We used to have one screwed into an upper cabinet, but I couldn't bring myself to mar the brand new cabinets, so we bought a freestanding holder.

It's quite stable, heavy enough that it doesn't move around when I yank on it...

Here is a link that might be useful: simplehuman paper towel holder

Ours are on the counter. Originally had gotten an OXO Good Grips holder for the reno'd kitchen, but a few months ago, I treated myself to the Michael Aram Botanical Leaf holder.

I used a store coupon when I bought it, so it cost a little less than the retail price. Mom liked it so much when she was up visiting last month, she wants one too! (I'm hoping new coupons come out soon so I can get it for her for her birthday!)

Here is a link that might be useful: MA paper towel holder

I saved our old orange plastic undercounter one (owned previously by my mom for 20 years).

I am thinking I'll put something on the inside of the cabinet door under the sink. We're building and I'm thinking ahead about how I'm going to "hide" stuff in this big beautiful kitchen I'm going to have! I know there will have to be some stuff out, but I don't think I could bear to have a paper towel holder sitting on my granite! (I will probably relax after being in it for a while, but for now, it feels like luxury!)

I used to have mine attached to the wall right under an upper cabinet. Now I bought the simple human tension arm paper towel holder and it sits out on the counter between the sink and the fridge.

This is a perennial question, and you are not alone in having more trouble with small details.

It sounds like it's too late for you to do a cubby like firsthouse has. I never came up with a good place for mine in the design phase, so for now they have ended up on the counter. I ordered one from Storables.com. I like it but it is a two-handed operation usually.

I have a pottery paper towel jar from the Workshop of David T Smith (online). It's the yellow with brown splatter container on the island in the first four photos. You can see the paper towel coming out in the third photo. It has a raised circle shaped area in the bottom that keeps the cardboard roll in place, even when close to the end of roll.

They've gone up in price since I purchased. The more work, the more they cost, as with any artwork. They do have sells now and then. If interested, sign up for newsletters and you'll know ahead of time.

Here is a link that might be useful: my kitchen

We keep ours in our appliance garage. Usually we use paper towels very rarely but we just got a new puppy and we're reaching for them more frequently. It's easy to grab the whole roll and take it where needed.

I put ours on the cabinet. (I know! It was hard to put holes in our brand new cabinets!) This was where it was before, and I wanted the least change in location of things as possible. I used the same holder we had in the old kitchen, I just painted it.

It's very convenient, and I don't regret it at all.

Ours is on a heavy stone holder sitting out on the counter. It is DH's old dark green marble holder from his bachelor days. I keep meaning to get something else, but it never seems to leap to the top of the priority list. I like the heaviness of it. Even though I usually have two hands, the weight of it keeps it from falling over if I only have onehand available.

We don't use them anymore for the last few years. I have a large stack of white towels that are like linen that I found and bought a bunch. I was something every day so just throw them in. We don't miss the paper at all. No paper napkins either. Saves having to worry where to store them :) c

Trailrunner, I was just going to ask if anyone stopped using paper and went to cloth. My friend told me about 'unpaper towels' (like those in the Etsy link below) and every time I grab a paper towel, I wonder if I should be switching to cloth. I just don't know if it'd be practical for us or not.

Meanwhile, back to the OP, I thought my dh would cry at the idea of drilling holes into the bottom of his beautiful cabinets for the paper towel holder, but he didn't...So ours hang under an upper cab. I do love Allison's pottery solution and Mpfirsthouse's island niche, though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Unpaper towels and dispensers on Etsy

Sorry, Firsthouse...Got your name backwards!

rhome : those are very very cool The ones I bought are the size of diapers so quite large and very sheer. I love them and have been on the lookout for more. They wash up great and don't seem to hold stains. I use hot water and hang them in the sun and they look great. I love the cloth napkins too. I bought dozens of cheap white on etsy at Christmas time and we use them all the time...I must say I don't iron them :( unless we have company :)

Just out on the counter on an iron holder from Target. I like having them easily at hand.

I have gone cloth as well. I use inexpensive bar mop towels. They do have some stains (I should try hanging them in the sun! good idea trailrunner) but they work fine for me. I have a plate cover for the microwave, that was the only time I missed having paper towels. My cloth napkins are very colorful so no stain worries there.

They live in the drawer with my dishtowels, with backups in the linen closet.

We have a little niche behind our blind corner cabinet, so I had hubby install a paper towel holder there. That way, they can be seen when I want them to be or they can be hidden.

Here is what it looks like underneath the cabs:

Rhome, thanks for the etsy link to the unpaper towels. I am totally loving them, but I would probably have a hard time retraining my family.

I just bought one of those "tear perfect" paper towel holder, love it, by the way. It's in brushed nickel, so it matches my appliances...so I just have it on my counter top, The only other things I have "out" are a spoon rest by the stove and a decorative hurricane lamp/candle on the penninsula. I am pretty minimalist!!

Ours was on the wall right below where it is now, but after the tile install, it is now under the cabinets. I like it because it is off the counters, yet convenient to the sink and coffee station.

