The kitchen is the most used space in the house, and the space's functionality is more important than any other home area. However, this doesn't mean that the kitchen must only be practical. Here are simple ways to elevate your kitchen to make it beautiful and functional.

1/ Clear your countertop

Minimizing the items on your countertop will make your kitchen look much more organized and give you more countertop space. Put away any small appliances and items you don't use daily in the cabinet. Keep your spices and oil bottles in the drawer or cabinet near the stove. Put flatware in the drawer near the dining table. Everything does not have to be on the countertop to be functional. Think of your workflow and utilize the drawers and cabinet as much as possible.

2/ Keep your kitchen tools and decor in a consistent color concept

The mismatched colors of the kitchen tools and accessories like canisters, and oil bottles, make the space look cluttered. For example, if you have a farmhouse-style kitchen, you can use white and wood as primary concept colors and unify your kitchen tools and accessories accordingly. My house is a minimal modern style, so I chose black and gray as the primary colors for my kitchen. All my utensils and small appliances are either black or gray.

3/ Use your small appliance and essential kitchen items as decor for your kitchen

Use high-quality, well-designed small appliances such as a toaster, coffee maker, or standing mixer to style your kitchen. Doing this can minimize extra decor accessories and save more space on your countertop. It is functional and adds visual interest to the area. Invest in quality appliances to upgrade your countertop into something you will see in a magazine while still having a kitchen that you can use. For my kitchen, I had to buy a new toaster and I purchased a Breville toaster. It is a splurge for me (my husband asked me, "do you have to spend that much on a toaster?"), but it makes me so happy every time I use it. It looks great as decor and toasts bread perfectly!

image source: Crate & Barrel

4/ Add greenery to your kitchen

Greenery is a must in every space of your home. It improves air quality, softens the space, and creates a warm and inviting kitchen. You can have your favorite herb garden in your kitchen and easily pluck fresh herbs to season your dishes. If your kitchen doesn’t get enough natural light to grow a plant or you’re not good at keeping the plants alive, consider adding artificial plants instead. There are a lot of artificial plants that look almost real. My tip is to choose artificial greenery rather than artificial flowers since the flowers often look too fake.

image source: Heartly - Houzz.com

5/ Change your dish soap dispenser

Consider swapping out the brand-labeled plastic dish soap bottle with a more pretty bottle to keep your sink looking clean and sophisticated. This is an easy way to style your kitchen sink! Choose neutral color bottles, such as amber or white bottles, over transparent ones to hide the fancy color of the dish soap.

image source: Cate St Hill

6/ Add art in the kitchen

We often think art is only for the living room or bedrooms, but it also looks great in the kitchen! There are many places in the kitchen where you can display art — on a wall, a shelf, a counter, or the range hood. Art is a great way to add visual interest and layers to the space. I especially like to place framed art on the counter leaning against the wall because it breaks up the lines in the backsplash and fills in the space. You can also hide the electrical cords or outlet with a frame, which reduces visual clutter and instantly elevate the countertop.