LOL! I see your paper towels made the short list! What's on the island? I'd go with a fruit bowl. If you drink coffee every day, maybe the coffee maker. I'm currently in "put it away" mode. Your kitchen looks so pretty. Post again when you get the window treatment up.

That dark circle is the granite cutting board supplied with the counters. I know I don't want to risk my good knives on there! Are they nuts?

Realistically, there must be a few things on the counter to look lived in do i really let the mixer live up there, or move the heavy beast constantly?.

If you use the mixer on a regular basis leave it out. Let the kitchen work for you ... not the other way around.

Viki- my mixer has been living on top of the trash compacter for the last 25 or 30 years with a "cozy" plopped over the top (the cozy being made from some clown pattern fabric left over from when the children were very small). I am SO looking forward to putting it away! I have a waist high place in the future pantry all picked out.

Tell me honestly, have you ever had a problem with not having enough miscellany on your counters to look lived in? Things just migrate to the counter while you're not looking!. Ours currently has zucchini and bell pepper that I picked from the garden yesterday. And the jam I made that I haven't put away (hey, we have to move it anyway for demo pretty soon). And the kitchen remodel plans. And my garden hat. And the tape measure. And my water bottle. Think I'll go now.......

the only things i let "live" on the counter are things i reach for everyday. and even then i have to edit, they must be things that look nice. lol.
so i have a small round BB stained to match my island BB by the range. it has oil, marble salt cellar, and big pepper grinder.
also i have a marble wooden spoon/utensil holder. But even those are chosen by ..are they cute enough... :o) the rest go in a drawer within reach of range.

I do have a large bowl of fruit - so my kids reach for it.
the coffee maker has it's own "cubbie" and the Mixer has a garage. the toaster comes out as needed. Everyone hates this, but tough luck, it's cute but too big.
Paper towels are also out (holder like yours).
and that's about it.
trying to keep it peaceful in there since it quickly gets un-peaceful!
OH! and i have a bronze statue of a meditating woman. Art is always welcome!

ci

Wow, your kitchen is stunning, bright yet warm and so classic. Love your backsplash and the detail behind the range and your contrasting island is beautiful. I will soon be asking myself the same question once I figure out my countertops. Can I ask what you have on your perimeters and island? Congratulaions on your beautiful space. Have fun accessorizing.

I think I keep more on my counters than most people. My main concern is being realistic - there are some things that have to be there for my family.

Kuerig coffeemaker
Toaster
Paper towels on a nice ORB holder
Small flat-screen TV

Then there are the things that I leave out because I do use them often AND I think they look good

Ceramic breadbox (with my bread in it)
My towel pig
A pretty dish with pretty containers of oils, vinegar, s&p
My every day dishes in a 2-tier "server/holder"

Now, that's in the working part of my kitchen. It probably sounds like alot, but it's on 2 different counter runs and my counters don't looked cluttered.

In the other 1/2 of my kitchen - where my peninsula and bar are, it's a little more "stuff"

My peninsula has my napkins, a fruit bowl that always has bananas hanging, another bread/fruit type basket.

My bar has lots of stuff:
The hubby's "mini-keg" tap
A big vintage looking wine opener on a stand
An ice bucket (I currently have a thread looking for a new bucket that I hope will look better)
Some decorative bottles
A martini shaker

I intentially want to leave most of that stuff out because I think it looks good and I want that area looked at as a bar. If it weren't a bar, it definitely wouldn't have all the extra stuff sitting out.

Well that's my story...SQ

Do any of you keep hand towels out anywhere, or just paper towels? Do you have a rack inside a door?

I have a towel on my pig, and a towel folded neatly on my bar.

SQ

our current house is for sale, so all we have on the counter is the microwave (can't wait for the micro drawer in the new house!), knife block (will also go in a drawer) and rack for oils I use every day. Oh, and soap dispenser.

We don't use a lot of paper towels anymore, so they are in the pantry. In the new house, they'll be on a rack under the main sink. We keep a cloth towel in the stove handle, and the rest are in a bottom drawer because my 2 year old knows to get one to clean up his messes!

