I’m often asked what I keep out on my kitchen counters… and I suppose my quick answer is “not all that much”.
I’m definitely not a minimalist, in fact, I actually like decorative items sitting out on my kitchen counter. However, I’ve never been big on letting too much stuff sit out on my kitchen counters — especially not appliances.
NOTE: if I ever get my dream toaster, it WILL sit out on my counter!
That said, here is what you’ll find on our kitchen counters whenever I’m NOT cooking, baking, or serving food (although it seems like I’m almost always cooking, baking or serving food these days!)
The Sink Counter Areas:
I keep the 3 bamboo cutting boards I use ALLLLLL the time propped up next to the refrigerator.
Next to the cutting boards are 2 decorative antique tins. The bottom one is empty, the top one holds candy. We keep a bottle of hand lotion next to the tins.
We have a soap dispenser next to the sink, as well as a soap dish with my kitchen scrubbers.
I often use the windowsill as a nice place to display flowers, small picture frames, or other decorative items.
Whenever we have dirty dishes that can’t go in the dishwasher, we stack them to the right of the sink. The clean dishes dry to the left of the sink on these drying mats (also a big favorite for me).
The Range Counter Areas:
I have a few more decorative items in the back corner of the counter between the sink and range — I often change this area up based on the season.
Right now, I have some bread cookbooks, my sourdough crock, and a kitchen scale filled with artificial apples.
Next to the stove, I have a ceramic container with some of the spoons and spatulas I use several times a day. The rest of my spatulas and kitchen gadgets are in the big top drawer of our island (see below).
Oh, and I should also mention that I keep all our knives in our utensil drawer because I don’t particularly care for traditional knife blocks on the counter. I use a handy knife block that fits right inside our drawer.
The Pantry Counter Area:
I keep my favorite fruit caddy over on the counter by the pantry.
As you can see, we do not have a massive amount of counter space — but that’s OK because we have a VERY large island in the middle of our kitchen, and I do almost all the food prep and food serving from this island.
Aside from washing dishes, I don’t actually use the other counters all that much.
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So where do we keep our Small Appliances?
They are all hidden away inside our pantry cabinets!
Everything is very easy for us to access and we don’t have to look at it sitting out all the time.
More Kitchen Related Posts:
- How I store and organize everything in our kitchen.
- How I organize our pantry (and store bulk items).
- How I organize our refrigerator to store so many fruits and veggies.
- More about our large appliances.
- How I clean and care for our farmhouse sink.
- How we clean our granite counter tops.
- More about our braided kitchen rugs.
- The amazing before/after post of our MASSIVE kitchen renovation in 2012 (this post has the long list of sources for everything in our kitchen).
- My quick tip to clear kitchen counter clutter.
Got questions? Leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them!
And of course, I’d love to know…
What do YOU keep on your kitchen counters?
sherry says
Clear counters except for coffee maker which is programmed to start in the morning.
Andrea says
sounds lovely!
Christina says
I have a Kuerig and a microwave, plus hand soap at the sink. I don’t like clutter, but in the kitchen where there is food and constant action, it is sooooo much easier to clean it ALL after a meal without moving everything. I like CLEAN so much better than clutter!
Margaret says
Inventory: right of sink-empty. Sink-aluminum hand-soap dispenser. Windowsill above sink-3 canning jars of cutlery, marble mortar & pestle, steel salt shaker & pepper grinder. Left of sink-breadbox (holding bread, butter, toast tongs, & Marmite), toaster (I use it at least 2x per day, & I would rather have it on the counter than deal with scattered crumbs), with breadboard & (very) large cutting board. Left of stove–electric kettle & vintage aluminum canister for compost. End of peninsula–5 large wide-mouth glass canisters with cork lids that hold dog food, dog treats, cat food, and my beloved Weetabix.
So, not that much stuff on lots and lots of counter space. I’d estimate I have about the same as you.
I like to keep it open so I can clean it easily and often. I found it interesting when Marie Kondo said in her second book that she has found it more important to make kitchens easy to clean than to have every tool within reach. I couldn’t agree more.
If it’s going to sit out it needs to be used every day and be nice to look at–or at the very least, be used 1x per week and be very nice to look at, like the mortar & pestle. I don’t have anything that’s only decorative, but I do make an effort to have what IS out something I like to look at.
Jen says
Totally like EMPTY counters! I do have the coffee pot (only for my sweet husband otherwise it would be goners!), four glass canisters with sugar, flour, coffee pods, a crock for utensils, and the paper towel holder. If I had drawers, the utensils would be hidden too, but that’s not an option right now. And I’ve tried hanging the paper towels on a door but didn’t like that arrangement either.
