Warm Up A White Kitchen, step by step
After our big kitchen renovation we were left with a pleasant polished looking room, but the space still felt so bare and devoid of warmth and personality… and we simply did not know where to start.
Slowly we amassed some strong items that gave our new kitchen a lot more character and charm. Whew. So we are here to share a few plain (and low-cost) 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 enjoy that we can easily pour our cheerios or granola (which they keep pleasant 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 is totally an investment since it looks so lovely and can be refilled with low-cost ol’ store picked up 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 straightforward 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 quite 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 low-cost. 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 pleasant wood, metal, or ceramic bowl, sprucing up your countertop fruit situation can truly make all the difference. Ikea has this strong metal option and we have seen strong rustic varieties, like a trio of wooden bowls online and at thrift stores, so you certainly do not have to break the bank for this straightforward 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 frequently (ours are right now 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 is handy to have them at arm’s reach instead of tucked away in the cabinet (simply like our cereal jars) and they look so charming and kitchen-appropriate that you will 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 enjoy to keep corralled here.
6. A pleasant soap and lotion pump by the sink. It simply feels luxe to have lotion on hand after all that dish washing, and our $32 Anthropologie set (which came with an excellent ceramic caddy) has paid for itself a million times over since we enjoy refilling it with cheaper soap and lotion without losing the high-end look. It is 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 simply as we mentioned the glass bottles with a spout as a chic way to store your oil, many people enjoy using those bottles to store soap next to the sink for a chic effect as well- so that is another affordable (and DIYable) option.
7. A swanky cutting board. Ours hails from TJ Maxx and we simply enjoy the layered tones of wood that pick up everything from our rich mocha floors to the lighter honey colors in our striped jute rug. Certainly 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 pricey looking to give your kitchen some brought in 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 simply 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 strong (think of jute like the bristles of a straw broom- it repels wet stains so they cannot soak in). So as long as you choose something durable for a high traffic area, not only can it add interest and be especially straightforward 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 straightforward item to place next to your cooktop to store all of your wooden spoons and metal spatulas so they are functional and charming in one fell swoop. Ours was simply $4 at Marshall’s and we enjoy how straightforward it makes unloading the dishwasher (we simply gather all the long spoons and ladles and stick them right in the caddy). We truly appreciate that we do not have to sift through drawers or cabinets to find the items that can instead be within reach while we cook. Oh and do not mind that it is pictured next to my vintage V-day gift for John below- the utensil caddy is much more functional now that it is next to the stove).
10. A cute stainless blender and toaster for the counter. If you are like us and you use these items frequently, there is nothing more functional than choosing to store them right on the counter at arm’s reach. Of course this means that investing in some pleasant stainless versions will upgrade the look of your whole kitchen (and tie in with your appliances if they are also of the stainless variety) so think about splurging simply a bit (we especially enjoy our Oster beehive blender, which in fact 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 strong options with tons of color, interest, pattern and texture so they can truly add a lot to your kitchen. Whether it is simply 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 is not sufficient 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 plenty of affordable function) to your kitchen. Do you folks have other pointers to share with anyone who is looking to spice up their blah cooking space? What is your go-to countertop item in your kitch? Do tell.
