After our big kitchen renovation we were left with a nice polished looking room, but the space still felt so bare and devoid of warmth and personality… and we just didn’t know where to start.
Slowly we amassed some great items that gave our new kitchen a lot more character and charm. Whew. So we’re here to share a few simple (and cheap) ways to up the ante in your kitch with eye-pleasing and functional additions that will look good while providing convenience and usability to boot.
1. Jars for cereal. We got ours for $6.97 each at Walmart last October and we love that we can easily pour our cheerios or granola (which they keep nice and fresh).
2. A chic olive oil jar from Williams-Sonoma. This is a one time purchase that might run you a bit of money the first time, but it’s totally an investment since it looks so lovely and can be refilled with cheap ol’ store bought olive oil when you run out of the good stuff (which feels oh so decadent while it lasts). And placing a collection of a few charming olive oil containers – or other bottled cooking ingredients – on a regular old plate on the counter is an easy way to protect it from oil stains while everything looks tied together and neatly corralled. Oh and you could also opt to take the store-your-oil-in-a-chic-glass-bottle approach. That trick can also look very swanky indeed.
3. A cake stand. You can grab one from TJ Maxx (like we did) or at Marshall’s, Target, and Home Goods on the cheap. It can be used to display anything from cupcakes or pound cake to ceramic fruit or even ornaments for a seasonal effect.
4. And upgraded fruit bowl. Be it a faux clam shell from Z Gallerie (like ours) or a nice wood, metal, or ceramic bowl, sprucing up your countertop fruit situation can really make all the difference. Ikea has this great metal option and we’ve seen great rustic varieties, like a trio of wooden bowls online and at thrift stores, so you definitely don’t have to break the bank for this easy upgrade.
5. Glass canisters for flour, sugar, salt, and beyond. Heck you can even use them to store oatmeal, cous cous or rice if you use those ingredients most often (ours are currently to the left of our stove and full of flour, sugar and rice since those seem to be common cooking necessities for us). Of course it’s handy to have them at arm’s reach instead of tucked away in the cabinet (just like our cereal jars) and they look so charming and kitchen-appropriate that you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them once you snatch them up. Ours were gifts from West Elm but they can be found everywhere from Home Goods and Marshalls to TJ Maxx, Walmart, and Target. Note: learn more about that cabinet full of decorating items that we love to keep corralled here.
6. A nice soap and lotion pump by the sink. It just feels luxe to have lotion on hand after all that dish washing, and our $32 Anthropologie set (which came with an awesome ceramic caddy) has paid for itself a million times over since we love refilling it with cheaper soap and lotion without losing the high-end look. It’s up there with our fancy olive oil container- which we also refill- when it comes to feeling like we live the pampered life (without dishing out cash for such indulgences on a monthly basis). Oh and just as we mentioned the glass bottles with a spout as a chic way to store your oil, many people love using those bottles to store soap next to the sink for a chic effect as well- so that’s another affordable (and DIYable) option.
7. A swanky cutting board. Ours hails from TJ Maxx and we just love the layered tones of wood that pick up everything from our rich mocha floors to the lighter honey colors in our striped jute rug. Definitely think beyond the plastic or the basic wood cutting board (you can spend the same amount at a discount store like Home Goods or Marshall’s for something a lot more expensive looking to give your kitchen some added oomph). And of course you can still keep a plastic one tucked away in a cabinet for cutting chicken if you’d like.
8. An area rug. It just makes our kitchen feel homey. You can easily see the difference the $34 addition made to our space, and the striped jute pattern that we picked hides tons of crumbs and can easily be vacuumed or shaken out in the backyard when it catches a few too many spilled substances. After over a year of use ours still looks great (think of jute like the bristles of a straw broom- it repels wet stains so they can’t soak in). So as long as you choose something durable for a high traffic area, not only can it add interest and be super easy to care for, it can even offer up a softer surface to stand on (your knees and back will thank you after a marathon cooking sesh).
