Whenever I design a kitchen for my clients, there’s always one question that I ask: “How do you cook?” In other words, how will you use your kitchen? That gets to the heart of exactly what you’ll want to include in your kitchen design to make it function exactly the way you need it to. If you love to cook gourmet meals, you’ll need a fantastic range, a pot filler, and great storage for all of your tools. If you want to entertain, you may want a wine fridge and storage for serving trays. But what if baking is your thing? So many of us love to bake at the holidays, so what kitchen essentials do you need? Here are 5 that I recommend.

1. Stone Counters

I love stone counters in a kitchen, but they are especially important if you do love to bake. You can easily roll out cookies, knead bread, and cut pie crusts on counters made of quartzite, granite, and sealed marble. In fact, very little will stick to these stones, so it makes them perfect for working with dough.

2. Double Ovens

Having two ovens is fantastic if you love to cook, but it’s especially important for people who enjoy baking. You can proof dough in one oven and bake in the other. Or you can cook a casserole in one and a dessert pie in the second. It saves so much time and effort, and it really can up your baking game if one of those selections is a steam oven.

3. Task Lighting

Having bright lighting right where you need it is so key to functional interior design, and that’s especially true in the kitchen. Consider strong pendant lighting over an island or peninsula because that’s where you’ll be mixing, kneading, and cutting breads, cookies, and pastries. You will also want a strong light near the oven or under the range hood so you can see the things you’re baking to determine whether they’re done or not.

4. Custom Cabinetry

Creating custom designs will ensure that your kitchen is perfectly planned just for you. For people who love to bake, that can include drawers with flour and sugar containers built in, specialty spice racks, utensil drawers, slide-out racks for baking pans, and more. Everything you need should be in easy reach and stored in space-maximizing cabinetry.

5. An Extra Sink

A prep sink is great in a kitchen for so many different tasks. It’s why I included designs for prep sinks in my Quintana Collection with Thompson Traders. They allow you to use one sink for clean prep and the other for dirty dishes, making your baking time more efficient. Once you have a prep sink, you’ll wonder how in the world you did without one for so long!

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All the best,

Kara

5 Kitchen Essentials for Holiday Baking

1. Stone Counters

2. Double Ovens

3. Task Lighting

4. Custom Cabinetry

5. An Extra Sink