Home is usually the focus for get-togethers at Christmas time and nowadays the kitchen is widely regarded as the ‘hub of the home’.
No longer sparse, quiet, utilitarian rooms, kitchens are more inviting living spaces filled with warmth, energy and aromas, embracing today’s more casual lifestyle. Friends, family and their children can gather together and chat as meals are prepared, the kitchen providing the perfect place for group bonding, especially at Christmas.
So why not treat your kitchen to a present this Christmas by updating its worktops, cabinet doors, flooring and general décor, says kitchen makeover specialist Granite Transformations. Since it is possible to transform the look in a single day, it would be a gift that keeps on giving this Christmas. Or if you have slightly more ambitious makeover plans, you could make it a special surprise for you guests – and your kitchen – next Christmas.
Providing you are happy with the overall layout, most existing kitchens can be given a whole new lease of life for a modest investment, by refacing worktops, replacing doors and drawer fronts, renewing floors and splashbacks, and adding extra features. What’s more, with DIY skills in stark decline, you’ll be pleased to learn that the work can be carried out by expert fitters from a Granite Transformations showroom.
So here are some suggestions for making your kitchen more festive for Christmas drinks or snacks, holiday brunch and Boxing Day buffets:
Snow White – if you are scheming of a white Christmas, then follow the popular all-white kitchen trend by choosing from white, off-white or ivory quartz, recycled glass and porcelain worktops, colour-matched splashbacks, and alabaster, satin white, white oak or ultragloss white doors.
Black Magic – on the other hand, no-one ever went wrong with black granite-style worktops, especially featuring sparkling mirror fleck that reflects downlighting, teaming these with replacement doors in woodgrains, matt finishes or glossy vinyls in almost any colour.
Seasonal Sparkle – put an eyecatching sparkle into your kitchen décor, for the festive season or any time, using inimitable Italian glass mosaic splashbacks with translucent, iridescent and tactile finishes, which can be fitted over existing tiles, either up to the wall units or full height.
Treasure Island – if space allows, put in a central island unit for extra storage and laying out a seasonal buffet spread, with a coordinating or contrasting worktop colour to the main cabinets and luxurious waterfall ends that reach down to the floor.
Classic Diner – extend your base cabinets and worktops with a peninsular unit or cantilevered breakfast bar, so that family and friends can eat informally seated on bar stools, then linger over drinks in a warm and convivial kitchen atmosphere.
Shining Bright – cabinet doors may be distressed but the carcases are probably still in good condition, so update your units with currently fashionable ultragloss doors and drawer fronts, with minimalist handles and pulls, or choose the latest metallic finishes for a contemporary look.
Wonder Walls – the tendency to entertain guests in the kitchen has boosted the use of wall units and other storage items, for concealing small appliances and bric-a-brac behind cabinet doors, perhaps ‘mixing it up’ with different colours from the main base units.
On The Tiles – if your flooring is old and worn, then refacing it will instantly lift the look of the kitchen, using hardwearing granite, quartz and recycled glass floor tiles in the same hardwearing material as the worktops or click-together agglomerate planks in wood-effect finishes.
Festive Decorations – add character to your kitchen by creating a feature wall with colourful, patterned and tactile Italian glass mosaic tiles, using pre-formatted designer patterns, eyecatching Subway and Hexagonal plain tile formats or your own custom designs or graduated mixes.
Stocking Fillers – you can also treat your kitchen to some extras like a new sink and tap unit, a replacement oven and hob, even one or two new appliances, and have them installed at the same time as the main makeover, so they arrive all together, fit the allocated spaces and work properly first time.