9. A ceramic caddy for utensils. This is such an easy item to place next to your cooktop to store all of your wooden spoons and metal spatulas so they’re functional and charming in one fell swoop. Ours was just $4 at Marshall’s and we love how easy it makes unloading the dishwasher (we just gather all the long spoons and ladles and stick them right in the caddy). We really appreciate that we don’t have to sift through drawers or cabinets to find the items that can instead be within reach while we cook. Oh and don’t mind that it’s pictured next to my vintage V-day gift for John below- the utensil caddy is much more functional now that it’s next to the stove).
10. A cute stainless blender and toaster for the counter. If you’re like us and you use these items frequently, there’s nothing more functional than choosing to store them right on the counter at arm’s reach. Of course this means that investing in some nice stainless versions will upgrade the look of your entire kitchen (and tie in with your appliances if they’re also of the stainless variety) so think about splurging just a bit (we especially love our Oster beehive blender, which actually gets complements for sitting out on the counter). And it was oh so worth it since they perform amazingly well and we never have to bother with pulling them in and out of a cabinet.
Extra credit: Charming patterned Ikea glasses and cute decorative Target bowls. Both stores make great options with tons of color, interest, pattern and texture so they can really add a lot to your kitchen. Whether it’s just stacking four bowls from Target and filling the top one with fresh strawberries or grabbing a few brightly colored ceramic dishes and using them to store pistachios next to your fruit bowl, there’s not enough we can say about a few pops of color and interest in the form of affordable glasses and bowls.
So there you have ten- well, eleven- ways to add warmth and personality (along with lots of affordable function) to your kitchen. Do you guys have other tips to share with anyone who’s looking to spice up their blah cooking space? What’s your favorite countertop item in your kitch? Do tell.
Christy says
Awesome! Thanks!
Sabrina Jordan says
Hi! Love these cheap and easy options for making a chic and inviting kitchen! One question….where did you get your appliances? We have been talking about upgrading our appliance in the future and I’m sure you shopped for the best price! Also, as far as painting cabinets go, do you have any great tips in getting the best look? We have VERY OLD 50’s cabinets but are planning to paint them instead of paying to get new ones right now. Any must know tips?
Oh, and I SOOO want one of those clamshell bowls! I LOVE it!
YoungHouseLove says
We got our blender from Amazon (see our link in the post) and our toaster was a wedding gift from a friend (possible from Target or Amazon as well). As for painting cabinets, here’s a detailed tutorial. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sally says
Hi! I love your blog-thanks for all the tips and inspiration!
I love, love, love my white milk glass urns that I fill with artichokes (real when guests visit), and lovely faux ones for Pier One for everyday use. It makes my kitchen look fresh and gives a pop of color.
I also love my white enamel collanders for TJ Maxx. I have a small and medium size that I stack in my glass front cabinets. Sounds crazy, but I just love them :)
Sally says
don’t get me wrong, i love love love you guys and check your blog twice a day for your postings, but i was really disappointed by this post. i think it is because you set the bar so high and it is not as if any of your tips weren’t helpful. i have seen all of those pictures before on the blog and the picture with the ceramic caddy? come on guys you can barely see it…that picture was taken a long time ago for the gift you bought john, not the caddy. i don’t want to put a damper on your day and as i type this i realize that you guys should deserve a break since sherry isn’t even getting a maternity leave.
Jessica @ How Sweet says
Love that fruit bowl! And the olive oil idea. Brilliant.
Lindsay@Tell'er All About It says
Great post, Sher!
