How to store fruit on a kitchen island? Piled or spaced on in a bowl?

I put bananas, avocados, & peaches in the fruit bowl -- in a bit of a jumble, I'm afraid -- not stacked. Lemons/limes, apples, berries, oranges, grapes etc all go in the fridge.

Until they're ripe, I put them in a single layer stem side down. Once they're ripe, I refrigerate them (to keep the fruit flies away).

Hi Marcy! We're big fans of the storage solution this Emile Henry ceramic bowl offers for fruit: https://food52.com/shop/products/6361-emile-henry-french-ceramic-storage-bowl?sku=19169&gclid=CjwKCAjwn6GGBhADEiwAruUcKsCU0hadMb1aN1q5qnQkPDahGSTUi5ipIBjSfVrmpxa4iUc1PghczhoC4UkQAvD_BwE. There are two layers of storage—up top and beneath the cork lid. And the lid was inspired by a handy trick: people would toss wine corks in their fruit bowls to absorb extra moisture and keep fruit flies away!

If they are delicate and prone to molding, I definitely keep them in a single layer. Most of the stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots) would fall in this category.

For thick skinned fruits and vegetables, it matters less but invariably the one buried in the center of a heap ripens first so I usually end up trying to keep them in a single layer anyhow.