Ruth says
Me too! I only keep our rice cooker out since we eat from it for each meal.
Everything else is put away. I like it completely bare. I have a lot of counter space and people keep telling me to put stuff on it and I’m always like NO way!
Holly Sanford says
I have such kitchen envy looking at your pictures. I have a small condo with a small kitchen. It has a serious lack of storage and counter tops. I thought I could live with it when I bought the place but it’s definitely lacking in functionality.
Andrea says
sorry you have such a small space — it’s a bummer, especially if you like cooking and baking!
Our kitchen definitely isn’t huge, and it actually doesn’t have THAT much counter space BUT it is open (so it feels bigger), we have tons of storage, and the island is a huge flat surface that is so handy. I do 95% of all my kitchen/food prep on the island!
I wonder if you could search pinterest for “small space kitchen maximizers” or “tiny kitchen organizing ideas” and see what you find. There are some REALLY creative people out there that can do a ton with small spaces.
Also, I’ve seen people turn their range/stove-top into a large work surface by making a big “cover” out of cutting board material. Sort of like an inverted serving tray that fits over the top of the stove.
Evie says
Hi, Andrea. I love your kitchen so much. I still remember when you went through that reno. 🙂 Your dad was so great! Looking at your pics today, I started to wonder how you handle a small thing… HOW do you deal with wet drain mats when the dishes have been put away? I used those mats for awhile, but one day I just totally gave up on them because I never did develop a good system for wet mats!
Love your blog, and I love seeing your kids growing up! Mine are late 30’s/early 40’s now, and seeing the pics and reading the stories of your kids brings back so many memories!
Thanks for sharing your life and for being such a good life skills teacher for all your readers!
Andrea says
Thanks — we still really like our kitchen too! and yes, my dad was a HUUUUUUUUUUUGE asset to our kitchen dreams 🙂
As for the dish mat — you’re referring to the plastic (gel-like) mat that sits in the bottom of the sink while washing dishes?
If so, I simply fold ours into 3rds and let it drain over the side of the sink (we use a bathtub mat for our sink!). Then I store it in the cabinet below our sink once it’s basically dry.
You can see how I do it in this post: https://andreadekker.com/how-i-organize-under-our-sink/
Evie says
Ohhh! Nope, not the mat from the bottom of the sink. I actually was asking about the thick, highly absorbant “drying mats” that go on the counter for the clean, wet dishes to be piled on in order to drain and dry…if you don’t use a plastic or coated wire drying rack set-up. 🙂
Andrea says
oh ok — well that’s even easier then!
We hang these over our oven handle or our freezer handle (bottom drawer freezer) to dry overnight. They are always dry by morning and then I put them away 🙂
Evie says
Ahh, thanks. So I just realized that my problem is living in super humid Florida, and when I was having drying mat angst, my indoor humidity level was out of control. Those mats never dried, and I hated having to run the dryer for them. I thought I’d been missing some simple answer to the problem, but really I just miss Michigan! (…I’m from New York, but went to grad school at MSU and love it out there.) 🙂
Andrea says
yes, that might be part of your problem — but at least you don’t need to shovel snow in the winter! 🙂
Annette Silveira says
Clear counters are so much easier to wipe down and mine seem to need wiping all the time. Until a couple of months ago I only had a couple of decorative bowls and a candle on mine. Near the sink I have dish soap and scrub brushes. The coffee maker and paper towels are tucked in a far right corner. When our son moved home I had to find room for his coffee set-up and a few *adult beverage* bottles. I put everything on a tray or a lazy Susan so I can easily move them to clean.
Andrea says
yup, it’s definitely easier to keep my kitchen clean if the counters are decluttered — and it’s easier to keep the counters decluttered when my kitchen is clean 🙂 Funny how that all ties into each other so well!
JJ says
My electric tea kettle(with temperature settings–so helpful when I need water to be a specific temperature!); I make tea often throughout the day! I also keep our kids’ school banks. I homeschool, and we started an incentive that they get a penny each page they complete. That’s their “work”(aside from helping with household chores). We also give them random bonuses(dime day! a dime for each page instead of a penny!). So seeing the cute wooden square banks keeps the momentum going! I also keep my KitchenAid stand mixer, knives, and bamboo bowl where I keep bananas. And our water bottle “stations”. I laughed when I read that you feel like you’re always preparing or serving food, because I kept thinking that yesterday. Haha!
