Honestly, this blog post is less about "styling" your kitchen as it is about "de-cluttering" your kitchen. We are all guilty of it...the blender on the counter, along with the coffee maker and the knives...oh, and what about the paper towel roll, and the toaster oven. Where are we supposed to put those?

Away, is the simple answer. But we'll give you a few suggestions that might make this task easier.

The Blender: How often do you use the blender? Even if it everyday (which it is in our family), the blender is only used in the morning, so it does not need to sit on the counter and take up precious space all the while serving as clutter. Clean the blender after use, dismantle the few parts and put it away (a deep drawer or pantry will work). It will take less than 2 minutes and removing the clunky object from view will make a big difference.

The same goes for the toaster. Most people only use it in the morning. It has one plug and can easily be moved underneath where it is typically plugged into a deep pull-out drawer, or a lower cabinet where pots are concealed. We use our pots and pans as much as our toaster (usually once a day), so why does the toaster get to hang out on top of the counter, while the pots are banished below? Doesn't seem fair, and doesn't look good either(:

The Knives: How about a drawer? I know it seems really convenient to have your knives in a butcher block on your counter but if you have limited space (as we do...these pics are all from our Sonoma Project and unfortunately not from my kitchen), every square inch that is cleared, is space more visually appealing. My mother-in-law is the first person I had seen who used the drawer approach for knives, and it is fantastic. She uses a shallow top level drawer and puts only her sharp knives in this drawer (no other utensils, no whisks, no spoons, etc). Knives, just knives. It is safe because all of the handles are on the same side and it is as convenient as a butcher block without the visual clutter.

As for styling the kitchen, don't do much. Less...as in everything less...is so much more. For your fruit, choose a beautiful bowl...an art piece if you will. Spend the money to buy a beautiful piece as it will sit on your counter for all to see. We absolutely love Hudson Grace for a chic vessel and they have stores in San Francisco, Marin Country Mart and Montecito. Whether wood and rustic or white and ceramic, choose something neutral without a whole lot of color because filling the bowl with fruit, particularly citrus, will provide the desired punch of color. As for other styling tips, if you are going to host items on your counter, have them be like-minded...meaning: gather all of your wooden utensils and place them in a jar, instead of placing a hodge podge of stainless, ceramic and wood. The result is a clean, modern and artistic.

The take-away is that less is always more...unless you are styling your counter with spoons and cutting boards from Hudson Grace. And in that case, more is more (:

Try these small and easy tricks to see how much brighter, larger and cleaner your most used space will feel. And the best part....it's free.

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