Make Your Kitchen a Place You Love
Even if you enjoy cooking, there are times when getting dinner on the table may still seem like a chore. To make cooking be more enjoyable, here are some simple and budget-friendly ideas to make your kitchen the most welcoming room at home:
Sights
-Consider painting a single kitchen wall a bright or
soothing color.
-Hang family photos, children’s artwork or pictures
of your favorite places to visit.
-Keep clutter, like gadgets, papers, keys, etc., in
cabinets, drawers or baskets.
-Place some colored throw rugs on the kitchen floor.
-Light a few votive candles as you cook.
-Put a bowl of brightly colored fruits on your counter for decoration and for snacking.
soothing color.
-Hang family photos, children’s artwork or pictures
of your favorite places to visit.
-Keep clutter, like gadgets, papers, keys, etc., in
cabinets, drawers or baskets.
-Place some colored throw rugs on the kitchen floor.
-Light a few votive candles as you cook.
-Put a bowl of brightly colored fruits on your counter for decoration and for snacking.
Scents
-Drop in lemon, lime or orange rinds to freshen the garbage disposal.
-Plant great smelling herbs (like mint, thyme or lavender) in small pots on your sunny window sill or counter top.
-Use fruit or spice scented soaps for hand and dish washing.
Sounds
-Listen to your handheld, mini-stereo or radio while you cook.
-Check out audio books on CD at the library and listen to novels, biographies or non-fiction during your kitchen
time.
-Open a window and enjoy the sounds of nature.
-Turn off everything to enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet.
-Ask your family to join you in the kitchen to tell you about their day.
Comfort
-Place a rubber mat in front of the stove and/or sink to soothe your feet when cooking or washing dishes.
-Rearrange your kitchen drawers so that all the utensils and spices you use most often are easy to reach when
cooking. Place items that you don’t use regularly in the backs of cabinets or drawers. (Write yourself notes
if you think you may forget where items are stored.)
-Keep hand lotion near the sink to moisturize after washing your hands.
Article copyright © 2012 American Heart Association. This article is brought to you by the American Heart Association’s Simple Cooking with Heart Program. For more articles and simple, quick and affordable recipes, visit heart.org/simplecooking.
