Our kitchens are busier than ever during the winter months for a few reasons. For one, the colder weather has us craving warming meals, but it's also because it's the season in which all the holidays fall, which means hosting is at an all-time high.
And, let's be honest, it creeps up on us rather quickly, and suddenly our kitchens become the focus of our homes. So if you haven't had a chance to prepare your cooking space for the busiest season of them all, fear not.
How Designers Elevate Their Kitchens for Winter
We're not talking about making major changes to the bones of your kitchen, nor are we suggesting you go out and spend a fortune on new furniture. Instead, our trusted interior design contacts are suggesting smaller ticket ways to give your kitchen a spruce up – most of which you either already have in your home or are easy and affordable to introduce.
1. Fill Your Kitchen with Winter Scents and Foliage
If you want to bring the essence of winter into your kitchen, it doesn't get easier than seasonal foliage (even if it's a few foraged branches) and a wintry scent that brings a sense of warmth and comfort to your space.
'In the winter, I want my kitchen to feel like a warm hug. For me, that starts with fresh wintry touches and scents as you open the door to our home. We love the mix of holiday greens and citrus. I keep a simmer pot on the stove with oranges and cinnamon sticks,' says interior designer Ami McKay.
If you like woody scents with cedarwood and fresh balsam, try The Gather Candle by Anthropologie, or for something more Christmassy, the Winter Spruce Scent Collection from Pottery Barn smells festive and has the most charming design.
To enhance the wintry scents, pairing them with displays of foraged greenery is another effective yet low-cost way designers invite the season into their kitchen – it's a small but easy way to decorate that always impresses guests.
'I bring in foraged greenery from our property. I arrange branches in a stone vessel and place it on our kitchen countertop, and tie a little nosegay to our light fixture. It’s the clustering of little vignettes with a mix of holiday and non-holiday items that makes the home feel relaxed and welcoming,' says Ami.
'Creating that kind of warmth in the kitchen changes how the whole house feels. It slows the pace. People linger a little longer, sit down, and they talk while we cook. The space becomes less about getting dinner on the table and more about being together,' she explains.
2. Create a Warming Ambiance with Lighting
In the winter, every room of the home feels darker, especially the kitchen, where you might usually rely on daylight to brighten the space. But designers say leaning into the darker evenings and bringing in ambient light sources instantly elevates the space.
'Like many families, in the dark doldrums of winter, the kitchen is where my girls and I go to spend cozy time together. Of course, it helps that we have large windows to let what little sunlight there is through, but I also made a point to layer in different lighting – recessed, pendants, and sconces – for those dark early evenings,' explains interior designer Bethany Adams.
'Warm lighting is a quick and easy way to make any space feel cozy,' adds interior designer Nadia Watts, who takes the same approach during the winter. 'Use lamps and layer your lighting. A lamp on the kitchen counter can do wonders for cozying up your kitchen and making it feel warm and inviting. Be sure to use soft warm-white or yellow bulbs.'
If you don't have space for a small counter lamp, there are plenty of other places you can add them. Open shelving is a stylish choice, as is a dining table, where Helen Parker, creative director of deVOL Kitchens, focuses her attention in her space.
'I have a little rechargeable lamp on my dining table. It's been such a wonderful thing, I love having a small atmospheric little pool of light in an otherwise dark room, it feels very bistro,' she explains.
If you love the silver and chrome trend that's everywhere right now, this striking lamp will certainly impress. The cordless design paired with the sculptural silhouette creates the perfect winter kitchen decor.
For a more vintage-inspired design, this lamp ticks every box. The shades of green feel warm and seasonal, while the overall shape and design feel utterly timeless. Perfect for counters or a dining table.
Prefer to keep it classic? The simplicity of this brass cordless lamp certainly appeals. It will suit plenty of kitchen styles, from traditional to modern, and doubles as the chicest winter decor.
3. Curate Multiple Seating Areas
For Bethany, the winter season signals hosting and gathering with loved ones, so having somewhere for all of her guests to comfortably sit and relax in her kitchen is an important element.
'Besides bright, welcoming light, we have multiple seating areas. Stools at the counter for eating, of course, but also a cozy settee loaded with pillows and a blanket for morning snuggles. A sturdy marble bistro table nearby holds coffee and hot chocolate,' she explains.
You don't have to go out and buy lots of new furniture to create comfortable seating areas in your kitchen. Add seat cushions to existing dining chairs and counter stools, bring in a couple of accent chairs from your living room, or add a charming little bistro set to create an eat-in area.
If you've got a sofa or banquette in your kitchen, throw pillows are a must to add comfort and character. During the winter months, deeper colors like these instantly feel more inviting.
If you want to add a small eating area without taking up too much space, a bistro table is a great choice. This marble design adds a sense of luxury and will be easy to place in your home year-round.
