Budget-friendly kitchen accessory you should buy right now: Tea towels

For years, my kitchen has been filled with items that don't necessarily make me proud: Dull knives, mismatched silverware, non-stick skillets with dangerously scraped off non-stickness, the chipped Princess Diana commemorative mugs that I picked up on a trip to England in 1999 and still can't bear to throw away, etc to embarrassing hoarder infinity.

But lately (and this may or may not be a part of the whole "nesting" thing they say we pregnant ladies get-which is supposed to be involuntary and kind of obsessive, yikes!), I've been wanting to pare down everything and have that kind of sleek, but still homey kitchen you see in really well styled movies.

I want glasses that match, dishes that stack, silverware neatly lined in clean drawers and, weirdly, most of all: I want tea towels.

Originating in England and Ireland, these extra-absorbent kitchen cloths are a step up from their more common, fuzzy dish towel counterparts. They're thinner, which makes for easier storing, and their designs tend to be more delicate and refined. Tea towels aren't just great for utility (drying dishes, wiping up wet counters), they're super-decorative and can be used to line bread baskets and cocktail trays when you entertain. Best of all, they're more enviro-friendly than paper towels and they're relatively inexpensive, so you can collect a good number without feeling guilty if a few get stained or mussed.

To start my collection, I've found some amazing hand-printed styles on the crafts site Etsy, including these pretty, poppy-printed ones (2 for $10!), a farmhouse version with a fun rooster design, a striped, modern-looking pair with a raw, organic feel, and these, which totally transport me to a fantasy world where I live in the South of France, have just returned from picking fresh lavender in a field, and need to dry a vase to place it in.