I haven't gotten it yet, but there is supposed to be a towel bar on the end of my island tucked under the countertop overhang. Meanwhile, towels live a little bit of everywhere...Hung on the oven door handles sometimes. Paper towels are on a rod hung under the upper cabinet.

We are realistic and practical about what we keep out, too, and have the following often used/necessary items on specific places on the perimeter counters (we don't keep anything on the island...it is clear workzone):
toaster oven
blender
KA mixer
fruit bowls
coffee maker
canisters to keep small amounts of flour and sugar by the stove, since the baking center houses most of it...Also the largest canister serves as cookie jar

I have an oven toaster (used daily), a cuisinart (used at least once a week), a porcelain pot containing spatulas, wooden spoons etc on the cooktop, a cutting board next to the sink, a napkin holder, and a fragrant Yankee candle.

I don't like clutter so I only put out items that I don't want to constantly drag out.

I also like some greenery in the kitchen, so I do have a couple of fake plants on top of upper cabinets and a nice large rubber tree in the corner of our combined kitchen/breakfast area.

LOL!! I'll fess up. :) It's been long enough since I moved in that I've lost that ready for photography glow. :)

More or less permanently, in opposite corners are the KA mixer and the ice cream maker. Also out for convenience but easily put away is the Food Saver. The coffee makers and toasters live in cupboards, however. They're not in daily use. There's also an ugly old paper towel holder which is very functional, a bee skip cookie canister, two cast iron trivets (one cerisse, one flamme), a tall brass pepper grinder, a set of copper/tin mug style measuring cups, two decorative food bottles (one oil, one pasta, both gifts, and I should stash them away but they're tall...), and a clear plastic cookbook stand with a clear plastic spatter screen in it for holding printed out recipes, and the stack of printed out recipes. Add to that some jars that are in the process of being reclaimed for reuse, a cake pedestal and dome that seems to have lost its hole in the dining room cupboard, and a few other bits of detritus. Plus two hybrid orchids and a copper watering pot in the garden window behind the sink, a potted oregano that's trying to die, and a basil which doesn't like the sun in the garden window so keeps wandering around.

The island has a flat TV on a slate turntable, 2 beading projects, the bread basket, a cutting board, a colander (which lives in the island sink), a small pile of paperwork, and a couple of small things between here and there. The eating surface has placemats, napkin holder, the cable box and remote, a canister of cashews, and some kind of sweet, plus a stack of magazines that should get thinned down. And a tea towel. And oven mitts, though those have a drawer.

The butler's pantry counter has a placemat with the ice bucket, sugar bowl and cream pitcher, a gift box of walnuts, a wrapped hostess gift of treats in a bowl, two bottles of wine, a stack of wooden trivets, some extra glass shelves that need a permanent home, and a small tray of detritus.

Lots of stuff!

When I've decluttered there will be the mixer, ice creamer, vacuum sealer, paper towels, pepper grinder, recipe holder, bread basket, cutting board and colander, TV and cable box, placemats and napkin holder, plants and watering pot, and trivets. Maybe the bee skip. Every time I put it away it comes out again. Plus tea towels as they're used and replaced.

I like having the colander and cutting board out, though they can be stashed. The ice cream maker might go in a cupboard for the Winter. Or not. It's heavy. The bread has a place in a cupboard but it keeps getting left out, so I finally put it in the basket. That makes it easier to corral, especially if there's more than one type, and easier to carry back and forth to the dining room. I might rearrange a drawer to put the Food Saver in it since I don't use it daily.

With all those things out for use, I really don't need decor on the counters, y'know?

OK, I had to laugh at the distinction between "decor" and real life. Let's say I want at least a couple of photos of the new kitchen in an ideal state before I succumb to reality. ;-)

I have a towel bar on the far end of the island where it's mostly out of sight. Knife block is going into a drawer this round. The toaster oven has been displaced by the speed oven (I hope). I always have plants in the bump out -- usually violets and orchids, but I'm thinking of trying some herbs in white cachepots. Cookbooks are on a shelf over the fridge. I deliberately put hutch storage on either side of the fridge to replace my lost corner pantry and get rid of the tendency to drop junk there as it was never used for prep.

