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10 Cozy Winter Kitchen Rituals (Part One)

by | Jan 9, 2017 | Decorating Inspiration, Seasonal Decorating & Entertaining, Winter Decorating

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10 Cozy Winter Kitchen Rituals (Part One)BHG
10 Cozy Winter Kitchen Rituals (Part One)

We’ve had some unusually cold, snowy and even icy days here in the NW this winter, particularly in my hometown of Portland. I don’t know if you get a lot of cold or snow where you live, but one good thing about the freezing weather it is makes you want to stay home and get cozy!

I’m happily settling into the new kitchen. I do LOVE having my own kitchen again! This week the contractor has assured me the last trim pieces and paint will be complete, so rest assured I am VERY close to inviting YOU over for coffee or tea and a full tour of our new space. Promise.

My new kitchen is a galley style, so we didn’t have big expanses of space to work with in our design. It’s simple. It’s small. But we have loved making it feel like home. The size or style or color or materials used in a kitchen design aren’t the only things that determine how a kitchen will feel to you. Even more important than the design, it’s the daily joy and warmth we put into it that will make it a more comforting well-loved space.

10 Cozy Winter Kitchen Rituals (Part One)BHG

I love puttering around in the kitchen. I’m getting to know what it feels like to make my coffee there, to clean it, to bake yummy things, to chat with friends as I’m cooking, and ways I can make it a warm place for our family to make new memories.

As I was tidying up after dinner the other day, I started thinking about the next post for our mini-series on Hygge (the Danish word for making all things cozy and comfortable). How can we make our homes a place of comfort and warmth? This is a perfect series for me because I think about it a lot, ha. I thought it would be fun to go through a few rooms and think of ways to give them a little winter love. Sound good?

How could we bring that sense of warmth and comfort to our kitchen this winter?

Here are 5 cozy winter kitchen rituals (stay tuned for five more in part two tomorrow!)

Bring joy to winter cleaning.

A clean kitchen will boost your mood and make you feel more cheerful even on a dreary dark day. It can be a form of self-care. If cleaning feels too much like a chore, perhaps it would bring you more joy if you created special winter rituals for cleaning. What would inspire you to keep your kitchen clean? Some things that help me look forward to cleaning are simple things like lighting a candle or running a diffuser with fresh clean scents, a hot drink that I allow myself only while doing the dishes, setting an inspiring mood with music or even passing the time with a new podcast. You could even set up a laptop on the counter and treat yourself to a winter TV series you’ve always wanted to watch while you do dishes.

Cozy up cold surfaces.

Kitchens tend to feel more chilly in the winter time if you don’t have the luxury of wood, furniture or lots of fabrics in the space. While clean clear counters can feel fresh and even serene, bare surfaces can feel cold. You might need a couple of intentional layers to warm them up this time of year. Look for easy ways to add more comfort. Rugs will quiet the room and make your feet toastier. A few simple accessories on the counter, wall or shelves can bring a warmer, more homey vibe.

10 Cozy Winter Kitchen Rituals (Part One)BHG

Delight in winter experiences.

What are some favorite winter experiences involving your kitchen? If you can’t think of any, now is a good time to create a few. Do you love to make a special soup or enjoy the process of making a healthy morning breakfast? Make that activity feel even more special so it will elevate your experience and give you all the warm fuzzies. Even pretty dishes or special accessories can inspire your winter rituals. Add a copper french press to your morning routine, a lovely tea kettle for an afternoon break, or a new soup tureen for winter.

Make room for winter.

Kitchens can become cluttered from use over time. Soon you have an excess of little gadgets and small appliances you never use. You might even have leftover Christmas treats growing mold in your pantry. Daily meal prep is frustrating, chaotic and cramped because you can’t find or don’t have room for what is necessary. Tidy up your kitchen on a winter day. Go through your pantry, refrigerator and those top cabinets you can barely reach. Toss out the old, clear out the unnecessary. Keep only what you can use and enjoy this winter. Restock your pantry with cold-weather favorites. Now you have more room to prepare comforting meals and for your family to make their own snacks and lunches, too.

Nourish yourself and your family.

There is something so comforting about being in a cozy kitchen on a chilly winter evening. Cooking up a hot and healthy meal for your family will make you feel warmer inside, even when it is freezing outside. Unhealthy take-out or fast food doesn’t really make anyone feel good. Plan what you’ll prepare in advance to help you keep unhealthy options off the table. Preparing a good meal is a wonderful winter activity in the kitchen. Nourishing yourself can boost your mood and your health. Spend an evening with a good cookbook and a notepad for your shopping list.

10 Cozy Winter Kitchen Rituals (Part One)

Sources:

1. Blue and White Monogram Mug

2. Terra Cotta Irregular Shaped Measuring Cups

3. Le Creuset Camembert Baker

4. Copper French Press

5. Eco-friendly Navy Turkish Tea Towels (set of two)

6. Navy Plaid Rug by Bunny Williams

7. Finding Home Organic Maple Syrup

8. Wood Tablet Holder

10 Cozy Winter Kitchen Rituals (Part One)

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at part two of the cozy winter kitchen rituals. *Update* See part two here!

What are some of your favorite winter rituals in the kitchen?

