Eight Ways to Declutter Your Kitchen Worktops

You’ve deliberated, browsed and consulted. Calculated, designed and dreamt. Finally, after all of this you have your perfect stone worktop installed in your refitted kitchen. Perhaps the sparkle of granite inspires energy in the space. Or the crisp freshness of marble makes your kitchen feel heavenly. Or the glow of rose quartz makes you feel warmly at home. Then life happens and your perfect stone worktop gets covered in stuff! 

So don’t fall into the trap of a cluttered kitchen! Life is busy and clutter builds before you know it. Before you have your worktop fitted, follow our top tips to declutter kitchen worktops. This will allow you to let your worktop shine as a centre point of your new kitchen.

1. Ingredient Eviction

Emptying your food cupboards will have an impact on your worktops. If you are refitting your kitchen, you will need to empty your cupboards anyway. So the key is to take care when you return ingredients to your kitchen. Check the dates of everything.  The space that you create from this exercise will allow you to move additional counter top items into a cupboard and away from your stone worktop!

2. Have No Mercy

Do the same with your gadgets. When it comes to returning all those bits and bobs to your kitchen when your stone worktop is in place, be ruthless. We bet you never even realised that you had three different varieties of spiraliser! Have you ever used the novelty bottle opener that Auntie Joan got you for Christmas eight years ago? Once you’ve purged your space of all this additional stuff, you’ll be able to use the space for the coffee pot that you actually use.

3. Sensible Arrangements

When returning items to your kitchen after a refit, make a plan.  Zone your small appliances, bakeware, pans and chopping boards. Stock corner cupboards or high cabinets with rarely used or seasonal appliances like a fondue set and turkey platter. This leaves the more accessible space for more frequently used appliances like a juicer or sandwich toaster. Ease of accessibility will allay the temptation to leave these things out on surfaces.

4. Counting Crockery

You don’t need several sets of crockery. Gone are the days of everyday and best. Discard chipped  plates and bowls. Either invest in one set of crockery that works for everyday and occasions, or promote your ‘best’ crockery to everyday. The additional cupboard or dresser space will allow you to use the space for letters and paperwork so you can keep those surfaces clear.

5. Keeping Aloft

Wall storage is versatile, convenient and, when chosen correctly, attractive in its own right. A wall mounted paper towel holder, fruit basket or spice rack works well. Include a magnetic strip to hold knives. Keep cook books (sticking to the ones that you actually use!) on shelves rather than your worktop. Try not to do all of these things, though, as you run the risk of simply moving clutter to the walls!

6. Everyday Habits

Decluttering requires daily maintenance. This makes it sound hard, but it’s all about forming good habits. Dirty dishes should go directly into the dishwasher or sink. Ensure that you wipe down surfaces before going to bed each night. Don’t allow paperwork to be left on the kitchen worktop. Your stone surfaces will remain clear, as will your sense of mental clarity!

7. Integration Inspiration

Of course, the beauty of stone as a worktop material is its durability and ability to therefore integrate devices and utensils. So, your draining board is cut into your granite. Your electrical points hidden within a marble kitchen island. As a stone worktop can withstand a lot of activity, the possibilities for integration are considerable. 

8. Decorative Splash

Decluttering does not mean that there is no space for the superfluous. Simply be thoughtful about your decorative choices. Choose wider sections of worktop for vases or fruit bowls and place them away from other counter top items. Otherwise, look to the walls for complementary decoration. Wall clocks should reflect the colour tone of your stone surface so that the decoration and decluttered worktop are coherent.