Newsletters
Organize & Clean
Kitchen
Organizing
Small Spaces

3 Stylish Solutions for Countertop Storage to Avoid that “Everything Just Shoved Against the Wall” Look

Adrienne Breaux
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
Adrienne loves architecture, design, cats, science fiction, and watching "Star Trek." In the past 10 years she's called home: a van, a former downtown store in small town Texas, and a studio apartment rumored to have once been owned by Willie Nelson. She currently lives in her colorful, maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with her partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
Follow
published Dec 13, 2015
Save
pinterest
comments
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
SavePin ItSee More Images
John & Jo’s Cruisy Modern Australian Home (Image credit: Sophie Timothy)

If you have the room to keep your kitchen and bathroom counters clear by tucking tools and objects out of the way in a cabinet or another storage piece, great! Who wants to look at all that clutter? But what if you live in a super tiny place and really must use your countertop for storage? Here are three solutions for stylishly using your countertops for storage and avoiding that “everything just shoved against the wall” look.

1. Corral items with trays

This idea works great on the tops of dressers and credenzas in other rooms, so use this tray trick in your kitchen and bathroom, too. Find a small tray to arrange any items or tools you need within reach. It’ll give boundaries to the stuff, transforming clutter to a visual pleasing arrangement.

→ Control the Clutter: Organizing with Trays In Every Room of the House

SavePin It
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

2. Box it (on the side)

Putting a bunch of boxes filled with things you need on top of your countertop could make your kitchen feel more like a storage closet than an inspiring cooking space, not to mention make items you might need harder to get to. But wanting to avoid that storage situation doesn’t mean you have to avoid using boxes. Just put boxes on their side for an instant countertop shelf. Like trays, it will help corral your stuff and give it visual meaning.

→ From The Kitchn: 5 Clever Ways to Use Wine Crates in the Kitchen

SavePin ItSee More Images
Melissa and Sonny’s Countryside Sanctuary Among the Rolling Hills (Image credit: Lauren Kolyn)

3. Raise it up

Shelf risers aren’t just for reclaiming more storage space within your cabinets and pantry. You can use an attractive riser to create another level of storage on your countertop. Doing so brings visual meaning to your items, making it feel like an intentional storage composition rather than just a jumble of bottles or jars.

Re-edited from a post originally published 12.13.15-NT

How-To Toolkits