Oldhouse1, the perimeters are Antique Brown granite. I love that it reads solid from any distance, but up close it has plenty of interest. The island is an unusual piece of Calcutta Gold, with a lot of gold (brown) rather than just gray, and both gold sparkles and square metallic bits scattered through the veining. It's my favorite thing in the kitchen, followed closely by the hand-carved tiles in the inset over the cooktop that was custom made by a friend.

Let's say I want at least a couple of photos of the new kitchen in an ideal state before I succumb to reality.

Well, that's a worthy endeavor! What looks good in a photo isn't necessarily what is best in real life. What you want for the photos are things that imply real life by which are styled and staged so that each photo is a good composition.

Plants and fruit bowls imply life, so you can stage whatever houseplants currently look good in your sink window, and use things like lemons and limes as well as snacking fruits to make a large and colorful fruit bowl. A towel implies that people live there. If you don't like to see one, don't show it, but, otherwise, choose a beautiful, not too delicately patterned one, folded just so, and positioned at the ready at a jaunty angle by the sink.

For the rest, don't put out stuff just to fill up the space. Instead, put one large thing, or a group of three smaller ones, in the corner. A large, ceramic pitcher or vase is ideal, or a tea set. The more kitchen use the objects are, the more they'll help tell your story. Maybe you have a favorite antique cherry pipper or your granny's canisters. Do you have a colorful kettle? You can put it on the stove, perhaps with a cup and saucer at the ready.

Use an odd number of things (the paper towels count as one if they stay out). Choose one thing to emphasize and make it the focal point. Locate it close to the center of the frame of your photo. Arrange your supporting players so that they draw the eye around the room in the photo. If something doesn't serve a purpose in the photo eliminate it. IRL, you put it where it's convenient, or where you'll see it best. In the photo, you put it where it makes the picture best.

Good luck with the pictures!! You have a little while yet before you sink into IRL-land. :)

no counters yet so cannot suggest but just wanted to say your kitchen is beautiful! bravo!

Vickie, your kitchen looks wonderful! Congratulations!

Now that I've lived in my kitchen a bit, what has crept out on my counters are:

a Rooster
Papertowel holder with papertowels
Clear dish drainer (I've given up putting it away out of sight since we hand wash so much. I do like the clear better though. It lets the counter color come through.)
2 canisters (one for wooden spoons & one for metal spatulas, etc.)
Kosher salt keeper
Pepper grinder
Spoon rest
Garlic Keeper
Cookbook holder
Sometimes a towel or two.

Right now we have no counters, but when we get them:
Coffee maker
Mixer
Toaster
Phone
Paper towels
Banana stand

That's it!

I've always kept a neater than normal kitchen, even before we lived in an open concept home. Currently, on the counters are:

Right of range:
vintage wooden beer box holding cooking utensils (also linked below)
S&P shakers - horses, of course
ceramic oil holder sitting on top of old wooden cutting board (protects counter from DH spills)

Left of range:
3 vintage clay bottles
large porcelain ceramic plate on stand
vintage dog handle pitcher

Right pine hutch:
Bose radio/CD player
knife block I gave DH for Father's Day this year
Large porcelain plate on stand

Left pine hutch:
vintage metal box
vintage mustard jar holding spoons
tray decoupaged with torn, old leases (beautiful handwriting)
4 mugs

Island counter:
vintage wooden tool organizer that holds soap dispenser, dish liquid dispenser and kitchen towel
ceramic paper towel jar
vintage hitching post horse head
large pot of orchids

Open shelves on either end of island:
copper watering can
vintage French clay roofing tile
vintage iron wall sink holding dried hydrangeas

large pottery pot
another vintage French clay roofing tile
small wooden kitchen tool

Hanging on the wall, either side of range are a pair of vintage etchings. One features deer, the other dogs.

I also have a rather large ceramic Cigales (French for cicadas). In France, they hang beside doorways for good luck. I also have one outside our front doors.

