Post-reno countertops, clean or cluttered?

14 years ago

Hi!

We're in the middle of our renovation, and I've just joined the forum after lurking a long time. Maybe too optimistically, I've started thinking about what will be on my countertops after all is said and done.

Definitely our coffeemaker (a keurig - we thought about plumbing it in, but decided against it).

I'd like to still have a toaster oven, but would like it to be a "nicer" one that matches the stainless of my other appliances - any suggestions?

Fruit bowl - a must, but the one I have won't "fit" any more. Ditto the bread basket.

Other than that, in the past I've been pretty spartan on the countertops. What have others accessorozed with?

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Comments (13)

keptoz
14 years ago
In addition to the coffee pot & toaster, I have a spice rack & paper towel holder .. & usually an open bottle of red wine that I use for cooking (that's my story & I'm sticking too it lol!)
cross_stitch
14 years ago
I try. We are now 4 years out. It's a small kitchen and without non-stop policing, it would negate the improvements we made. The coffee maker is always out, plus my glass canisters. And now that it's orange season, the juicer is there too. I wage a perennial war with counter clutter, with DH as my adversary. Standing up now, I also see the toaster and a glass jar of dates. Not too bad.
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I'd stash the oven thermometer unless you use it 3x a week. You have a new oven, so you *ought* to insist it be calibrated to be correct, and therefore not really need the oven thermometer. But if it's off by a little bit, then it ought to be off by the same amount every time--at least if your oven has a decent thermostat--so you'll get used to where the dial has to point to get a true 350. And you'll only need the oven thermometer for the odd times you're using a different temperature. Ditto the butter warmer, unless you like looking at the copper pan. And why ladels? I never need more than one at a time. And they're so darn bulky. 2 pots in daily use, plus 20 others? 20 seems like a lot to me. I can see of different sizes--you often use the same size for the same meal (all big pots when company comes; all midsize pots when it's just two to four at table). But you can only fit 4 on your stove, right? I bet you can find which things you don't really want out. (Of course, your kitchen is small, right? And there isn't that much space that's NOT "out," I bet--where will you put these things, if they're not out where you have them now? This exercise might prompt you to decide not to keep some of that stuff at all, or it may lead you to decide that "out" is also storage space.) Good luck. Is there a reason to clear the space, even if you wouldn't use it for something else? Yes. You have to decide whether those reasons are ones you value, though. *cleaning (and time saved) that tile wall makes me cringe. I've mentioned my "greasy utensils in the crock" problem, and I'd envision that space being full of greasy AND dusty utensils I have to wash before I use them. And the ledge over the oven will be 15% easier to clean if you stash the oven thermomenter elsewhere--not only will you not have to lift it up and set it down, but you won't have to wash the thermometer itself. *visual calm I've found that this is really valuable--though I also find that sometimes things look too blank for me, and I get fidgety. Sometimes I adjust to the new 'blankness." We've had posts from people who's said, "I like having a lot of things around me; the abundance makes me feel comfortable." For me, I just remember what a HUGE difference in my soul it made to always have a bedroom w/ straight blankets. And orderly shelves are less anxiety-producing than ones w/ stuff stuck in at odd angles. But also, those are extremes. It's one thing to eliminate lots and lots of messy stuff; of course that'll produce results that are valuable. But when it's not messy, and it's not lots and lots, the "visual calm" payoff might not be as powerful. Though I will also say that I really, really like being able to put my hand on the stapler. And I know that if my kids had to put it away INSIDE anything, they wouldn't. As it is, they mostly put it back.So there are drawbacks as well to hiding stuff. I also find that, the less stuff is stored on the counter, the more I can see the stuff that SHOULDN'T be out. This is really true of the papers in the dining room, but it's also true of the stuff in the kitchen. When DH leaves the knife and peeler by the sink, then it's easier to overlook the stuff shoved to the back that *belongs* in the cabinets.
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doonie
14 years ago
Pre reno...I had lots of "stuff" on my counter. Post reno...I plan to have the coffee maker, toaster oven, papertowel holder?, fruit bowl, garlic holder, kosher salt holder, pepper grinder, spoon holder and 2 containers (one for wooden spoons, the other for stainless stuff.) Still sounds like a lot of stuff.

I am putting away my Cuisnart, blender, KichenAid Mixer, plus I will have a book shelf (instead of using counter space) for cookbooks! Also I am finally ditching that unsightly dish rack and recruiting my children as permanent driers/putter awayers!
chris45ny
14 years ago
Before I started this redo I had counter clutter but I want to see as much of the granite I love so when it's done will have coffee maker, KA mixer, toaster, paper towel holder, canister for cooking utensils, and knife block out. Even that is too much but those things get used almost daily.
tired_99
Original Author
14 years ago
I totally forgot the paper towel holder. I did have a countertop one before, but I think I'll try for one undermounted on the upper cabinet to the left of the sink. Hopefully it's not too late to sneak one into the cabinet build!

I'm doing side by side mixer lifts for my cuis and stand mixer, so they're off the counter and I also don't have to hoist them up - yay.

For my salt, pepper, oil and other items I use all the time, I'll keep some of that on a small shelf that will be built into the side of my range hutch, and I'm also toying with the idea of shallow drop down cabinets in two places, rather than backsplash. Those will have tiny drawers and shelf space, so even though some items will be technically "out," they won't be directly on the countertop.

I've already started the conditioning to prevent keys, blackberries, cellphones, etc. from collecting on the counter just inside the kitchen doorway - we'll see how successful I am with that.

