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Kitchen Remodel Must-Haves for the Entertainer

beverage center with upper cabinets, sink and herringbone backsplashMany of the kitchen remodels that we complete are for families who love to entertain. Whether you love hosting parties or holiday gatherings, here are some recommendations from Normandy Designer Leslie Molloy, CKD, on features that will have you and your guests feeling right at home. “A kitchen built for entertaining is all about function and convenience,” Leslie says. “From small nuances such as countertop height to dedicated spaces and appliances, there are so many options that can keep you organized and efficient.”

In no particular order, here are seven kitchen solutions that are fit for the entertainer:

Beverage Fridge – A beverage fridge, in conjunction to a regular refrigerator, allows you to stock up on beverages for guests. “Oftentimes, guests don’t like going into someone’s refrigerator. However, beverage fridges are more inviting, allowing guests to feel more comfortable grabbing a drink,” noted Leslie.

Double-Oven or Warming Drawer – Double-ovens allow you to cook more than one dish at the same time. This is a really useful feature for large parties, or holidays like Thanksgiving where there are multiple courses and sides. However, warming drawers are another alternative that can work just as well, allowing you to keep food warm while other dishes cook in the oven.

Wet Bar – A bar area with stemware, barware and an icemaker can make preparing drinks for guests more convenient. However, the placement of this area needs to be remote, away from where the kitchen is heavily used.

Island – If your kitchen can fit an island that is countertop height, it works really well to set up food buffet style and can allow for more than one cook in the kitchen. There are also many features that can be incorporated inside of the island to benefit entertaining, including seating, a prep sink or microwave oven.

Desk in the kitchen with built-in televisionOpen-Concept Floor Plan – Having your kitchen open to an adjacent room allows guests in the dining room or family room to still interact with anyone who is in the kitchen cooking or cleaning.

Multi-Purpose Areas– Sometimes, a solution is a simple as creating an area that can serve more than one purpose. One example that works particularly well is a desk area. “If you want to keep a desk in your kitchen space, it can also be used as a pot to set up desserts or beverages when entertaining,” said Leslie. “This area is typically removed from the kitchen work triangle, so it works really well.”

Built-in Coffee Maker – For the luxurious kitchen connoisseur, a custom coffee experience is quite the extravagance. Consider a coffee or espresso maker built into a wall cabinet for you and your guests to enjoy.

For more beautiful kitchen ideas, check out our photo gallery. Or, set up a consultation with Leslie to begin discussing your kitchen remodel. You can also follow Normandy Remodeling on Facebook and Instagram for more design ideas and inspiration.

Modern off-white kitchen with island and peninsula

Chicago Kitchen Reconfiguration

Mfdn Before and AfterAs it stood, the 1940’s Chicago home contained the original kitchen. While it sounds charming, in actuality, it was very outdated with very little storage and work space.  The space constantly looked cluttered because nothing could be put away. Tired of continuously rolling out their portable dishwasher and avoiding hosting holiday parties because of lack of functionality, these homeowners reached out to Normandy Designer Laura Barber, AKBD. When it came to coming up with a solution, it was all about location, location, location…

“In order to make this kitchen more practical and functional, a few key items needed to be relocated,” said Laura. “Closing up the window on the range wall and shifting over the window above the sink really changed the whole dynamic of the space.  From there, we were able to reconfigure a new floor plan with more storage and counter space.”

With the windows put in place and a new placement for the sink, Laura moved the refrigerator to where the old sink was formerly kept.

“It’s amazing how these adjustments changed the whole feeling of the space,” noted Laura. “They now have a full-sized dishwasher and an apron front sink.”

This smart move also made room for a recessed pantry, so some tall pantry storage was gained. This was a huge gain for the homeowners since there was almost no storage before the renovation.

As far as aesthetics goes, the couple didn’t want to just opt for the ever-popular white cabinetry. Instead, they were eager to pick out something unique that reflected the age and style of their home. Therefore, they went with sage green cabinets and neutral Cambria countertops. The white marble backsplash and mosaic accent tiles above the range tie everything together beautifully. Porcelain tile flooring with a light stone pattern also brings interest to the room, yet provides the durability that is needed due to the couple’s two dogs.

“Overall, the space is very classic,” added Laura. “However, the mix of mosaic tile,  metal, and stone add a little bit of a contemporary edge.”

A few other noteworthy features include stacked cabinetry that goes to the ceiling. This gave much-needed storage while also visually opening up the room.

Overall, with a beautiful kitchen with plenty of storage, the couple can now proudly take on holiday hosting again. In fact, the space near the back door allows for a bar and entertaining space. Wrapping the cabinetry down to the breakfast room also allowed for a continuous run of counter space to use for drinks and a coffee station.

“It’s safe to say that this kitchen remodel was dramatically life-changing,” said Laura. “The counters, open workspace, and storage give the ability to entertain and enjoy the space. I’m so happy that I could have hand in that.”

Laura can help transform your kitchen too. The first step is to set up a free consultation to see and discuss your space. Or, you can register to attend one of our free remodeling seminars to learn more. For more kitchen ideas, you can also view the Normandy photo gallery or follow Normandy Remodeling on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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