Create a Festive Entertainment Space in Your Freestanding Kitchen this Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner, chances are your social calendar already has a few entries pencilled in over the next few weeks. And, while temperatures drop and the cost of dining out regularly can soon mount up, you may decide to host some festive gatherings at home during the holiday season. 

If that’s the case, the first order of business is to establish a central hub for your evening’s entertainment; a place for your guests to congregate, relax, eat, drink, and enjoy the festive ambience of your get-together.

Long gone are the days when the kitchen was simply just a room for cooking and performing domestic chores; some might argue that the kitchen has in fact replaced the formal dining room as a space in which to entertain, socialise and enjoy food with friends and family. Indeed, a freestanding kitchen’s versatility makes it the perfect room for a Christmas celebration. 

Let’s take a look at some ways to utilize this multifunctional space for an evening of festive cheer.

Make the most of your kitchen island

If the kitchen is the engine room of your Christmas party, then the freestanding kitchen island is the oil that keeps it running smoothly. Over the last decade, kitchen islands have emerged as a hugely popular addition to the modern home. As well as creating a sociable hub for friends and family to gather around on some well-chosen seating options, the flexible nature of your island can facilitate any number of different functions. With integrated storage, ovens, hobs, fridges, and workspaces, the island can help with all the practical food and drink elements needed for the occasion.

Don’t forget about lighting. To create a sense of atmosphere at the heart of your event, think about some subtle spotlighting under the edges of your worksurfaces—or for something a little more eye-catching, consider pendant lighting over the island itself. There’s plenty of room for creativity when it comes to illuminating the centrepiece of your gathering, and finding the right tone is an important consideration.

Store smart

Even if it’s only a small gathering, you’ll inevitably require some additional space to ensure the evening is a success. That could mean extra workstations for preparing, serving and displaying buffet food, more storage space for backup refreshments, or just a general declutter so that your guests feel relaxed.

A valuable way to help you free up space for your festivities is to utilize your flexible storage units to hide away things usually on display.

Our range of handmade shaker cabinets are a beautiful mix of stunning aesthetics and practical versatility. Whatever the size of your kitchen, our design team can find the right storage solution for your needs. From open-faced shelving, and freestanding pantries, to deep-drawered cabinets and dressers; there’s something to suit every space. Maximise your kitchen island, too, with the wide and varied storage options available. 

Meanwhile, having ample storage space will also reduce the need to make multiple trips to the grocery stores over the Christmas period—leaving you with more time to concentrate on more important tasks over the festive period.

Use natural foliage 

When it comes to decorating your kitchen in a suitably festive theme, tastes can vary, but to harmonise with the natural materials of your shaker cabinets, why not apply a similarly organic feel to your design?

Enhance your Christmas kitchen aesthetic with fresh foliage around the kitchen counter and freestanding island. Perhaps even a natural handmade wreath to offset the rich textures of the timber cabinets. It can be a tasteful compromise to tinsel and glittering baubles; a simple yet elegant approach that will impart plenty of festive spirit onto your guests. This design strategy can be especially effective in an open-plan kitchen/dining area, and works well all year round with the introduction of seasonal foliage to unite the two spaces.

Create a festive drinks station

Once again utilizing the multifunctional powers of your freestanding kitchen island, why not create a drinks serving station on a free worktop? Keep all your best cocktail, glassware and drinks paraphernalia on display – all stored neatly together, decorated with some festive foliage and lighting to bring the area to life.

Whether you need to create extra worktop space for your drinks station, by finding hideaways for your appliances in your intelligent storage units, or you’ve got sufficient room already, ensure that this area is kept separate from food preparation zones. Alternatively, you could designate a secondary freestanding unit for a bar; making use of its flexibility by positioning the unit in the most practical location in your kitchen.

How can we help?

If you’d like any advice on creating the perfect kitchen environment for a Christmas gathering, or just some general guidance on designing a freestanding kitchen that can facilitate an entertainment space throughout the year, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Together, we can create your dream kitchen.