8 Kitchen Features to Help Make Thanksgiving Stress-free

Want to cut down on prep steps? Need more space for guests? These Thanksgiving-ready kitchens by Sweeten do it all.

Thanksgiving is a time people look forward to seeing friends and family and being thankful. But those things aside, big gatherings can be stressful on homeowners. The biggest challenge is kitchen organization; cooking and prepping food, along with needing space to serve. The right kitchen features can help ease the frustrations caused by clutter. Sweeten has helped homeowners design Thanksgiving-ready kitchens to ease the holiday strain. We selected these specific kitchens for their unique characteristics that will make any get-together easier and more enjoyable.

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Roomy kitchen countertops produce Thanksgiving meals with ease

With friends and family gathering, Thanksgiving calls for generous kitchen counters. Yet, many kitchens lack the counter space it takes to host. Adding more work surface area creates more room and less clutter. As a chef, Arnish decided that a huge kitchen peninsula would solve many of his troubles. “Sometimes we have up to 80 people in the space.” Their renovation also included a wine fridge, which makes for less traffic in the kitchen when cooking and preparing. With large food prep, cooking, or spreading out platters, a considerable surface space is a must.

A small kitchen island comes with big advantages

Small spaces can hold untapped potential. When Ursula remodeled her kitchen with Sweeten, she added a small kitchen island. The “dresser-style” island is a storage workhorse, providing three drawers for silverware, cutlery, dishes, and pots and pans. It’s ideal for food-forward holidays and dinner parties since it doubles as a serving station.

A deep and wide sink helps with dreaded dinner cleanup

For dishes that can’t fit in the dishwasher and squeeze into a regular basin, deep and wide sinks don’t disappoint. Brooklyn brownstone owners Christina and Aaron, who renovated their kitchen with Sweeten, chose a large volume farmhouse sink. The uniquely deep design is great for soaking extra-sticky dishes and accommodating baking trays or sauté pans.

Pass-throughs become conversation stations

Adding barstools to the kitchen island makes conversation during Thanksgiving more enjoyable. Guests eager to lend a helping hand can prepare food and chat with the host without being in the way. In this Sweeten kitchen renovation, homeowner Dan found having barstools at the pass-through offered seating and a more open feel to the space.

Built-in pot fillers let you work smarter, not harder during Thanksgiving

Installing a pot-filler above the stove eliminates a step from cooking. Romauld, an avid cook, included one in his Elmhurst, Queens kitchen renovation. No longer carrying a heavy pot from the sink to the stove allows him to save time and steps. This handy feature will make mashed potato duty at Thanksgiving (or corn on the cob, or pasta-making) much simpler.

The right kitchen appliances are a must for any Thanksgiving feast

When planning a kitchen remodel, updating old appliances bring energy efficiency, increase functionalities, and a modern clean look. Homeowner Katy, who renovated her Hamptons kitchen with Sweeten, called in help to pick new appliances. “I let my mother-in-law—a holiday-entertaining superwoman choose.” Among her selections was a single oven “with the largest cubic heating space she could find.” 

A walk-in pantry makes storage more accessible

Walk-in pantries keep the main kitchen area uncluttered (a difficult task during the holidays!) The extra storage allows food staples, beverages, and canned goods to stay organized. Whether the pantry has a door or an open entry, it adds to the character of the kitchen. Nazli painted her new kitchen pantry a darker shade than the kitchen so the contents blended into the surrounding, seeming to disappear. If you’re an amateur home chef, consider adding a walk-in pantry for your larger kitchen appliances, pans, and bulk ingredients or spices.

Multifaceted kitchen island

Sweeten homeowners Dawn and David added a huge island kitchen in their Park Slope kitchen renovation with Sweeten. “People like to congregate in the kitchen when they arrive. I wanted to have a space that didn’t interfere with the process of making dinner.”  There is room to prepare food and lay it out beautifully at the same time. (We’re also huge fans of the yellow Moroccan tile, sure to be a conversation piece with dinner guests!)

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