It actually feels like spring this weekend, so I’m feeling motivated to freshen up my kitchen a bit! I still have lots of work to do (ahem…decluttering the other end of my kitchen [not pictured!], wiping down my cupboards, getting rid of old baby bottles/random sippy cups, etc.) but I feel like I made some progress today.
I think tidying the kitchen is one of my least favorite things to do. It’s the area of the house that seems to be the hardest for me to keep clean, and sometimes I dread cleaning it. Don’t get me wrong—I love my kitchen and am grateful for it…but…there are a couple things that bug me. One is that my cabinets are really hard to clean! The shaker style is beautiful and classic, but there’s a little crevice that fills with dust and grime that’s super hard to clean. I can’t just wipe down my cabinets—I have to actually use a toothbrush to get in the cracks. If I had to choose cabinets again, I would go with a flat panelled cabinet doors, just because of ease of maintenance. The other thing that bugs me is totally my own fault—that I always seem to have clutter on the counter! Mail, receipts, kids’ hair ties/brushes, random toys from Easter baskets, water bottles, stray Lego pieces….sometimes I just throw everything in a basket or junk drawer but eventually they fill up and things must find a place. Does anyone else have that problem?
So today I’m leaving you with a few tips for accessorizing your kitchen with budget friendly items or things you probably already have! (You’ll notice in the pictures, some of the accessories move around a little—that’s because I took these pictures on two separate occasions, and I switched things up a little!)
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1. Decorate with wooden cutting boards. I love using wood accents in the kitchen to give it a farmhouse vibe. You probably already have some (I must admit—mine are new—but I couldn’t exactly display my scratched up plastic ones, could I?!)
These ones were pretty reasonably priced on Amazon. The first 3 boards below are the ones I purchased!
2. Decorate with cookbooks! Play around with how to arrange them to see what looks best. You can stack them horizontally with a plant or special bowl on top, or display them on a recipe book stand. I simply stacked mine vertically again the wall with the spines visible. I just purchased the Magnolia Table cookbook and I can’t wait to try some recipes in it!
The Magnolia Table cookbook by Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper has to be the most beautiful cookbook I own! I love hardcover cookbooks, and this one has a lovely cloth black spine which makes for a great decor accent. The photos inside are gorgeous, and I can’t wait to try the delicious recipes in my new book!
3. Put your nice dishes and plants on display, especially if you have open shelving. I love how adding greenery to a kitchen adds a fresh look. Most of the pots I own were purchased at a dollar store or Ikea. Yesterday I bought a cheap artificial plant and enamel pot at Ikea to display in my glass display cupboard.
I used mugs, plates, and my Great Grandma’s china to arrange in my display also. Here are some other cute dishes I love!
I love the antique look of this bread box, and this geometric wire fruit basket. They would look so cute on my counter! These are also on my wish list!
5. Display kitchen utensils in a pitcher, canister, or crock. I especially love the look of wood and metal utensils on display. I had this white pitcher already and put these cute acacia wood utensils in it.
6. Put a few food canisters on the counter. Mine were purchased at Dollarama, and I made labels for them. Easy peasy!
I also love these farmhouse style canisters below!
7. Put your dish soap and hand soap in pretty soap dispensers, and place it in a basket or on a tray. I had this narrow basket already, and I love how it cleans up the counter to but the hand soap and dish soap in it. I found this little ceramic soap dispenser at Dollarama for the dishsoap.
Here are some other cute and affordable baskets and trays I love!
8. Use a basket to house the “junk” on your counter. It’s easy to throw things in if you need to last minute before company comes. (Just don’t be like me and take forever to get around to emptying it, though!)
Well, that’s about all I have for you tonight. I finally just got my kids to bed, so now the real productive cleaning can begin! There’s an episode of Grey’s Anatomy on my PVR waiting for me though…so my kitchen might just have to wait!
Don’t miss reading these other posts!
Decorating With a Touch of Black
15 Farmhouse Rugs – That Won’t Break the Bank
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