I truly believe that the kitchen is the heart of a home. It’s always been one of my favorite rooms in a house. You want your kitchen to be warm, inviting, but also still look clean and organized. I’m going to share some of my favorite decorative kitchen pieces that will add warmth to your space, without creating a cluttered look!

Decorative Kitchen Accents

Soap

If you’re going to have your soap out on the counter, you want it to look chic right? For hand soap I love Aesop Reverence which has a slight grain texture in it and makes your hands so soft, and then Tangent GC’s Yuzu or Oud scent. Both are clean products and smell amazing, plus the bottles are very sleek. For dish soap I swear by Murchison Hume Fig which is also a clean product. It comes in a big bottle that looks great on the counter. I just found out they have a matching hand soap so I may have to get that next!

Trays

This marble tray is so pretty to have underneath your soap (also really into the black.) I’d even use it to hold salt and pepper shakers, or as a decorative piece for a candle and a bowl of matches. I love the way rattan trays look out on the counter. You could put a vase of flowers in the corner of it, or even a bowl of fruit and veggies. Also really into this vintage wood board with feet for displaying kitchen accessories and this antique silver tray.

Bowls

It’s perfectly fine to mix and match bowls on the counter – actually you should! Don’t be afraid to use white bowls, black bowls, wood bowls… If you’re going to use a patterned bowl – I love these from Humble Ceramics (many of you ask about these when I share them – they don’t look green in person), these Sarah Kersten speckled bowls (on my wish list!), and these enamel splatter bowls (so reasonable.) Use large bowls on the counter for fruit, veggies, or even these cool beads that I had in my LA kitchen. These beads are great for a smaller bowl and/or kitchen.

Cutting Boards

I wish I had enough space to store a million wood cutting boards in my kitchen. I can’t get enough of them! They look gorgeous in various types of wood and sizes all along your kitchen backsplash. Simply lean them on the backsplash, hang them, or keep them lying out on the counter. If we are talking practical cutting boards to do actual cooking on – you can’t go wrong with the chef’s favorite; Boos board (it’s quite large FYI.) In terms of decorative cutting boards and cheese boards – you can’t go wrong with any from McGee and Co, Anecdote, or Williams Sonoma.

Dish Towels

I’m a sucker for a classic dish towel and have been using these for the past decade. I do like a Turkish towel too – but they’re definitely less functional due to how thin they are.

Bulletin Board

Bulletin boards are great in some kitchens. I had one in my LA house and it was ideal for invitations, polaroids, memos etc. They don’t work in every kitchen or style of home though so treat this on a case by case basis! For example, a bulletin board in my NYC kitchen would just look cluttered and kind of tacky haha. So use your discerning eye when choosing one. My favorite bulletin board is from Ballard Designs – it’s burlap and super classic.

Rugs

My Turkish rug pictured above was from a random Etsy shop. Most of my rugs are from Etsy believe it or not. They’re so affordable and have a really authentic vintage look (because they are!) If you’ve got hardwood floors, a colorful Turkish rug looks beautiful. I also love a simple jute rug, or a black and white stripe one.

Candles

For the kitchen, you don’t want a super floral or sweet scent (at least I personally don’t!) A more woodsy type of scent is ideal to blend in with whatever you’re cooking. I recommend this palo santo infused candle from Goop.

Vases

A simple clear vase always works for the kitchen, but I am obsessed with the look of a vintage ceramic vessel. Athena Calderone of Eye Swoon (one of my design idols!) always uses this one which is incredible. Linking a few that caught my eye below.

PS I’ll be doing a separate post with my favorite cookbooks, plates and silverware next! Shop all of my favorite kitchen decor below!