Stel says
I’m also a recent convert to deep drawers, so one keeps all my baking prep utensils & bowls, with baking powder as well as NutriBullet accessories, another has all things relating to drinks: coffee, , tea, hot chocolate, sugar, tea spoons.
My food processor and mixers are also hidden in deep drawers. My husband insist on having the Kitchen mixer and blender out on open shelves “because they look pretty” – so they also end up being used less.
Andrea says
we LOVE our deep drawers!
Stel says
I’ve recently ordered a knife block after seeing yours – only to realise that particular drawer in my kitchen, has for No Reason Whatsoever been made shorter than the cabinet it is in. So the knife block only just don’t fit in! Lucky for my old shop counter that I use as island and had drawers fitted, after a bit of shuffling about it now neatly fits in there.
My counters usually are massive piling points (I know, horrid). I’m very proud of the fact that i’ve kept it main;y clear the last couple of months, with only the NutriBullet and coffee grinder on a narrow vintage tray, as well as a Moroccan tin with tea bags on another small round tray, and the kettle on the other side of the stove. My island used to be full of clutter On Top Of a nice granite block – which I now happily can use again as massive prepping board.
Onwards to the other counter that we Do Not Speak Of now 😉
Andrea says
bummer about the knife block — glad you got it to work eventually!
Lora says
Clear counters keep me sane
On our counters…
Paper towel stick holder by sink
Coffee pot on side counter (we make a pot at least 2x a day.)
Pottery tray beside coffee pot with canister of beans, bananas and any other fresh produce
Other counter just has a causal floral arrangement on it
Island has a flower vase with things my kids pick for me, a small pottery dish for odds and ends and a candy dish. That’s all
Maria Blasko says
This is great if you live in a McMansion but most apartment kitchens don’t have near that counter space or storage space and forget about a pantry. This is a GREAT post if you live in a large house or have a large kitchen. Sorry, but it did not help me at all. What I was looking for was a post about what makes sense to keep on the countertops and what doesn’t. Maybe you could do a kitchen makeover for someone who lives in a much smaller space?
Pat says
I have a small kitchen with too much on the counters! I keep working on clearing the counters. This fall we are having a real problem with flies so I am constantly cleaning counter and the sink. It helps but doesn’t cure. We really need a good freeze!
Summer says
I laughed out loud when I clicked on the link for the toaster! I saw those a few years ago and thought $330 for a toaster?!?! What can that possibly do?!
We also have all our small appliances tucked away in a butlers panty. I am not big on clutter in general, but it’s just impossible to keep everything truly clean if there is stuff everywhere. Everyone comments how ‘clean’ my house it, but really it’s just very uncluttered visually.
Andrea says
I know — totally ridiculous! Maybe someday someone will give me the toaster as a gift 🙂
Pixie508 says
Ahhh…. the appliance garage. We’re looking to hopefully build in a few years. My dream is a “Butler’s Pantry” – part of it would have upper and lower cabinets with countertops with a multitude of outlet. The countertop would contain several appliances that we use regularly (our , toaster, microwave, etc. as well as storage for things like the crockpot that don’t need to constantly be out. I love the idea of having some of those small appliances hidden out of site. I’d probably still have my mixer on the counter, because I got a cool charcoal color that I love, and totally goes with my future kitchen vision. I’d also love a coffee bar area, because we love coffee, and if it’s neatly displayed, I think it’s fun! (we’ve got a keurig, regular pot, and french press, so a nice way to display them and have fun with it is on my wishlist) Clearly I’ve spent some time daydreaming of my dream kitchen!
Barb says
Where do you keep your bread?
Andrea says
in the pantry
Lois says
I’d like to know where your dishwasher is. I don’t see it in your photos.
Andrea says
in the island
Rachel says
What do you do with baby bottles/nipples and toddler cups? I have a dishwasher, but it seems like they’re never quite dry enough to put away, so they go on a bottle drying rack that sits on the counter & annoys me with all the space it takes up. 🙂
And, paper towel storage…? Maybe you stick with your cloth napkins… 🙂
Andrea says
We have an under-cabinet holder for our paper towel so it doesn’t sit on the counter. As for the bottles — we only used them with Simon and I had a bottle drying rack that we used. We usually washed them at night and then I put everything away in the morning (it was dry by then). The drying rack is stored under the sink with all our other dish washing things.
