13 Dec One Family’s Dream Kitchen for Successful Holiday Entertaining

Did you host Thanksgiving and find yourself thinking, this would go so much better if my kitchen were designed more efficiently? Or did you avoid hosting because of the frustration that you’d feel trying to cook a large family meal in a cramped, poorly planned space? There are so many ways that a well-designed kitchen can improve the meal prep experience, whether it’s for everyday use or holiday hosting. Just before Thanksgiving, The Philadelphia Inquirer featured a renovation that we recently completed that allowed our clients and friends, Rachel and Joel, to host their first family Thanksgiving with ease and excitement.

Photo by Rebecca McAlpin.

Photo by Rebecca McAlpin.

Photo by Rebecca McAlpin.

The article highlights some of the ways that we were able to increase functionality for the Fishbein family. Some of these moves, including tearing down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room, creating a giant island, providing pullouts for the Kitchenaid mixer and utentils, and a deep sink that’s great for washing dishes or washing the adorable dogs!

Image courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Attention was even paid to the broom/dog food closet at the top of the basement stairs, because it would be so visible from the kitchen. A favorite element is how the sliding door can tuck ever so slightly behind the cabinet containing the wall oven when in the open position.

Photo by Rebecca McAlpin.

Thoughtfully chosen features shaped this stunning remodel, but another important factor brought it successfully to the finish line. Shopping local! When approaching any renovation, keep in mind the benefits of choosing local vendors. You may lower your carbon footprint, and it is also a wonderful opportunity to support artisans and builders close to home. One thing the Fishbeins and I have in common is our love of our local Elkins Park community. They chose to renovate their kitchen and dining room to better accommodate their family’s needs rather than to move away from a place they so deeply love. In addition to supporting the community through their civic involvement, they also realized that communities stay vital when home renovators support local vendors, rather than big box stores.

To that end, the vendors that they chose to work with on this project are folks who run small businesses in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks and Berks County. Craftsmanship, knowledgeability and service are often superior when working with such vendors. As a designer, I can point my clients towards vendors who’ve done beautiful work on previous projects, and I am also thrilled to get to learn about new resources that my clients might uncover themselves. Such was the case in this kitchen and dining renovation, and you can learn about some of our superstar sources in the article.

Photo by Rebecca McAlpin.

Photo by Rebecca McAlpin.

Have questions about how to make your kitchen holiday hosting-friendly? Visit the Talk to Us page on our website and complete the Client Contact form.