entertaining in the kitchen – Page 4 – Fully Assembled Premium Cabinetry

How To Stock Your Home Bar Cabinets For Winter

Just a few short months ago; we talked about How To Stock Your Bar Room Cabinetry For Summer. And while classic Margaritas and chilled, sparkling white wine are refreshing, with temperatures dropping and December fast approaching, it is time to stock your home bar cabinets for winter. Warm up your spirits and spread holiday cheer with these seasonal suggestions.

Bourbon

This barrel-aged, American spirit has warm and wintery vanilla and honey notes. Perfect for spiking hot chocolate, bourbon can also be used for mixing up a Cranberry Old Fashioned Cocktail or Alpine Manhattan. You can also serve it on the rocks (with ice) — or neat (room temperature) if you’re a true Bourbon aficionado.

Whisky

You’ll often find this aromatic, distilled spirit in hot beverages, such as a Hot Toddy or Irish coffee. There are several types of Whisky, made from a variety of grains, and each has a uniquely complex flavor with hints of toffee, caramel, and sometimes even mint.

Vodka

This clear spirit is ideal for classic winter cocktails, like a creamy White Russian or a spicy Moscow Mule. It’s also necessary for making a big batch of Holiday Glögg (mulled wine) for your Christmas or New Year’s Eve party. On it’s own, Vodka doesn’t have a lot of flavor, but it’s a must have for mixed drinks.

Rum

Rum made our summer list for being the main ingredient in a frozen Daquiri, but you should also add Rum to your bar cabinets during the winter months. Not only is this sweet as molasses distilled spirit used in cold-weather cocktails like Eggnog (alongside the aforementioned Bourbon) and Hot Buttered Rum, but also it’s needed for baking Rum Cake, a classic holiday dessert!

Brandy

Produced by distilling wine, Brandy is typically used as an after-dinner digestif, especially after a heavy holiday meal. It’s also found in favorite cocktails like the Brandy Alexander (essentially grown-up chocolate milk), the Sidecar, and the Metropolitan.

Champagne

New Year’s Eve isn’t quite the same without a celebratory glass of Champagne. For an extra bit of sparkle, impress your holiday guests with a classic and festive Champagne Cocktail, or perhaps Champagne Mojitos with fresh springs of mint.

Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen, home office, home bar, laundry room, TV room, or bath of your dreams with our 100% free room design tool. We offer solid wood cabinetry, fully assembled and delivered for free. Plus all the accessories you need to complete your remodel. Visit our website to see our products today!

TV Room Tips For Decorating Around A Fireplace

When you have both your television and fireplace in the same space, you have to get a little creative with your décor and design. You want the room to be a relaxing place where you can cuddle up and gather around the fire, but also allow for family-friendly fun and entertainment. Here, we’re sharing some of our top tips for decorating around a fireplace in a TV room.

Install TV room cabinetry to frame both your fireplace and television.

On its own, a television may look out of place when hung above or beside a fireplace. Installing solid wood cabinetry around these two focal points can frame the space and create a more cohesive look overall. Take this design using Willow Lane Cabinetry’s Urban White cabinets for example. The cabinets form columns on both sides, transforming the wall into an entertainment center that incorporates both the television and fireplace perfectly.

Use recessed shelving to create dimension and balance with a fireplace.

A fireplace is a recessed structure, so when a television is placed on the same wall, it can make the wall seem off balanced or top heavy. Adding recessed shelving, either alone or as part of a solid wood cabinetry set, can counteract this imbalance and create harmony throughout the wall.

Open shelving or glass door cabinets can establish symmetry on a wall with a fireplace and television.

Another way to establish symmetry is with open shelving or glass door cabinets. When you have a wall with a fireplace, the most natural place to put the TV is directly above the fireplace. This creates a clean, vertical line but it also can make the wall feel unsymmetrical.

When you have open shelving or glass door cabinets within your TV room cabinetry, you can then arrange items on the shelves to complement the fireplace and television. The example pictured above features the Midtown Walnut Shaker cabinets and shows how you can use glass door cabinets to create additional focal points around the fireplace.

