The Holiday Cook

At Kitchen Design Partners, we have worked with countless entertainers over the years. Some of our clients do all the cooking, baking, and serving for their parties and holiday gatherings, while others choose to supplement their menu with catering or takeout. Whatever your style is, there are many kitchen design ideas that will help you entertain confidently and with style.

We all know the festive but hectic nature of holiday entertaining. Preparing some recipes in advance can keep the holiday cook busy for days (not to mention all the cleanup afterwards). Being organized when you entertain is critical for your own peace of mind and to keep you on schedule, both before your guests arrive and while they are in your home. KDP spends time with every client to discover exactly how they use their kitchens both every day and on special occasions. This allows us to design kitchens that are both beautiful and functionally efficient for each unique homeowner.

Gone are the days when the cook was isolated in a back kitchen, only emerging to serve appetizers or call guests to the formal table. Today, many people prefer a more casual style of entertaining, with kitchens designed in large, open layouts. In these modern spaces, the cook prepares, cooks, bakes, and cleans up all in one area, surrounded by family and friends who are often involved in the bustle of holiday activities. This more relaxed approach keeps the cook in the heart of the party and encourages guests to pitch in with prep and cleanup—a true win-win! It also highlights the need for creative organization solutions that keep work zones efficient and free of traffic jams.

Work Zones

This modern kitchen is designed to keep family and guests close by without getting in the cook’s way. We’ve incorporated distinct work zones to help this busy family stay organized and on track. There’s a dedicated food prep area, a storage zone, a cleanup station, and a self-service section. Refrigerator drawers and waste/recycling pullouts on the back side of the island and a walk-in pantry with a sink and microwave allow family and guests to grab snacks and drinks without interrupting the cook. Island seating and a cozy banquette flow seamlessly into the family room, ensuring the cook is always part of the action. The working side of the island faces the cooktop, while the sink and dual ovens are just steps away, creating an efficient and connected workspace.

Island Seating

This kitchen is thoughtfully designed to keep the cook in the heart of the party without interrupting the flow of guests. Island seating offers a perfect spot for guests to chat with the cook during holiday festivities. With a large island, guests can comfortably gather around the back without crowding the cooking areas near the sink or cooktop. In this layout, the working side of the island is separated from the seating area, which comfortably accommodates five. Plus, there’s easy access to the yard for those beautiful, sunny days. The cook enjoys a stunning view of the great room, while guests have a dedicated beverage center well away from the work zones. Ample countertop space along the far wall makes it easy to serve appetizers throughout the day—an entertainer’s dream!

Self-Service Beverage Stations

Do you love to wine and dine your guests? If creating an impressive bar area is on your list of priorities, you’re not alone. Many of our clients have replaced traditional desks with self-service beverage centers, offering everything from coffee and tea to smoothies, sodas, and even cocktails. In this home, we designed a Butler’s Pantry between the kitchen and dining room. A Butler’s Pantry is ideal for serving drinks, desserts, and appetizers, providing a seamless flow for entertaining.

Wine coolers, sinks, and under-counter refrigerators in a self-service bar or Butler’s Pantry offer guests easy access to drinks as soon as they arrive and throughout the event. The bar area becomes a true statement piece, with glass-front cabinets showcasing elegant barware, highlighted by soft LED lighting that adds a sophisticated touch. We delight in incorporating unique design elements like glass shelving, metal accents, and eye-catching backsplash patterns to elevate the space. Every bar and Butler’s Pantry is thoughtfully tailored to the client’s style, resulting in a space that is perfect for entertaining.

For all the coffee aficionados out there, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a dedicated space for crafting your favorite coffee drinks, one that can be neatly tucked away when you’re done? Many of our clients are choosing to add coffee stations, not only for their daily coffee rituals but also to offer guests a special touch during gatherings.

Built-In Cutting Boards

This island features built-in cutting boards at each end, providing extra food prep space away from the busy range area. While the center of the island boasts sleek quartzite countertops, the ends are outfitted with custom walnut butcher block tops by Grothouse, carefully crafted with food-safe oil to ensure they are not only beautiful but also safe and functional for cutting.

Vertical Storage

How many times have you found yourself digging through a pile of heavy serving trays or platters to reach the one you need, or sorting through a stack of sheet pans to find the right size? This unnecessary frustration adds stress to your kitchen routine. Vertical storage for trays, platters, and bakeware eliminates this problem, offering easy access and a more organized, stress-free solution.

