Our mild climate in Santa Barbara, CA, encourages informal entertaining. When dining inside, the food prep mess on the kitchen counter is visible to my guests. The counter has a same-level breakfast bar on the dining room side which is seldom used. How can I attractively screen the kitchen counter yet still interact with my guests while I'm cooking?
Lacie ~ Santa Barbara, California
There is no right or wrong solution here, the key is to pick the solution that works best for you. Without seeing the actual kitchen/dining layout, cabinet configuration, ceiling height, type of cabinets and countertops, and lighting layout, it is going to be very difficult for me to provide you with a solution that will work for your situation.
I have dealt with very similar situations on past jobs, and one solution that I have used is to add a raised bar to the countertop, high enough to hide the clutter. You lose the single level countertop, but you may be able to hide the clutter when seated for eating.
