One of our goals with the new kitchen was to keep our countertops free of JUNK and general kitchen clutter. Our kitchen is small and mighty, and our counterspace is extremely limited. We were constantly moving things around to free up a clear space for food prep, and the clutter is just mentally stressful. So here are a few gadgets and techniques we are using to keep our countertops as open as possible.

Our knife block was using up an entire chunk of space next to the stove, so we bought a magnetic strip to put inside our upper cabinet. Now all of our knives and scissors live in that one strip, and I feel satisfied that even with a stool Penny won’t be able to reach them.

Another space eater was our paper towel holder. We rarely use paper towels in the first place and we use them even less when they are out of sight, out of mind. We put a holder inside the cabinet below the sink and now that’s their permanent home.

A couple of years ago when we watched the Minimalism documentary we learned the strategy of putting appliances inside cabinets if you aren’t using them regularly. Every single appliance now has a cabinet home with the exception of the electric kettle, which we use multiple times a day (bonus, it’s a beautiful kettle and I don’t mind that it lives on the counter so I can see its pretty gooseneck – is that weird?). We also donated our Brita water jug once we got a new fridge with a water dispenser, so that was another dismissed item that used to take up counter space!

The last item with a new permanent home on the counters are our farm fresh eggs. They aren’t supposed to go in the fridge, and previously we just keep them in their ugly egg cartons on top of the counter. I lined this basket with a soft towel, and now the eggs live here – much prettier.

Of course throughout the day the countertop fills up with dishes and other random things, but at the end of the day Javi and I make a point to completely clear them off so that we start every day with empty counters. It feels SO good to walk into the kitchen and see all that counter space, despite having so little of it in the first place. Do you have any space-saving tips for counters?