Walnut Butcher Block

Cook in Style with Beautiful Kitchen Furniture

Finding the right kitchen furniture for your home can be a challenge, but with a little forethought and planning, you can outfit your kitchen with beautiful furniture that is also functional. Here is how to get your kitchen organized and looking beautiful so that you can cook in style any day of the week.

Take stock of your needs

Before you start shopping, consider your needs. Take a few minutes to think about your ideal kitchen, and how it compares with the kitchen that you are currently using. Do you need more counter space or a portable island? Or maybe you would like a place to show off that gorgeous set of cookware you splurged on last month? Whether you need more storage, more display space or a place to sit and drink your morning coffee, you might find the following beautiful pieces will suit your kitchen perfectly.

Consider work flow first

Think about the way you work in your kitchen. Do you need food prep space next to your stove so you can chop vegetables? Will a kitchen island impede the path from the refrigerator to the stove? Do you have wall space for storage racks or a sideboard? Where is the best spot for a sideboard?

Do not forget to consider overhead space and wall space as well as floor space. Hanging pot racks are attractive and can come in handy, especially if you have handsome cookware. You can choose from a variety of styles that will work with your kitchen décor, a simple square natural wood ceiling rack is perfect in a classic white and oak kitchen, whereas a graphite pot rack in square or oval shapes can fit into just about any kitchen style. There are even wall mounted pot racks if your ceilings are too low to allow for a ceiling hung pot rack.

Think about organization and storage

A butcher block kitchen island can add more than counter space to your kitchen. An attractive wooden kitchen island can add additional storage for your pantry needs, or hold your dishware in open racks. For the upscale kitchen with rock maple, consider a high end portable kitchen island like the Island Europa Kitchen Island with Storage Drawers. This stylish piece of furniture has open storage shelves, deep storage drawers, removable cutting boards and locking caster wheels for easy portability.

If your budget is a bit more restricted, you can still find a beautiful kitchen cart that fits the bill for both organization and storage. The Catskill Craftsman Foldaway Cabinet Kitchen Cart takes up just 21 inches of wall space, but the drop leaf ends on either side of the cart expand the available counter space to 48 inches. It includes a closed cabinet storage compartment with two shelves, and enough space to serve a meal for two.

Add shelves and display space to your kitchen with racks and shelves

Bakers’ racks are still in style, which is a good thing. Originally meant to cool cakes and pies in busy kitchens, baker’s racks became hot kitchen décor items in the early 90s. These days, you can find dozens of models and styles of bakers’ racks, and one of them is bound to fit perfectly into your kitchen. They range in style from scrolled iron baker’s racks that are at home in the fanciest French Provincial style to pewter and wood styles that fit right into the most ultra modern contemporary kitchen. You can even choose a narrow baker’s rack to fit into a tight space between two windows, or a corner style backer’s rack to tuck against the wall near the kitchen door.

Utility racks and special use furniture for your kitchen can complete the style

Every cook has their own special needs, and you can find specialized kitchen furniture to meet most of these needs. Specialty kitchen furniture includes wine racks, kitchen sideboards, utility carts, microwave carts and trash bins. You can easily find entire coordinated sets so that all of your kitchen furniture matches, or you can choose to mix and match to create your own style.

Wine racks are among the most unique and versatile pieces of kitchen and dining furniture that you can find. From a simple natural wood ceiling/wall 8-bottle wine rack that is a perfect match for the square wood and metal hanging pot rack, to a hand-painted rouge and walnut wine accent chest that stands on its own among any fine furniture you can name, you can find wine storage and glassware storage options that make a stylish, gourmet statement in your kitchen.

Microwave carts and utility carts range in styles from wooden butcher block construction to fanciful bent-iron carts complete with wicker baskets. Trash bins and utility carts, as well as dinette sets and kitchen breakfast bars can all come together to create a stylish, comfortable kitchen that is organized to work the way that you want it to.

About the Author

Sandy Darson is a freelance writer and blogger who writes about decorating, often focusing on items for one room such as kitchen furniture .

Butcher Block Countertop - Finish