Another option (if you’re *super* cheap like me and don’t want to buy a fancy shmancy oil/vinegar set) is to just deep clean an old wine bottle that you love (remove the labels, run it through the sanitize in the dishwasher, etc.) and then top it with one of these:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=12385870
I did the same thing years ago and those things have held up so well (and I can color coordinate them to my heart’s content!). You can see a pic of that here:
http://tellerallaboutit.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/granite-dilemma/
Love your site!
xoxo,
Lindsay
Sabrina Jordan says
YAY! You just made my day! I was fearing we’d have to do lots of sanding and such….but after reading over your tutorial looks like we get to skip a step! PHEW!
shannon says
My favorite countertop item is…my countertop, for cooking! I’d much rather have space to be able to prepare food without being crowded. I keep as little as possible on my counter, and keep everything else in nearby cabinets where things are accessible but not in the way. Now if only I had a cabinet big enough for my stand mixer!
Keren says
YHL,
I love the tips! I love my awesome white Kitchen-Aid mixer and red ceramic containers for my Splenda and tea that are on my counter. What are your thoughts on all the home improvement shows suggesting keeping counters clutter free? Is this for only if you are selling your home?
heather s. says
That works in a larger kitchen with a lot of counter space but in small kitchens you really can’t keep appliances, cutting boards, cereal containers, etc. out in the open. I wish you’d addressed ways to dress up your kitchen using vertical space (walls, windows, etc) as well.
Mim says
Great tips and i love your kitchen — i’m curious about your cereal jars, though. Do you really lift up the whole heavy glass jar (without a spout even) and pour into a bowl? Or do you have a scoop hidden away and you scoop out the cereal? or…? I’ve always assumed those clear jars weren’t very useful for some food items because it’s hard to neatly get the right amount out of them without a scoop.
YoungHouseLove says
Mim- Yup, we just dump them over and get a nice bowl of cereal. They seem like they’d be heavy or cereal would go everywhere (we assumed we would need a scoop when we got them) but they’re actually really easy to use.
Keren- You can see our counters all clutter free in the first shot, but it just felt stark and uninviting to us. It’s all about personal prefernce though… do what you love!
Sally- We’ve definitely learned that every reader won’t love every post that we publish, especially since we churn out over 45 a month and have kept up with our two a day pace even with a newborn around. Happily some people have commented to say that they enjoyed this post, which is all that we ever hope for. Here’s hoping you can find a post you love on our How To page (which has hundreds of projects and tutorials) to tide you over!
xo,
s
Lisa says
I keep my run-of-the-mill dish soap in a pretty glass bottle that I fit with a spout for easy pouring (like an olive oil bottle). I need to water down the soap a bit to make it easy to pour, but it’s more economical that way anyhow!
Stacy says
I have a cookbook holder on the counter of my kitchen. I don’t use it that often while cooking but I do love to display cookbook photography with it. I just pick one of my favorite books, look for a cool/seasonal/interesting photograph and use the holder to display that picture. It can be a conversation starter when people are over and I don’t feel like I’m neglecting my cookbooks by leaving them in the pantry all the time.
Sally says
It appears you have more than one Sally reading your blog. :) While one Sally didn’t prefer this post, this Sally did. I always appreciate this kind of post. Though some things have been featured at different times in the past, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them grouped together all in one post before. It’s a very convenient format for someone looking for kitchen accessorizing ideas. Cheers!
liz @ bon temps beignet says
Looking at all these picks together makes me realize how many ideas we’ve ‘stolen’ from YHL. The striped rug, twin cereal jars, the olive oil bottle plate. We even have a giant cutting board that used to be part of our temporary Ikea countertops. I’ve yet to find an inexpensive giant clam shell though. Thanks for all the inspiration!
Erin says
i added a fun jute rug from World Market and i agree – it hids the crumbs perfectly!
i have 2 personal notes in my kitchen that i love. The first is an old seat/stepstool that was in my parent’s first apartment when got married 40-years ago. Amazing what alittle paint can do! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7306948@N04/4730172049/in/photostream/)
The other items are two recipe cards that i sent to my mother and mother in law asking them to jot down our family favorite recipes. I framed them and they hang above our cookbooks. It makes me smile everytime i see their handwriting…
Jennifer says
Your kitchen is lovely.
