Christmas is the time of year for celebration, parties, gifts and indulgence. It’s also the time of year your kitchen has to work overtime as your everyday routine throughout the year at end of December is put to one side as you deal with family descending upon the house and everybody’s calorie awareness going out of the window for some months.
When designing your kitchen, it’s unlikely that you spent a lot of time considering how the space will be used over the Christmas period. Your mind quite naturally went as far as your usual working day and then your typical weekend. It’s time to think about how you can quickly adapt your kitchen to its new temporary role.
1. Clear the surfaces
With more people and more objects coming in and out of the house during December, it’s an ideal time to temporarily pop some things away in a cupboard or drawer to free up space on the flat surfaces. This gives you a little extra space to work with.
If you find yourself nominated family head chef this year and you’re responsible for a Gordon Ramsay-esque preparation of turkey and trimmings, you will no doubt appreciate the temporary absence of your protein shake blender and the extra space it affords you to let the turkey rest before serving.
2. Reduce table decoration
As above, flat surfaces are at a premium and your wonderfully decorated table is perfect for mornings where it’s just a routine breakfast time. At Christmas, it’s time to uncover that extra space for the day your sister and her newborn baby drop by for nibbles, turning half of your home into something reminiscent of the Normandy landings.
Table decoration doesn’t have to be dull, just simpler and easier to clear up around afterwards.
3. Find temporary seating solutions
You’ll need more space to seat people. You don’t need to source more of the same seating that you already have though, as you’ll find yourself storing these in the garage or loft for 11.5 months of the year and they may only get five uses before you change your colour scheme.
Look for simpler seating ideas such as benches or fold up chairs that match your overall kitchen aesthetic. You’re looking for something that can be put away quickly and easily at a price point that you’re comfortable with knowing you may not get a lot of use out of it.
4. Prepare to clean a lot more
More activity often means more cleaning. As your kitchen switches between different roles, you’ll want to at least give it the once over with some spray and a cloth. There are ways you can accommodate this such as bringing your cleaning supplies to a more accessible spot in your kitchen.