A floating wall shelf can create a clear divide between the television and fireplace.

Another great takeaway from the photo above is the floating shelf that has been installed below the television. This simple addition creates a clear divide between the the television and the fireplace and allows them to each shine individually.

A floating shelf also gives you another opportunity to decorate, and can help you carry a theme from your TV room cabinetry over to the fireplace. Whether it’s a cherished collection or seasonal items, whatever is on display in your cabinets can now be complemented by the décor above your fireplace.

Out of sight out of mind means hide the television behind cabinet doors.

Despite all of your decorating attempts, if you just don’t love the look of a television above your fireplace, that’s completely understandable. Luckily, you can customize your solid wood cabinetry to include a space for your TV. When the television is off or you have guests over, simply close the cabinet doors and no one will ever be the wiser.

How To Plan A Fun Family Movie Night During The Holidays

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The house is getting decked for the festivities, Thanksgiving feasts are being planned, and soon the kids will be home on holiday with visions of sugarplums (and presents) dancing in their heads! Make the most of the fall and winter breaks from school by starting a new holiday tradition — Family Movie Night!

Set the scene.

Set the scene for Family Movie Night by stocking your TV Room Cabinetry with holiday classics and new favorites on Blue-Ray or DVD. Helpful sites like Common Sense Media offer reviews and age recommendations, so you can make an informed decision as to what would be appropriate for your children. With that said, here are a few of our favorites:

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
A Christmas Story (1983)
A Rugrats Chanukah (1996)
Arthur Christmas (2011)
Elf (2003)
Free Birds (2013)
Frosty the Snowman (1969)
Home Alone (1990)
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934)
Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)
Miracle on 34^th Street (1947)
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town (1970)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
The Polar Express (2004)
The Santa Clause (1994)
The Year Without A Santa Clause (1974)

Load the sofa with cozy throw blankets and pillows for cuddling, and keep the lights low for an authentic movie theatre at home experience. For a holiday glow, light a fire in the fireplace or turn on those fun and festive twinkling lights. And make sure everyone is wearing their comfy holiday pajamas!

Don’t forget the snacks.

No movie is complete without something to munch on. Create a snack station on a coffee table or using a portable cart. Load it up with bowls of popcorn and Reindeer Food, trays of holiday cookies, chocolate nonpareils, and peppermint candy canes. Or create a buffet on the countertop of your open concept kitchen island with festive, kid-friendly finger food like homemade Pepperoni Pizza Rolls or mini hotdogs wrapped in crescent dough. And don’t forget the hot chocolate with marshmallows!

Tips For A Stylish Yet Comfortable TV Room

Gone are the hidden dens and separate formal living rooms of the past. Today’s homes often feature an open concept kitchen, creating a large living area where family and friends can gather to watch TV and socialize. Since televisions are now placed front and center in the heart of the home, this open space needs to blend seamlessly with the kitchen and dining room. Designing a large family room that is both stylish and comfortable may sound like a daunting task, but it’s not as difficult as you might think. Thankfully, we’re here to help! Here are a few tips to get you started.

Create a cohesive, organized space with solid wood cabinetry.

Truth be told, a tidy home is always more appealing and comfortable than a cluttered home. A simple way to stay organized is to make sure you have enough storage space. TV room cabinetry allows you to hide DVDs, video games, board games, electronics, and even extra blankets behind closed door, while open shelves are ideal for housing books, as well as decorative touches. There’s no doubt solid wood cabinetry will add both storage space and style to your space.

Keep in mind that, when dealing with an open concept kitchen, the cabinetry you select for your TV room should match or at least compliment the cabinetry in your kitchen, for a cohesive look. Check out our recent blog, Great Design: How To Create A Cohesive Great Room Space, for tips. Then, let the experts at Willow Lane Cabinetry help you create a cohesive, organized space with our free online kitchen and room design service.

Create a room that is stylish yet comfortable.