I like to display an open cookbook on a simple wire stand – kinda like artwork in the kitchen. Cookbooks have such gorgeous pictures and they can be changed easily. As an added bonus, it motivates me to use my cookbooks and try new recipes. And the stand is handy when I am actually cooking!
I bought the stand at Borders or Barnes/Nobel for about $5.00.
Patti says
Don’t forget wall art if you have the space! I have a large amount of wall space over my kitchen table so I bought some fun colorful drawings of tomatoes and asparagus, framed them (all from Ikea) and they look really lovely and tie the room together.
Lyndsey says
Wow, your kitchen looks great! I really appreciate your breaking down everything you did to accessorize your great space. It makes it so easy to see everything you’ve done and I was able to get some great ideas–love the jars for cereal. You have such a talent for grouping items and making the sum SO much greater than the individual parts. Awesome!!
Shunta says
Well, let me say I enjoy this post and pretty much every post even if it does have repeat pictures!! :-D I have our kitchen on a weekend “to do” list for the future. I really want to figure out what to keep out on our counters and what needs to find a home in our shelves/cabinets. We are at a slight disadvantage b/c we do not have a pantry in our kitchen. We have lots of cabinet space and one of our lower cabinets has two of the cute little spin thingees (gotta love my professional terminology) that we use as our pantry to store canned goods, extra sugar/flour/powdered sugar, etc… after we fill the glass containers in the cabinets.
Right now we have our rice cooker, blender, cannister w/ big spoons, auto soap dispenser, martha stewart cleaning spray, small rotating spice rack (we have a TON more spices in the cabinets, can opener, toaster, and a cute decorate bowl which usually holds bread out on the counters. WOW that sounds like a lot of stuff but we have a pretty large kitchen so all of those things are pretty well spread out. Anywho, this post will work as inspiration when I finally get to finalizing our countertops!! so i’ll be back in touch once I get to it! and again, great post! :-)
Diane says
Love the idea of a ceramic jar to hold all the utensils. It would certainly free up space in my kitchen’s sole drawer. I also love how you made your kitchen into a U-shaped work space. The most efficient kitchen I’ve ever worked in was a U-shaped one.
Ashley says
We recently visited friends in Charleston who used a beautiful olive oil jars for dish soap! It was brilliant – and beautiful! Looks so much classier than a plastic bottle on the counter and you can refill it easily. Now to just find the right jar!
Michelle says
I love that your kitchen is decorated for function and not just looks. It actually looks like someone uses it!
We keep our white ceramic gravy boat out and fill it with candy/fruit/etc.
We also keep our white platter out with a plate stand, it’s one less thing to store and it serves as a backdrop to other things.
RLR says
I enjoyed the ideas you shared, but like Shannon and Heather S., we don’t have a lot of counter space to spare. (As much as I’d love a stand mixer, this is why I haven’t gotten one yet!) I would also appreciate ideas for adding warmth and personality to a room that’s mostly cabinetry and limited counter space. We do have a raised (bar-height?) portion to our counter that I’m not sure how best to utilize/decorate – it’s not wide enough for eating, nor is there floor space to accommodate seating there. Additionally, we have a space (18-24 inches?) between the top of our cabinets and the ceiling. I’d rather have cabinets all the way up, but a full-scale kitchen renovation isn’t in the budget!
Laura @ youngDCliving says
I love to have a knife block out on the counter, it makes it super easy to protect and for convenience purposes. While I didn’t love the actual knife quality that came with mine, since the sizes of the holes were for the most common (and useful) knives–like 8″ chef, etc. –I’ve just replaced the knifes and kept the wood block!
It’s great :)
Christin says
Nice post. We have precious little counter space in our kitchen, so we attempt to keep it as clutter free as possible – and keep from displaying fun things on it as well. Hopefully when we buy we’ll have a little more space b/c I’d love to do a few things that you mentioned.
