I have always enjoyed collecting things - cookie jars, chickens, dinnerware, cookbooks, Santa Claus ornaments, and things I can't even remember now. It was fun to do and I enjoyed thinking up creative ways to display them. The problem is that all of the stuff takes up space and lately I have been feeling like it is time to pare down-get rid of things-I have no more space for frivolous "stuff". So tonight I decided to get rid anything on my kitchen counters that was not useful. I have had two big basket displays for years and now they are gone. I have always disliked having kitchen appliances on the counter. But tonight I decided that is what a kitchen counter is for, so I replaced the nice decorative items with a mixer and a blender that I usually keep hidden in a cupboard. I spent two hours taking everything apart and cleaning it all (the items in the baskets and the baskets themselves, washed the artificial greens, etc. etc., then put everything in bags to take to the basement). I scrubbed all the counters, washed all of the utensils that I keep in a bean pot near the stove, wiped down the salt and pepper shakers, the olive oil bottle, all the bottles of condiments that sit on a tray next to the stove. Everything is sparkling clean and neat with no excess junk on any counter. There is plenty of space to prepare food.
And guess what?
I hate it. It is sparse-bare-dull. I have always hated appliances on the counters and I guess I still do. I liked my two big baskets better. I will try to leave it as is to see if I like it any better in a few days, but, really, I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow morning I spend a few more hours making up two baskets and putting everything back the way it was. It was not cluttered before, so I don't know what possessed me to tear it all apart. See the basket on the end of counter? That is one of them I destroyed. You can't see the other one which is in the corner by the window. This picture is about 4 years old, but everything is pretty much the same (except for different window treatments). Do you think the basket looks tacky?
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You have about 75% more counterspace than I do! I like your arrangement, it's cute. Maybe you just need a new one, that may be 'the problem' in a nutshell. : )
ReplyDeleteI collect like crazy too.
Someday in the near future, I will redo my old 1960s kitchen. My husband took out the false top of one of the original cabinets so I had a place for my kitchen collectibles. Once in a while they get cleaned! I also made a pot rack that's hung over my microwave. I have lots of storage plan ideas though for that 'new' kitchen that's in my head.
I also have the same light fixture as you but over our dining room table. It has clear covers. I had a 'candle' chandelier but I could never see right while working there. Now we all see great.
ReplyDeleteYou are going to ban me soon. Have you ever thought of putting up a backsplash? That may give you a little color too. How about a few cookbooks?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dianne. Yes, a backsplash would be nice. Unfortunately DH and I are NOT very good at that sort of thing. We own a hammer and an electric drill. That is about it. I thought of cookbooks, too. There is actually more to the kitchen--at the opposite end there is another counter & I have a desk and there are a few dozen cookbooks already there. I do have a ton of counter space, which I really like. There is also a large wall of floor to ceiling cupboards with shelves that house my dinnerware collections, serving dishes, etc. Someday I will have to post a pic of that. I think you are right, just a change of baskets or something would be nice.
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