I am not a minimalist person at all. I would love to be and I frequently dream of an uncluttered house and especially uncluttered kitchen. So every six months or so, I banish everything, I mean absolutely everything small and unnecessary from surfaces, coffee tables, floors and shelves. This lasts for about 24 hours and back out come the books, the small plants, the trinkets, bowls and candles. Us as a family we are just happier with stuff around and a proper lived in home.
Some things I have never ever replaced or switched out since moving in and those items are the ones I keep using on a daily base. For example my seasoning station right next to the hob. I was so happy when I found the small marble and oak board. I keep our salt & pepper shaker as well as olive oil and basil plant on there. Its so easy to grab and go when cooking.
Emile Henry Olive Oil Jug / Master Class Marble & Wood Board / Soho Home Whichford bowls (sold out) get similar here from Garden Trading
Over the lock down period my daughter and I started thinking about ways of reducing waste and generally being more environmentally conscience in our home. One of the things we started doing is making our own "All Purpose Cleaner".
We love it! It not only makes the house smell absolutely divine, it also does what it's supposed to ... leaving our kitchen surfaces sparkling clean while being environmentally friendly! I found some brown glass spray bottles on Amazon and I basically mix a 3 / 4 cup of water with 1/ 4 cup white wine vinegar and add a blend of essential oils. That's it ... easy!
In summer I used Lavender, Sweet Orange & Grapefruit. But I like to change things up depending on the season we are in, so recently switched to blending Rosemary, Sandal Wood and a couple of drops of Patchouli. All you need is 3 drops of each to create a subtle scent! I have tried many different essential oils, but found that the collection, Anjou offers is the best. You also have a choice of 18 different oils in one package.
We also decided that we have gotten far too lazy walking to our compost heap in the garden most of the time. Especially in the rain and snow! So we went ahead and purchased a small compost bucket which we keep by our sink in the kitchen. Its a lovely addition and as we eat fresh vegetables daily we use it a lot for our peels and clippings. I can highly recommend this little bucket and looks good too!
These are just a few of my favorite things scattered about in my kitchen. I hope you find this useful. Also, if you purchase anything through my links, I will get paid a slight commission. It wont cost you anything, I promise. These are all things we love and use on a daily basis and all opinions are my own.
Wishing you all a lovely day! Daniela x