Treat Yourself to an Easter-Ready Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of every home within which the aromas of good food mingle with the laughter of family and friends. From preparing family meals to entertaining, the functionality and design of your kitchen is one of your home’s most important features. Moments in the kitchen crystallize into cherished memories. Moments worth savoring. With a Buckingham Group kitchen such moments can become everyday events.

by Ed Kaplan

Easter is much more than a time for egg hunts and chocolate bunnies. In addition to its religious significance, Easter celebrates hope and new growth, the promise of warmer temperatures, and family. The focus differs from one household to another, but honored traditions and casual fun share top billing. Easter ushers in a renewal of mind and spirit, and spring celebrates a return to warmer temperatures, natural beauty and more time spent outdoors.

We think Easter is an especially good time to concentrate on making your kitchen as beautiful as it is functional. If a renovation is in your future, The Buckingham Group can certainly assist with that, but we also want to share some ideas that are just for fun.

No matter how you observe Easter, chances are that food is at least part of the celebration. Good times happen naturally in a stylish, comfortable, well-designed kitchen. This year personalize your kitchen decor to add new charm.

Embrace Color

Easter signals the unofficial advent of spring. Go ahead and splurge on new dish towels and potholders. Hang new curtains. Place a colorful new rug in front of the sink. Add a bright runner to the breakfast table or island counter. Purchase new pastel placemats and napkins for visual interest at the dining table. For a reasonably-priced redo that can have great impact, treat yourself to brightly colored glass cabinet pulls for fresh, updated kitchen decor.

Unleash your Inner Child

Who doesn’t love colored Easter eggs? Even if you don’t hide them in the yard, you can still enjoy the creativity involved in dyeing and decorating them. Go natural with dyes made from beets, carrots, spinach, red cabbage, or yellow onion skins. Use grape juice, tea or coffee, or create bright dye with turmeric or chili powder. It’s fun to see the results whether you’re seven or 70, and the eggs are good to eat as well! Just be sure to protect your countertops and cabinet surfaces with heavy butcher paper or old newspaper pages.

Celebrate Nature

If you grow herbs in the garden, bring sprigs of mint, chives, rosemary or parsley indoors to brighten the scene. Aromatic plants that you can snip for use in recipes are wonderful at any time of year, but they’re especially welcome at Easter. Fill vases with flowers!

Give In to Whimsy

Shop antique stores and flea markets for interesting deviled egg platters, candle holders, or unique bunny and chick figurines. Splurge on depression-era colored glass serving dishes and goblets or treat yourself to a set of new salad or dessert plates for that special Easter brunch.

Indulge!

It’s okay to yield — just a little bit — to the temptation of sweet treats and special foods. If you love baking, make extra scones or traditional hot cross buns to share some with neighbors. Deliver a batch to your local senior center or family shelter. Remember that homemade treats are always better, and better for you, than store-bought candies and too much chocolate.

Honor Family Tradition

Most families celebrate holidays with special foods, many of them based on cultural or ethnic customs. Don’t let another year pass without preserving those traditions. Compile time-tested favorites into a recipe book; share copies with family and friends. Take pictures of finished dishes and the loaded dining table and include comments in the volume. Display photographs of previous Easter celebrations. It’s a great way to preserve memories, teach children about their heritage and honor past generations.

Make Room for Helpers

Easter is a time to make room in your kitchen for additional cooks and helpers. Provide stools or small stepladders to encourage participation by “Grandma” as well as young children. Let the kids lick spoons and eggbeaters, and enjoy the stories told by family elders.

We’d love to hear how you celebrate Easter in your Tulsa kitchen. When it’s time to renovate, contact The Buckingham Group to begin a conversation.

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The Buckingham Group  |  4727 S. Memorial Drive  |   Tulsa, OK 74145   |   918-624-2666