More Hygge Posts:

5 Ways to Hygge in 2017 // Hygge and a Cozy Winter House // A Scent for Well-Being “Hygge” Essential Oil Blend

21 Comments

  1. Cathy

    Thank you for your reminders to make out kitchens cozy in the winter. I like to have a pot of hot cider simmering on the stove with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and allspice berries in it when friends come over on these cold days. I’m looking forward to seeing your new kitchen!

  2. Stephanie

    I love making hot chocolate after the kitchen is clean. But I’m obsessed with cleaning my kitchen. Having it spotless just makes my whole house feel cleaner.

    http://aneducationindomestication.com

  3. Shannon // Style Emulator

    What a neat post. I love puttering around the kitchen, too, but hadn’t necessarily thought about bringing warmth and coziness to it. I recently cleaned off my counters and rearranged things so I had more prep room and it has made such a big difference. I feel much less cramped and cluttered when cooking now. As far as winter rituals, I do love making a bit pot of homemade soup in the winter. There’s something about the smell, warmth, and process of it that makes cold days warmer.

  4. Sallie

    Mmmm, winter! Hot tea, hot chocolate, a warm fire visible from the kitchen, chili, soups, and homemade bread fresh from the oven. Winter love!

  5. Dawn

    Great ideas! You’re right about the kitchen seeming chilly during these dark, icy days in Portland, where I live…Breathlessly awaiting your kitchen tour :)

  6. Jennifer

    Melissa,
    I think one thing I most appreciate about your blog is how you think of and share ideas that add richness to life without costing money. I find it so refreshing! Thank you for sharing with us how God has made you unique and special :)!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you, Jennifer. What an encouraging thing to say. I’m so grateful, thank you! It is wonderful to just embrace what you love and know you’ll find others who feel the same way.

  7. Mary Coakley

    Thank you for the tips for a cosy kitchen,Its the one room I do not love ,it faces north ,gets no sun I decided to paint it a warm colour not as dark as burgundy but on that lines,makes no difference.

  8. Debbie - Mountain Mama

    Oh, I just love a cozy kitchen and I can’t wait to see yours! My kitchen is one of my favorite rooms in my house, even though it’s not up to date with stainless steep appliances or granite countertops. However, it’s completely functional, cozy, and sunny with a big skylight over my butcher block island and a view of the birds feeding out my window. Even though it was zero degrees when I woke this morning, my kitchen was cozy and warm and so sunny – can you tell I love my kitchen? :)

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Yay! I love that coziness about my kitchen, too. With a big sunny window to look outside it makes it feel so nice even on a chilly day. Enjoy and happy kitchen nesting under that skylight!

  9. Joanna

    Something I love, and kind of get obsessed about, is making chicken broth in my crockpot. Or turkey broth after a holiday meal. I stuff the carcass in, cover with filtered water, and add celery, onion, carrots, some spices and bay leaves…and let it simmer for 24 or even 48 hours. The kitchen smells so good! After straining and cooling the broth I pour into little freezer-friendly glass bowls with lids and put in the freezer. The little portions are good for sickness or I use freezer bags for pots of soup as a base instead of water. Super easy and so homey and domestic. Love love making homemade broth lol.

  10. Jo Jo

    The kitchen is my favorite room in my home and creating yummy, healthy meals for my family and my friends is what I love to do. The kitchen is inherently the heart of the home and should be one of the best places to experience Hygee. Can’t wait to be invited in for tea in your new kitchen, Mellisa!! Thanks for all your inspiration!

  11. Fiona's Mosaic

    We are all about the hot drinks and warm fuzzies here! Cocoa, cider w/ cinnamon sticks, hot teas, we love it all. Throw in a blanket or two in the living room, and a warm fire, and it’s magical. It draws all family members to the heat source. LOL And I love doing lots of home made soups. I keep some stashed in the freezer too in case someone gets sick or is just feeling under the weather.

  12. Patti

    The first kitchen photo reminds me of my grandmother’s house; my father’s mother. A country home with a country kitchen where mom said “I’ll bet you can sure bake delicious biscuits in that kitchen!” Words meant to cozy and warm your heart and soul.

  13. Katherines Corner

    I love your cozy post Michelle, I hope you will share at my Thursday blog hop. I consider the kitchen the gathering place. I do everything I can to create a home and kitchen that is attractive, welcoming and comfortable. You can find a snuggly throw in every room ( well not in the bathroom or kitchen giggle)Cozy is the word I use for our home. Hugs! P.S> I sell the blue Turkish towels in the Katherines Corner Shop

    • Lindy

      It is a highlight of my Sunday days to spend glorious ‘ interrupting me unless house is on fire and then only at your own risk, bwhahahaah’

  14. Alexandra

    What a cozy post! It reminds me of the Danish way of life, called hygge (hoo-ga). My kitchen has a nook with table, bench and lots of pillows. I love to sit there in the morning with a cup of coffee, light a breakfast candle and plan the rest of my day. :)

  15. KELLIE KLAUS

    Michelle, thank you so much for this post. Self care…. you nailed it. When I am feeling out of sorts in the world or chaotic, I enjoy lighting some candles, deep cleaning the kitchen and really just making a difference in a small way in my home. I have a fairly emotionally draining job and we don’t have children, so I cherish my cleaning days. My friends think I’m weird, but I absolutely get satisfaction enjoying my sparkling but warm kitchen while making a delicious meal for my husband. Thank you for normalizing my feelings and not just calling it OCD LOL!

 

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