Heart of the home
We think the real gift of Christmas is our loved-ones coming home. It’s lovely to create a warm and welcoming, heart of the home, family kitchen where everyone can come together and share gorgeous food and drink. As everyone gathers for the holidays it’s the perfect time to give your kitchen the festive treatment.
Be prepared
A few weeks before guests arrive, get your kitchen ready for the holidays. Do a quick check and make sure all your appliances are working well and sort out any problems that need attending to. Make sure all your china is looking its best and replace any plates or glasses that look like they’ve seen better days. Think about all those extra Christmas essentials you need in the kitchen like large roasting trays, extra-large foil, spare light bulbs, batteries etc. Give the whole room a spring clean and assign the usual kitchen clutter to a drawer so that only lovely things are on display.
Festive Kitchens
Be creative and indulge your imagination when it comes to the kitchen this Christmas. Bring the outside in and gather greenery from the garden and use seasonal displays to create a stunning focal point in the kitchen. If you are lucky to have a large kitchen, a tree will look stunning and be enjoyed by all your visitors, especially if decorated with edible treats. The tops of cupboards look great draped with foliage like ivy, eucalyptus and holly. If you can’t find the real thing, there are some realistic alternatives on the high street.
Welcome the magic of Christmas into the most important room of your home. Create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for those arriving with scented candles and twinkling lights. As we talked about in last month’s blog, tealights and lanterns on shelving and worktops create warmth and sparkle..
Beautiful glassware and dishes look great filled with baubles for an opulent look or try pinecones and berries for a pared-down, scandi-style arrangement. Vintage cake stands and china look great at this time of year so don’t keep them hidden away in the cupboard: have them on display filled with fruit, nuts and chocolates for your guests to enjoy. Wreaths and garlands can be used in the kitchen too and don’t forget the windows and doors as areas for a bit of festive creativity.
A crafty corner
If you have the space, it’s lovely to set up an area for the children at Christmas for festive crafts so that everything they need is always on hand.. A beautiful box or festive tin stocked with the usual glue, scissors, ribbons and glitter is perfect for seasonal crafting. Paper snowflakes and traditional paper chains are still firm favourites and they can proudly display their makes for everyone to admire.
The perfect host
If you are the hostess this Christmas, do it with style. It’s the little touches that create a welcoming atmosphere for guests and will make your visitors feel special. Think about what they would really appreciate and what makes them feel special and welcome. A lovely tray of luxury teas and coffees is a nice touch and means that guests can make a drink without scrabbling round to find the teabags. Keep a selection of special breakfast goodies in easy reach so that guests can help themselves. Keep nibbles topped up, decant drink into beautiful glassware and arrange finger-food in lovely dishes to enhance the visual impact. A warming stove-top mulled wine is always great for relaxed entertaining and will scent your kitchen with the most wonderful, seasonal aroma.
Our kitchens really are the perfect places to bring everyone together and share the magic of the season and all of us at Vale Designs wish our customers a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
