Are your kitchen counters slowly being consumed by cookbooks, cereal boxes, condiment bottles, and soiled dishrags?
Perhaps it's time for some counterscaping. What's counterscaping? Style At Home's Samantha Pynn was on the show recently and she demonstrated the concept on CityLine's demonstration kitchen.
Basically it's a play on landscape, although it could be more closely aligned with British designer David Hicks's term 'tablescape' which essentially means artfully arranging everyday objects and accessories in your space.
As Pynn reveals, Hicks wasn't concerned with the price of the objects, but the care in which they were arranged.
In the case of a kitchen space, your goal is clean, tidy, and organized, with everything in easy reach. This isn't always possible in a household with young kids, so take that into consideration before you begin.
Here are a few suggestions from Samantha's counterscaping demonstration:
1) First, clear existing clutter -- hide the everyday stuff. That means tattered dishrags, cleaning products, cereal boxes, loaves of bread, bottles and jars, anything that makes the kitchen feel messy and chaotic.
2) Small appliances -- if you don't use them regularly (juicer, panini press, breadmaker, etc), consider hiding them in cupboards, as they take up valuable real estate on your countertop. Items you use regularly (toaster, coffeemaker, etc) can stay out for the sake of convenience.
3) If you have the room, divide the countertop into zones:
Baking Zone: If you enjoy baking, create a 'baking zone.' Here's where you can put your stand mixer, your cookbooks (maybe a few of your favourites if you have a large collection), and perhaps a canister to hold your baking tools. If there are cupboards nearby use them to hold baking-related pantry items (flour, sugar, baking powder, cake mixes, etc).
Prep Zone: Here's where you can place your cutting board (if it's a nice-looking wooden one, as opposed to a stained and worn plastic one), and perhaps a knife block with your chef's knives. This zone would ideally be near your oven and range top. In nearby cupboards, put your plates, bowls, oils, salt, pepper, spices.
Coffee/Tea Zone: Somewhere for your coffeemaker and/or teapot, maybe a nice-looking canister containing coffee beans or looseleaf tea. In nearby cupboards, place glasses and mugs. This zone could be close to the dishwasher and sink.
Misc. Zone: If you don't like to cook, create a zone for something that works with your lifestyle. For example, if you like to listen to the radio in the morning, create a space for a little countertop radio.
4) Consider art in your kitchen, either on the wall, leaning up against the backsplash, or on open shelving.
5) Think about the accessories and small touches -- a good looking hand soap dispenser, freshly-laundered dish towels, something organic such as fresh fruit, herbs, or flowers.
suzanne.ellis@cityline.rogers.com