17 Kitchen Items That Sabotage Its Coziness

In the past, kitchens were just a utilitarian place, separate from all of the other rooms in the house. In kitchens, people only cooked food, and then they ate their meals in their dining rooms or bedrooms. But now, things are different: in the kitchen, we cook our meals, we eat them, we talk to our family and friends, and we even work. It’s a very important room in the house that deserves to be well-decorated.

We at Bright Side got tired of looking at other people’s homes online and wanted to make our own places attractive. Sometimes, we just need to get rid of some of the little things that make the place look messy and ruin all the coziness we’re trying to create.

1. Food out in the open

It’s really convenient when you don’t need to go to the basement to get some potatoes or onions, but storing them right in the middle of the kitchen is not a good idea. This way, we make the place look messy and we might actually spoil the food. Potatoes go bad very fast at room temperature and under direct sunlight, they lose some of their good qualities. It’s better to store any food where people can’t see it.

2. “Naked” window

The right curtains can transform the look of any room, and the kitchen is no exception. But regular long curtains are not a good idea — they will absorb the smells, get dirty, and look terrible. It’s better to use those in the dining room, but the places where you make food look better with Roman curtains or blinds.

They look perfect, they are easy to clean, and they don’t look like an office. Don’t buy the models made of cotton, linen, silk, or other materials that can’t stand moisture and easily lose their color.

3. Windowsill garden

Many people grow onions and other things in their kitchens. There’s nothing wrong with that, but many people have them in plastic containers that don’t make the place look nice at all. Why not buy some better-looking reservoirs? You can plant onions in a nice pot with soil or a decorative reservoir with water and pebbles.

4. Different and old-looking cutting boards

In the kitchen, you should have 2 cutting boards — one for meat and one for vegetables. It’s recommended to replace them right after you start to see some damage on them. It’s not only healthy, but also attractive because cutting boards with dents, cuts, and dirt look ugly. What really makes the place cozy are good-quality wooden boards. More than that, they don’t break your knives like boards made of glass and metal do and they are way more durable than the popular bamboo.

5. Tons of stuff on the microwave oven

This mess not only makes the place look bad, but also negatively affects the device itself. All this stuff may prevent the door from closing the way it should and block the ventilation holes, which means the air in the oven won’t circulate properly. If you like to store stuff there, buy a special cover with pockets.

6. Old or mismatched sugar and spice bowls

Spices should be kept in reservoirs that are firmly closed, and old boxes and jars are not the right places. They don’t look good either. You don’t need any really expensive sets — cheap ones can also look great. For example, you can put the spices into glass flasks and put them into a wooden box. Or you can put them into jars with bright labels and arrange them on a magnetic board.

Sugar bowls should be made of porcelain or stainless steel which are both durable and good-looking.

7. Really old kitchen towels

Cheap towels shed their threads and get so crumpled after washing that they are impossible to iron. Choose good-quality fabrics, ideally, cotton or microfiber. The color can be anything that you want — from classic white to contrasting geometric prints. What matters is how the towel looks in the kitchen’s overall interior design.

8. Dish soap

The bottles themselves are okay, but they don’t contribute to making the kitchen look cozy. You can buy special bottles that look way better than regular bottles. Also, you could hide the dish soap under the sink where nobody can see it.

9. Used teabags left near the sink

Some people leave wet tea bags on their kitchen surfaces. This is not attractive at all, and it’s better to buy a ceramic plate for this.

10. Plastic containers from different sets

Some kinds of plastic contain chemicals that may be dangerous for your health (for example, potentially dangerous bisphenol A). Besides, plastic containers are not durable: they are easily scratched, their surfaces become dark, and they deform at high temperatures. Also, piles of containers on the countertops don’t make the kitchen look any better.

Instead, you can buy glass containers to store food.

11. Messy sponges and cloths

You can’t avoid using them, but you can at least make them look neat. There are sponge holders that are really cheap, but they instantly transform the entire look of your sink area. If you have a deep sink, you can hide the holder — there are models that can be attached to the inside wall of the sink.

12. Duplicate kitchen utensils

We often buy new kitchen utensils and forget to throw the old ones away. Or we think that we will definitely use 2 wooden spoons and the half dozen spatulas that we have sitting in a coffee cup on the counter. It’s better to remove the duplicates — once you do this, the whole place will shine.

When you are cleaning up, ask yourself, “Do I use this thing?” or “Does it make my life any simpler?” If the answer is no, throw it away. It’s also good to check all the drawers and get rid of all the things you don’t use.

13. Bread baskets

Baskets look appropriate in many interiors, but let’s face it: bread goes bad much faster when it’s open and every time you move the basket, crumbs get all over the place. A good bread box is both practical and looks good. Besides, there are models with a drawer that can be used to collect all the crumbs.

14. Old oven mitts

Oven mitts have hard lives: they are burned and covered in stains that are almost impossible to remove. Silicone tools are way better. Besides, they come in many different colors, they are easy to wash, and they are pretty durable.

We recommend the models with an inside lining — they are better for high temperatures and they are nice to touch.

15. People’s bowls and plates for pets

Having “human” bowls all over the floor looks weird. Besides, our pets love taking the food out of the bowl and playing with it.

We think that every cat and dog should have their own personal bowls that make it hard to play with the food inside. You can also buy special non-slip mats to prevent the bowls from turning over.

16. Cabinetry that is unfinished at the bottom

A lot of dirt and dust piles up under the legs of this kitchen furniture. And obviously, if you can see this, it will look as if you’ve never cleaned the kitchen. You can solve the problem by installing a baseboard under the cabinetry. You can order this plank from a hardware store or make it yourself. Also, if you have enough space, you could install a drawer there.

17. Small but noticeable flaws

Even small things like old light bulbs or a ripped piece of wallpaper affect the look and the atmosphere of the room. The author of this article had their kitchen’s countertop trim unfinished in the corners and the flaws were really annoying. It seems like a small thing, but it looks terrible. To get rid of the problem, you just need a glue gun and 5 minutes of free time.

What would you add to the list of things that ruin the appearance of a kitchen?