First and foremost, don’t let your large screen TV become an eyesore. According to Better Homes & Gardens, the ideal height for comfortably viewing your television is three to four feet above the floor. Solid wood cabinetry below will help to anchor a TV that would otherwise be floating on a wall, while shelving around or above help it to blend into your space. Compliment the dark screen with other elements, such as gallery frames and simple decor. Simple is key, as over-decorating can be distracting. A few well-placed items are all you need when decorating around a television.

When it comes to furniture, some pieces are comfortable but not so pretty, while others are gorgeous and stiff as a board. Find the perfect balance with cushy sofas and chairs that are equally attractive. When shopping for new furniture, there are a few more rules to follow. Keep the scale of the room in mind. For example, don’t fill a small room with a large overstuffed sectional or place a tiny loveseat and area rug in the middle of a huge great room. Also, consider the design aesthetic of the rest of your home. For example, when your open concept kitchen has traditional solid wood cabinetry, with white raised panel doors and a farmhouse table, you wouldn’t want to go with an ultra modern sofa and slick Euro slab black cabinetry. Finally, it’s smart to avoid stuffy fabrics in the TV room, and opt for leather, microfiber, or washable slipcovers. And don’t forget to finish the room with fluffy pillows and throws.

Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen, home office, bar room, laundry room, TV room, or bath of your dreams with our 100% free room design tool. We offer all wood, semi-custom cabinets, fully assembled and delivered for free. Plus all the accessories you need to complete your remodel. Visit our website to see our products today!

Essential Glassware For A Home Bar

Autumn is the perfect season to start entertaining. And now that you finally have the home bar of your dreams, it’s time to plan for those Halloween cocktail parties, Thanksgiving toasts, and holiday Open Houses filled with cheer. The first step is stocking your bar cabinets with the essential glassware needed for entertaining at home. While there are many options to pick from, you really only need five (or four) basic types of glass for most any beverage.

Wine Glasses: Whether you select stemmed or stemless, wine glasses are a must when entertaining at home. Opt for clear glass (or crystal) that is elegant yet sturdy, as thinner styles tend to be fragile. If you are a serious wine connoisseur, selecting the proper glass is important, but if you are just starting out, keep one simple rule in mind —traditionally, a wider bowl is used for red wines, while a smaller bowl is used for white. With that said, we have four more essential glass styles on this list, and space is often limited in a home bar. Sometimes, it is smart just to settle for a style that is simple and all-purpose when hosting guests.

Champagne Flutes or Coupes: Celebrations often call for champagne, and a New Years Eve party wouldn’t be the same without it. There are two basic styles of champagne glasses to pick from. Flutes are tall and tapered, while coupes feature a wide, shallow bowl. Equally elegant, the choice is yours, however coupes can pull double duty for martinis and frozen drinks.

Highball Glasses: These versatile glasses are tall and wide, and are either straight or sometimes slightly flared at the top. They hold about ten to twelve ounces, and are perfect for cocktails that contain ice and a mixer or carbonated water, such as a Bloody Mary or Gin Fizz.

Old Fashioned Glasses: Short and wide, these classic glasses hold around six to ten ounces, and feature a heavy bottom. Like the Highball, Old Fashioned glasses are versatile, and are often used for on-the-rocks drinks like the Negroni, Margarita or Manhattan.

Martini Glasses: These distinct glasses have a flared bowl that tapers into a stem. They vary in size from large to small, but for home entertaining, select a middle of the road martini glass in the 6-ounce range. If your bar cabinets are on the small size, you can skip the martini glasses and champagne flutes, and stick to well-rounded coupes instead.

How To Stock Your Bar Room Cabinetry For Summer

We love kitchen trends that extend outside of the kitchen, like portable carts and wet bars. Everyone knows the kitchen is the heart of the home, and with these little additions, the entire home suddenly feels more welcoming.

When summer comes along, there’s no better time to enjoy these kitchen trends and entertain guests at your home bar. Whether you’re hosting a backyard barbeque with all of your neighbors or a simple summer soiree with just a few friends, you want to be sure your bar cabinets are fully stocked. Here are a few selections to choose when the days get longer and the temperature rises.