On the black hutch aka coffee station:
coffeemaker
vintage family chopping tool (goes back 6 generations)
vintage European etching (propped)
small orchid

As you see, vintage is the rage at my house. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Wooden Boxes

beautiful kitchen! it's making me want to declutter my counters :)

my kitchen is small so it's a constant battle. i'll give myself 10 more min to surf this board before i get to organizing.

but to answer your question:
-keurig coffee maker & coffee wheel
-1 canister on ea side of the cooktop of cooking utensils
-fruit/veggie basket (it has 2 tiers)
-banana holder
-paper towel in a holder
-potpourri in a holder in the area next to cordless ph

My Kitchen Aid Mixer
Toaster
Knife Block
Coffee maker with white canisters
Ivy topiary
2 photos of my sons
White rooster

The coffee maker lives in a cubby next to the appliance garage.

I have a jar of shells and some loose shells on the shelf above the sink.

The fruit bowl sits on the prep counter.

That's it.

I wanted all drawers so everything would have a home.

I love my empty counters. They are so peaceful to look at and always ready for action. I can start cooking right away without having to clear the decks!

edie_g, you win for the cleanest counters!

Thanks to everyone for the details. I'm aiming to keep the clutter down as much as possible, but there are a few everyday items that just make more sense to stay out. I'm not much of a cubby person. I'd rather make the functional item as beautiful as possible.

Allison, your ideas for making functional beautiful are totally inspiring! My vision is forever tweaked after reading about your vintage tool box split between seasonal details and functional towels and soap dispensers. There is truly an art to making every last detail beautiful.

Vickie - I really like your kitchen, especially the flush mounted sink, the furniture feet, the glass uppers and corner shelves. What will you put in those display areas?

Thanks, edie!

At the moment I'm adding milk glass to the glass uppers, particularly cake plates. I love how the glass edgings really show from below.

The corner display is getting a variety of pieces as I unpack, but I've noticed that I have several pitchers collected from travels that look nice there. I need to corral a few more for a meaningful collection.

As you can see, I'm rather eclectic in my displays, veering from vintage to modern handmade glass and ceramics. The artist in me looks just searches for beautiful form and color.

I really scaled down on the countertop (and above cabinet) display. Nothing decorative with the exception of the plant window over the sink and a vase of fresh flowers on my peninsula which I try to keep full. I have my KA mixer in the corner, recipe & paper towel holder, spice rack, compost crock, oil bottles, compote for fresh fruit and large platter under the wine rack. Sounds like a lot, but a have a large U-shaped kitchen with island and seperate coffee station that has my french press, tea pot and toaster. My mantra was "if I don't touch it almost daily it doesn't earn a display spot".

I'm a minimalist but practical too.

KA mixer-too heavy to lug out.
coffee machine-used daily
cooking utensils
knife block
salt/pepper
wood block cutting board
basket with fruit- if I put the fruit away-no one eats it.
paper towels

Note: we have a lot of countertop area, plus a niche behind range and a table nook.

Although I defined ours as a "working kitchen" and gave myself permission to keep equipment permanently in plain sight--utensils, knives, range-area condiments, a few small appliances--I planned one spot in front of a window for a decorative item or a flower arrangement to sit. I change this frequently, even daily--a bouquet in formal container, then fruit in a rough pottery container, then a little painting, etc. (Currently there's a massive bouquet of daylilies since I'm removing stray plants in garden but haven't the heart to toss the flowers.) Have found myself trying to cluster my tea things to cut down on particulate clutter-- teaball, pot, and cup on one tray and my antique tea caddies on another.

Because our kitchen windows face the street, am constantly adjusting our new bottom-up honeycomb shades to camouflage the intrusive look of neighbor houses and cars--was surprised how much the view seems like "clutter." I'm liking the shades positioned between a quarter and half-way for second part of the day--this gives a neutral background to kitchen, adds coolness illusion on a summer day, yet supplies natural light which room really needs. Yes, I know these aren't really on countertop, but in a way they are and they improve the "gestalt" of the counter-sitting items.

