I put pens, pads, keys, napkins etc. in drawers organized with dividers.

When you have your new kitchen, you might find you'd rather put it all away so you can see your pretty new counters.

I do keep a little dish of salt on the counter next to my cooktop.

Are you going to want napkins and salt and pepper at the island or still at the table?

I keep our salt and pepper that is used at the table in the dish hutch with serveware. I keep note pads and pens in my desk just outside the kitchen.

Our napkins are in a drawer in the kitchen, with some in a decorative basket on the small kitchen table. They're handy, but it wouldn't be necessary to keep them out. And that basket is sometimes a problem, because it's an easy drop spot for things that really don't belong in the kitchen... I find sunglasses, pens, keys, and who knows what else. But I like the color and texture of the basket, so it stays. ;-)

In the new kitchen, napkins will go in a drawer (just like they do now). Cooking salt & pepper will be in one of my spice drawers or upper cabinet by the cooktop. Table salt & pepper will go in an upper cabinet and be brought out for a meal and put back in the cabinet when finished (as they are now).

Pens, sticky notes, other miscellaneous "junk drawer" items will be in the junk drawer. Keys will have a place to hang in our broom/cleaning closet. I'm hoping to have enough space in that closet to also put sunglasses and my purse.

Our goal is to have almost NOTHING sitting out on counter or table tops. The only thing that I know for certain will be on the counter is going to be a towel holder - considered doing a pull out for that at one point, but don't want the dripping water on our hands getting on the cabinets and on the hardwood floor, so we have to have a towel holder out.

It all has a place, not on the counter. Why are they "necessary" for you?

S&P are in the spice cabinet. Easy to open and grab.

Napkins are in the pantry.

Pens/post-its are in the "junk drawer."

This all makes it much easier to clean and dust for me.... as well as eliminating visual clutter. Better for my soul. :)

I keep all that stuff in drawers or upper cabs.

Thanks for the great ideas, everyone. I had a real 'head slapping' moment there LOL I guess it's because I have a tiny & I mean tiny kitchen with 2 regular & 2 very skinny drawers. For now, the kitchen table is my only option. I only have about 2.5 to 3 feet of 'workable' counter space so that space is very premium. I still can't believe I've lived in this kitchen so long with no dishwasher & such little space for all the cooking & baking I've done.

I didn't even think about all those drawers I'll be getting in my new kitchen! Yep - drawers it will be.

Thanks!

This evolved as we lived in our new kitchen. When we're sitting at the peninsula, we sometimes want pens and sometimes napkins, so they are in the bottom of the upper that is over the peninsula. We have a cabinet nearby that contains "command center" stuff, too.

Cloth napkins solved a lot of issues.
Salt/pepper oil vinegar and sugar in upper cabinet closest to dining room.

I put my salt and pepper by the cooktop...and oils, spices, herbs, etc. are in uppers by the cooktop. I don't think I could switch to everything in drawers, so I would choose the raised countertop. My current (and I hope final) plan has the cooktop with a raised countertop, on a peninsula. Not a great layout on GW, but I think it will work very well for our situation.

Bottom line...learn as much as you can on GW and then decide what will work and what will not, for your home. I know you'll have a lot of storage issues and have to take that into account, too. I thought our storage area was big, being on the farm...but you definitely have more storage needs, being in Alaska!

Another thing to think about...how comfortable are you with your plan and some of the details. We all have different likes/dislikes, when we cook, bake, prep, etc. Efficiency is important, but since we don't all cook the same, nor have the same size family and/or entertaining needs...every kitchen should be designed for what works best for the person using it.

And, I like a little clutter (LOL) so I don't mind having some items out on the counter or up on a shelf...and I love plate racks, cup/mug hooks, pot rack, glass uppers, etc. Anything that keeps items easily accessible and nicely displayed :)

I'm a counter clutter person. We have a desk area where we have a mug full of pens and pencils along with scrap paper holder and pencil sharpener and more stuff.

Christopher Lowell always said if you have a bunch of stuff, group it in a tray and it will look better. So that's what I did...I keep salt and pepper and worchestershire and olive oil and balsamic vinegar and stuff on my counter for fast and easy access, but I group it all together on a tray so it looks more intentional.