J
pinch_me
14 years ago
My ongoing goal in life it to keep it empty. I have more counter now than I did but I also have more storage area. And I seem to be the only person who sees the clutter. I had a cubby built for my microwave/toaster oven away from the counter area and now they live there. My coffee pot is always out. I keep two cutting boards on the counter at all times on opposite sides of the room. I have several marble and subway tiles as trivets. I stuck those little rubber cabinet door bumpers on the back of tiles I bought at Menard's for the trivets. Pretty. Cheap. Doesn't scratch/stays put. Works perfectly.

Right now I do have a very few almost antique do-dads setting out just to break up all the white. White counters, white backsplash, white walls. I'm still working on the best place for everything but my goal is to have a place for everything that used to occupy the counter. I've not put the papertowel holder up yet.........I chase the roll around. I want it attached somewhere but I don't want to put holes in anything. AND I don't like the roll of paper towels being a focal point. That really narrows the places to put it where I would need them.

The best way to see how it looks is to take pictures. Then look at them. When The Blob starts growing, you'll see it.
sugar_maple_30
14 years ago
My husband's Bodum coffee maker (although sometimes I put that away too), the tea kettle, and a fruit bowl. That's it, except if you count the little dish I have my dish rag in and soap dispenser by the sink.

I put away the toaster and the paper towels. I LOVE the uncluttered look. Crazy as it sounds, it seems to calm my brain not having my eye jump around from thing to thing.

On the little counter inside the kitchen doorway - not so successful. It has a TV (an old-fashioned one so it's quite deep), and a bowl for keys and stuff. That's supposed to be it, but it does tend to collect things like bills and papers and purses. Every couple of days I clean it all off. It's a constant struggle with that counter, but the main one - no problem, everyone got used to putting things away pretty quickly.
firstmmo
14 years ago
I am a confessed weirdo about things on my counter...I like almost NOTHING. Don't even try to leave your wallet and dirty keys on my counter and I will have a huge frowny face. Have been know to move people's stuff any time they leave things on my kitchen counter.

Coffee maker. Fruit bowl. A few decorative items.

Can't imagine I can wean myself off this simple look now that I actual have the counters and cabs that I picked myself....will probably be even more OC. My poor DH, he hasn't thought about that LOL!
idrive65
14 years ago
Oil cruets, toaster, microwave, knife block, coffee maker, K-cup carousel, cookie jar. My toaster & micro are white like the backsplash so they fade away a bit.

My island is a MESS. Total drop zone for "stuff" that multiplies in the night.
ccoombs1
14 years ago
I just adore my granite. I want to see as much of it as possible and to keep my kitchen uncluttered (this is a totally new way of life for me...lol). My cappuchino machine gets to live on the counter because I use it daily. My Cuisinart toaster oven looks really nice (stainless) so it stays on the end of a run, out of the way. There is a group of family photos at the end of another run. And that's about it. All of my other small appliances stay tucked away in drawers or the pantry.
beekeeperswife
14 years ago
ccoombs1, I'm with you. I love my granite. I want to see it and since it is different everywhere in the kitchen, I need to see all of it. My espresso machine is allowed to live on the counter. (Extremely heavy and used a lot) I have a cookbook easel that I use to keep some silver trays and bowls in a vertical position in the corner (so as not to block the counter), they are decorative as well as handy when I need them.

I have a clear lucite tray I bought at Ikea, love to pull that out and put stuff on it when we are doing a dinner, because you can still see through it!
three_daisies
14 years ago
I'm cluttery by nature, but I keep my new counters as clear as humanly possible. I enjoy seeing the Black Galaxy granite sparkle.

I do have a paper towel roll by the sink on Oxo roll holder, an antique platter on a stand in the corner, a fruit bowl - but that's it in the main work area. Toaster, food processor, and coffee maker are all put away and have their designated homes inside cabinets. But....if I end up buying a very cool pod-type coffee maker (like a Keurig), it *might* be allowed to stay out!

My island stays CLEAR, mostly b/c my kids eat there all the time. It is so nice to have that open surface - the island is like an oasis of calm in my world of kid chaos. We have a paper/mail pile at the end of the counter run (right where we enter at the garage door) and I have to be on top of it to make sure it doesn't get out of control.....we also have a drawer there and I'm always putting away DH's dirty keys and wallet. LOL to Firsthouse's "frowny face" - I'm so with you!
charlikin
14 years ago
Coffee maker, paper towel holder, decorative utensil crock, toaster oven, and small glass bowl to put the wine corks in. ;-)

Just bought a new blender too - I had a perfectly good white one, but it didn't match my new kitchen (and it's going to have to stay out on the counter), so I bought a SS one.

The toaster oven is a Cuisinart - a little on the smaller side, makes good toast (and grilled cheese sandwiches), bakes well... very happy with it.

I love my paper towel holder - I'd been looking for one that was nice-looking and yet very functional. Didn't like the very utilitarian-looking ones at BBB. Then I spotted one in a picture here on GW - I asked the poster what it was, and he had bought it two years before at Target! They didn't have it in the store, but fortunately it was still available on the web site. :-)

Oh, and a folded dishtowel I keep next to the sink for the occasional hand-washed item. (I love not having to keep a dish drainer anymore!)

I would probably keep fewer things on the countertop (like the blender would only be out seasonally), but even with twice as much cabinet space as I had before, I still don't have enough storage space for everything.

Post-reno countertops, clean or cluttered?

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keptoz

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Post-reno countertops, clean or cluttered?

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