Ideas For Decorating Kitchen Counters

A COLLAGE OF PRETTY KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS

PITCHER OF SNAPDRAGONS ON A KITCHEN COUNTER

One of the most coveted pieces of real estate in your home is your kitchen counters! We want them to be functional and beautiful! Today let's talk about ideas to decorate your kitchen counters.

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Take a good look at your kitchen counters. Go ahead, I'll wait!

Well, what did you see? Clutter? Dishes not put away? Countertops filled with small kitchen appliances? If you said yes, then this post is for you!

And if you said no, this post is for you too!

Really, this post is for anyone who has a kitchen!

Today I'm sharing lots of great ideas for decorating kitchen countertops. And not just decorating really, but creating countertops, these prime kitchen surfaces, what are useful and attractive!

Here are 7 ideas for decorating your kitchen countertops.

KEEP COUNTERTOPS TIDY

Kitchen countertops are a clutter magnet. And not only clutter but they also collect lots and lots of small appliances and crocks and jars and coffee makers and mugs and plates and dog treats and pencils and catsup bottles and pepper mills and salt pigs and paper and so much more!

Kitchen countertops really serve two main purposes..

food prep
help us carry out all other kitchen tasks

But I think there is also room to decorate them and make them not only functional but fabulous too!

No matter how much counter space you have let's use it as if it were gold!

So my first idea and best advice is to clear and clean them off. Take everything off of them and start decorating them from scratch!

Be ruthless! Any clutter or not absolutely necessary thing does not touch the surface of your counters!

I've never been one to leave any of my small kitchen appliances (except my coffee maker) on a kitchen counter.

Unless you use it multiple times a day it is clutter! I have most of my appliances in a pantry closet next to the frig.

I keep my Air Fryer in top of my dryer and my mixer under the counter on the left side of the stove.

We use our toaster often. But it's not so hard to shake the crumbs out of it every time we use and tuck it in a cabinet? My countertop stays cleaner and so does our toaster!

I keep nothing on my kitchen counters that are not absolutely necessary, and there is A LOT of kitchen stuff that is not absolutely necessary!

Start cleaning off all your countertops and putting unnecessary items away! And always clean them and put them away after every use.

CLEAN YOUR SINK

kitchen sink area that is decorated with herbs

I know this is a post about countertops but I think countertops and our sinks go hand in hand. A kitchen looks messy when the counters are messy and it also looks messy when dishes are piled up in the sink!

Keep your sink clear of any dishes and your countertops free of drying dishes waiting to be put away!

I know you know all this! It's just a gentle reminder for you and ME!

CREATE STATIONS

This idea to decorate kitchen countertops is a way to make the essential things we need out in plain sight on our counters work better for us and look pretty too!

Think about creating stations on your counters.

COFFEE STATION

We are huge coffee drinkers so creating a pretty and useful coffee station in our kitchen was a must.

If you drink coffee or tea or some other beverage I bet you have a drink station too!

How useful, right? Yes, it is.

A coffee station is very functional but make sure to…

keep it contained
keep it simple
make it attractive

I've seen many coffee stations and some are simple and tidy and wonderfully functional. But as soon as they become overly decorated or complicated they begin to take over that precious countertop space!

Two things to remember when decorating countertops is to keep things corralled and keep everything simple!

COOKING STATION

Most kitchen have an area next to their stove to keep things they use to cook food.

It is so important to keep the most basic things you used every day at your fingertips.

I used to have a crock filled with every spoon and spatula you can imagine, and a variety of oils and different salts and pepper and on my counter.

I kept it in a large galvanized metal tray!

To be honest, it was a mess!

So now my cooking station is in a small wooden tray that holds…

a crock of my most used wooden spoons
salt and pepper mill
olive oil dispenser (see it HERE)
and a thyme plant in a pot

The longer I decorate and organize the more I believe LESS IS BEST! Especially when it comes to the kitchen.

The drawer below the kitchen station holds a salt pig and butter in a white butter dish as well as potholders and a couple trivets. Out of sight but on hand to use!

For me having something pretty at each station is important! Right now I have a healthy thyme plant, that I use when I cook, in the station too!

Growing herbs indoors is easy with just a little know-how. See HOW TO GROW HERBS INDOOR HERE.

OTHER STATION IDEAS

We should all tailor our kitchens to our needs. Create simple stations to help you better utilize your countertops and keep them tidy and pretty!

Bob's pop-up bar is set up on the countertop of the long cabinets opposite the coffeemaker.

The cabinets above and below have bar glasses, liquor and mixers and the long drawer has all the gadgets he needs to set up a first-class bar!

Pop-up is the operative word here! His bar could get very out of hand so we leave it up when we have company and put it away when they are gone. It only takes a few minutes to put up and put away and then it has no time to get cluttered.

Right now have this part of the countertop decorated with snapdragons and a lemon bundt cake.

I use this area for serving desserts or drinks when I have friends over for coffee or a meal.

The reason to create stations in your kitchen is to clear up lots of countertop space!

ADD SOME WARM WOOD

If you have a surface like granite, stone, quartz, or other stone-like countertops you might want to add a bit of wood to your countertop decor!

Just a little wood or wicker will add a softer, warmer element to a kitchen that is much needed especially if you have painted cabinets.

Think about adding…

wooden trays
wicker baskets
breadboards
wooden trivets
rolling pins

GREAT ORGANIC IDEA TO DECORATE KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS

Organic elements make a kitchen come to life and they are one of the best ways to decorate your kitchen countertops!

PLANTS

Potted plants and especially herbs are beautiful additions to a kitchen countertop!

I've used a lot of the little spearmint plant on the right and now new shoots are growing to be used again in my kitchen.

Keep plants small. No jungle look in the kitchen!

FLOWERS

Yes, please! If you have room for a pretty bouquet of flowers add them to your kitchen counters!

From spring through fall I cut blooms and herbs from my garden and add them to the kitchen. In the winter I treat myself and my home to a store-bought bouquet.

FRUIT

A bowl of fruit is a a work of art and looks so pretty on a counter!

When my children were growing up I had a saying "fruit is an anytime snack" and left a bowl of fruit out on the counter.

Fruit is a pretty and healthy way to decorate your kitchen!

SHOW OFF YOUR FOOD

If you have the room think about leaving cookies or biscotti standing tall in glass jars on the counter.

Or if you have baked goods display them on a pedestal cake plate under a cloche.

I love these ways of decorating with what you have! LOL!

USE PRETTY DECORATIVE JARS, POTS, AND OTHER CONTAINERS

Containing things on countertops is a great way to save space, have a cohesive kitchen and still have things at your fingertips.

Use pretty jars, pots and container that work with your kitchen decor!

I hope you are inspired to clean and clear off your countertops and use them in a way that helps you be more efficient in your kitchen and enjoy a lovely aesthetic!