Ina Garten's Simple Storage Solution For Keeping Her Counters Tidy

Kitchen clutter is the slow-building blight liable to swallow up your sleek granite or quartzite counters before you've so much as had a chance to use up last week's groceries. Sure, even Ina Garten prefers to keep some ingredients right there within arms reach, but even your favorite neighborhood culinary celebrity must draw the line somewhere. So, while the Barefoot Contessa herself might like to keep things like citrus and alliums on display, other items, particularly her essential cooking utensils, require dedicated spaces to remain better contained.

In an Instagram post illustrating her organization prowess, Garten arranges those lovely lemons and limes in shallow bowls, while she stores handheld tools like Microplanes and spatulas in plain sight and within easy reach in tall crocks. "[A]ll the white and wood utensils in one and stainless steel in the other," Garten details the easily replicated arrangement that follows a monochromatic color scheme. And you can take a similar tack with almost whatever kitchen tools you're looking to conceal yet keep conveniently accessible.

Now, everyday gadgets like toasters and electric kettles are a fact of countertop life, at least until you invest in an appliance garage. And their constant presence makes eliminating other, more easily hidden gizmos, even more critical. Ina Garten's matching bowls and crocks are tops for at least consolidating some such tools, if not totally obscuring them. And her color coordination is key. While a more eclectic aesthetic certainly has its place, Garten's uniform hues are key for minimizing the appearance of clutter on kitchen counters.

Creating tableaus can also make everything look a little more mainstream when you're truly out of drawer and cabinet space. A tidy coffee or tea station looks more streamlined than a box of Celestial Seasonings here and a plastic bear full of honey there. Likewise something like stray cutting boards, which you can better position as functional decor. An eye for intentionality like this won't make up for a paucity of proper storage, but it will keep the space you do have a little nicer.