COLUMN: Gail Mayhugh

DEAR GAIL: We love to cook and want our kitchen to look nice, but our counters seem so crowded. We don't have a lot of cupboard space and would like to make the kitchen less cluttered yet tied together and pretty. Can you give us some ideas for making the kitchen look better? -- Sue and David

DEAR SUE and DAVID: I also have a small kitchen and my husband loves to cook, so I can relate to the challenge of making and keeping a kitchen neat and attractive.

My first suggestion is to spend an afternoon working in the kitchen. Clear off the kitchen table and remove everything from the counters, the top of the refrigerator and the stove. If you have pot shelves or space above the cabinets, don't tackle it on the same day, just concentrate on the work area.

First, put away anything on the table that isn't used daily.

With the items that are left, do a second sort and ask yourself: Are they attractive? Can they be stored in something else? Do you really need to have them on the counter? Again, put away what you're not going to put back on the counters. We have a tendency to put things back from where they came, especially if we don't know where else to put them.

Try to put the remaining items in attractive containers. Kitchen canisters are wonderful for your utensils, pet treats, coupons and recipes. Use a decorative vase or urn for larger utensils.

Try to keep your counters uncluttered by using just those functional items you need along with a couple of decorative items. Mount an under-cabinet rack for your coffee cups and glasses.

Like to keep your cookbooks out but don't have a cookbook rack? Add one to the end of the cabinet by placing an under-cabinet cookbook holder or bookends to keep them upright if you are to keep them on the counter.

Get the spices off the counter and into a spice rack. Transfer your spices to decorative jars.

Have decorative plates that you use every day? Convert a portion of an upper cabinet into a plate rack.

If you do not have a lot of counter space, look for storage items that you can stack. My favorites are boxes, tins and baskets. You also can hang tiered baskets under the cabinets for produce.

To keep the kitchen uncluttered, do not place anything on top of the refrigerator or stove. They are not meant for storage. Again, a good rule of thumb is that if you don't use it on a daily basis, it should be stored away and off the counters.

You might want to consider installing a tambour storage cabinet in one of kitchen corners. Small appliances can be hidden behind its rolling door, but still remain handy.

Along with the functional items on the counters, hopefully now in containers, you might want to add some accent pieces.

Pick a theme. A theme is one central idea that will be repeated throughout the décor. Some kitchen themes could be: wine, coffee, tea, fruits and vegetables, chickens, Fiesta pottery, gardening, canning or pasta. For inspiration look in model homes, decorating books, artwork, magazines or wallpaper books.

You can repeat the theme with canisters, bowls, jars, plates, glasses, place mats, napkins, pictures, wallpaper, borders and stencils, door hardware, furniture and window treatments.

A kitchen is the work center of any home. Because we are in it so often, it is the one room where function is always more important than decor.

So, clear those counters off and replace one item at a time. Start with the functional items, place them in an attractive way and then add those extra accessories only if you have the room.

Gail Mayhugh, owner of GMJ Interiors, is a professional interior designer and author of a book on the subject. Questions may be sent by e-mail to: gail@gmjinteriors.com. Or, mail to: 8170 S. Eastern Ave., Box 4-275, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Her Web address is: www.GMJinteriors.com.

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