I also have the paper towel holder and a ceramic cylinder full of tools like whisk and spatulas and wood spoons on my counter. And I keep a mug full of measuring spoons.

So I sacrifice the clean look for the convenience of having quick access to everything.

For some of my mom's drawers, "soft-close" means "tug with your whole-weight-to-open." I would certainly not want to do that with every knife or salt shaker, much as I love the clean look.

I'm in the controlled clutter camp. Simple white dish for S&P and bottle of olive. I think they belong on the counter. Pitcher full of utensils. Napkins (I grab them all day long), mug of pens, markers for my message board. Kleenex, natch. Radio. Without the stuff I use everyday, it would be someone else's kitchen.

Annie- Thanks for the Christopher Lowell tip...that makes a lot of sense and it will look very organized :)

What do you all do with your toasters? Coffee makers? Paper towels? Panini maker? (we got one for a gift and it's in constant use, so I hate to store it). I'm looking for ideas for places to put the "stuff" that it seems you need on the counters, not to mention pretty canisters, etc.

Toaster, coffee maker, paper towels = on the counter, in plain sight (plus MW, food processor, the list goes on). When my kitchen was first completed, I hated it because it felt strange, cold and impersonal. As soon as I put my things out, I realized it was just waiting to be loved. My kitchen needs to serve me and be my BFF who doesn't stand on ceremony.

Just across the sink wall, we have a napkin holder, a sugar bowl, a hot shot and coffee maker, the ceramic compost holder, a can opener, and a toaster oven. Not to mention the drainboard on the sink and all the orchids, hand soap and dish washing liquid. Works for me. This is where I live and this is a working space. When House Beautiful wants to come and photograph it, we'll worry about staging it up then.
;)

Yay Annie, when you come to visit I won't have to hide anything to impress you.

Obviously everyone is different after reading some responses, and we also have different amounts of storage space. :) So, do what is right for you and how you like your home to be. At least you know you have options!

Also, I hope no one thinks that someone (like myself) who dislikes clutter in their own home cares at all how other people keep their homes......

To answer mjtx2's questions:

Toasters? Pantry

Coffee makers? I don't use it daily, so it sleeps in the corner cabinet next to the sink. When I used it daily, it stayed out simply because I didn't want to put something wet in the cabinet.

Paper towels? They don't exist here. They were replaced with cloth towels, which have a dedicated drawer.

Panini maker? It's also in a dedicated drawer...... we use it often, also; It's one of my favorite appliances. :) I don't like looking at it, though.

Thanks for all the great ideas, everyone :)

I've seen retro kitchen pics where the backsplash area was made of doors that slide open. I think that would be good for me. I found these pics online - I wouldn't use marble but the idea is great! The wall will be 8" deep so I'll probably have a 6" depth to work with for storing items.

I'll post the link down below as well.

Closed:

Open:

Here is a link that might be useful: Sliding backsplash

mjtx2 - You're right, I put away everything I could, but I do keep out appliances - a coffee maker, toaster oven, microwave, and Bose stereo system. We use them all every day, and they need to be at counter level for my DD to reach them, and for me for that matter. I also have out the currently-open bottle of wine in a ceramic wine coaster, a knife block for the biggest knives, and a couple of decorative things. But that's way less than I used to have out.
Paper towels are in their own cubby under the counter next to the sink.

In the vacation rental house we built, the Coffee makers are somewhat hidden to the right of the wall oven/microwave (to the left of the stove). You don't see them so much from the living room, only when in the kitchen. You can barely see them in the picture below. All other appliances have a spot in the cabinets. Same with salt & pepper - they stay in the upper spice cabinet to the right of the stove.

Paper towels and napkins are in holders in the counter. They are the only other things on the counter other than the coffee makers. Pens & papers stay in the desk drawer in the office which is right next to the kitchen.

At our home, everything stays in the cabinets, counters are completely empty except for a few decorative items. Paper towels are in hall closet in an effort to cut down on my DH's high consumption rate. Alas, it doesn't really work so well.

We keep salt & pepper in the spice cupboard. (We only use them once or twice a week because I season as I cook, rather than at the table.)

Napkins--each place setting on the dining table has a cloth napkin that we fold and put back after use. (They get washed regularly, just not after every use.)

Pens/notepads/tape/etc are in a drawer.