Look, I get it. You enter your kitchen every morning and take that private first cup of coffee tea, and it occurs to you; this place needs some serious magic of Christmas. Your house room can look as though the workshop of Santa came pouring (in the most desirable way) but your kitchen? It is there sitting there as gay as a tax bill.
The point is the following: your kitchen should also have the Christmas treatment. This is after all where the magic of holidays really takes place when cookies are baked at 2 AM when you will be desperately preparing appetizers when unexpected guests strike and when you will most likely avoid your relatives and stress eat left over pie. Why not go as far as to make it beautiful?
I have been working years to know how to make my kitchen look like Christmas and not a cluttered mess. Believe me, I have gone through all the mistakes in the book. In that same year I hung garland everywhere? Well, it gathered as much flour dust as compliments. And I found out and now I am telling you the good stuff.
Start with Your Color Palette (Because Random Red Everywhere Isn’t a Strategy)
You would like to take a breath before you begin to toss Christmas decorations to every surface like you are putting work on a float. Select a unifying palette that is compatible with your current kitchen design.
Everything in red and green, of course, but have you ever thought of the pretty aspect of gold and cream on white cabinets? Or gilded deep emerald papers? My personal favorite is winter white with touches of silver, it looks classy without yelling that I have purchased everything in the Christmas clearance sale.
Quick Color Combinations That Actually Work:
- Classic: Red, green, and gold
- Modern: White, silver, and pale blue
- Rustic: Burgundy, cream, and natural wood tones
- Elegant: Gold, ivory, and deep green
The key? Choose three colors at a maximum and use them. Your instagram followers (as well as your kitchen) will be glad, so will you.
Transform Your Cabinets Without a Complete Makeover
Your cabinets are plain as canvas ready to receive some Christmas love. Use festive versions of your standard cabinet hardware, i.e. brushed gold pinecone-shaped knobs or subtly-holly-shaped handles.
Can’t commit to new hardware? No worries. Your secret weapon is cabinet magnets. I also have tiny magnetic wreaths on my upper cabinets but they put enough Christmas in without making it appear like I have been overboard.
In the case of glass-front cabinets, it is better to have few selected objects of Christmas placed therein. An old Christmas cookie box or some lovely holiday dishes would also make a festive presentation that is not haphazard.
| Quick Cabinet Ideas | Time Required |
|---|---|
| Magnetic wreaths | 5 minutes |
| New festive hardware | 30 minutes |
Light It Up (But Make It Warm and Cozy)
Have you ever observed how the Christmas decorations appear mean and strange in ordinary overhead lighting? The warm lighting is the key to the creation of that amazing Christmas mood in your kitchen.
You know, string lights are not only for college dorms. Install warm white LED overhead lights over top of your cabinets, around your windows or even in your glass front cabinets. It is the word warm here that counts, cool white lamps will turn your kitchen into an operating room instead of a workshop of Santa.
Warm tone under-cabinet lighting has the ability to completely change the decorations in your countertops. Then, all of a sudden, that composition of the plain greenery looks professionally made. LED strips with batteries will be ideal in this case- no electrician needed.
Lighting Placement Ideas:
- Above cabinets for ambient glow
- Inside glass cabinets for display lighting
- Around windows to frame the view
- Under open shelving to highlight decorations
Create a Festive Backsplash Moment
The fact that it is December does not mean your backsplash should remain boring. A removable wallpaper XYZ with faint Christmas designs may be used to form a beautiful center of attention. I have used beautiful designs in winter branches, or even holly leaves, or even beautiful snowflakes.
Unprepared to take that kind of commitment? Festive options may be added to a metal backsplash with decorative magnets or tile with removable decals with no permanent modifications.
Garland is also a great choice on the backsplash and, in particular, when you want artificial materials that will not dry out under the heat of cooking steam. It should not be anywhere near your stovetop, but otherwise, be safe and then decorate, safeguard first, decorate later.
The Art of Christmas Kitchen Vignettes
This is where you could well use your creativity. Make little decorative arrangements in your countertops, open shelves and even on top of your fridge.
I am fond of putting things in odd numbers- even numbers are not so attractive to the eye. Three candles of different lengths of the pillar, five small things on a tray, or a bunch of three diverse-sized pine cones painted in gold.