Gin

A Gin and Tonic is a refreshing cocktail all year long but it is particularly popular during the summer months. Prep for this warm weather winner by stocking your bar with a good gin, and tonic water. Make sure your G&T’s never lose their fizz by skipping the two-liter plastic bottle and opting for tonic that comes in single serve cans or mini glass bottles. Before your event, pick up some fresh limes or grapefruit for the finishing touch.

Rum

Depending on your drink of choice, you could go for a light or dark rum. Even better, stock your bar cabinets with both. Rum is a staple in the summer, as it is the foundation for Daiquiris, Dark and Stormies, Pina Coladas, and Mojitos. To whip these up in a flash, keep cans of coconut milk and pineapple juice in your cabinets, as well as club soda, lime juice, ginger ale and sugar. With just a few simple ingredients and rum, you can put together a handful of delicious and diverse cocktails for your next summer bash.

Tequila

Some like it with salt, some without — but everyone loves good tequila. Mix it with pineapple juice for a two-step hit, or put together a classic margarita. You could keep a margarita mix on hand, but all you really need to make your own is orange liqueur and lime juice. For a sweeter version, you can also mix in 1 ounce of simple syrup for every 3 ounces of tequila, or a blend in a handful of fresh fruit like strawberries or mango. Just don’t forget the limes!

Sparkling White Wine

Whether you like Prosecco or Champagne, make sure you have a bottle of sparkling white wine chilling in your bar refrigerator. When the weather is warm, the last thing you want to sip on is a glass of cabernet or merlot — and what sounds like celebration more than popping a bottle of bubbly? When it comes to wine in summer, keep it carbonated with a light, sparkling white wine.

Better Bitters

If your guests like it on the rocks, keep a bottle of Aperol or Apertivo Select in your cabinets. This bitter, red-colored beverage goes down easy on its own and also blends well with other ingredients. Want to serve up something simple yet unexpected? Add a splash to your sparkling white wine for a slightly sweet and sophisticated summer cocktail.

5 Fresh And Delightful Cocktails For Spring

Having a wet bar is one of those unique kitchen trends we all can celebrate. After all, who wouldn’t want a kitchen designed for entertaining? So give the neighbors a call, fire up the grill, and let’s get social! Spring is the perfect time to host a casual get-together with friends. Here are five delightful spring cocktails to get the party started, with fresh ingredients like garden herbs and seasonal fruit.

Mint Julep: A Mint Julep is the quintessential spring cocktail for sipping out on the porch. If you’ve planted herbs this spring, you’re in luck! You can find several recipes online, but we like this one from Food Network star, Alton Brown. Muddle up 10 mint leaves with 1 ½ teaspoons of fine sugar. Pour in 1 and ½ ounces of Kentucky Bourbon. Add ice and top your glass off with seltzer water. Then sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Mojito: Another cocktail starring mint, the Mojito is easy to make and easy to love. All you need is sugar, lime, and mint, plus some light rum and seltzer water. Muddle your mint and sugar, then add the rum and seltzer, and serve over ice. For a complete recipe from Real Simple, click here. For a large party, whip up a big batch ahead of time (minus the mint – add that as your guests arrive), and serve in pitchers.

Mango Mojito: This recipe from Martha Stewart adds a fruity twist to the traditional Mojito described above. For entertaining, you can make the base the night before, and pulse or muddle the fresh mint before serving. You’ll need a blender to puree 4 cups of chopped fresh mango with sugar, rum and lime juice. Again, top with seltzer water for added fizz.

Strawberry Peach Sangria: This creative cocktail comes from Bon Appétit, and features a plethora of fresh fruit favorites in addition to spring strawberries and peaches. Ingredients also include white wine, peach liquor, lemons, oranges, and strawberry syrup. Strawberry syrup can be found at most supermarkets, or make your own by sautéing frozen strawberries with equal parts water and sugar (until sweet to taste), and pureeing with a hand blender. For the Strawberry Peach Sangria recipe, click here.

