Posted by Edward Curtin on October 19, 2017 
Once November arrives, the kitchen often transforms into the busiest room in the entire house! While the holidays are one of the most wonderful times of the year, filled with family, fun and festivities, it can also be one of the most stressful. Especially if you are planning, preparing and executing the meals.
Having a neat, organized kitchen goes a long way towards keeping you sane when the holiday rush is on. Even if you have a smaller kitchen space, there are a few ways to maximize the space to its full potential.
Here are some great ways to maximize your kitchen for the holiday season:
Organize Cabinets
There’s nothing worse than reaching into a cabinet for that special, holiday serving dish and having everything fall out at your feet! If you plan on spending a lot of time in your kitchen, you’ll want to invest in hooks to hang frequently-used items like your colanders on the inside of your cabinet doors. You can install shelves that pull out for easy access.
Consider installing an extra shelf to store baking dishes or casserole dishes if you want to really maximize space saving and storage at the same time.
Install Organizers
Organizers are a great way to keep kitchen tools organized in your drawers but did you know you can also get them for your cabinets? From cookie sheets to muffin pans, organizers help keep things separated and easy to access. If you install organizers on a track, they will easily slide in and out of your cabinets. Group your baking pans in one organizer, pot lids in the other, then slide them out when you need them.
Pull Outs for Oils and Spices
Not sure what to do all those little bottles of herbs and spices? A pull-out spice rack is a great way to keep your spices organized and close to your cooking station. You can have one installed in that awkward space between your cabinets and fridge, or even between cabinets. This way all those amazing flavors are right at your fingertips!
Build an Island
If your home doesn’t have an island in the kitchen, you should consider installing one before the holiday rush! Not only does it give you more prep space, it also creates added storage. There are a variety of kitchen counter islands from which to choose, ranging from small islands to large ones that allow the whole family to sit around while you cook or prep meals.
If you decide to go ahead and install a counter island, you should also install electrical outlets. Make sure to install more than one outlet on your island, so you can enjoy the convenience of using multiple appliances at the same time, like your mixer or coffee maker. A counter island is the perfect place for keeping your crock pot plugged in and warm.
Get Rid of Your Junk Drawer (or Junk Cabinets!)
You can save a lot of space simply by ridding yourself of unneeded junk. All of times, junk tends to accumulate in the cabinets and drawers closest to your cooking and prep stations, places where storage is probably needed most. Once emptied of rarely-used items, that extra cabinet space you’ve been wasting can be used to store just about anything!
If you have a tall kitchen cabinet stuffed with miscellaneous items of no practical use, consider giving it a good emptying and cleaning. You can use the tall space for hard to stack items, like brooms and mops, or you can install shelves and use the newly-found space to store mugs, cookbooks or other things you need close-by when cooking or prepping meals.
When clearing junk from your cabinets and drawers, think about ways to better organize your kitchen items for ease of use. Going through these items presents an opportunity to categorize and reassess. Place frequently used items in more accessible places, and place rarely used items in deeper storage.
The holidays are an exciting time, full of good cheer and amazing meals. Instead of stressing out about your time spent in the kitchen, why not maximize your kitchen experience with a more organized, well-thought out space?
If you have questions about your kitchen remodeling project, stop by or contact the experts at GNH Lumber today!
