Tips for a Holiday-Ready Kitchen

The launch of the holiday season brings a flurry of activity, especially when it comes to entertaining family and friends. With good food and plenty of cheer, the kitchen is the natural place for guests to congregate. If you are stressing that you haven’t gotten around to that remodeling project and you don’t have the “perfect” kitchen for hosting and entertaining, Callen has tips for easy spruce-ups.“Nothing can change the look of your kitchen faster than new handles and pulls for your cabinetry. You’d be surprised by what a difference this makes,” said Jeff Billstrom, a Sales Design Consultant for Callen. “There are numerous choices in finish and style. The trend now is for replacing knobs with linear pulls. You may have to drill an additional hole, but if you are somewhat handy that shouldn’t be an issue. While the hardware is off, it’s the perfect time to clean those cabinet doors of fingerprints and grease marks.”Jeff’s other suggestions include:

• If your sink and faucet have seen better days, change them out. In addition to a sparkling look, a new faucet with a pull-down or pull-out spray can make cleaning dishes and rinsing veggies easier. Opt for a touchless or hands-free faucet and you inhibit the spreading of germs, plus save on water.
• Change the color scheme with a fresh coat of paint. Trendy kitchen colors this year include shades of gray, and black and white. Consider painting three walls a lighter shade and use the fourth wall with a deeper accent color. Or go bold all the way around – paint is the easiest thing to change if you don’t like it.
• Install new textiles from dishtowels to window shades to complement the color scheme.
• Pay attention to the lighting. Layering of light in the kitchen is very important. But a quick fix is replacing old overhead lighting with a modern surface mount fixture. If pendant lights over your island or work area are looking tired, replace with something that will be a focal point. Edison pendant lights are very popular now and will give your kitchen an updated look. If you have a chandelier over your table, make sure it doesn’t clash with the rest of the elements. For example, if there is a lot of bronze in your kitchen, stay away from a chandelier that is chrome or silver. It’s okay to mix and match metals, but the effect shouldn’t be jarring.
• Add dimmers for ambience and energy savings. For a warm overall glow, add undercabinet LED lighting. LEDs are long-lasting, don’t emit heat, and cost very little to run.
• If you don’t have one, add a backsplash to introduce another design dimension to your kitchen. If you’re planning a future kitchen remodel and want to hold off on a backsplash, an alternative is to paint your backsplash area with a gloss finish for easy clean-up. To give your existing backsplash a boost, consider carefully chipping out a few tiles and replace with an accent piece – glass, metal, or decorative insert.
• Add an area rug to warm the room – flat weave or indoor-outdoor rugs are good choices to protect your floors and are easy to clean.
• To open up a small kitchen, remove upper cabinet doors. Paint the inside a bright or contrasting color, and display a few statement pieces, favorite bowls or platters. Keep it simple.

“While these simple updates will certainly refresh your kitchen just in time for the holidays, you may want to consider options for a more extensive remodel to include new countertops, backsplashes, flooring, and cabinetry,” Jeff said. “Many homeowners think a kitchen remodel is something they can’t afford, but there are price points to fit any budget. Professional Sales Design Consultant and consultants, such as those at Callen, will work with you to maximize your kitchen layout and offer advice to make sure your remodel meets all your needs and wants.”Call Callen today at414-765-2585 to schedule a no-obligation consultation for kitchen remodeling. We’ll be happy to provide you with a FREE quote for your kitchen renovation project.