help. Even the judgy comment I received about my question. I'm reaching out because I need help and think anything open should look put together, pretty, and not cluttered and so appreciate the positive comments others left and great ideas. And i appreciate the one persons comment about cookbooks possibly being generational as I only have 4 cookbooks. I'm sure someone will judge me but I get most of my recipes online or from relatives and finally purged the cookbooks that remained unused or whose recipes kept disappointing me. I have put those books I do own out thanks to the feedback here. One was ugly so I only have 3 sad little books. I will pull out some of my white dishes and see how that looks and maybe add something pretty somewhere in there.

You can also wrap your sad little books :-( in white paper (or any other color) and use them in your arrangement. You could even make faux cookbooks, lol, by wrapping a couple of regular books in paper to fill out your "collection". By wrapping, I mean making a jacket out of paper, so they are still usable, but look more stylish with all white dishes on the shelves.

You don't have to use any cookbooks.

C Austin, let us see what you end up doing. Sounds like you're already in good shape with "...put together, pretty, and not cluttered..."

Just wanted to say kudos for not having a lot of stuff on top of your cabinets. :-)

I second chloebud's look about clear cabinet tops. Looks nicer and dusting would be less of a chore. Thank goodness mine reach to the top! My back would not be happy.

I use mine for flour, sugar, oatmeal, popcorn and such.

Teapots and cups would be amazing!

I like cook books too, but mine are a mess!!

The all white looks amazing, but the cabinets are white and I am not sure how it would look in your alder cabinets.

The Fiesta ware would add some color, but I would do just a few pieces.

In this type of space, I like to think function first, and then refine the form. What is this area of your kitchen primarily used for: Baking, coffee station, meal prep, dish storage? This is its function. Once you have a logical layout of how your kitchen works for you, then you’ll know a little bit better what to use to stage the space. Where in your kitchen do these open shelves live? (Some photos from further back would help us get a better feel for your layout.) If this is over a sink, some dishes with a basket of towels and another for washcloths would be appropriate. A coffee station could have a basket of K cups, or whatever grounds, teas and such that you use, a French press, a little pot of stirring spoons, a jar of sugar, pretty mugs, and such would be nice. If it’s where you bake, glass canisters of flour and sugar is perfect. Love soup and beans? Ball jars full of dried beans, pasta, and spices would be pretty. Sandwich station: Basket of bread, another one for pb, vessel of butter knives, etc. I’m sure you get the idea. : ) You can make your kitchen work for you, and have fun dressing it up at the same time. Oval platters set up in the back can help fill the vertical space if too many items end up being squatty looking.

Open shelves, wood cabinets, white dishes:

For the first time in my life I finally have enough cabinet space in my kitchen that I can hide everything behind doors, meaning this space doesn't have to be functional but thanks to those mentioning that it would be helpful to be functional made me consider another option all together, so I've included 2 options with photos. One photo I took several items off my counters all white thanks to the awesome suggestions here (fruit bowl, utensil holder, onion & garlic holder) so that actually ended up being really useful and follows the concept of clean counters ala the concept found in "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" (I should mention I don't mind the added few seconds it takes to pull these items down as it will make cleaning my counters that much easier). This feels like the shelves are really full but when I took the photo and posted it doesn't look as full as I thought. The other option pictured is a more decorative approach (I still need to add something on the middle shelf). I think if I used this second decorative approach then I would fill that space with some beautiful handpainted teacups I saw that would make me smile. Sorry everyone I can't seem to shake that frame it's eye level and makes me happy, just need to put a photo in it. Not sure if I even arranged things right in these photos according to design principles, but here goes. Thinking of redoing the counters, backsplash, and paint but that's another post!

Not a fan of the flat plates. This is more of a solid color if that is what you are thinking....

This one uses all white and stainless...

In both the objects are not on one side or the other but scattered so as to fill the space but not crowd it.

By stacking the plates I think you are making it look more like storage instead of display.

And I think the terrarium gets lost.

I really like the first two pics (are they the same?) If you want the frame, maybe remove the larger plate, move the smaller stack over a bit and place the frame next to them? Or maybe put the fruit bowl back on the counter (altho it looks really good up there) and put the frame where it is?

This...

Agree with grover. This one looks great! Congrats on having all that storage!