Great Kitchen Designs for the Holidays

Gathering to prepare a big meal and eat great dishes with family and friends is an important part of any special event, especially Thanksgiving. Our designers believe that an ideal space for such events would be a large open kitchen and dining room with plenty of counter space for more than one cook. If space allows, the perfect design would have a functional island (possibly with a cook-top, cutting board and prep sink) to separate the space between cooking and entertaining. The dining room should be a flexible space that can easily be transformed from a place where you sit down for daily family dinners to an elegant table set for a special occasion.

When it comes to designing your kitchen, remember that function will matter much more than aesthetics. A kitchen should be well laid out with enough practical counter space and plenty of cabinets. You'll really feel the limitations and frustration of a poorly designed kitchen when you're trying to plan a holiday dinner or large party. Think of the future, because a kitchen makes a great selling point to any home regardless of the size - so invest in your upgrade snow, rather then wishing you had later.

Get inspired by our collection of fabulous kitchen floor plans.

	When designing your great room, make sure the space is flexible enough to hold a crowd and accessible to the cooking and dining area so you can easily entertain. After all, it is the place where people will want to congregate and enjoy being with family and friends. Here are some things you'll want to take into consideration early on in the design process: choose windows that offer a great view; add columns to define the space, change the flooring in different places, size your fireplace appropriately and change the ceiling height.