It helps to have convenient storage to accommodate most things. I am not one who keeps a completely bar counter but we do keep our island clear of everything except the items we consider to be decorative which is some pottery and some hand made bowls that hold onions and fresh fruits.

Our counter has a few things that live there, mostly in an out of the way corner (Kitchen Aid mixer, toaster, microwave, Britta water filter, electric tea kettle). Sometimes a few other things accumulate for short times.

I don't like a lot of clutter but neither do I require a completely bare counter. The kitchen is, after all, a work space.

Lots of people accumulate piles of papers and mail in the kitchen. Personally, that drives me crazy.

I am typically not that neat, but I find I am a fanatic about keeping the kitchen clean now. It is actually a joy to clean for the reasons you mention. I don't really have any routines, per se. Will be interested to see what others have to say.

Three years later I'm more inclined to keep the counters clear. BUT I'm also spending much more time making messes so on any given day, it's a crap shoot whether you can see the counter or not. I am still giddy with delight every time I walk in there! And having the storage space and counter space is too wonderful for words.

I've been trying really hard to designate spots for the types of clutter that we used to allow to accumulate in a corner of the old kitchen. Our main clutter there was a small pile of miscellaneous things--a piece of mail DH needed to see (but wouldn't take care of for a week), tickets to a show, a catalog, a bill to pay, oil change reminder, and other things like that.

What do people do with those things? I need a better system for those random pieces of paper, especially those that don't need a permanent home.

Here is what I do with those things:

My DH has a drawer of his own in the island; I would put his mail there along with anything else he left about.

We have a slot in our desk for unpaid bills and a slot for scheduled things such things as tickets and reminders.

Catalogs get put in the bathroom or the room we hang out in so they can be looked at.

I too am a neaty-weety in the kitchen now! We have a cute bulletin board in our nearby mudroom for tickets & stuff, and a key/mail hanging organizer as well. HOWEVER. Since starting construction, everything congregated in the master bedroom and finished attic...both now look like giant dumpsters :-( My goal is to get both areas organized before the new year. In the meantime, while I am a messy cook, I love looking at my neat & clean kitchen after cleanup time :-)

I am a clean fanatic. Probably anal and type A...but I cannot stand cr@p in my kitchen! I have trained dh and the children that dirty dishes go in the dishwasher, or at the very least, the big 12" deep sink I purchased for this purpose. I have never liked junk on my counters, but now with the marble I am quite militant about it, lol! Actually, having a very large walk-in pantry and my little "office" adjacent to the kitchen has really helped with a lot of random clutter. My pantry is big enough that I can store not only all the food, but I have shelves for seasonal items, coolers, extra serving pieces, etc. My office has built-ins where I keep file folders (in drawers) for pending mail, etc... I clear it out weekly. Honestly, having a good system makes it a lot easier to keep everything clean.