Here at Mugatu International we're on a constant, uttlerly Sisyphean quest for "clean surfaces." Good luck with that in a decorating office. ... I currently have enough fabric scraps on my desk to make a Gee's Bend quilt . But homes, where the epicenter of work surfaces has to be the kitchen, are a different story. We need room to roll out cookie dough and store the coffee maker and perhaps display that artisanal olive oil. So how clean do YOU keep your counter surfaces? I'm not talking hygiene-we've all seen the Dateline episode where they send off the butcher block to the lab to reveal fourteen strains of Ebola-I mean the trappings of everyday life. I'm not all that domestic (a drawer full of takeout menus and half-empty tonic bottles are de rigeur ) but I still aspire to minimize counter clutter. Yes to a chic dish and hand soap dispenser like the outrageous taxicab yellow version pictured ($119 at Conran, good grief), a regularly refreshed cleaning sponge, and a paper towel holder. And maybe a few of the appliances normal people might use daily, like a stylish toaster or the Bialetti Moka Express ? No to boxes of cereal, carafes of oils, and racks of cumin. Am I being too harsh?

While we're on the topic, remember when Decorno opened Pandora's Box of Packaging ? Folks got so up in arms about this dude who wanted to decant his detergent. I don't find it all that pretentious! I guess it's all about containers, and shouldn't kitchen cabinets contain all the foodstuffs and their not-so-pretty packaging? Go on, call me a decanting decorator d-bag!