Get your kitchen Christmas ready without a major makeover

03 Dec Get your kitchen Christmas ready without a major makeover

December is when the kitchen really becomes the heart of the home. Whether you’re hosting a house full of guests or just enjoying cosy evenings with your family, a bit of festive season prep can make the holidays run more smoothly.

You don’t need a home renovation to get your kitchen holiday-ready (but we’d love to chat to you if you do want to plan a renovation for next year!), But there are a few steps you can follow to make life easier for yourself when you’re in the throes of hosting. Feeling calm and prepared will help you make the space feel warm, welcoming and ready for the onslaught of activity.

 No stress, big impact, let’s get your kitchen ready for the festivities.

1. Optimise the space you have 

Prepping and cooking large meals requires space, but you don’t need to lament the fact that you don’t have an island to get through the festive cooking bonanza.

1. Clear worktops of anything you don’t use daily. Can you stow away your juice blender, jars, and any other small appliances in a cupboard? You’ll so appreciate the extra worktop space.
2. Use chopping boards over sinks or hobs to create additional temporary prep zones.
3. Investment purchase – Buy a small freestanding trolley as an extra prep or serving station, something that can be tucked away in a garage or understairs cupboard when not needed.

Taking the time to create and plan how you’ll use the space now will save you a lot of stress when you’re juggling hot pans.

2. Give your kitchen storage a good sort out

Before you add more things to your cupboards and drawers to make space on your worktops, tackle the clutter in there already and make sure the items you need are easy to access. Christmas cooking and hosting usually mean you need to access more of your pots, pans, store-cupboard ingredients, and snacks.

Get ahead by organising your clutter hotspots; the everything drawer, the cupboard under the sink, where have you been stowing all the stuff you weren’t sure where to put? Do you need to check the use-by dates on some of the store cupboard items? It’s time for a cull!

A quick sort-out now will make the items you do need much easier to find and create the valuable extra space you need.

3. Let there be light 

We all love our homes to feel warm and welcoming in the festive season, and using all your lighting options is the secret weapon.

1. Use your task lighting (spotlights in the ceiling and lights under the wall cabinets) for food prep, and then switch off the spotlights when you don’t need them. Just turning off or dimming the spots will immediately soften the ambience in the room.
2. If you have pendant lighting over the island or table, use ‘warm white’ bulbs and use these instead of the spotlights to give your kitchen that lovely warm glow to eat or host in.
3. Ambient lighting, like LED strips inside open shelving or along plinths, is great for adding a low glow in your kitchen, perfect for evening mood lighting.
4. Lastly, of course, don’t forget your occasional lighting, let yourself loose with fairy lights and candles (LED candles are a safer alternative to flames if you have small, curious hands around and flammable decorations nearby!) for an instant festive transformation.

Using your lighting in this layered way effortlessly takes your kitchen from work space to entertaining space to relaxing space with nothing more than flicking a few switches.

4. Managing lots of people in your kitchen 

The best party is always in the kitchen, so let’s get it set up properly so you can host and socialise as the food comes together.

1. Friends and family never mind helping themselves, so set up a self-serve drinks station away from the main cooking area. Set out the drinks and glasses you want guests to use, and they will happily keep themselves topped up – just make sure someone keeps you topped up as well.
2. Want to be super organised? Keep a tray of glasses and/or mugs ready on the side, so family or guests can make their drinks and hot drinks throughout the day without asking where things are or rifling through your cupboards.
3. Tell people where they can leave used glasses and plates so everything is ready to go straight into the dishwasher/sink, so you don’t have to collect crockery off every surface in the kitchen when it’s time to clear up.

Final Thought

The magic of Christmas isn’t about having a perfect kitchen, but having an organised one will help you have a stress-free holiday if your home is getting ready to welcome friends and family.

If you’re thinking ahead to a bigger project in the New Year, or looking for ideas to make your kitchen work better all year round, we’d love to help chat through what’s possible.

Book a free design consultation at info@kitchensbespoke.co.uk or by calling the showroom on 01342 313 133.