How to Create the Kitchen Counter Nook of Your Dreams

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The kitchen is a sacred space for avid home cooks, and within this space, there’s rarely a spot that receives more careful consideration than the countertop nook. What precisely belongs in this nook—and what it should look like—varies depending on who you talk to. We know Ina Garten, for example, keeps a row of cookbooks, handy utensils, glass bowls, and a speaker on her marble countertop. For others, it might be the ideal space to keep their most-used ingredients (salt, olive oil, and the like) nearby for easy access. In any case, the kitchen nook reflects what’s important to each individual, like functionality, design, organization, or some combination of all three. “A person's countertop kitchen nook says much about them, even more so than their astrology chart,” says Dominique Evans, Food52’s Social Content Creator. “It shows what they use daily, giving you a little peek into their cooking style.” Whether you’re curating a kitchen nook from scratch or just giving yours a spring refresh, this is a great place to start.

Madison Trapkin, Food52’s Associate Editor—whose works also encompasses food and prop styling—is no stranger to the kitchen nook. “Our kitchen is small, so basically everything is a nook of sorts,” she says. “I think it's important to identify the things that would be most useful in that space—do you need a coffee station? A condiment spot? Toast Town, USA?” Once you’ve decided on a clear purpose for that particular space, you can have fun picking and choosing items that suit its needs.

In her kitchen, Madison has three nooks: one for coffee, tea, wine, and cookbooks, one (located next to the stove) for salt, pepper, olive oil, and alliums, and one featuring a Smeg toaster, vintage butter dish, and colorful Hay tins filled with pantry essentials.

For Food Editor Emily Ziemski, the role of the kitchen nook is to store her most-used kitchen items in a way that feels organized and tidy, while still pleasing to the eye. “I have a section next to the stove that has my squeeze bottle of olive oil, my salt crock, my go-to vinegar (Acid League, of course), and whatever few spices are ‘trending’ in my kitchen,” she explains.

Emily also recommends keeping a small knife block or strip for your most-used knives, like your chef’s knife and paring knife, along with a wooden butcher block, which serves as a default, easy-to-clean work surface. “Basically, I try to keep things tidy and organized, so when I’m cooking and looking at my nook, my brain is happy,” she says. “The goal…is to work with whatever is going to make your kitchen a safe and happy space to be in.”

As important as it is for one’s kitchen nook to be functional, it should also be beautiful—in whatever way that means for you. “My little kitchen nook is a place that keeps me organized but also highlights some of my favorite products that are equally delicious and beautiful,” explains Dominique. Beside her containers of finishing salt, Brightland olive oil, and vinegar, she keeps “a small handmade bowl [she] got from Mexico City” and a “neutral-colored cruet from a local artist in Washington, DC,” which she uses to store avocado oil. For easy access, she keeps her KitchenAid Stand Mixer and her wooden block of Five Two knives nearby, too.

“I like to pick the most colorful gadgets and appliances I can, so you won't find any stainless-steel coffee makers or standard black cooking tools here,” says Madison, of her approach to these precious kitchen countertop spaces. “You've only got a small amount of room when it comes to these nooks, so buy a vintage butter dish you love or a fancy salt well or colorful mugs. Have fun with it!”

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What do you keep in your kitchen nook? Tell us in the comments below!