Organizing Your Dining Area

Housing your Holiday Kitchenware
Most of us have some sort of special dining accessory that we use during the holiday season. Whether it’s your great-grandmother’s fine china, silver flatware, crystal stemware, or a lone gravy boat, these items are part of what fill your holidays with tradition and meaning. To make sure these precious items
look their best, here are some helpful hints and tips on how to take care of your family’s holiday dining treasures:

• Everyday flatware: Use a drawer organizer to store everyday flatware and other frequently-used utensils. Line the organizer with felt or ribbed rubber matting to help prevent scratching.

• Silverware: Use felt bags to store your formal silver in the china cabinet or sideboard. Specially treated cloth bags that prevent silver from tarnishing are also available at home improvement stores. Make a habit of polishing your formal silver before you put it away to keep it ready for guests throughout the year.

• Glassware: Since the most delicate part of a glass is the rim, the best way to prevent chipping and scratching is to store glassware upright and un-nested (not touching). When storing glasses, designate one shelf exclusively to glassware and be careful not to cram too many glasses onto the shelf. Line the shelves with a soft material like ribbed rubber matting for extra protection. You can also put your glassware on display using this hanging project from Lowe’s Creative Ideas.

• Dishware and china: Take special care to safely store your finer dishware you use for special occasions and holidays. When you stack formal dishes, place a paper plate, protective foam sheet or a couple of paper towels between each dish to protect them from scratches and cracks. Stepped shelving in the bottom of a deep cabinet can create extra storage space and a safe, out-of-the-way place to store your formal dishes that you don’t use every day.

• Linens and tablecloths: Organize a large collection of linens by putting all matching sets of table runners, napkins, tablecloths and napkin rings into individual plastic zippered bags or cloth drawstring bags. Label each one with the type of linen and its occasions. If you don’t have any plastic bags or cloth drawstring bags on hand, then pillowcases are an easy fix for organizing linens.

Make the Most of your Space
Carefully organizing your utensils, glasses, and plates is a great way to store and present your favorite kitchenware. However, properly storing kitchenware can be difficult if you don’t have a lot of space at your disposal. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to maximize the space in your home so that you can easily store your dining accessories without harming them. Here are some ways to incorporate getting your dining area organized into your holiday preparations:

• An Honest Assessment: Whether your primary dining area is the kitchen or dining room, doing an honest assessment of everything you store there is the first step to clearing the clutter and getting it truly organized. Do you really need everything you currently have in your dining area, or can you safely store those seldom-used items somewhere else? You can give away unmatched or random dishware to friends and family who are settling into a new home or donate them to a charity. If your dining area is still too cluttered, then renting out a long-term storage unit is always an option.

• From Desk to Dining Table: Many people, due to convenience or a lack of space, use their dining rooms as makeshift office desks or crafting spaces, which can be a bit of a problem when entertaining during the holidays. If you keep non-dining items in your dining room, then it’s best to keep them well organized and in portable baskets or containers so that they can be easily placed somewhere else while entertaining.

• The Versatile Rolling Cart: A rolling cart can be a saving grace when it comes to preparing your dining room over the holidays. It can be used to carry and store any non-dining items you may have in your dining room or it can serve as portable storage for glasses and dishes and serving table for drinks and appetizers when you have guests over.

• Repurposed to Serve and Store: You don’t need a china cabinet or a dining hutch to store your china or serve your meals. A conventional dresser can become a serving table and storage unit in one. You can use the top of the dresser for serving and, once everything has been cleaned, put your kitchenware away in the drawers. Make sure to give the dresser drawers a thorough cleaning and add fresh drawer liners before placing your kitchenware inside. It’s an efficient and neat way to turn small spaces into full-fledged dining rooms.

However, dressers aren’t the only piece of furniture that can be easily converted for storage or serving. An old bookcase can be used to store and display a nice collection of china and stemware while a file cabinet from your office can be transformed into a great place to store silverware and table linens. With a little imagination, many pieces of furniture can be transformed into dining room treasures.

A dining area that is clean and clutter-free makes your home a more inviting and comfortable place to enjoy the company of family and friends during the holiday season.