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Cutting boards are crucial to most things we do in the kitchen: Nearly all of our meals start with some sort of chopping, dicing, or slicing, and the essential surface protects our precious countertops from etching while doubling as serveware. The debate isn’t about whether or not they’re useful—it’s where you should keep them.

Whether you have one trusty board or a whole collection (have you seen Kate Hudson‘s bevy of platters?), there are two main storage strategies: hide them in a cupboard or proudly display them. The former is the obvious choice if you’re aiming for less visual clutter, but the latter can add warmth and texture to a cookie-cutter space. To help you figure out which direction is right for you, we gathered some inspiration from perfectly organized kitchens

If You Want to Hide Them

Turn a lower cabinet into a pull-out drawer (Rev-a-Shelf makes a ton of genius solutions for this). Adding slots will allow you to stack things vertically so you barely have to bend over.

If you don’t mind crouching down, simply build dividers into a cabinet. Organize your boards by occasion and use, separating out the ones that are just for serving.

Run out of drawers? Henrybuilt makes an extension for an island that has small cubbies for knives and cutting boards. You don’t even have to leave your station to get what you need. 

Small-space dwellers should keep baking sheets and boards out of the way by storing them in a high place (like over the oven). That way you can save your lower cabinets for more important things, like pantry goods and pots. 

If You Want to Display Them 

Make like Julia Child and think of your cookware as decor. One bonus of a pegboard system: You never have to explain to a guest where you keep a certain tool—it’s all out in the open. 

If you want to casually lean more than one cutting board against the wall, layer them. This grouping looks intentional, and the variety of wood tones lends a ton of warmth to a dark countertop surface. 

A tiny kitchen isn’t the place to put a bunch of stuff on the counter. Keep your workspace clear by hanging your boards from a simple coat hook (it can attach to the side of a cabinet). 

This above-the-range placement prioritizes your most trusty cutting board and allows you to grab it in the heat of the moment. Just prop it up against the backsplash.

Get the Look

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