FIVE TIPS & INSPIRATION FOR STYLING YOUR KITCHEN COUNTER

There's a fine line between styled kitchen counters and cluttered kitchen counters. The key is to find beautiful pieces that are also functional. When something is functional and beautiful, it's serving two purposes in your home and will feel less like clutter, because it's something you're actually always using or need at your fingertips.

I think the biggest eyesores that people often find challenging are the dish rack and the paper towel holders. The key with these pieces is to find ones that go with your decor theme throughout your home. For our paper towel holder, I found a black metal paper towel holder that ties into the black metal of our drawer pulls and door handles.

For our dish rack, I found an inexpensive black one that also flows with our decor. It was important for me to have it be cohesive with the rest of the kitchen because it's honestly my least favorite thing in the kitchen. It always makes the counter feel cluttered, but it's just one of those things that every kitchen has and every kitchen needs.

Some other pieces that I love, love but also serve a purpose are the glass containers. I have most of the set including the Snacks, Flour, Sugar, and Tea Containers. They fit my modern farmhouse decor, but they're more on the modern side, which I prefer. I feel like modern farmhouse decor got such a bad reputation because of the dingy farmhouse decor, but I love the natural woods, black, and white color scheme, so I'll love it forever.

Along with the Containers, in that same style, I have the Utensils holder, spoon rest, and butter dish. They're all beautiful and functional. 😉 It also gave me an excuse to go on a spending spree at West Elm when we first moved into our home. haha!

The last set I'll highlight before a few tips are the soap pumps. I have a thing for amber glass, and I also cannot stand regular soap and dish soap containers. I hate that they would be mismatched, so a matching set was the only solution! They tie right into my sink faucet and bring another neutral color to the kitchen.

Now onto a few styling tips! Whenever you're starting off with a fresh set of decor or want to truly give a space a fresh start, clear everything off the counters so you can start with a blank slate. This will also give you the opportunity to give your counters a nice, deep clean.

If you have an L-Shaped kitchen like I do, I love utilizing the corner for my containers. They all group perfectly together and help fill in what would otherwise be an awkward corner space. Moving towards the stove, think of how you use the space, too. I have the toaster in this space as well as the knife set, utensils, salt and pepper, butter, and spoon rest. All of these pieces are here for a purpose and are right at our fingertips when it comes time to cook a yummy meal.

To give this space a little height and pretty decor, I have a cutting board behind the toaster//knife set area to warm up the space and help bring the eye up a little. The cutting board helps distract from all that is on the counter. While there's a lot there, they're all necessary things needed by the stove.

On the opposite side of the stove, I just have our Keurig Cafe. It's a smaller space, so it's more about function than anything. In the cabinet right above it, I have all of our coffee mugs and travel mugs, so it makes perfect sense to have the Keurig right there. It's like my mini coffee bar. Plus, the refrigerator is right there to add filtered water to the Keurig!

Heading back to the other side of the kitchen by the sink, this is where I have the dish rack. Depending on the season, I'll change out the dish towel or drying pad underneath the dish rack to add a little extra decor or festivity to the kitchen.

We already chatted a little bit about the soap pumps and paper towel holder, which make perfect sense to have right next to the sink for easy convenience! I know the window sill isn't necessarily the kitchen counter, but if you're ever looking to add a little something extra to your kitchen or you love, love succulents like I do, tiny, neutral pots on the window sill are the perfect addition. I love the extra touch of color it adds to the kitchen, while still looking natural and purposeful. These succulents are special to me, too, because they were originally from my Grandparent's garden, and my Grandpop helped me dig a bunch up so I could plant them at my house. Ever since then, my succulents have exploded and I've had to buy tons of pots and planters because they just keep growing! It's the one plant I haven't killed. haha!

The last section on our counter is to the left of the sink. This is usually where I have a towel laid out to allow Bentley's high chair tray or cups to dry overnight. I also have my Kitchen Aid always on the counter. It's part of the Magnolia line, which matches the huge clock in our dining room that also matches the cabinet we use as a changing table that's in our living room nook. Having the Kitchen Aid on the counter brings that little pop of midnight green into the kitchen, too.

I have the Snacks container on the corner with a few wooden cutting boards standing upright for a little height and warmth. The Snacks container is usually filled to the brim with something yummy!