Getting Your Kitchen Ready For The Holiday Season

The holiday season is meant to be spent relaxing and enjoying quality time with family and friends. Unfortunately, for many of us this time of year means our schedules are kicked into high-gear, leaving what is most important during the holiday season to the wayside.

While cooking, shopping and travel may still fill your schedule, we’ve compiled a few kitchen tips to help you stay on top of the holiday game, reduce stress and hopefully free up a little time to spend it with those you love.

Stock Up, Plan It Out

If there was ever a time to be a leader and strategize a game plan, it’s now. Holiday cooking is stressful enough, so take out the guess work and plan ahead of time with friends or family members if they are bringing a dish. As much as we all love mac and cheese, having three show up unexpectedly isn’t ideal.

Many grocery stores have caught on that sometimes schedules are too packed to even shop for groceries. Stores like Kroger, Meijer and Target now offer grocery pick-up or delivery to help free up your time.

After all of the planning and pick-ups, store your ingredients and holiday goodies in our 5343 Series Solid Bottom Tall Pullout Pantry with Soft-Close.

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Spice It Up

Now that you have everything stocked up, it’s time to ensure you have every spice you need ready to go and at reach. Staying on top of cooking a holiday dish, especially multiple, is crucial to ensuring things run smoothly and on schedule.

Keep herbs and spices conveniently stored away in a drawer with our 4SDI Series trim-to-fit Spice Organizer Insert.

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Clear The Way

When hosting a holiday get together, you need all the counter space you can get for prepping and serving, so it is essential to hide away countertop appliances. Making use of hard to organize spaces like blind corners opens up so much storage space in a crowded kitchen.

Blind corner organizers like our 5370 Series Contemporary Organizer, a.k.a. The Cloud, allows you to fulfill your storage needs above and beyond what you thought that forgotten corner could ever do.

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Check Your Tools

So, maybe you found a new, risky recipe from Pinterest that’s sure to be a showstopper at your holiday event. Unfortunately it’s going to require a few new kitchen doodads and thingamabobs. Make sure you clear out cluttered drawers to make room for your essentials and new gadgets.

Our 4WDKB Series Cut-To-Size Insert Wood Double Knife Block for Drawers is a great complete drawer system to safely store away knives and other kitchen tools.

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Toss It Out

Without a doubt the holiday season usually comes with a big mess, which means you’re going to need big time help with clean up.

Proactive cleaning is without a doubt the easiest way to go. Cleaning as the preparation and party goes is a huge relief at the end of the night.

Some feel cleaning as you go distracts from the time you could be enjoying your event and the company of family and friends. In this case, enlist some volunteers to help out after dinner. This time can be spent chatting and sipping coffee while getting the job done.

Prep for the mess and madness with our 53TM Series Quad Top Mount Waste Containers. This unit includes two 35qt. waste containers, one 8qt. container for compost and one 8qt. container for recycling.

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Trending: Patterned Cement Tiles

Patterned cement tiles have proven to be a trend that will stand the test of time. But really, these artfully polished displays are created with natural materials like sand, clay, and natural pigments to produce tiles that are both extremely durable and eco-friendly. 

While the surge of bold patterns and colorful backsplashes has filled your Instagram feed in recent months, cement tiles have long since been a part of home decor. Historians even date some versions of encaustic tiles back to the 12th century! 

It's apparent that this trend is here to stay, and all we can say is we are here for it!

I mean come ON! This bathroom is a perfect example of how these tiles can add both a contemporary and vintage flair when mixed with modern details.

Looking for something a little more subtle? Smaller patterns with two colors may be more of your style like this bathroom design by Kate Marker Interiors featuring Cement Tile Shop.

Let's just take a moment and swoon over these beautiful designs.

While gorgeous, some of these beauties can come with a pretty hefty price tag. While these tiles can be seen as quite an investment, but that doesn't mean you have to have to go without. With the wave of this trend came an even bigger wave of DIY-ers and their tips on how to hack this trend using stencils like these.

Summer 2018 Color Trends

Summer has always been about casting out the dark and dreary with bright and fun colors. The Summer 2018 color trends sure do not disappoint us there, but there may be a few curveballs you wouldn't expect.