Because we have two sinks, I am grateful for the built-in soap dispenser at each sink and the sink utensil holders below sinks--soaps, scrubbers, and bottle brushes are put away. I dry aprons, towels, and dishrags in open air but try to put most away again when dry. We don't use paper towels except for some cleaning tasks.

After reading on GW and thinking, I've begun using a handled wicker basket for our kitchen-to-dining-room commute: salt & pepper, napkins, oil, vinegar, stray flatware, plus some folded maps that are used at table frequently because our kids live out of state. The basket often lives on the chair seat in the kitchen nook but sometimes stands on peninsula or elsewhere on counter.

Biggest countertop issue is the paper--items from mail, magazines, newspapers, current book, address book, phone books, scribbled messages. The shopping list is there right now. Such items seem to leap onto the peninsula countertop and make themselves at home. So they get piled. Then the piles multiply.

Pill containers for me and for dog and sometimes DH leap onto countertop also--gotta keep them put away. I've got an attractive jar on the countertop next to tea things that holds calcium pills--if these are not in plain sight I don't remember to take them.

I may put away the blender and processor for a while--since I bought a stick emersion blender, big one has been used less. Once the remodel is finally finished I sure hope I go back to using blender and the food processor more. Have been surprised how much I'm using the stand mixer now that I've got a range with a small upper oven, often used for baking. The baking area is so very convenient that I have no excuses! (I wouldn't use mixer at all if I had to lift it for each use.)

I am contemplating the addition of new countertop item: a stone slab to thaw frozen food on. Why use electricity in microwave defroster if I don't need to?

There are several things I'm looking forward to getting OFF the countertops once my cabinets come in and they will have a hidden home: Knife block (will have a knife drawer), lazy susan full of herbs & spices (will have in-cab door spice racks), and oil/vinegar bottles too tall for current cab. I will keep out: punched tin basket full of napkins, probably vitamins basket or we'd forget to take them, fruit bowl & banana tree, pottery piece that holds a loaf of bread, and toaster oven.

OK, so in the kitchen,

On the left; calendar, phone, salt & pepper shakers, vintage toaster & knife block.
On the right, small cutting board, cast iron dutch oven containing another salt & pepper shaker set, pepper mill, and olive oil cruet, coffee maker, another knife block and paper towel holder.

In the pantry,

Blender, yet another knife block, (do you think I have a problem?) Kitchenaid mixer & microwave.
Pretty much the things I use most often are always at hand.

;D @ all the knife blocks. You must not watch horror movies. I only recently allowed one in our house.

Your kitchen is just so beautiful. I like keeping a big bowl very oversized on the center island and soemtimes i fill it with fruit or vegetablse. Other than that my trusty coffee maker of course! And my two book ends with my favorite cookbooks. And last I have a litlte cherub statue with an apron on given to me by a retired colleague that is just so cute and the colors are perfect for my kitchen. I don't like too much clutter though. Knife blocks are on my range.

Vickie, That kitchen is fabulous!! Love the floor, the backsplash and especially the backlit cabinets. Be sure to include a few knife blocks (comedic pause).

Allison, Maybe I should join the circus as a knife thrower. What do you think?

What's on my counter? Things that should know better:

Circus peanut you beat me to it! Thank goodness she can only get on the island!

I usually keep something as a centerpiece on the island - usually seasonal: candle, fruit, etc. At the moment I have a bowl with a pair of floating candle flip flops.

On the counters I have a toaster, coffee maker, utensil jar, salt bowl, knife block (hate it!), paper towel holder, phone (blah!) and a large jar with wine corks in it. Not sure how that got started, but now that it is there...well, hey someone has to fill it! :p

LOL, while I'm sure that at least one of my cats goes on the counter, she is never there long enough for a picture.

I started with pretty clear counters, but the most used items are have slowly migrated back and they have had some new additions. Still a lot less than I had on the counter pre-remodel:

Fruit bowl, napkin holder, knife block, utensil jar, paper towel holder, 2 cutting boards, clock, timer, coffee maker and jar of hand lotion. Phone and candle live on the passthru. A ceramic compost container lives on the counter part-time. Two bottles of meds that BF has to take with meals are the newcomers.

