5 Essential Kitchen Design Features for Wow-Worthy Holiday Entertaining

When you are designing your new kitchen, you want it to be stylish, and to work to make your everyday life easier. If you love to entertain and gather friends and family at your house, it’s equally important to think about what you will need to have a functional and organized kitchen that’s great for entertaining. Our expert kitchen designers agree—when it comes to entertaining, organization matters. “A beautiful kitchen that doesn’t function well is just exasperating,” said Designer Tracey Paulson. “More than any other room in the house, in the kitchen, function must lead to form.”

Our experts have pulled together a list of the top 5 special features to consider when designing a kitchen that’s perfectly organized for smooth entertaining and that has a wow-factor.

1. Decorative hutch. There are many homes that have a “desk” or “workspace” area in the kitchen that is often left unused or becomes a catch-all. My favorite thing to do is to eliminate this and design a highly functional and decorative hutch for the kitchen. Often times I will design this as a showpiece that has decorative glass, furniture styling, and a contrasting color. As I design this piece with my clients we often discuss how this piece will become essential when entertaining. It can be used as the designated beverage station, to hold a spread of appetizers, or to showcase all of their holiday platters and décor.
-Jessica Dillman, Naperville

2. A dedicated zone for entertaining. With the holidays quickly approaching we find ourselves scurrying to make our homes attractive and functional to host our friends and loved ones. Creating a “zone” for holiday cheer makes an attractive functional space. By creating a “zone” you can take advantage of the many accessories that are offered, such as, wine cabinets, tip-out drawers, wine pull-outs, roll out shelves, etc. You can turn a closet into a dry bar, or maybe you have a larger space that can accommodate a full bar. Cheers!
-Tracey Paulson, Mundelein

3. Two-tiered cutlery dividers. Two-tiered cutlery dividers provide maximum storage in a 6″ drawer, keeping a large amount of flatware neatly organized.
-Beth Hoffman, Outside Sales

4. Vertical tray dividers. Vertical tray dividers make great use of higher spaces. Whether placed in the top of a deep pantry or a cabinet over the refrigerator, cookie trays, muffin tins, and cake pans can be easily displayed and reached.
-Steve Frye, Chicago

5. Deep drawers and roll-out trays. Deep drawers and roll-out trays can keep the medium and smaller-sized pots, pans, and lids organized and accessible.
-Jeff McCrory, Outside Sales

And the best news—these tricks work regardless of kitchen size. Your kitchen doesn’t have to be huge to be organized. Many of these solutions save space, making any kitchen just right for entertaining.

Interested in getting started on your kitchen remodel? Visit your nearest Seigle’s today!

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