Christy says
My favorite countertop item in my kitchen is not a kitchen item at all. It is a picture of my husband and I from our engagement party. It makes the kitchen feel like it’s ours as opposed to just any old kitchen. I think it is important for people to realize that when decorating you don’t have to use all “kitchen, food-related or chef” pictures and decor. Make it yours!
Alexandra says
I’m dieing to know where you keep everything else and how in the world you keep it organized!! I have seen your post about your pantry, but are you really suggesting that all of your pots and pans, baking dishes, serving dishes, mixers, coffee makers, and kitchen linens are stowed in the kitchen alone? I’m really struggling with this one myself and am blessed with a roomy kitchen (I do have to admit I’m not naturally an organized person, but I am learning). I like the suggestions of brining some of the items you’d normally tuck away out for a splash of color, this will be handy both in aesthetics AND storage.
Thanks for all you do! I am inspired!
Anna says
I love your kitchen! It flows well. I keep my dish soap in a decorative olive oil bottle right next to the sink. It is convenient and cute!
joni says
great post, i always love seeing your kitchen!
now to go out and get a pretty olive oil glass jar…. and will help in the fact that i need to free up some cupboard space!
summer says
that giant clam shell kinda makes me swoon. i saw a real giant clam shell on craigslist locally, but just can’t let go of that much cash. the faux one looks just the same!
i’m with you on the wood cutting boards. they’re good looking and can be left out to chop or serve food on. plus they’re better for the environment than those plastic ones. love your tips here, thanks!
Page says
I’m just wondering where I could find a rug like yours. I checked The Company Store Web site (from your Room-by-Room Source List), but I couldn’t find anything close.
Kelly says
I’m dreaming of a white kitchen!
I love fancy soaps, it makes the kitchen so much chic-er!
http://www.kellyloves.wordpress.com
Leslie says
I noticed that you have smooth ceilings, even though most older homes have the “popcorn” effect. Was this a past project or were you guys lucky enough to buy a house in which that that work already done?!
Claire says
I actually really love this post. I am familiar with all of those touches in your kitchen (except for maybe the fact that you guys use glass cannisters for your cereal) but its VERY helpful to see it all in one spot for the next time I set up a kitchen and need some guidance with my shopping. Thanks for the summary!
Leslie says
I have been working to try and get things like my stand mixer, cutting board, and cannisters off my counters to make it less crowded (I am fortunate to have a great pantry to store things within reach). I have settled on keeping the toaster oven, my husband’s Keurig, our knife block, utensil caddy, and a happy little plant out 24/7. If I ever get a new faucet like I want, I will use the sprayer hole for a soap dispenser and get the hand soap off the counter too. I did steal your area rug idea (would have never thought of it for a kitchen on my own), and got a green striped rug from Pier 1.
Keren says
YHL,
Kind of a weird question, but where do you keep your coffee maker? Thats a big eyesore on our counter….maybe its time for us to find one that’s functional and pretty at the same time…
Jenn says
Where did you get the striped jute rug for $34? Love it!
Marilyn says
I have always loved the look of your kitchen. Are you every concerned about buying dishes from China? I am concerned about eating off of China products and guilty that I don’t support USA made.
YoungHouseLove says
Marilyn- It’s all about balance for us. We love buying local and even homemade when we can but we also enjoy shopping at affordable places like Target and TJ Maxx. Heck we even dig secondhand stuff from thrift stores and Craigslist. Hope it helps!
Keren- We actually don’t drink coffee so we don’t even have a coffee maker! Sorry we can’t help but we’ve seen some pretty gorgeous ones that would look great on the counter. Happy hunting!
Leslie- We inherited our smooth ceilings (yay!) but we’ve seen lots of online tutorials so you might want to google around for one. Good luck!
Page- Maybe try overstock.com or eBay? Happy hunting!
