23 Beautiful Kitchen Counter Decorations That Are Actually Useful

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Is there anything more satisfying than an aesthetically pleasing kitchen? Designing a kitchen with your own style preferences in mind only makes culinary creativity all the more enjoyable. It's no surprise, then, that the market is rife with kitchen decor. If you're outfitting a particularly small space (or, like some of us, you just have a plethora of kitchen equipment), decor can seem too superfluous to play any real role, and you might stay away from buying it altogether. 

Fortunately, not all kitchen decor is purely decorative. When designing an aesthetically pleasing kitchen in tight quarters, functional decor will be your best friend. You know what we're talking about — decorative tea kettles that do actually heat up water, utensil crocks that are as eye-catching as any vase of flowers, or even fruit bowls that are marvels in themselves. Choosing pieces of decor that are multifunctional will maximize and beautify any small space. Looking to do a kitchen makeover? Don't go in blind; we found some functional kitchen decor pieces that can spark some creative inspo (and one or two will probably make it into your cart).

We'll start off with the basics — if you are ever hand-wash dishes (because, yes, sometimes hand-washing is better), you'll need a spot to let them dry before they go back in the cupboard. You could get an eyesore of a wire dish drying rack that will take up precious space, or you can get a sleek and cute dish drying mat, like Ohocut's Checkered Dish Drying Mat. It comes in multiple colors, including black, lilac, pink, and green, and its slim design makes it easy to store away when not in use. If the above isn't exactly your cup of tea, there are a plethora on the market, so you're bound to find one that suits your style. 

Purchase the Ohocut Checkered Dish Drying Mat on Amazon for $12.99.

Matcha fans, if you don't already have a cute matcha bowl and whisk set, it's time. A matcha set can not only help keep your matcha from clumping, but when you buy the right one, it can be a centerpiece of any tea and coffee corner. Tang Pin's Matcha Set, which comes with a bowl, whisk, whisk holder, and matcha scoop, is both gorgeous and functional. It also comes in three colors — green, mottled green, and white — to fit in with nearly any kitchen design. Moreover, Tang Pin sources its sets directly from DeHua and Jingdezhen craftsmen, so there's no cultural appropriation with this buy. 

Purchase the Tang Pin Matcha Set on Amazon for $34.95.

Sometimes, you need a place to store weird odds and ends. Maybe you're in possession of a bunch of unsightly fast food condiment packets, or you want somewhere to put all those stray packets of tea, or you just need a new cookie jar. Grab a set of matching canisters, like this TTU Tabletops Gallery Ceramic Canister Collection, for a stylish way to hide any kitchen tidbits you don't want to leave lying around. In addition to the white set above, the company also offers a cute set decorated with green leaves. If you don't have use for all three in your kitchen, feel free to scatter them around the house to hold whatever suits your fancy. 

Purchase the TTU Tabletops Gallery Ceramic Canister Collection on Amazon for $57.50.

Friends, it's high time you ditched those mismatched plastic spice containers for a sleek, elegant set that would look gorgeous on any open shelf. Sets like the Saiool Glass Spice Jars Set are a great solution for any herbal storage needs, whether you need somewhere to put looseleaf tea or you want your turmeric on display in all its golden-hued glory. Matching spice jars are one of our favorite ways to functionally decorate a kitchen — they effortlessly elevate the room without just taking up space. The company also offers sets of different-sized jars should you want to store things like dried pasta, brown sugar, or flour. 

Purchase the Saiool Glass Spice Jars Set on Amazon for $27.99.

If your tea kettle is on your stovetop all the time anyway, it's a pure disservice to yourself not to invest in a cute one, like Top Tier's Cast Iron Teapot. The one pictured above is just one of several colors and designs the company offers, so there's a good bet you can find one fitting whatever your personal style may be. As a bonus, this is a relatively small teapot, so it won't take up too much space should you have a crowded kitchen.

Purchase the Top Tier Cast Iron Teapot on Amazon for $29.99.

We've all been there — you have a bottle of soap right behind your sink, and it seems to always be sitting in a puddle of water. Fortunately, there's a simple (and inexpensive) solution in the form of Renawe's Small Kitchen Sink Soap Tray, which can hold a bottle of soap, a small candle, a tiny vase of flowers, or any other decorative tidbit you may want to put on it. The tray comes in several sizes and three colors — brown, black, or white — to effortlessly fit into any kitchen aesthetic.

Purchase the Renawe Small Kitchen Sink Soap Tray on Amazon for $13.95.

If your space is downright tiny, vertical storage should be your best friend. You can start capitalizing on that empty wall space with Horpait's 3-Tier Hanging Fruit Basket. It's deliciously cute and a great solution to storing onions, potatoes, apples, bananas, or any other kitchen staples you can't find a space for. Hang it on a wall or even behind a door for some functional decor that takes up hardly any space at all. Personally, we'd be buying multiple to use as decorative vertical storage all over a tiny house. 

