For many families the busiest time of the year for their kitchens is the period that starts at Thanksgiving and ends with ringing in the New Year. Pies and cookies are baked, turkeys are roasted, and you may be preparing holiday meals for guests and family from out of town. So are there any last minute inexpensive upgrades you can make to your kitchen so that the whole experience is a little easier and a bit more enjoyable? Actually there are a few and you might want to start with these three:
Add a Kitchen Island
If you’ve never had a kitchen island, get ready for a pleasant surprise and while it may seem like a large project to start with only several weeks to the big day, all you really need are a few base cabinets and a countertop. Electrical outlets can be added to pass code, but that doesn’t have to be done until January unless you happen to know a responsive contractor. You can even add a prep sink in the future if plumbing is available in the basement and a sink base cabinet is used. A kitchen island can give you all kinds of space for your holiday culinary creations.
Add Under-Cabinet Lighting
If you feel like you’re always working in the shadows in the kitchen, it may be because you are. Ceiling lighting is often blocked by your body when you’re working at the countertop, but adding under-cabinet lighting can put an end to that. Lighting can either be hardwired by an electrician or install a few plug-in fixtures available at just about any home improvement store. Most fixtures can simply be screwed to the bottom of the wall cabinets and wood trim is available to help make the lights less obtrusive.
Install Glass Cabinet Doors
Kitchens have become a gathering place for family and friends and this is even truer when holiday cooking is taking place. If there are some holiday decorations or dinnerware you’d like to put on display, think about changing some wall cabinet doors over to glass. Many manufacturers such as RTA Cabinets have numerous door sizes and mullion styles available, all you have to add is the actual glass which can be found at most local glass shops. Switching doors is a very DIY-friendly project that only requires a screwdriver and a few minutes of time.
The holidays are a festive season and with these inexpensive decorating tips you can make sure your kitchen is ready.