YELLOW //

This is a truly joyous and radiant color that exudes warmth, inspiration and vitality. Research shows that colors of the yellow family increase mental activity, awareness and energy.

Incorporating yellow into your home promotes a sense of optimism, prompting feelings of happiness in all who enter.

Color suggestion // SW6674 Jonquil

SAGE //

Greens represent growth and renewal. Adding different shades of green can add drama, contrast, richness and balance all at once, Shades such as sage have a soothing quality. Mixing it with whites and grays can create a contemporary look, while incorporating natural elements gives an organic feel.

Color suggestion // SW6178 Clary Sage

NAVY //

Dark blue represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness. Navy is a fun way of adding drama and sophistication to any space whether it's on a wall or a piece of furniture.

Color suggestion // SW9178 In The Navy (pictured)

BLUSH //

Pink is moving away from a little girl's room and into more spaces within the home. A soft and restrained pink, like blush, or a beige with pink undertones creates a soothing feeling.

Color suggestion // SW7110 Cosmetic Blush

BLACK //

Here't that curveball we warned you about! Incorporating black into your space may sound like a daunting task, but it has great benefits. Black exudes strength and sophistication while creating amazing contrast when paired with bright colors and natural elements.

Color suggestion // SW6178 Tricorn Black

WARM WHITE //

While grays are still on trend, there tends to be a lot of frustration surrounding finding that perfect true gray shade. Skip the headache and opt for a warm white. The color is fresh, clean and airy without being too stark.

Color suggestion // SW9165 Gossamer Veil (pictured)

Brass is Back and Better Than Ever

Gold is good, but brass is better.

This luxurious-looking hardware is back on the design scene in a big way. It's bold, bright, beautiful...all the alliterations! Far gone are the days of the shiny and yellow, and here to stay are beautiful pieces fit to brighten any design style.

Kitchen Design by Matthew Quinn of Design Galleria

MODERN

Kitchen by Brio Interior Designs

TRADITIONAL 

Kitchen by Martha Stewart // Hardware by Martha Stewart Living // Photo by Eric Piasecki

BOHO // ECLECTIC

Steel Shelving Brackets by The Ag Market Waco

MODERN FARMHOUSE 

Kitchen by Cutting Edge Homes // Hardware by Edgecliff

Check out these beautiful designs by the

Matthew Quinn Collection

Indoor Composting 101

Ah, compost. It may not be the most glamorous thing in the world, but definitely is the finest amendment, conditioner and fertilizer you can possibly get your hands on. While many believe composting is a laborious task and requires a backyard to do so, we are here to tell you it can be much easier than you think! 

The biggest advantage of indoor composting is it allows you to do the process year-round, whereas outdoor composting requires a good amount of sunlight and waste degrades more slowly in the winter months. Indoor composting is also ideal for small-space dwellers as you can store the bins in a basement, in a closet or under the kitchen sink. 

The benefits of composting include:

• Enriching soil, helping retain moisture and suppress plant disease and pests.

• Reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.

• Encouraging the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, a rich nutrient-filled material.

• Reducing methane emissions from landfills and lowering your carbon footprint.

First things first, you are going to need a composting bin. Might we suggest the CompoPlus? It is an innovative bin that eliminates all that stinks about indoor composting. If you're just looking to test the waters with indoor composting, you can always make one yourself.

Photo courtesy of Rev-A-Buzz.com

Once you have your bin, fill it with about 4" of dirt. Next, add a layer of dry stuff, including newspaper or leaves. Now you can begin to add your food scraps. This includes fruit/veggie scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, shredded paper, eggshells and trimmings from household plants. You should NOT put in meat, dairy or fats.

Additional Tips:

1. Add a handful or two of newspaper or leaves every time you add food scraps or coffee grounds. This will keep it from getting too soggy, as well as provide carbon for your bin.

2. Turn the contents of your bin often. This helps the bin warm up a bit and increase microbial action.

3. The smaller the pieces you add to the bin, the faster they will decompose. Remember to chop food fairly small for quickest results, and shred your paper or tear it into thin strips.