Purchase the Horpait 3-Tier Hanging Fruit Basket on Amazon for $49.99.

If you've ever made a recipe from a cookbook, you've undoubtedly dealt with trying to keep it open to the right page while also keeping it out of the way of your food prep. That will no longer be an issue with Puersi's Wooden Cookbook Holder. It holds your cookbook at a slight angle, making it easy to read, and it keeps it off the counter, protecting the pages from any splatters or spills. It's obviously functional, but it's also stylish — we'd keep an aesthetically pleasing cookbook on this 24/7, even on nights when we're ordering pizza for dinner. 

Purchase the Puersi Wooden Cookbook Holder on Amazon for $12.99.

Heat-sensitive countertop owners, we're about to make your life way easier. You may already have a trivet or two, but we're willing to bet they're not as cute as Cazzon's Heat Resistant Trivets (that also come with a storage basket). Trivets might seem like too small of an essential item to worry about, but the next time you're hosting a family-style dinner party, you'll appreciate that these aren't an eyesore on your otherwise gorgeous table design. You won't even be mad if you have to store them on the counter when not in use — they're as decorative a piece as any other. 

Purchase the Cazzon Heat Resistant Trivets on Amazon for $16.99.

It's totally okay if you don't have enough drawer space for all your kitchen utensils. There's no shortage of countertop utensil holders on the market, and we think Le Tauci's Ceramic Kitchen Utensil Holders are particularly sleek. This set comes in multiple colors, most of them neutral, allowing your otherwise unsightly utensils to blend into the background of any kitchen setup. Use the larger size for spatulas and whisks and the smaller for stray silverware, measuring cups, teaspoons, peelers, and any other kitchen odds and ends. 

Purchase the Le Tauci Ceramic Kitchen Utensil Holders on Amazon for $19.99.

Whether you use a butter dish or a butter crock, there's no reason not to have one that's stylish. Alelion's Countertop Butter Dish With Lid and Knife comes in five different colors — white, black, pink, red, and teal — and features an airtight seal to keep your butter fresh for longer. Our favorite thing is the matching butter knife that has its own spot in the lid of the dish — no more digging around for a knife when all yours are dirty. Its inconspicuous design won't draw a visitor's eye, but if your guest does happen to notice it, they'll probably be asking you where they can get one, too. 

Purchase the Alelion Countertop Butter Dish With Lid and Knife on Amazon for $14.44.

Whether you are or aren't a proponent of kitchen rugs, we can all agree that standing on a hard floor for hours on end isn't exactly a pleasant experience. Ditch the rug debate and go for Collive's Set of 2 Non-Skid Kitchen Mats instead, which are waterproof and made with memory foam. The anti-fatigue mats will keep your feet from getting tired even when you're cooking for hours on end (trust us, your feet will thank you). Plus, they come in a set of two to cover virtually any small kitchen.

Purchase the Collive Set of 2 Non-Skid Kitchen Mats on Amazon for $29.99.

Budding coffee aficionados, listen up: Your coffee deserves a featured spot on your kitchen counter where it can sit on proud display. To that end, an eye-catching coffee setup is simply a necessity, and it doesn't have to break the bank. Siqolny's Glass Coffee Containers with Wooden Shelf offer a sleek way to show off your favorite beans even after you've gotten the day's caffeine fix, although we won't blame you if this set keeps you making cup after cup (use one canister for decaf, maybe?). Plus, we love that it comes with a cute matching coffee scoop.

Purchase the Siqolny Glass Coffee Containers With Wooden Shelf on Amazon for $39.99.

Making homemade coffee syrups is one thing — storing them is another. If you've gone to the effort to make your own syrups, it's only fitting to show them off in cute, sleek syrup dispensers. Molimoli's Glass Syrup Dispensers come with sets of pre-made labels that cover most common syrup flavors, as well as two blank ones should you get ultra-creative with your syrup craft. They come in gold, black, and silver, and you can get a set with a decorative tray, too. These would look particularly at home on open shelves in a coffee nook, but whatever you do, don't hide them in a cabinet. 

Purchase the Molimoli Glass Syrup Dispensers on Amazon for $25.49. 

Another decorative (and functional) tea kettle is a splurge, but if you can spare the money, you won't regret it. Mackenzie-Childs' Enamel Whistling Tea Kettle is simply stunning, and it comes in four different checkered colors or one gorgeous floral pattern. You'll find yourself making tea on the daily just to use this eye-catching stainless steel kettle, which will probably never make its way behind cupboard doors — it's too pretty to hide away. Our final sticking point? It whistles, so you'll know your water is ready no matter what room of the house you're lounging in. 

