I'm always sniffly, so I'd have a box of tissues there. Also: Notepad for shopping lists & writing utensils, maybe hand lotion, candles...

wine bottles, deep bowls, toaster or other large appliance, baskets, or just leave empty

Stacks of platters, baskets of handy items...

Wine cooler! :)

Looks fine how you have it arranged in Pic 2. Doesn't look cluttered.

my open shelving in the island became a catch all for all sorts of stuff. so glad I made it into drawers.

Since the shelves are open, they are apt to collect dust. I would use them for items that have frequent turnover, and that can be pulled out and put back easily. Hot pads, oven gloves, serving trays, dish towels, drying mats, boxes of aluminum foil or plastic wrap, placemats, napkins. It depends on what you use on a daily basis, and the proximity of these shelves to other areas in your kitchen or dining room.

Basket on one shelf for kitchen towels, oven mitts. Another shelf for toaster (we use ours about once a week so I don’t leave it on counter). Although you don’t use cookbooks, they do look nice on shelves in a kitchen.

I would love to turn one of them into a wine cooler, but unfortunately they are way too shallow for that.

I decided to look at back at the listing photos from when we bought the house and it looks like she had some bowls, etc. Maybe I will try that!

Bowls was going to be my suggestion, too. I love displaying my vintage ones. :)

Think of it as a functional space, not just a space for accessories. Large bowls are a good idea, or pitchers. Anything fairly large that you use and can easily pull out when needed. You could also look for baskets that fit the shelves so you could use it for smaller items like placements and napkins.

My shelves are shallow so have photos of grands, and various small roosters, which I collect and even a small plant that gets lots of light.

I think what you have looks nice, along with the listing photo.

How about some baskets for potatoes and onions? You could either just set them on the shelf or add the runners so that they pull out. Google the John Boos baskets at Sur La Table. Hafele sells a similar basket.

https://www.build.com/hafele-540-55-001/s248750?uid=1587944

I would do tall baskets that hide what is in them, lower 2 shelves. Bandaids and 1st aid in one, and batteries and "junk" in another one (I always have to have a junk drawer, cannot live without it). Can you fit a cake stand or something rarely used but pretty on the top shelf?

Look at what this looks like.

i would turn it into drawers.

Really have no desire to do any modifications like add drawers. Besides, I have no clue where the cabinets came from as we are not the original owners to the house.

I would put my Dutch oven collection there.

do you have pets? you could make it a feeding station