The Surprising Way To Organize All Your Cutting Boards With A Classic Thrift Find

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Cutting boards are the kind of items that you pretty much use every day. And yet somehow they get relegated to a spot behind the microwave because there's just no other place to put them. If you're fortunate, you'll stumble upon a napkin holder during one of your trips to the thrift store, and voila! No more shoving the boards behind the microwave. Instead, you have an item that elevates your kitchen countertops because you can show off your pretty cutting boards. 

However, this kitchen storage hack works only if the napkin holder you've acquired looks a bit like a three-ring binder in shape. That is, it needs to have two covers, or side walls, held together by a long strip of something. In the three-ring binder book, the strip would be the spine. On the napkin holder, it's a slat of whatever the piece is made from. The two walls are fused to the strip, which keeps them standing upright. Avoid any napkin holders that close the napkins in on each end. They won't work for this purpose. You also want to stick with holders that are made of sturdy stuff, like metal or wood. Some materials, like wicker, are just too flimsy for this repurposing idea.

Finally, it's perfectly acceptable to use the cutting boards you have. However, if you're keen to jump on the cutting-board decorating bandwagon, you may want to splurge on some new boards while you're at the thrift store. For more interesting displays, get a mix of board shapes and materials.

As far as the actual function of this kitchen organization hack, it's pretty simple. You'll slide the  boards in between the two walls of the napkin holder, just as you would if you were filling it with napkins. Place the cutting boards so the largest is in the back and the smallest and shortest are in front. If you can, mix styles and board position. For example, a round marble board can be in the rear while a wooden cutting board with a paddle handle can be positioned with its handle pointing toward the ceiling. If there's room for a small, plain board in the front, lay it horizontally instead of vertically to give the setup plenty of visual contrast.

This small decorating upcycle can be a cheap and easy way to change out your kitchen's decor, either for a seasonal holiday or because you're just kinda tired of the same ol, same ol.' For example, if you normally turn your coffee station into seasonal décor, look for something like AZYM's spiderweb design napkin holder to celebrate autumn holidays, like Halloween, in style. On the other hand, a kitchen that's filled with rustic decor elements would totally vibe with Winlay's sliced tree stump napkin holder.

Finally, you can extend the seasonal decorative motif beyond just the napkin holder's design. All you need to do is swap out some engraved cutting boards for your regular ones during the holidays. Seasonal recipes, appropriate scenery, and cool quotes count among the ways you can spiffy up your cutting boards for this display.