Give ‘Em Something to Talk About – in the Kitchen

How about cooking up some connection in the kitchen. It’s been said that while life may have been created in the bedroom, it is certainly lived in the kitchen. Has your kitchen been left on the back burner? Put the sizzle back into the heart of your home with a few changes – turning it into a family gathering spot- open 24/7.

The Family Table

Islands are great for cooking and storage but if you have the room – add a table and chairs to your kitchen.  Everyone is so busy meeting the demands of their career, raising a family, and taking care of a home, that the kitchen sometimes is just overlooked. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spend 5 hours and eleven minutes per day watching TV and 55 minutes in the kitchen.

Taking the time to eat a meal together is a great bonding time for families and friends, especially on a regular basis. It becomes a time that everyone looks forward to. A time to share good news or to be comforted when the news is bad.

You might find a few extra hands helping prep for dinner. The kitchen table has many purposes:

• Helping kids with their homework while you prepare dinner.
• After dinner dust off one of those board games and enjoy the conversations that pop up.
• Couples sharing about their work and paying bills – over coffee.
• Entertaining friends and celebrating birthdays – along with other important events.

Chalkboard

Create a chalkboard kitchen backsplash with a little paint and trim. If you don’t like that you could stick it on the wall, door, or on the lower side of an island. Don’t be surprised when everyone finds a fun use for it.

• Little hands enjoy the easy access to drawing (and it’s easy to clean up).
• Use it for a grocery list, to write down reminders (up high), or an encouraging quote for the day.
• Play games, solve homework problems.
• Go all out and get one that’s magnetized. Kids will love it – but adults use them to solve problems and a great tool for brainstorming.
• Great modern visual for a kitchen centered as the command station.

Appealing to the Eye

Freshen up your tired-looking kitchen with a few modern accessories. Adding modern kitchen faucets with a sprayer will be an added joy for every dish you wash. A few new pulls and knobs to wake up your cabinets and warm lighting has an inviting appeal. Of course, a homemade German chocolate cake, sliced and ready to eat with a glass of ice cold milk brightens up any kitchen.

Aromas of an Inviting Kitchen

Smell is a drawing attraction. This part of the brain helps release the emotional feelings of “if it smells good; it must be good”. Freshly baked apple pie and chocolate chip cookies are talked about, wrote about, and today candles have even been named after them – imitating the delicious smells as they flicker.

Bake up some yummy desserts, light some candles, or just simmer a few apple slices with cinnamon and brown sugar – and watch the kitchen fill up – like moths drawn to a flame.