Stephanie says
I love when you do posts like this one. I am always looking for ways to streamline our home. I do consider myself a minimalist but we have a toaster oven and our coffee maker out all the time since we use them daily and have a large family. We also have paper towels (on a stand), bananas in a bowl, and just a few decorative items. We have a lot of counter space. I would like them to be more bare though because I feel better when the counters are clear (especially before cooking). I find if I don’t have a few decorative items out though, it looks too bare. I wonder how big your island is. We have one too but I wished it was a little bigger.
Andrea says
our island is 6.5 ft. by 3 ft — it’s good size — not too big, but definitely big enough for our needs. We can get 4 stools around it.
Leigh says
Dish soap, bananas, and the knife block/cutting boards belong on my counters along with a decorative creamer that holds pacifiers on the windowsill.
One tip I love is to peel the labels off any containers you know what is in them, like lotion or deodorant. It really quiets how they looo and makes them cuter.
Rhonda says
I like the tip about the labels. On the same note, I usually take all of the little stickers off the fruit before it goes in the fruit bowl. That way it looks neater, plus when you peel them it’s ready to go in the scrap container. I put my dish soap in a plain clear glass dispenser – looks neater and the top doesn’t require opening/closing.
Jen says
I didn’t know before my contractor showed me, but my sink has its own pump thing for dish soap! And I love it! It’s easy to refill, I think I use less, and no bottle on the counter. It was from one of the big hardware chains.
Unfortunately my counters are a catch-all and a constant challenge!
Melissa says
Too much. That is what I have on my counters, but I actually use every item out there. Coffee maker, toaster, electric kettle, soap and dish stuff, paper towels, blender, rice maker, crock with utensils, spice rack with most used spices and phone charger. That’s from right to left, and the small appliances are used every day. I know I would feel better with some of it put away, but I have nowhere to put it. I am slightly envious of your drawers, though – it’s a great idea for if I ever do over my kitchen.
Debbie says
We also don’t like too many things out on the kitchen counter. Other than the mixer, coffee maker, toaster, and paper towel the rest are in cabinets. I still wish we have an appliance garage though. You’ve got lots of cabinet space to store all your appliance so that’s super nice. Your dream toaster is a dream! I like that it comes in so many colors too! Now that’s going in my dream list along with the Dyson stick vacuum you shared the other week. LOL!
Andrea says
yeah… I still haven’t broken down and purchased the Dyson (I was REALLY close, but just couldn’t do it!) But… Christmas is coming 🙂
Luba @ Healthy with Luba says
Keeping things off my counters really helps with my sanity!
I usually keep tea, some vitamins, our electric tea kettle, and my husband’s breakfast ingredients on the counter. Oh, and by the sink there are usually clean dishes to put away . . . 🙂
Our knives are in a drawer, and we do not have a toaster. 🙂
If anyone has secrets to keeping stuff off counters, I am open to hear them!
Andrea says
yeah, I never feel like cooking or baking if my counters are cluttered and I’d have to put things away first… so in a way, keeping my counters less cluttered helps me enjoy cooking and baking more — a win win for everyone in our house!
Rhonda says
Here is what we keep (and it looks like we have similar counter space and a similarly-sized kitchen island to you):
-2-slice toaster
knife block
container with wooden spoons
decorative bird marker holder for my “Label Once” reusable labels
large fruit bowl
food scrap bucket with lid
empty kleenex box next to scrap bin – to hold extra trash bags for the scrap bin
-a Grove Collaborative kitchen dish for setting wet kitchen plug and scrubbing tools, and clear glass “oil” dispenser that contains dish soap
-container of Vaseline Intensive Care advanced repair for my hands 🙂
– vinegar/water solution in a clear glass Grove spray container
– paper towel holder
-large jar for loose change
Whew. I don’t think my counters are very cluttered…but when I type it all out is sounds like a lot!
Andrea says
Well, sometimes the list makes it feel like more — if it seems manageable when you’re working in the kitchen (and you’re not constantly moving things around to make more space), then it must be OK for you!
Deb says
I just ordered the toaster through your link……..bahahahahaha
You could redo 5 rooms for that and go on vacation! 😉
Hoping baby comes soon!
Andrea says
haha — maybe not 5 rooms AND a vacation, but yes, it’s a pricy toaster!
Linda Bolt says
I also use a knife block inside a drawer, and keep a minimum of knives. What is out: my blue stand mixer that I waited 20 years to get, electric kettle for boiling water (I think it’s a Canadian/Dutch thing), toaster (dh wants it out), and I have my counters lined with old blue Mason jars I inherited, filled with dried beans and such. Also, I have a red crock next to the stove with utensils I use regularly.
