With the big day only two weeks away, now’s the time to start dressing your kitchen for Christmas. You may have already given the living room its festive makeover but many of us forget to give the kitchen some twinkly TLC too. Decorating the kitchen and dining area with lights, foliage, brightly coloured textiles and more will enhance everything from cooking and prepping before the big day to giving family and friends a warm welcome come Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and beyond. So, invest in high quality cookware and small appliances to make life simpler and give meals and drinks added flavour and wow factor. Decorate tabletops, shelving, dressers and islands with garlands, stars, berries and freshly cut eucalyptus and pinecones and pop some festive tunes on as you get ready for the main event.

Here are some ideas and inspiration to get you started. And while you’re here, we wish you a wonderful Christmas and New Year from all of us at The Kitchen Think…

December days get dark pretty early so make sure your kitchen is full of sparkly cheer all day long with plenty of lights draped around mantels, worksurfaces, shelving and on top of wall cabinets and the island, too. String lights and illuminated stars look so good you can leave them up all year. Pop a little faux or potted tree up too and listen to festive tunes as you cook. This Langton kitchen in Painted Mink and Putty by Burbidge looks stunning with its gold-themed festive décor.

Open-plan kitchens are great for Christmas entertaining, as family and friends can sit at the island and chat while you cook. Use open shelving to make sure glasses are easily accessible and have a wine cabinet fully stocked so everyone can help themselves. Kitchens that are large enough will also look stunning with a tree in the corner and this really comes into its own when sitting down to your Christmas dinner. A mix of candles and illuminated stars will also enhance dark December days, as this stunning kitchen with Cotswold solid brass handles from Armac Martin shows.

Invest in premium quality cookware and you won’t regret it. STAUB’s cast iron cocottes, brasiers, sauté pans, grill pans, skillets and baking dishes will ensure your food is full of flavour and can be taken straight from oven or hob to table for serving, as the cast iron retains heat well so it helps keep food warm. This 24cm Snowflake cocotte in White Truffle will look stunning on the table this Christmas. The Chistera drop structure on the underside of the lid creates an Aroma Rain effect while cooking, as evaporated moisture is dropped back onto the food, making meat tender and enhancing the flavour of all ingredients that are slow cooking or simmering inside.

Wake up to tea and toast made in Dualit’s Classic kettle and NewGen toaster. The polished finish looks stunning on the worksurface and you can add little festive touches with pine cones and copper wire string lights displayed around them. The two-slot toaster has a defrost setting for frozen bread, handy when the shops close for Christmas, and the option to toast buns and bagels – perfect to serve with smoked salmon on Christmas morning.

Serve up delicious frothy-topped coffee cocktails with Dualit’s cordless Milk Frother that produces hot milk, hot frothed milk or cold frothed milk in just two minutes. As well as cocktails, use it for lattes, cappuccinos, hot chocolate or milkshakes – there’s something for everyone.

To make prepping the Christmas feast as simple and as safe as possible, invest in premium knives from Farrar & Tanner. Knives that are sharp and stay sharp will give you more control and result in less slippage when chopping and cutting vegetables and meat. A solid wooden knife block will also keep the knives safely out of reach for children as well as protecting the blades from damage.

Give an AGA or range cooker plenty of festive cheer by decorating the mantle above with a garland or wreath. Be careful not to display anything near a gas-topped cooker however. And why not treat yourself to some Christmassy textiles that you can keep all year round and bring out during December every year. Sophie Allport’s Snow collection includes double oven gloves, tea towels, pot grab, roller hand towels, trays, mugs and hob cover, so you can go all-out and buy as much or as little as you wish.

We also love these Christmas Pudding designs from Chez Beccy. Red and green are perfect colours for Christmas and New Year cheer so match your tea towel and oven glove with a vibrant red kettle and utensil pot, which you can find at various retailers, and always have a plate of mince pies on the go….

Even the simplest of details can give your kitchen the Christmas touch. The Osby Star Window Light Bundle from Lights 4 Fun can be perched on the worksurface, on open shelving, windowsills, mantlepiece and more. Add candles for a simple yet sophisticated look.

Whether you prefer a more relaxed or formal table for festive dining, this round oak Parquet Pie design from Loaf is just the thing. It extends into a larger oval table for extra guests and reverts back to its more compact shape to save space when normal service resumes.