Is Your Kitchen Fit for a Feast?

Thanksgiving is upon us again. Can you believe it? There’s nothing more American than a New England Thanksgiving. We at Southcoast Kitchen Designs will be spending the holiday with our families in and around America’s Hometown, Plymouth, MA.

This is the time of year where we open our homes to our families and closest friends. We cook, we catch up, we laugh, and we take the time to reflect on all of our blessings and show gratitude to those who have a positive impact on our lives.

As joyous as this time of year is, preparing for this feast can be the source of stress and frustration. Many homes in Southeastern MA and Cape Cod are not designed for large gatherings, and often times aren’t even functional for our immediate family’s day-to-day activities. Space in the kitchen can be cramped, especially with more than one or two people doing prep work and cooking. Lacking sufficient counter space, or feeling like you keep bumping into others as you try to navigate from the fridge to the sink to the stove are common problems in older houses. In some homes, the kitchen is separated from the other rooms by a wall, causing the hosts to feel isolated and excluded from the merriment. If this resonates with you and you intend to do something about it before your next gathering, here are some things to take note of while getting ready for this year’s celebration.

As you’re preparing your meal and desserts, ask yourself what is preventing you from working in your kitchen efficiently.

• Is your refrigerator too far from your range?

• Does your stove lack counter space on both sides?

• Are you tripping over your trash bin?

• If you’re fortunate to have help in the kitchen, do you constantly bump into one another?

• How difficult is it to clean up?

• Is the trash bin too far from the sink, or is it crammed under the sink?

• Do you have enough light to read the recipes?

• Are there enough outlets to support all your countertop appliances, or are you running extension cords and causing trip hazards?

• Are there enough burners on your range?

• Are you constantly changing the oven temperature? Maybe a second oven or a speed oven is needed?

• Do you have ventilation above your range and does it effectively remove smells and smoke from the home?

During your gathering, take notes on where food is placed and how people congregate.

• Does everyone congregate in the kitchen? Do they spread out into multiple groups?

• Does the floor plan lack an open concept where it becomes difficult to be part of the conversation?

• Are there any pinch points where the flow of guests becomes an issue, like perhaps a peninsula that everyone must navigate around?

• Do you have seating for everyone, or are people standing to eat?

• Is there space to place the main course, sides and desserts, or is it all scattered about?

Taking literal notes on the entire process of your gathering will give you and your design firm the information needed to redesign your space for optimal performance. If you can renovate your home to comfortably entertain a dozen guests, it will provide you with a pleasant experience not only during the holidays but all year long!