Ina Garten's Tip For A Beautiful Yet Meaningful Kitchen Design

For many people, a kitchen should feel comfortable and reflect their personality, especially given how many hours a day are spent there. Nobody knows this better than Ina Garten, who puts just as much thought into her kitchen organization and design as she does her fan-favorite recipes. Her number one tip is to only use decorative items that are also functional. Aesthetically pleasing pieces are wonderful to have around, but if they serve no purpose beyond looks, they run the risk of becoming obstacles and liabilities in a high-traffic area.

Functional decor is all about expressing yourself in a practical and useful way. Large serving dishes and trays can be a pain to store, so Ina Garten suggests putting them front and center. You can prop them up on a kitchen shelf behind other stacked items or on your countertops against the wall. They'll breathe life into the room without causing chaos. What's more, these pieces don't have to break the bank. Dollar store hacks are a great way to declutter your kitchen, letting you DIY your space to your exact liking and even get other household members in on the fun. Fine china and dinnerware can be nerve-wracking to pack away given their fragility and difficulty to replace, so people often take the cautious route and store them safely far away, but in turn never use them. With Garten's approach, these items can be proudly displayed and used frequently, of course with the appropriate care.

Kitchen shelves do a lot of heavy lifting, both literally and figuratively. To maximize their potential, Ina Garten has some golden rules. The first is to play with silhouettes. While uniformity and matching heights have their value, Garten contends that mixing things up can add a lot of character to your shelves. Items with different heights will draw the eye around, making sure each piece gets the attention it deserves and nothing is glossed over. Additionally, non-dinnerware items are a great way to inject personality into your kitchen, and Garten's top recommendation is books.

There are a number of cookbooks Garten leans on for inspiration, and this is also a great way to store your books in a place that's both easily accessible and attractive for others to peruse or borrow. Other ideas include vases or small table centerpieces that don't have a permanent spot on your table but that you like to bring out regularly. Garten suggests sticking to a small color palette, which ties the room together even if the items themselves differ in size and height.