My kitchen gets a lot of use. I cook an actual at-the-stove meal at least once a day (sometimes twice) and I am not neat doing it. I envy chefs who keep their stoves and counters spotless while they sauté. I don’t.

The flip side of this is that I also really love art and I think the kitchen – where people always hang out – is an ideal spot to showcase cool pieces. Fun, irreverent stuff that may look out of place in the living room just feels right in the kitchen.

Nobody wants to ruin their prized paintings with olive oil spray or the after-effects of a particularly steamy mistake. But the kitchen is for cooking. So how to reconcile?

In my case, with distance. I’m lucky to have a big wall far from my stove, sink and counters – that wall is now home to a favorite painting. If your floor plan doesn’t allow you to put space between your art and actual cooking area, look for hardy framing options, go for sculptures or cool mobiles that add interest but stay out of the way.

Or, focus on inexpensive and resilient art – and cook away.

-Kit

Kit Pollard is a Baltimore, Maryland-based freelance writer, market research analyst, stay-at-home mom, and, when she has time, a food and design junkie. She blogs about food, design, and pop culture (among other things) at www.mangoandginger.blogspot.com.