The kitchen is often called the heart of the home and for good reason

We’re all drawn there! But when the kitchen is cluttered and the countertops are unorganized, it feels less like a calm gathering place and more like a dumping ground.

Luckily, I know a thing or two about how to make a kitchen less cluttered and more peaceful. I’ve gathered some of my favorite tips for reducing clutter with these designer-approved kitchen countertop organizing ideas!

Grothouse

Eliminate Excess

First thing’s first – get rid of what you don’t need! I can’t tell you what to leave behind because no two kitchens (or cooks!) are alike, but I suggest starting with the big stuff that’s taking up valuable space. Have you used that cake pop maker in the last year? After you’ve looked at appliances, go through your bakeware and serving dishes, then onto tabletop, before finally looking at utensils and flatware. 

As you look at what you don’t need, also keep an eye out for things that are currently living in your kitchen but could easily find a place in another room of your home. 

You may also enjoy: Three Steps to Decluttering Your Home for the New Year



mydomaine
Hang Kitchen Essentials

When you think about the available space in your kitchen, you probably think about cabinets, drawers, and countertops. You’re not wrong! But you’re forgetting about one piece of prime real estate: your walls and ceilings. Instead of a countertop knife block, hang the knives on a magnetic wall strip! Your fruit can hang in a basket from the ceiling, just like pots and pans on a rack. Then, your countertop is decluttered and open for food prep or a good nosh!



spy.com
Use Trays on Counter Tops

Corral items that have a tendency to spread and stray by using trays. At the sink, a random collection of soaps and sponges can look purposeful on a tray. The same goes for oils and vinegars near the stove. Trays have the added bonus of catching drips, keeping them from staining your countertops, especially those with porous surfaces like marble and granite.

You may also enjoy: How to Accessorize a Kitchen Counter



kitchn
Store Items Above Kitchen Cabinets

This might seem obvious, but store things up high! If you have space between the tops of your cabinets and the ceiling, put it to work. This is a good place to store some beautiful but infrequently-used items, like an enamel-coated Dutch oven or a large serving platter. The area once known for dust-collecting knick-knacks can take on new life as a useful storage space. You could also organize your items into baskets or bins with lids to keep them free of dust and cooking grease.

You may also enjoy: Above your Kitchen Cabinets Decoration – Ultimate Guide

SimpleHomeSimpleLife

Organize Your Cabinets

Check your cabinets. Are you efficiently using space there? If the answer is “yes” for the shelves, turn next to the doors. Hanging things inside your cabinet doors is a great way to declutter your countertops! Flat items like cutting boards and pot lids, or light items such as paper towels and spice racks do well on the inside of cabinet doors.  

BuzzFeed.com

Go Vertical

Even if items remain on the counter, getting them “off” the counter makes a big difference visually! By using cake stands, you can elevate those countertop necessities and lighten the visual load.   

apartmenttherapy.com

Move Your Drying Rack

One immediate difference you can make in your kitchen? Stop using precious counter space for drying dishes! These days, there are plenty of products to help your sink pull double duty. And I don’t know about you, but sometimes dishes can sit in my drying rack for days. By leaving them to dry in the sink, you’ll put them away more quickly – which will also have your kitchen feeling less cluttered. 



The Container Store
Designate a Space for Junk

Yes, it’s counter-intuitive. But since the kitchen is the heart of the home, it’s bound to be littered with the random odds and ends of life. Instead of fighting a losing battle, design a space for the junk! Try a countertop organizer with a few compartments to keep things easily accessible. If you’d prefer to hide the “junk,” devote a drawer to it. But make sure the drawer is organized instead of an open, disorganized mess (small baskets or utensil separators are great here).

The Container Store

Put Away Appliances

Simply put: if you won’t use it daily (or often enough), store it. There’s simply no sense in taking up visual and physical space with appliances you don’t use all the time. Good-looking machines can be stored above the cabinets as I mentioned above. Inside pantries and cabinets will work to keep your kitchen decluttered, too. Consider putting extra wire shelves in your cabinets to make use of every inch. 

littleloveliesbyallison.com

Add Storage Racks and Hooks

Like cabinet doors, the sides of your cabinets are oft-underused. Install a spice rack on the sides of upper cabinets to make spices easy to find. Your lower cabinets are handy for magazines and newspapers, dish towels, or dog leashes – whatever works best for your kitchen. Like all of these tips, it’s only a good solution if it works for you!



Jennifer Rizzo
Relocate your Cookbooks

Stacks or rows of books on your countertops not only add visual clutter, but they also take up a lot of space. By all means use what you need (and maybe gift yourself a cookbook stand), but keep the rest of your cookbooks somewhere else. If you have a mantel in your kitchen, cookbooks are a fun and functional décor item. 

You may also enjoy: 7 Reasons to Consider a Fireplace in Your Kitchen Makeover

decorpad

Distract the Eye

Of course in some kitchens, you have no choice but to use the counters for storage. If this is the case for you, distract the eye from your countertops in other ways. Use bright, bold colors on furniture or even your walls to lure the eye up, or grab everyone’s gaze with a statement piece in another area of the room. 



House & Home
Create a “Command Center” 

Mail, school work, schedules – it’s all important. They have a place but it’s not on the kitchen counter! Create a space in your home that will serve as a central spot for all of this important “stuff” and make sure it stays there. And if it is the kitchen, keep it organized.

You may also enjoy: Counter Stool Buying Guide: Choose the Right Height, Style & Color



the eleven best.com
Choose Neutral Colors that Blend

If you have organizers and items that need to stay on the countertops, consider making them the same color or similar to your backsplash. The more your appliances, utensil crocks, etc. blend into the background, the less distracting they’ll be.



Pinterest
Use Matching Storage Solutions

If you must store things on your countertops, make it beautiful. By choosing matching pieces, you’ll create a feeling of intentionality and purpose. This can also help items fade away from your gaze and help the counters feel less cluttered.

You may also enjoy: The Kitchen: Organizing For Gracious Living



Better Homes & Gardens

A happy home is a comfortable, organized one! With these tips to declutter and organize your kitchen counters (and the rest of your kitchen!), you can create a more peaceful place for friends and family to gather. As the saying goes: a place for everything, and everything in its place.

 

The post Declutter Your Kitchen:15 Kitchen Countertop Organizer Ideas appeared first on Hadley Court - Interior Design Blog.

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