Showcase Your Kitchenware in Creative Ways
It’s only natural to play up your best features, so it makes sense to do so in your kitchen where everyday essentials can enhance the standard canvas of appliances and cabinets. When you let these little objects play a major role in the room, you’ll be more likely to use them while gaining an appreciation for more than their utilitarian functions. In the meantime, freeing up your coveted cabinet space for other items like cleaning supplies and recyclables is an added bonus.
For starters, an overhead pot rack leads the eye to the ceiling—a surface that typically gets less attention than the walls and floors. Not only does this provide a clever storage solution for your pots and pans, it lets you track your current inventory. This grab-and-go method also makes meal prep go faster while adding a focal point that takes on a sculptural tone above a dining table or kitchen island.
ADD SOME PIZZAZZ
Display pieces, such as plate racks and tiered stands, give your special dishes the attention they deserve instead of being tucked away behind closed doors. Pay attention to the tricks of the trade that local retailers employ such as using easels and risers to highlight their items. These pieces work just as well in a residential setting where you can rotate your objects regularly just like the stores do.
Rather than rely on your average dust collectors (like silk plants) to fill an empty space above kitchen cabinets, add an assortment of picnic baskets to hold seasonal supplies like holiday cookie cutters and such. If you have dated wood cabinets that you plan on replacing, cover up the exposed side of an end cabinet with framed artwork. You can hang a series of your favorite go-to recipes for easy reference.
FASHIONABLE FUNDAMENTALS
Consider alternate uses for your kitchen supplies. For example, turn an ice bucket into a candy dish for larger, wrapped treats. Entertaining staples like cake stands, breadbaskets, and trifle bowls are often reserved for special occasions but can be put to work on a daily basis to hold everything from fruits and vegetables to crackers and desserts. Other party essentials like a lazy Susan make a unique centerpiece when topped with colorful, fresh produce.
Show off your consumables. Staples such as coffee, pasta, and cereal look great in clear containers, especially when grouped together on your kitchen counter. You can also warm up your space with a few wood elements, from cutting boards propped along the wall to serving bowls filled with easy-to-grab packaged snacks like crackers and granola bars.
SEE ME
Place like items together to create a pleasing vignette for a beverage bar that welcomes guests to help themselves. Decorative beverage bottles make a striking statement when neatly arranged on a tray, while stemware racks that attach to the base of a cabinet help keep wine glasses within reach.
Sometimes you need a visual reminder of what you have. This can be accomplished with the help of open shelving, beverage coolers, and upper cabinets with glass doors that take your basic plates and bowls to another level. Frosted glass gives a hint of what’s inside without revealing too much, allowing you to be a little more lax with your display.
NEAT NECESSITIES
Bottled olive oil and other condiments like spices can be grouped together to make a statement. Gather whisks, spatulas, and spoons that take up too much drawer space and place them in a sturdy canister for easy access and a pretty visual that emulates a floral bouquet of sorts.
Colorful mixing bowls can serve as bookends for your cookbooks or binders filled with your favorite recipes. Invest in smart storage pieces like a set of canisters for smaller items such as teabags and sugar packets. Vintage bread tins and cookie jars are another easy way to give your kitchen a visual lift.
Sift through your cabinets and give it a whirl. All it takes is a few simple steps to fill your kitchen with a dash of flair. Then, gather around the dining table with your loved ones for a leisurely meal prepared in the comfort of your colorful surroundings that are packed with conversation pieces. Written by Jeanine Matlow. Photography provided by (from left) ©iStockphoto.com/DusanManic, ©iStockphoto.com/gourmetphotography, ©iStockphoto.com/-lvinst-, ©iStockphoto.com/Svetl.