Alexandra- Thanks to years spent living in a tiny Manhattan apartment we’re true minimalists so we don’t have anything we don’t use regularly. We don’t have fancy china (we use the same white dishes for casual and formal occassions) or even a coffee maker (since we don’t drink coffee) so that’s probably why our modest kitchen works for us. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lauren says
Love it – great suggestions! Can you tell me where you purchased the area rug? Thanks much!
YoungHouseLove says
The Company Store! Love it.
xo,
s
Carolyn H. says
I’ve actually seen those glass bottles with pour spouts at the Dollar Store. $9.99 is cheap, but (unbelievably) it’s possible to get them for even less.
Procrastamom says
My favourite counter-top item is my boysenberry coloured KitchenAid stand mixer, which I got with our Airmiles so it was basically free (we’ve got to buy groceries and gas anyways – might as well take advantage of a points system!). In fact, we haven’t bought a small appliance with cash in years, as we got our stainless steel toaster, our blender, kettle and even our BBQ with either points or Airmiles.
Thanks for this post. I’ve been looking for ways to spruce up our kitchen.
Danielle@Newlyweds Paradise says
I am curious to know what happened to the Delta Touch faucet you guys installed. I didn’t ever remember seeing what you thought of it. I do have to say, I love your old ones more, looks wise!
YoungHouseLove says
Danielle- We still have our touch faucet from Delta and are LOVING it (forgive us for the old faucet in the post, that photo showed our soap and lotion dispenser so well). Our only complaint is that we’re so spoiled that we sometimes touch other people’s faucets and expect them to turn on and off! Too funny.
Leslie- It’s Gentle Tide by Glidden. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lisa R. says
I guess I’m another reader who prefers clean counters – ready for food prep. The ONLY things on my countertops right now are my KitchenAid mixer and our knife set. I’ve tried putting other things as “useful” display and such, but I eventually end up annoyed. ;)
To each their own, though! :)
Jenn M says
I love your kitchen. I love your posts. I love your ideas. I use a lot of your ideas and inspiration throughout my home (okay, okay, I flat out copy you!) lol
I can say, with a great deal of certainty that your blog is the reason my “house” is now a “home.” Even when you do a poll or a recap or a “one room 4 ways”, I’m always inspired and so are the hundreds of readers who comment with their own ideas (that I often steal, as well)! :)
Also, I usually can’t afford to do all the things at once, so it’s a nice reminder to see these again, so I can say “oh, yeah, I CAN go get that $34 area rug this month!”
sophie says
we don’t have – and never will have – enough counter space to fill up with stuff. As long as we have room for our blue kitchen aid mixer – which looks divine against our sunburst yellow walls – then I’m good.
handcrafted pottery fruit bowl on the credenza, however.
Lauren says
We don’t have a lot of extra storage in our kitchen (or a lot of countertop space) so I re-finished a smallish bookshelf which is the same height as our fridge and painted it light green. Then I filled it with all of our colorful fiestaware dishes, our pretty appliances (an apple green stand mixer and a light pink blender), and glass jars for all of our bulk storage (flour, sugar, rice, oatmeal lentils, split peas, bulgur, sun-dried tomatoes, pasta, etc). We also have some open shelves installed, where I put all our cookbooks and a few decorative kitchen things. Finally, we have a little shelf by the window over our sink where I placed a collection of cobalt blue vases that I’ve accumulated over a couple of years from thrift stores (and which also work as water/ sangria/ iced coffee pitchers when needed).
Like a lot of other readers, we don’t have a ton of space, so we don’t have things that are JUST pretty and that don’t have a function.
Leslie says
What color paint is on your kitchen walls? I love it!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s Gentle Tide by Glidden. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Laura @ youngDCliving says
Oops! Also forgot to add that I keep a glass canister on the countertop with tea bags! I drink tea all the time, and it really is much more convenient having it on the countertop with a jumble of my favorite teas all together. I also think it keeps it more fresh than in those flimsy paper boxes they come in normally. Hope it helps!
Lauren F. says
Love your positive attitude Sherry!