I also leave out my red dishpan, red dish drainer, and red mat for hand-washing dishes. I don’t have room to store those anywhere else, or I would.
I also have my silverware chest out (it looks like an old-fashioned school desk).
Then we have one area of extra countertop that we use as a desk area, since I don’t have a desk.
I have more out than I wish, and I hope to find homes for a couple of those items. I’m in the middle of cleaning out, purging, and rearranging all the kitchen cupboards.
Andrea says
we love our knife block in our drawer too!
happy kitchen purging!! It’s a good time of year to do it — before all the holiday baking/cooking/entertaining!
Meghan says
Looks great! Ah, if I ever redo the kitchen I need an appliance garage! I didn’t notice where your knives are. I have enough drawer space to get rid of the knife block and store them flat. Does anyone know of a cool drawer insert that keeps them safely put away?
I’m going to start putting the mixer in the pantry. Whenever I use it, I move it from a corner to the island anyway. Also going to put the cookbooks I have out in a cabinet.
That still leaves napkins, paper towel holder, drying rack for cups/ bottles, toaster, coffee maker, and canisters out. Anyone have good ideas for storing these items I use daily?
Andrea says
Thanks Meghan — and I’ve gotten a bunch of questions about our knives already so I JUST (like 1 minute ago) updated the post to show exactly how we store our knives in a really cool in-drawer knife block!! I LOVE it!
Denise Z says
IKEA has an in-drawer knife holder, too!
Andrea says
good to know — but probably not free shipping like Amazon 🙂
Carrie says
I can’t believe you don’t have a stand mixer with how much baking you do! I find it makes baking soooooooo much easier. I hardly ever baked when I had a hand mixer because it was such a pain in the butt. My stand mixer made all the difference in the world.
Andrea says
I know — I used to have one and hated how heavy and bulky it was so I sold it. There are a few times every year when I wish I had one, but my hand mixer is just fine for my day-to-day and weekly baking!
Patti says
When we redid our kitchen I put in a stand for my kitchen aid to be lowered into a cabinet. Now it is out of sight but handy when I use it. We actually tore out our appliance garage for mor counter space. I use it for my coffee maker boy it looks s a lot more spacious.
Dakwerken says
Wow, loved the way you have kept your kitchen counter free from all equipment and utilised the more space for cooking. Thanks for sharing.
Chris says
Wow! I never knew there were such expensive toasters!
Andrea says
I know — I’ll probably never own one, but they are pretty 🙂
Jen says
I’m with you! I hate crowded counters (or tops of cabinets, for that matter. We have friends who store all kinds of junk on the very top of their cabinets!) Our counters have my kitchen-aid mixer (I cannot believe you don’t have a stand mixer! I use mine 4-5 times a week!), the Keurig (only because my husband uses it every day), a small utensil holder, and four glass crocks that hold flour, sugar, snacks, and coffee pods. If it were up to me, the mixer and Keurig wouldn’t be out but that’s what works with my storage space. We have a very small pantry, unfortunately, so my other appliances (griddle, rice cooker, waffle maker, crock pot–I’m not one to have a gadget for everything!) live in a closed storage cabinet in our garage, which is right off the kitchen. We rarely use our toaster so that’s in a cabinet as well. Clutter-free counters are important to me!
Kate says
Your house has so many neat little spaces…the appliance garage is so cool!
Andrea says
Thanks! I guess that’s one benefit of gutting a house and starting from scratch! We’ve added a TON of storage to our house over the past 7 years!
Katie says
I so wish I had an appliance garage. And a specialty drawer for bread. And a specialty drawer for knives. That would eliminate my blender (used daily), my toaster, the espresso maker, my knife block, and my bread keeper from my counter. That would leave the fruit bowl, large coffee maker, butter and a decorative rooster.
Unfortunately (fortunately?) my pantry is an adjoining room, so I don’t have a long cabinet within the kitchen to stash a lot of this stuff either. But I think I need to come up with a better solution than what I have now!
Andrea says
You should check out the cool knife block I have that fits right in the drawer — very clever!
Mara Yager says
Thanks for sharing! So, no baby yesterday I see! Watching and waiting, can’t wait to see her! Praying for your comfort in these last few days!
Abby says
Your kitchen is gorgeous! I have too much crap on my counters…and I am going to be intentional about clearing them off!
Also, I have a never seen a more expensive toaster! Woah! However, it is super cute!
Love, love, love your blog!
Andrea says
yeah, I’ll probably never get that toaster, but I know 2 people who have it and it IS amazing!