How to organise your kitchen countertops

Picture it now: walking into your kitchen, you run your hand over clutter-free, shiny countertops. Admiring a vase of flowers on the sparkling surface, you breathe a contented sigh.

And now back to reality... Whether you have a large kitchen with lots of countertop space or a small kitchen where counter space is at a premium, it’s common to find that the kitchen countertops become a magnet for clutter. 

What not to store on your countertops (and what you can get away with) 

The first step is to sort out what you need on your kitchen surfaces. Keep countertops for items that you use every day and need within quick and easy reach. Items that you don’t often use can be moved to a cupboard. And consider whether things that you barely ever use can be donated to a charity shop. 

Items you might consider relocating include: 

Paperwork — countertops can be a dumping ground, from random bits of paper, to bills and important letters. There are wall organisers that keep all this paperwork tidy. Just remember to sort through it regularly. 

Appliances you don’t use every day — slow cookers, bread makers and food processors are some examples. They belong behind cupboard doors.

Decorative items — things like photographs or plants. Put photographs up on a wall and plants on a windowsill.

Children’s artwork — if you have kids, then it’s common for them to produce a mass of precious artwork that ‘must never be thrown away’. Luckily, there are solutions for this which allow you to display the work — wall hangers with plastic picture pockets and lines where you can peg up the art.

The kettle — most people have a kettle on the countertop, but it takes up a lot of space, with tea and coffee caddies as well. To streamline your kitchen surfaces, replace the kettle with an instant boiling water tap).

The list of items you might want to keep on your countertop should be small. Possible items in a more minimalist kitchen include:

• Coffee maker
• Microwave
• Toaster
• Utensils storage

Essential tips to keep countertops organised

After deciding what you need on your countertop, you need to organise it for maximum efficiency. Take a look at these tips:

Keep surfaces clear

This is something that you need to make part of your daily routine. Items for the kitchen sink such as sponges and clothes need to have a holder on a shelf or wall. 

Create different worktop zones

Strategically organising your kitchen countertops by creating different zones will mean that everything has its place and you can find what you need. For example, keep the cooking area neat by having any utensils and spices near the stove. A fruit bowl can be located in the area where you eat. A coffee maker could be in the same zone as the toaster, for a time-saving breakfast. 

Accept and organise the ‘stuff’

Most households end up with a random pile of stuff on the kitchen surface. It’s probably unrealistic to simply say you will no longer do this if your life is fast-paced. To keep the pile tidy, use an attractive storage basket or box to centralise it, ready to sort through it regularly.

Use a utensils pot

Larger utensils are really awkward (and frustrating!) to store in a kitchen drawer as they catch on the top of the drawer and cause it to jam. A utensils pot near the hob area is useful for storing cooking utensils like wooden spoons and spaghetti spoons so they are within easy reach – and then you can stop yelling at the drawer. 

Add a row of neat storage jars

Filled storage jars, lined up neatly along the wall on a kitchen countertop, are both stylish and practical. The jars can be filled with dry food like rice, nuts, pasta, dried fruit or lentils. 

Design tricks for small countertops

Finally, if you have a small kitchen countertop with limited space, there are some additional design tricks that will help you to organise your worktops and maximise the space that you do have. 

Use the kitchen splashbacks

You can utilise your kitchen splashback by adding a rail across it to hang utensils or tea towels. Rather than store your knives on the kitchen counter, you can fix a magnetic knife holder to the splashback.

To instantly make your kitchen look more expensive and luxurious, match your kitchen countertops to your splashback in the same marble or laminate.

Choose a stylish toaster

Think about the visual design elements of the appliances that you have on your kitchen surfaces. There is no reason why they shouldn’t be aesthetically pleasing. Smeg have partnered up with Dolce & Gabbana to create a vivid and colourful toaster, while their regular toasters are in more neutral colours, but are just as trendy. And Alessi toasters ooze style, especially the pleats on the Plisse design... (who knew a toaster could be so elegant?). 

Choose striking containers

Plastic storage containers are useful for organising the inside of a cupboard, but when storage containers are on the kitchen countertop, they need to look smart. A quick Google search for ‘decorative storage jars’ will bring up an array of styles and materials. Mix it up! If your kitchen is high-gloss, you can add interest and texture by including containers made from wood or stone. 

And don’t forget to utilise the sides of your countertop

Add a towel rail to the side of your kitchen counter for folded tea towels or to hook pots and pans.

Not only do cluttered worktops look messy, but they’re impractical. The clutter makes it harder to find things and more difficult to clean (in an area which needs to be hygienic for food preparation). Organising your kitchen worktops will give your kitchen a makeover, while also saving you space, time and stress.