It's not very often you get to meet someone you have admired your whole life. Well, a few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to interview Jane Lockhart in the LG Kitchen and it really was a bucketlist type of moment.

Jane designed the #LGKitchen with pops of burgundy and cranberry which she pointed out are the new hot colours for interior design - she says colour is back. We discussed many things, Jane is super easy to talk to and has an unbelievable wealth of knowledge. We discussed some tips and tricks to style your counter-top and keep it clutter free (something I know we have all struggled with at one time or another).

5 Tips to Style your Kitchen Counter-Top:

1. Tackle Clutter with the Right Storage Solutions.
Jane suggests taking an inventory of your kitchen counter-top, set aside anything that you do not use every day and store it away. If you're lucky enough to be starting your kitchen from scratch really think about how you will be using everything and where it should go. How will you store your reusable containers? Do you need a drawer for lids? Pantry station with a counter and outlets to store small appliances eg toaster.


2. Station it Out.
Jane mentioned that these days people are organizing their counter-tops based on stations for example a coffee station with the coffee machine on the counter and mugs above or a breakfast station with bread and the toaster or a pantry closet with outlets and a counter to hide small appliances.


3. Colours.
Jane is a leading expert in colour. She recommends that if you're trying to lose weight choose accent colours in your kitchen that typically suppress the urge to eat such as bright blues and greens as they are over stimulating and irritating - reds and oranges typically induce hunger. Oddly enough the inside of the new LG Electric Slide-in Range with ProBake Convection oven is bright blue, this seems contrary to the rules of colour but in speaking with Jane she mentioned that LG intentionally selected blue for the inside of the oven because it bounces light and heat around more quickly than any other colour. This really blew my mind, I couldn't believe LG got down to that granular of a level to improve the efficiency and strength of their oven - very cool. The oven also has EasyClean® technology where you can simply spray the oven interior with water, press EasyClean® and then in 10 minutes, quickly wipe away any leftover grime.


4. Decorate with Food.
Jane mentioned that studies have shown that families who leave bowls of fruit out tend to be healthier - which makes sense. If you leave it out they will come. My mom always left a bowl a fruit on our counter and I swear I ate an apple every day growing up. She also suggested keeping unique bottles with fun labels on your counter.


5. Cluster Items and Leave a Space. 
Jane suggested leaving a few personal items on your counter-top but only items that have meaning. She told a story of one client who had a collection of rolling pins and Jane put them in a large pot on the counter - and it was beautiful like a baker’s kitchen. She said the key to leaving meaningful items out is to cluster them and leave a space (and repeat). When clustering items together Jane doesn't believe in the rule of 3. She believes that any number of items can work as long as they are of different heights and textures.


Hope you’ve gained a few useful bits to help organize your counter-top. Be sure to check out LG’s Black Stainless Steel collection at your favourite retailer throughout the holidays.