Purchase the Mackenzie-Childs Enamel Whistling Tea Kettle on Amazon for $179.95.

Yes, even your paper towels deserve a stylish home so they're not a complete eyesore on your kitchen counter. That's where Kitchen Details' Geode Paper Towel Holder comes into play. You can get it in gold, chrome, or copper, and it'll keep your paper towels from looking like just another piece of kitchen clutter. This is far from the only decorative paper towel holder on the market, though, so feel free to shop around for one that suits your space. 

Purchase the Kitchen Details Geode Paper Towel Holder on Amazon for $10.99.

Whether you're serving wine, sangria, mimosas, or just a big pitcher of iced tea, there's no reason not to serve it in something gorgeous, like Elle Decor's Ribbed Glass Carafe. We like the clear color, but there are also blue and pink versions of the carafe if your kitchen has more of a pastel color scheme. It's not huge, so it won't take up too much counter space, and it can serve dual function as a vase for flowers when you're not using it for beverages — but, let's be honest, we're sure this carafe will be pretty occupied during prime brunch season. 

Purchase the Elle Decor Ribbed Glass Carafe on Amazon for $9.99.

Personally, we think every kitchen should have a decorative bowl. This is typically a great spot to store fruits, but if you shop right, your bowl can be purely decorative when empty, as with YMXYJM's Large Decorative Ruffle Bowl. This is a great kitchen centerpiece — whether or not you're using it for storage, it won't look out of place on any kitchen counter (or, honestly, any other room in your house that needs a frilly touch).

Purchase the YMXYJM Large Decorative Ruffle Bowl on Amazon for $44.49.

If you ask us, something this gorgeous is only deserving of the best soy sauce, but we won't blame you if you fill it with your go-to bottle from the store. Particularly if you find yourself frequently cooking Asian cuisine, something like Upkoch's Ceramic Japanese Shoyu Soy Sauce Dispenser will be an invaluable addition to your kitchen. It makes for a much more eye-pleasing addition to your dinner table than a plastic bottle of soy sauce, but maybe opt for a low-sodium version — you'll hardly be able to stop yourself from pouring more when this is on the table. 

Purchase the Upkoch Ceramic Japanese Shoyu Soy Sauce Dispenser on Amazon for $28.09.

If you're super into coffee and haven't already discovered the Fellow brand, allow us to introduce you. The brand manufactures aesthetically pleasing, durable, fantastically functional coffee equipment, and Fellow's Electric Kettle is only the tip of the iceberg — you can also get gooseneck kettles and burr grinders from the brand to outfit your coffee counter. The kettle comes in five neutral colors and is worth the steep price point (I, a Fellow fanatic and longtime barista, will vouch for the brand endlessly and emphatically). Its temperature dial and electric display allow for easy control over your water temperature. 

Purchase the Fellow Electric Kettle on Amazon for $195.

Should you be in the market for a cute electric kettle but find Fellow doesn't exactly fit your style, Smeg offers some variation. Any retro-inspired kitchen will seamlessly incorporate Smeg's Electric Kettle into its design, and it comes in a whopping eight colors: cream, black, blue, green, pink, red, silver, and white. This piece is a decoration in its own right — honestly, the fact that it's also actually functional is really just a bonus in our eyes, and if you can shell out some big bucks on a charming design, you won't go wrong with this one.

Purchase the Smeg Electric Kettle on Amazon for $219.95.

Is a honey dipper a necessity? Probably not. It is, however, a whimsical and cute addition to any kitchen that also serves a function. A design like Mageeki's Ceramic Honey Jar With Dipper is a great springtime piece of decor, and the butterfly-speckled jar comes in three colors: blue, red, and yellow. This will find its way to your table at practically every meal, but certainly during breakfast and brunch, where it can give the perfect finishing touch to piles of pancakes and bowls of fruit salad. Use it unscrupulously – just don't double-dip in your honey!

Purchase the Mageeki Ceramic Honey Jar With Dipper on Amazon for $13.99.

You already have a set of mixing bowls, but they spend too much of their time hiding away in your baking cabinet. If you want a multi-functional set of bowls that you can use for storage, mixing, or even just as a big movie night popcorn bowl, you won't go wrong with KooK's Ceramic Mixing Bowls Set. Each bowl boasts a white and beige color scheme with slightly different patterns, and we love the whimsy that varied patterns offer to an otherwise cohesive design. You certainly don't have to have these on display all the time, but you'll probably be finding unnecessary uses to keep these in the center of your kitchen action.

Purchase the KooK Ceramic Mixing Bowls on Amazon for $47.45.