You can buy this type at BBB.

Like some of the others in this thread I use cloth for most things now, so I keep a roll in a cabinet to keep myself from automatically grabbing for paper when cloth will do.

A great trick for whitening whites and not using pure bleach is the Arm and Hammer Scrub Free with bleach. I put the towel in the sink bottom or the napkin and wet it completely, I then mist the spray over it . I let it set for a few minutes till the stain is removed then turn on the tap and rinse well. Cleans the sink/disinfects and keeps the whites very white. I then wring it out and place on the line outside to dry. Crisps the napkins so they really don't need to be ironed. Great timesaver and keeps the bleach use to a minimum and contains it to the sink bottom ,c

Rhome, thanks for the etsy link to the unpaper towels. I am totally loving them, but I would probably have a hard time retraining my family.

I chose that particular link and am considering that particular approach, because that dispenser takes the same spot as an on-the-counter paper towel roll and you can grab one just as easily as tearing off a paper towel. They don't get folded, but just put, one at a time, back into the box after washing. So if anything would be an easy and painless substitute for the family, it seems this would be it... Just not sure about the logistics and discipline for us, laundry-wise. The laundry room is upstairs, and we're always running behind! But I do hate how fast we go through paper towels.

I'm a cloth lover too! Mine are made from an old floral 50's tablecloth that was way past it's prime - too many holes to count. I just cut it up and hemmed. I use them over plates in the micro and don't worry about stains. I do love that etsy holder.

My rags of choice are cloth diapers. I had a couple of packs left over from when my kids were babies (20 years ago!) and I replenished with some birdseye ones from Target a few years ago (a little thinner than the old thick ones but almost as nice.) I also use old washcloths and cut up towels for rags.

We have a bunch of white flour sack towels (from Target--inexpensive, large, and absorbent like diapers) in our powder room that get used like paper towels for drying hands.

We have a deep drawer for rags in the kitchen (next to our sink) but a shelf or box/pail under the sink or a step-on trash can would also work for rag storage. We keep dish towels (along with beige flour sack towels for hands) in the shallow drawer above our pots and pans drawers and dish cloths in a smaller drawer next to our sink. The drawers are a bit smaller than I would like so I keep extras in the laundry room for replenishing--that way I don't have to worry about how often laundry gets done.

Stains on rags and dish cloths don't bother me---they still look and feel clean even if a bit stained. The towels (regular dish towels and flour sack towels) usually don't get stained. We always air dry our clothes but I like to put cloths and towels in the dryer for the heat exposure since our hot water isn't all that hot.

If the cloth is available, it often becomes the method of choice for clean up because it is stronger and usually more absorbent and wringable than paper. I'll admit that there are certain things that I only use paper for (think cat with hair ball and urinary tract issues, new puppy and the occasional sick person.) I only used cloth diapers and wash cloths (no disposable wipes) with my first born--I'm striking a happier balance now. My point is that trending toward cloth doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing intimidating proposition and paper towel usage can be different with each member of the family--depending on what's most comfortable.

I really love seeing all the clever solutions for both paper and cloth posted here. Most people who visit still like to know where to find the paper towels and it would be great to have an attractive solution.

I bought a vintage chrome paper towel holder from ebay that installs on the wall. The link below is the same kind, but not the same model. Ours will be installed directly over the sink.

I do love what shelayne did though....

Here is a link that might be useful: vintage paper towel holder

Since my sink is on a counter that does not have cabinets above it, I ended up just getting the counter top holder.

I like shelayne's under the cabinet holder space and the island space that firsthouse has...they look nice.

dianalo, I love that kind of holder! Don't know where I'd put it that it would fit in, but love it just the same.

Shelayne, your solution is ingenius! And firsthouse, as you know, I love your niche as well.

I was also intrigued by the Etsy solution. I do have tons of cloth diapers (not used for that purpose). Maybe I'll repurpose them.

A few years ago when we were in the midst of a severe drought, we were encouraged (by the city I suppose, via the newspaper) to save water by using paper everything. So there was a huge debate about which was more eco-friendly, items you could wash and reuse or disposable items which did not need to be washed and use precious water. [I'm not looking to start a debate here (please!), just thought it was interesting.]

We use white terry squares from Sam's a lot more than we do paper towels, so I keep mine in the cab above the microwave; not hard to just reach in there and pull one off the roll.

I have the Perfect Tear paper towel holder, which I keep on the counter. It was $20 at BB&B. I like how the Perfect Tear holds onto the paper with the right amount of tension. I need it to be portable to go to other rooms where my pets may have made messes (I have an elderly cat, but the others make messes too). You people with pets, I know you understand...

There's a cool paper towel holder I saw at BB&B. It is a "touchless" paper towel holder, which has an automatic sensor that unrolls the paper towel to the right spot. I have NO idea whether it works, but it LOOKS cool.

Here is a link that might be useful: iTouchless Automatic Paper Towel Holder