Rollout Storage

When space doesn’t allow for a walk-in pantry, the next best option is a pantry cabinet with rollout shelves. These shelves offer flexibility, allowing you to easily adjust the storage configuration as your needs change over time.

Spice Organization

Keeping your spices organized and easily accessible during holiday cooking and baking is essential. We offer a variety of spice and oil storage solutions, tailored to each homeowner’s unique needs and preferences. One popular option is to install a dedicated spice rack or pullout in an upper cabinet, conveniently located near the cooktop.

Corner Pullout Storage

Specially designed pullouts for corner cabinets are an excellent way to maximize accessibility in those often-overlooked spaces, eliminating the need to crawl on your hands and knees. While corner cabinets typically store less frequently used items, these are often the very things you need most during holiday cooking! With pullout storage, you can quickly and easily access those important items, helping you stay organized, on track, and less frustrated during busy meal prep.

Dinnerware Storage

At KDP, we recommend storing dinnerware in a middle drawer of a base cabinet rather than in a wall cabinet. This allows our clients to access their plates more ergonomically, eliminating the need to reach up into a high cabinet for heavy stacks. We love using wooden pegs to create a customizable layout, ensuring each drawer is tailored to fit the specific needs of our clients.

Cutting Board Pullout Storage

A convenient pullout drawer dedicated to storing cutting boards helps keep your kitchen organized and clutter-free. Easily accessible yet neatly tucked away, this space ensures that your cutting boards are always within reach but never in the way, providing an efficient solution for food prep while maintaining a streamlined look.

Waste Management and Recycling Centers

A common challenge for entertainers always emerges at the end of an event: where do I put all the garbage and recycling? When guests ask where to dispose of recyclables, it’s tempting to tell them to forget about it since the recycling bin is often far away in the garage. A practical solution is a pull-out waste bin unit, discreetly stored in a base cabinet in the kitchen. We recommend a unit with two bins—one for trash and one for recycling—making cleanup much easier. To protect the cabinetry from wear and tear, we’ve added metal reinforcement to the top and inside edges of the pullout. When closed, the cabinet blends seamlessly with the surrounding cabinetry, keeping your kitchen looking tidy and organized.

In larger kitchens, we often recommend two garbage stations for entertainers—one near the sink and another conveniently located near the island or in another area that’s easily accessible to guests. This thoughtful design allows guests to pitch in with waste and recycling management with minimal effort. This large island serves as a true workhorse, with multiple functions cleverly integrated into the cabinetry, including dual garbage stations, keeping the kitchen organized and efficient.

Paper Towel Storage

When it comes to holiday entertaining, you need paper towels within arm’s reach, but you don’t want them taking up valuable countertop space, especially when it’s already crowded with food and drink. A dedicated paper towel drawer is a sleek, space-saving solution that keeps your kitchen looking tidy and organized. It allows you to stash paper towels out of sight but still easily accessible, reducing clutter and freeing up your countertops for cooking, serving, and hosting. Perfect for creating a more functional and stylish space during those busy gatherings!

High Tech Appliances

Modern luxury appliances bring cutting-edge technology to your kitchen, making entertaining more seamless and stylish. Smart refrigerators with Wi-Fi connectivity allow you to check contents remotely, while induction cooktops offer fast, precise cooking also great for sustainability. Built-in coffee machines serve café-quality drinks, and wine coolers with dual temperature zones keep your collection perfectly chilled. Dishwashers with ultra-quiet operation and customizable cycles ensure fast, efficient clean-up, and under-counter refrigerators provide extra storage for drinks and appetizers. Workstation sinks, with integrated accessories like cutting boards, colanders, and drying racks, streamline meal prep and cleanup, saving valuable counter space. These high-tech features not only enhance performance but also add convenience, helping you entertain with ease and elegance.

Appliance panels are a sought-after trend in modern kitchens, offering a sleek and streamlined aesthetic. These custom cabinetry panels are designed to perfectly match your surrounding cabinets, allowing appliances like dishwashers and refrigerators to blend seamlessly into the overall design. When closed, the appliances disappear, creating a cohesive, uniform look that elevates the kitchen’s style while maintaining a sense of openness and flow. Perfect for homeowners looking to create a high-end, minimalist feel with maximum functionality.

For the entertainer, organization is key to hosting a successful party. With these tips, we hope to enhance your experience, ensuring that not only your guests are enjoying themselves, but you can relax and enjoy the party too! A well-organized kitchen allows you to focus on what matters most—making memories—while keeping everything running smoothly.

Frequently Asked Questions