Avoid This Popular Kitchen Island Decor Choice Before It Leads To Regret

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Unless you have the space for two kitchen islands (and kudos to you), the countertop you have is high-value real estate. It's a work surface, storage area, and display space all wrapped up in one, but that only means you need to be able to alternate between its uses quickly and easily. Given how often you'll be using it, you may want to avoid heavy or fragile display pieces before they lead to regret.

In an interview with Home & Gardens, interior designer Kathy Kuo spoke about the risks of having difficult-to-move display pieces on a kitchen island. Heavy items are a pain to rearrange when making space for the more functional side of your island. This type of decor, like a ceramic vase or potted plant, may even scratch your surfaces, particularly if you have marble countertops in your kitchen. Fragile displays simply aren't meant to move around, as anytime you shuffle their positions, you run the risk of making a larger mess. "I would advise making sure that any decorative items are easy to move and won't get damaged if they accidentally take a meeting with the kitchen floor," the expert shared.  

Kuo also stressed the importance of multifunctional displays. In today's world of kitchenware, there is a cornucopia of options that are both functional and beautiful, fulfilling vital roles in your kitchen routines. Even if you don't use them every time you cook, many are easy to move or tuck away into a cupboard until they're ready to beautify your space once again. 

Whether you have a kitchen island or an alternative countertop like a cook's table, finding that right piece of decor — one that marries functionality with beauty, is sturdy but not too heavy, and matches your other items — is a challenge. But when you finally discover the perfect display that fulfills a storage or utility need, it's always worth the search.

While a flower vase may seem like a great display piece, even the most moderately sized ones take up space without offering anything in return. Instead, consider a nice crock, urn, or other decorative vessel with enough room to hold your cooking utensils. This potentially frees up counter space next to your stove or oven, while making your spoons and spatulas easier to locate (which means no more digging through drawers). If you still want to incorporate larger display pieces, consider decorative jars that hold flour, salt, and other regularly needed ingredients. 

While small, standing photographs and art may look nice on your island, you certainly never want to get them dirty. Rather than risk tarnishing a cherished memory, try out a cookbook stand, holding one of your favorite volumes with an attractive cover. These make it easy to reference a recipe while you prep your ingredients and can be easily folded up and put aside when you need more space. If you have a more modern way of accessing recipes, tablet stands are also quite cheap and specifically designed to be moved and stored.