Tip of the day: To avoid seeing the mixer, put something over it. Like the fabric thingie they used to put over teapots while the tea was steeping. Make a cover for it.

--

Here is what I've done in my kitchen.

1/.
disappeared from the kitchen
paper towel roll
knife block
toaster
breadbox
alcohol accessories
towel pig

2/
never out (because handier in a drawer)
oven mitts
utensil jar(s)
garbage pail(s)

3/
never out for more than a few hours
coffee maker (bodum, french press)
cordless phone
mixer - goes into DW or onto Lamplig trivet
blender - ditto
salt, pepper, turmeric - goes back into spice drawer

4/
almost never out overnight
cutting board - goes in a shallow drawer. We have several.
anything left out to dry on the $7 Lamplig grid/trivet

5/
always out
soap
a towel on the oven handle
basket (or glass bowl) with a little fruit: to encourage eating it (!)

I have nine shelves (13.5" by 29") in wall cabinets, and twenty undercabinet drawers. I do not yet have the vertical storage space built above the wall oven.

Uh, I do not watch horror movies, so I did not know. Now I really want to get that block hidden away in a drawer!

You make me fondly remember my days of kitties on the counter. Unfortunately, my asthma says we won't be doing that in this kitchen either.

This is an interesting discussion as this is core to my dilema with space planning for my kitchen reno.

To be honest, What I would really like is to be able to do is to keep all the main appliances I use on the counter. I have tried the storage in shelves, on super susans, in cabinets in pantry and on the countertop already plugged-in(in a rental with a lot of counter space). The one that worked for me the best was having it on the counter.. I actually used the appliances a lot more and my meals were more creative. What I imagine is an extra-deep counter with an 1' deep appliance garage all along the back with a nice-looking tambour style door that can be rolled up or down - so essentially my kitchen can have a more open working view and a closed view that is clean and nice. I once timed how long it takes if I have to pull out the appliances and set it up - adds 10-15 mins to my prep and another 10-15 to put away. If wishes were horses :)

Here is my appliance list (I cook a pretty international cuisine and use all of them on a regular basis)

Bread machine - Weekly
Coffee Machine - Daily
Vitamix - Daily for kefir smoothies
small spice grinder - 2-3 times a week for fresh spices as I use whole spices only
Immersion blender - weekly
Asian blender with multiple jars - 2-3 times a week
stone molcajete (mortor/ pestle) - 2-3 times a week
mini crockpot - weekly
Rice cooker - 2-3 times a week
Asian wet grinder - weekly

Lalitha

Left to right ...

Prep peninsula:
-(right now stack of cookbooks and a few candles)
-small timer
-cutting board with feet (rest of boards are in their own cabinet)
-pottery tray holding pepper grinder, salt cellar, & garlic pot
-small basket for shallots
-larger basket for onions
-in the corner another large basket for breads

Counter left of sink:
-knife block
-framed monthly calendar on easel
-vase with fresh flowers
-2 canisters (sugar & flour)
-paper towel holder
-soap dish
-liquid soap

Counter right of sink:
-bottle of lotion
-7-cup food processor
-coffee maker
-small clock/timer
-two glass containers for pretzels & peanuts in shell

Counter corner:
-toaster oven

Counter left of stove:
-pepper grinder
-salt cellar

Counter right of stove:
pottery jar holding wooden spoons

Hutch:
-rotating piece of art
-lamp
-framed mirror on easel
-small wood letter box (for bills & miscellaneous)
-phone
-cookbook on easel

I have a fruit bowl, a hand soap dispenser, a dish soap dispenser and an orchid on my counter.

I have lots of counter space in my new kitchen, but I think years of having NO counter space has conditioned me to keep everything off the counters. I tried to keep my KA mixer on the counter, but it didn't look right to me.

I keep the paper towels hidden away, and after I make a cup of coffee, the coffee maker gets hidden away.