Joanna Gaines' Simple Countertop Styling Tips Will Keep Your Kitchen Clutter-Free

HGTV and the Magnolia Network's Joanna Gaines is known for her stylish interiors and remodels encapsulating her trademark modern farmhouse style. The style itself is often fairly minimalistic, with small touches and accents that add personality and dimension without being too cluttered or overwhelming. This is especially true in kitchens, which can often be the hardest room in the home to keep clean and tidy. Storage, food preparations, and kitchen essentials often make it hard to keep counters organized and free of clutter. In a recent video for Target, Gaines discussed some of her approaches to keeping a kitchen counter clutter-free, which include keeping beautiful objects arranged strategically and attractively on the counter and putting away all but the essentials

The approach can be seen in the rooms she designs, which allow the eye to focus on the details while still keeping what you need close by. It also informs items in Gaines' Hearth & Hand collection with Target, which allows you to purchase decorative objects, containers, and utensils like those that Gaines uses. 

The key to keeping counters free of the clutter that can accumulate is to clear all but the essentials according to Joanna Gaines. This means having sufficient kitchen storage elsewhere to tuck things away that are less frequently needed or unattractive, as well as finding stylish crocks, cannisters, baskets, vessels, and other containers to corral smaller objects and ingredients or keep them out of sight.

This also may mean searching out things that have a double duty, as recommended in Gaine's book Homebody, like a cute charger plate or cutting/breadboard that can serve as a charger or tray for other smaller objects, or cookbooks that can serve as both reading material and risers for objects on the counter. Objects with dual use mean less stuff in general on the counter, making it easier to both keep the counters clean and free of debris and give a more orderly look to the kitchen overall. 

Joanna Gaines discusses her love of creating small tableaux on the counter as a way to group items attractively, which can keep the number of items from becoming overwhelming visually since the eye has a spot to rest in the room around the tableaux. By placing a cute cutting board against the wall with a candle or attractive crock, you can create small decor moments that give the room personality and style but feel much less cluttered than a barrage of items all spread out.

It also helps to keep the attractiveness of objects in mind, finding the things that are both beautiful and useful when it comes to aesthetics. Attractive objects that fit with your decor scheme keep the room looking focused and intentional, becoming small art and decor moments rather than just visible storage or stuff that looks like it just randomly landed there. Objects like Hearth & Hand's  Stoneware Utensil Holder or Wooden Pedestal Lazy Susan can reinforce your style while also being useful.