My Go-To Vignette Formula:
- Height variation (tall, medium, short items)
- Texture contrast (smooth glass, rough burlap, shiny metal)
- Color cohesion (stick to your chosen palette)
Vertical space should not be neglected. Christmas dishes can be put up on wall-mounted shelves along with old holiday cookbooks or small trees that do not eat up the valuable counter space.
Practical Decorating for a Working Kitchen
Be honest, you will need your kitchen to operate throughout the holidays. When you are holding Christmas dinner you can not have decorations everywhere. It is all about strategic positioning.
Clean up your primary places of work. That is to say that the area around your sink, stove, and major prep areas should be areas where there is no decoration. FYI, this is what I learned after being forced to carry a beautiful centerpiece six times during the process of making Christmas cookies:
Instead, specialize in the vertical spaces. Decorative elements can be placed on the top of your cabinets and wall space, and even the front of your dishwasher or refrigerator without disrupting the cooking process.
Bring in Natural Elements (Because Fake Isn’t Always Better)
New greenery brings the true Christmas smell and appearance that cannot be achieved by fake ones. Branches of pine, cedar and eucalyptus also do well in kitchens and can tolerate the humidity in the kitchen better than you may think.
Prepare easy compositions in mason jars or old-fashioned pitchers. To add a color and a texture, add some cranberries or pomegranates. These natural things are really photogenic and your kitchen smells outstandingly.
Potted herbs such as rosemary can serve two purposes they are festive (particularly when made into even smaller topiaries) and you can use them in holiday cooking.
Natural Element Ideas:
- Pine branches in tall vases
- Rosemary topiaries in small pots
- Cranberries scattered around candles
- Pinecones dusted with artificial snow
Window Treatments That Actually Make a Difference
Christmas decorating is the best on your kitchen windows. There is a simple garland on the top window frame that gives a beautiful appearance and does not prevent natural light.
Snowflake or winter scene clings on the windows are used to provide privacy and still adhere to the theme of the holiday. I also adore their frosted glass effect clings, they are so fancy and will fit into any color palette.
In case you have cafe curtains or valances you might change them in a Christmas-themed one. All you should keep in mind is that the textiles in the kitchen must be washable, because it is easy to get messy cooking during the holidays.
The Power of Christmas Scents
Do not undervalue the effect of holiday smells in the establishment of that Christmas feeling. But leave the air fresheners, all so heavy-handed. Rather, boil simmers, cinnamon sticks, orange peels and cloves. Your kitchen will smell like Christmas morning due to the natural aroma.
Reed diffusers that have a seasonal scent, such as pine, vanilla, or cinnamon are useful in a kitchen since they do not react to cooking smells like candles can be.
Storage Solutions That Don’t Kill the Vibe
This is what no one ever gets to discuss, where do you put all your everyday stuff when you are setting up your Christmas decorations? Baskets that are also decorative can conceal your daily things as well as form part of your holiday decorations.
Pot holders and seasonal dish towels are practical decorations that do not only exist, but are also practical. I replace my standard kitchen linens with Christmas-themed ones, which is a minor difference that yields a huge difference.
Quick Wins for Last-Minute Decorating
At times you have to have Christmas magic in a hurry. Perhaps your mamma-in-law is having an impromptu visit (we have all been there), or you have suddenly resolved to give a holiday-party. These five-minute-fixes will make you:
Christmas dishes towels on your oven handle Holiday place mats on your table Runner on your table Festive soap dispenser next to your sink Christmas coffee mugs on your hooks Seasonal fruit bowl with oranges and cinnamon sticks.
Wrapping It All Up
In my opinion, Christmas kitchen decoration should be natural and easy, not as though you have wrestled with messy lighting and garland snarls over a three days period. It is hoped that it will make a space that is warm, welcoming, and festive without compromising functionality.
Keep in mind that your kitchen has to be the center of your house at the holidays. It is the place of making memories, burning cookies (it happens to all of us) and preserving the family traditions. Make it beautiful, but make it yours.
Begin with one or two things which address you, and go on. Decorating at Christmas is not a stressful activity. And what happens in case something goes wrong? You can always have the next year to do it right.
Kitchen ought to be as enchanting as any other holiday celebrations that you have. And now go out there and make some Christmas magic–you are never going to have morning coffee like that again.