While it might seem easy enough to decide what items to place on your kitchen counters, there’s a right way and a less-efficient way of going about it. Knowing what goes on your counters facilitates organization and makes cooking, cleaning and everything else easier in your kitchen. While you’re making the final decisions on your countertop decor, be sure to keep these specific items in mind.
Coffee Maker
No matter if you drink a single cup of coffee a day or several, you’ll want your coffee maker to be in quick and easy reach on the counter. Even better, create a coffee space where you have your coffee maker or French press along with your favorite coffees, filters, sugar, mugs and a few spoons for mixing. You might even want to have a to-go cup or two within easy reach if you take your coffee with you on the road for your commute.
Canisters
A few canisters lined up along a wall on your kitchen counters are great for storage as well as decorating your space. Snacks, napkins, drinking straws and other odds and ends that would otherwise clutter up your space would go great inside your canisters.
Kitchen Scale
Do you like to know the exact portion of the foods you eat? If so, consider investing in a quality kitchen scale to position on your kitchen counters. Scales are also a good idea for those times when you’re cooking and need to make conversions for your ingredients. Because scales are offered in several different colors, you’re sure to have no problem finding the right shade for your preferences and kitchen color scheme.
Fruit Bowl
Having a fruit bowl on your kitchen counters makes it easy for you to grab a quick healthy snack while you’re heading out the door or when you come home from work and are feeling a little peckish. Simply having an empty fruit bowl in your kitchen could be just the push you need to buy more fruits and eat healthily. Something else to think about is the fact that having a small mound of oranges, apples, bananas, pears and grapes makes that spot of your counters that much more colorful.
Dish Rack
While everyone would like to have a dishwasher, the task of cleaning dishes might be left to you and your hands and some quality detergent. Dish racks are an easy way to dry and store clean dishes, which you might also want to show off if they’re particularly gorgeous.
Tea Kettle
One of the best things about tea kettles is that they serve a variety of purposes. Besides boiling tea for water, you can also use them for your morning coffee if you have a French press, and you can use them for any soups or beverages that need boiled water. No matter what you use your tea kettle for, it makes for an easy and welcome addition to your countertops.
Silverware Caddy
While you can always use a standard silverware caddy positioned in a drawer under your counters, you might not have enough space, or you simply might find it more convenient to just reach over on the counter for a spoon, fork or knife. Silverware caddies are great for such purposes, and they’re decorative as well.
Knife Block and Cutting Board
It’s a good idea to have a sharp knife within quick and easy reach on your countertops for those times when you need to cut up fruit in your bowl, fresh food or anything you cook. A knife rack and cutting board keep your convenience and efficiency at a maximum.
Use these tips to help the overall design and appearance of your kitchen “flow.” No longer do you have to scratch your head in confusion as to what to leave on counters and what to store in cabinets and drawers.
Appliances
Aside from your coffee maker, many of us cringe when we consider storing additional small appliances on our counters. Toasters and microwaves have become common fixtures in our kitchen. Fortunately, toasters can be small enough to get out of the way, and most modern homes have built-in microwaves. If you like the convenience of toaster ovens, they can help in the kitchen but they can take up some real estate. As we continue to create more innovative ways of cooking, modern devices like an instapot start moving in to our kitchens.
The decision to add these items is usually based on how often you’ll use them, how much cupboard or pantry storage space you have, and of course how cluttered you want your kitchen to be if they stay out. The appliances that stay out almost become decor in and of themselves. In today’s world, they are made to be attractive, appealing and many times sleek looking. As such, they add to the look of your kitchen instead of take away. And that’s a good thing.