Carrot Cooler: This cooler recipe from Coastal Living will brighten up any spring fling. Light and refreshing, it has a lovely orange hue, thanks to freshly pressed carrot and orange juice. You’ll also need some limes, ginger ale, tequila and a pinch of turmeric. Click here for the full recipe. If you don’t have a juicer, there are several brands gracing grocery stores shelves, as naturally sweet carrot juice is growing in popularity.

Kitchen trends come and go, but everyone loves a kitchen designed for entertaining — and they always will. If you dream of having your own wet bar in the kitchen, contact the designers at Willow Lane Cabinetry, and check out our vast selection of beautiful bar room cabinetry.

How To Entertain With Ease By Adding A Wet Bar To Your Kitchen

One of our favorite kitchen trends is an open concept design. It makes the home feel brighter and more welcoming — and creates a seamless flow of space to entertain.

If hosting friends and family is one of your most adored pastimes, you will love an open concept design and all of the great add-ons you can incorporate. One of our personal favorites is a wet bar. Having a designated space for mixing cocktails and pouring drinks will radically change the way you entertain.

Depending on the design of your home, you can install a wet bar in the kitchen, living room or dining room. But “where” is not the only question that needs to be answered. From logistics to choosing cabinets, here are a few things to consider so that you can entertain with ease with your new wet bar:

Plumbing: You will want your wet bar to have a sink, so be sure to check with a plumber before starting your wet bar installation.

Electricity: If you’re considering adding a wine cooler, ice maker or mini fridge to your wet bar, make sure you can run electricity to the installation area.

Cabinets: When choosing cabinets for your wet bar, make sure you are selecting a design that complements those in your kitchen. While mixing and matching cabinets is one of our favorite kitchen trends, you don’t want to choose a style that clashes with what’s in your kitchen. Choose a similar style in a different finish, or a different style that falls within the same design theme (for example, modern or traditional).

Noise: Try to avoid installing your wet bar right next to another high traffic area. People tend to congregate around the bar, so if yours is right next to the television, breakfast bar, or anywhere else guests gather, you’re likely to have a noise issue. Try to spread out these party “hot spots,” so your guests can enjoy each other’s company (or the TV, if it’s game day) without too much shouting.

Size: Your wet bar can be restricted to a small corner in your kitchen or an expansive space in your living room. The size is completely dependent on your preferences, and how much of your home you can dedicate to a bar.

If you are going with a larger design, you might want to add an island or other dividing element. This will help maintain cohesiveness in the room while also creating clear distinction between the bar and the adhering room.

Storage: From traditional cabinets, to glass doors and open shelves, there are many different ways to store your barware. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box so that your final design is as interesting and eye-catching as the rest of your home.

Inclusiveness: While a kitchen island helps to create clear lines around your wet bar, it can also encourage conversations and create inclusiveness. Making guests feel comfortable is key to throwing a successful event. But not all wet bars will have space for an island. As an alternative, install mirrors along the back wall of your wet bar (for example, where a kitchen backsplash traditionally goes). The mirrors will make the bar area feel more inclusive, even if it is in a lonely corner.

Great Design: How To Create A Cohesive Great Room Space

In the past, rooms were mostly closed off and kept completely separate from one another. This meant if you wanted a blue living room and a red kitchen, you could have a blue living room and a red kitchen.

Today, the goal is bright, open spaces and the result is often a great room. Also referred to as an open kitchen or open concept design, this style brings multiple rooms (the kitchen, living room and dining room) together. Because each room is visible from the other, cohesiveness becomes key to achieving a successful design. In other words, you’ll probably have to decide between that blue living room and red kitchen.

A great room is one of the wonders of the modern day design world, so if you find yourself seeking this style in your home, know you’re not alone. Here, we’re going to share a few tips that will help you achieve that allusive cohesiveness we mentioned before.

Cohesiveness is about complementing not matching.

One common great room design fail is mistaking cohesiveness for matching. These two terms are not one in the same. When thinking about creating cohesiveness, think about complementing elements.

