The London Design Festival, which has just finished, spattered London with a rash of brilliant and unusual exhibitions - of which I only got to see one. Such is life. But it was a good one. Held at the Wigmore Street showroom of Roundhouse Design Kitchens, it showcased 'innovative, contemporary British ceramics'. There were gorgeous and fascinating vases displayed on the showcase kitchen furniture. It all looked so elegant, so effortless and so unlike my cluttered galley kitchen. But then I started to think: how could I achieve anything like this look at home? And I came up with three notions that might help...

1) I would put everything on the surfaces straight inside a cupboard. No questions asked. Away with the whole lot.

2) I would place on those beautifully empty surfaces my beautiful vase from the Blown Glass Studio - and as soon as I feel up to splashing out again, I'll get another one and display that too.

3) I would buy a butcher's block and pretend that it was a glorious island unit like the one pictured. Okay, so it won't have an inset hob, but a girl can't have everything. Mind you, if I do ever inherit a fortune, I think I will get one of these kitchens (prices for them start at around £30,000, by the way) and then I will cook a seasonal menu, darling, and invite my friends round to admire my empty work surfaces. Sounds like a plan...

Check out the new storage ideas

Find our fab vase round-up

See our butchers' block round-up

Bye for now

Aspirational Carol

PS The vase on the right was my favourite from the exhibition. It's by Liam Reeves.