In today’s age where everyone is busy, leading their own lives, running their kids to and fro, here and there and everywhere, the importance of home has become paramount in our lives. There’s something about coming home that is soothing, relieving, comforting, and safe, especially after a long day of what seems like slaying dragons. It’s important to have an inviting place to rest, relax, and rejuvenate for the day ahead. And as the holidays approach and we are planning for family to come into town, big meals to cook, and lots of hullabaloo.

In your home, the kitchen tends to be the place everyone likes to congregate. After all, we have to eat and drink to survive, but around the holidays the kitchen becomes extra special as special meals are cooked, more baking is done, and time with friends and family over a cup of coffee takes center stage. What wouldn’t be more perfect for the holidays than a custom kitchen?

Showcase Kitchens offers the best custom kitchen designs in Long Island. We are a family-owned and operated business that has been helping customers bring to fruition the kitchen of their dreams since 1933. We understand the importance of the kitchen in your home, and we believe that when you invest in a custom kitchen design with us, your home will be even more restful, relaxing, and joyful. Below, we’ll go over some of the great benefits of a custom kitchen for the holidays. Contact us today to get started!

HISTORY OF KITCHENS

Kitchens began for purely utilitarian uses — for cooking only. Hence, it’s history is linked to the development of the stove. Hundreds of years ago, there weren’t even kitchens. First, most homes consisted of only one room and families cooked over a fire that was outside. The ancient Greeks cooked in a central courtyard, or a covered patio served as the kitchen area. The wealthy did have the kitchen as a separate room, usually next to the bathroom so both rooms could be heated by the fire. In the Roman Empire, commoners cooked in large public kitchens, with some having small stoves. Wealthy Romans had good kitchens in a separate part of their villa. There were fireplaces, but no chimneys. Servants always did the cooking, both in ancient times and up until the modern era.

Then people began to cook inside the home with a hole in the roof to let smoke out. By the Middle Ages, a cauldron had been added to hang over the fire for cooking, but smoke and soot were a big problem. There were still no chimneys, but some wealthy homes had three kitchens, each used for a different purpose. Fires still served as the main source of heat and light in the Middle Ages. Eventually the hole became a fireplace, but not until the 16th century when chimneys were added. This allowed for bigger fires to be made for both heating and cooking over.

KITCHENS TREND TOWARD THE STOVE

In the early 1700s, stoves were added to homes, mainly fueled by wood. The Franklin stove, invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1742 is an early example of a metal stove. However, this stove was designed to heat the room, not for cooking. Still, the kitchen was not a formal room just yet. However, now with no smoke or soot to contend with, the kitchen area began to take on a role as an area for social functions.

In Colonial times, kitchens finally became separate rooms, and in the southern states, kitchens were separate houses altogether. Showcase Kitchens in Long Island notes that the Industrial Revolution saw many more advancements in stoves, including coal-burning stoves. The Oberlin Stove was invented in 1834. It was a metal stove that was much more efficient than cooking in a fireplace. These stoves evolved into the first cooking stoves, with flue pipes to connect to chimneys, oven holes, and places to heat water. The gas stove came to fruition in 1826 as air pollution became a concern. The electric oven began to compete with the gas oven beginning in the 1920s. The kitchen, however, remained a place to cook only and was still seen as a place for servants to do all of the cooking.

THE BEGINNING OF MODERN KITCHENS

It was World War II when kitchens finally became the focal point of the home. Since most Americans lived in smaller apartments and homes, the kitchen became the main room where the family lived. Other rooms were reserved for other occasions.

Modern kitchens today are trending towards contemporary kitchens, with cool colors, custom kitchen cabinets, large custom kitchen islands, and quartz and granite countertops. The trend is moving towards custom kitchen designs, which is what Showcase Kitchens in Long Island loves to see.

Have Family All Together

You’ve probably experienced one of the big problems with a small kitchen with a poor layout — you miss half of the conversation that is happening if you are cooking and then you find yourself having to ask your friends and family to repeat what they said, much to their annoyance if you ask too often. With such busy lives, these times with friends and family that you don’t see very often are precious, and you don’t want to miss those moments that are priceless or miss the latest happenings in your nieces’ and nephews’ lives.

When you invest in a custom kitchen design with Showcase Kitchens in Long Island, you can rest assured that the layout of your kitchen will be maximized to include all areas so you can hear these precious conversations as they are taking place. Furthermore, you’ll be able to see your friends and family as well.

Create Memories

Kitchens are now places of living. Instead of just eating, which we discussed in our history section above, kitchens are now places where many activities occur, from kids doing their homework at the kitchen table to adults doing work from home in the kitchen. When cooking is done, children are encouraged to help and learn how to cook, which creates memories as well. Many modern custom kitchens are now open to other rooms, which allowed for more activities to be performed in the kitchen, as well as larger kitchen tables where even more family members could congregate.

During the holiday season, some people turn their custom kitchens into places to wrap gifts and presents. The whole kitchen table could be filled with wonderful colors and textures of wrapping paper, gift bags, tags, and bows. Even Christmas lights are a popular addition to custom kitchens during the holiday season. From reading ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas at the kitchen table to baking cookies for Santa, many happy childhood and adult memories are made in the kitchen. Make your holiday memories even better by not having to fight your kitchen; call Showcase Kitchens in Long Island to make your best memories in a new custom kitchen design.

You Choose the Layout

One of the most common complaints that Showcase Kitchens hears from those looking for a custom kitchen design is how they dislike the layout of their custom kitchen. When you partner with Showcase Kitchens in Long Island for your custom kitchen renovation, you’ll be able to choose how you want your kitchen to flow. Many benefits of choosing the layout of your kitchen is choosing custom kitchen cabinets and custom kitchen islands — both of which play crucial roles in your holiday gatherings. Counter space is a premium when huge meals are being cooked, and the better your custom kitchen remodel and island, the more counter space you will have.

Relax in Your Custom Kitchen Remodel

With so few precious moments in your day to relax, your custom kitchen can be the perfect space to create that much needed space, especially during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. When you finish a long day of shopping or attending holiday party gatherings, it can be very peaceful to arrive home, make a cup of hot cocoa, grab a book, and sit in your wonderful custom kitchen remodel. You can soak in the wonderful colors of your custom kitchen, your new custom kitchen island, and everything else you love about your kitchen. 

While you may have begun your custom kitchen remodel with the idea of others in mind, it now serves you for some much-needed self care time. Kitchens can be so much more if you allow them to be, and Showcase Kitchens in Long Island has over 80 years of helping families make their custom kitchens home, including adding in custom kitchen cabinets and custom kitchen islands.

If you had a big Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner at your home last year and thought that your kitchen was too cramped for so many people, then you need to contact Showcase Kitchens and schedule your custom kitchen design today. If you don’t, the holidays will come around again, and you’ll have the same problem as last year.

Kitchens serve to connect families in ways not possible in our modern age. They are often the last safe harbor from cell phones, social media, and other electronic devices as families eat dinner together and review their day. Conversation is facilitated, and families are brought together.

During the holiday season, time is at a premium. A custom kitchen remodel could be exactly what your family needs to spend more quality time together. Whether you’re preparing to host a holiday party or you are cooking a scrumptious, nutritious meal for your family, your custom kitchen design is the heart of your home.

We invite you to come and visit us to see exactly what a custom kitchen design can do for your home. You’ll meet our wonderful design staff that can help you, and when you’re ready, you can make an appointment with our exceptional kitchen designers who can help you create the custom kitchen of your dreams. Sign up today before the rush of the holidays hits!