For instance, when choosing cabinets in the kitchen, you don’t want to select a finish that will clash with the living room hutch only feet away — but they don’t have to be identical either. Pick a few common elements and then play with them. Maybe navy, metallic, and white wood can be found in each space, but they are all dressed up in different ways.

The spaces in your great room live in the same city but have different zip codes.

Keep this in mind when considering a theme, such as modern, country, or industrial. Each space may live in the same city (have the same theme) but they each have a different zip code (defining elements).

This analogy is to guide you, so that you don’t end up with an Old World kitchen and a super contemporary living room. You should maintain the same theme throughout all of the spaces in your great room, but don’t be afraid to color outside of the lines.

For instance, if you were choosing cabinets that have a rustic, country vibe you wouldn’t want a matte black TV stand in your living room. But it doesn’t have to be made of barn wood either.

Maybe your theme is country — but your kitchen is a little more rustic and your living room is a little more modern. That’s okay. Remember: same city, different zip codes.

Give each space a unique “wow” factor.

In many cases, homeowners fall into the matching trap because they aren’t sure how to make each room individual despite being connected. The best way to accomplish this is by allowing each space to shine in its own way.

That may be a chandelier over your kitchen island or an incredible floor to ceiling mirror in your dining room. Whatever that “wow” factor is, it’ll give each room its own individuality despite having similar features with its neighboring spaces.

7 Lovely Ways To Add Color In The Kitchen

Since the kitchen is heart of the home, shouldn’t it be a cheerful and inviting space? It’s true that neutral hues are always a safe bet, and white kitchen cabinets are eternally popular. But that doesn’t mean you have to live in a beige box to keep things classy. With spring on the horizon, now is the time to start sprucing up your home with tasteful pops of color. Here are a few brilliant ideas to help get you started.

Color Outside The Lines

You can’t help but be happy when surrounded by pretty pastels. Opting for a colorful finish on kitchen cabinets is unexpected, and can offer uniquely stunning results. Think neutral tones like Sage, Tidewater, and shades of gray, for a subtle hint of color without overwhelming or dating your space.

Take A Tip From Mother Nature

The simple act of looking out your window can be all the decorating inspiration you need. Bring a bit of natural beauty into your kitchen by adding earthy elements like reclaimed wood, freshly cut flowers, bowls of bright citrus fruit, pots of fresh culinary herbs, and indoor houseplants.

Make A Splash

Sometimes a small addition can make a huge splash. Kitchen backsplashes are an easy way to complete your kitchen update with style and color. Willow Lane Cabinetry carries Cristezza Club Glass Tile in a rainbow of colors, including Slate and Baby Blue, Teal, Light Olive, Grey, and Red, to name a few.

Wow With Your Walls

Simply painting your walls can elevate your space, and it is by far the most inexpensive way to add color to your kitchen. Choose a hue that compliments your cabinetry, or add a colorful accent wall with wallpaper. No longer stuck in the 1980s, wallpaper is seeing a resurgence as of late, with subtle geometric patterns, botanicals, and faux marble leading the trend in 2018.

Add Artistic Appliances

While stainless steel appliances reign, today’s market also features a fun variety of colorful dishwashers, refrigerators, microwaves, and ranges for daring homeowners, manufactured by reliable brands. We’re not talking Avocado Green, Harvest Gold, or Bisque from decades past. Instead, color choices include pretty shades of blue, red, orange and yellow.

Don’t Forget The Details

Like their larger cousins, small appliances like toasters, coffee makers, and blenders all come in a wide selection of kitschy colors with retro flare. You can also add hints of color with area rugs, valances, artwork, dishes, and table linens.

Express Yourself

Nobody said your furniture had to be boring. Go bold by pairing colorful, painted wood chairs with a farmhouse table, or enameled barstools with upholstered seats in a matching fabric print that pulls from the colors of the room.

Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen, home office, bar room, laundry room, or bath of your dreams with our 100% free room design tool. We offer all wood, semi-custom cabinets, fully assembled and delivered for free. Plus all the accessories you need to complete your remodel. Visit our website to see our products today!