On a cold winter morning, a cozy blanket is essential. This faux fur design is exactly the design you'd want to wrap yourself up in, and it is currently 60% off, so it's the perfect time to buy!
4. Layer up Textiles
Nothing makes a room feel more inviting during the winter months than layered textiles. And the kitchen is no exception. For Nadia, that means filling her kitchen with rugs, blankets, and even heavier curtains.
'Layer rugs, textiles, and even window treatments. Add textiles in a cozy boucle, velvet, mohair, and fur. Layer rugs or swap flat-weave rugs for heavier ones,' she suggests, emphasizing their ability to add warmth and comfort to a kitchen.
Runners usually work best in a kitchen, whether you have a galley layout or a large island, and the long, narrow form suits the walkway. The Provence Grey & Coral Rug from Ruggable is a timeless design, available in four colorways, or for something more natural, the Balian Rug from Serena & Lily is a charming choice.
It's not just rugs, either. 'Even your window treatments can be layered. Layer curtains with a sheer fabric in summer, or a thicker fabric for fall and winter. This will allow you to control the amount of light in your space, creating the perfect level of coziness,' she explains.
5. Add Personal Decor
Few things will make your kitchen feel more like home than personal touches. We're not talking about a nice decor piece you picked up at the store, but rather sentimental items and collected accessories that connect you to people and memories.
'I love pieces with history and sentimental value. When you display personal items like photos, artwork, and objects collected over time, your space will feel homey and cozy. Surrounding yourself with meaningful and cherished items will create a sense of belonging, comfort, and warmth,' says Nadia, of her favorite winter ritual.
A few frames filled with family photos on the walls or layered on shelves, your grandmother's treasured plate sets that you inherited displayed on plate racks, or trinkets from your favorite travels can make a huge difference to the appeal of your kitchen during the winter.
If you want to add family photos to your kitchen, a pretty frame needs to be chosen. A textured design like this one is perfect, creating a more decorative display in a chic and timeless way.
Instead of randomly choosing art for your kitchen, choose something that relates to you. These Houses of the Zodiac artworks are a charming choice – you can add one for every member of the home.
If you have inherited plates or vintage ceramics you want to display in your kitchen, this display shelf, which doubles as a plate rack, is a perfect addition. There's plenty of space for essentials, too.
6. Mix Materials and Textures
A kitchen is a room that is often filled with cold surfaces and hard lines – it's just the functional nature of these hardworking rooms. But Interior designers like to introduce more texture and mixed materials for a more inviting atmosphere through the winter. And Ami likes to bring in plenty of different materials and displays.
'It always comes down to a few honest, hardworking pieces. Big wooden boards that live on the counter year-round, ready for anything, hand-thrown pottery in soft earthy glazes, miniature fresh Christmas trees to add to empty vessels in the kitchen (there’s never too much greenery in my mind), a large bowl overflowing with oranges, and a stack of linen napkins at the ready,' she explains.
'We switch out the light summery cushions and replace them with our wintry versions. These textures immediately warm up a kitchen. Vintage vessels and beautiful artisan pieces layer in that sense of history I’m always creating,' she adds, explaining the importance of these softer textures.
7. Don't Forget Candlelight
Nothing feels more nostalgic and comforting than the gentle glow of candlelight, and designers say it's one thing they always bring into their kitchens during the colder, darker season. Whether you light something scented on your kitchen island or display tapers on the walls and window sills, it's a touch that instantly feels more ambient.
'My kitchen is not a particularly bright room and tends to be quite dark, so it lends itself well to candles. I have two beautiful vintage candle sconces on either side of my window, and when the candles are lit, it looks beautiful and inviting. I think candles on walls are so much better than any other type; they really do create something special,' says Helen.
'My kitchen is always the most popular place to hang out in my house, so it's very important that it feels comfortable and inviting. Cooking a meal, sitting on the sofa, or chatting around the table, my kitchen is a little world of its own when the candles are lit and the winds are howling outside. It makes me feel less sad about the summer being over.'
Wall candle sconces are a big trend this winter, and this design from McGee & Co. is a sophisticated choice. With its brass finish and two-arm design, it's the perfect addition to elevate a winter kitchen.
You can't go wrong with traditional taper candles in a kitchen, and these white ones are a classic option. Plus, they are dripless, smokeless, and unscented, so you don't have to worry about damage.
For a classic table centerpiece, taper candle holders of varying heights work a treat. This design from H&M is so chic with its smooth, simple form. It's available in silver, gold, and black.
It really is the small details that make the most difference to the atmosphere of your kitchen during winter. From adding small seating areas and filling the room with seasonal scents to lighting candles and adding a small lamp, it's as much a feeling as it is an aesthetic.
And Helen puts it perfectly: 'I think it’s probably the smell and anticipation of a family meal, cooking, prepping, and chatting, is the key to creating a truly warm feel both physically and mentally.'
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.