If you’re the type of person who loves to host lavish dinner parties and drinks with friends on a regular basis, then having a kitchen that enables you to be the ‘host with the most’ will surely be high on your list of priorities when it comes to renovating this room.
Kitchens don’t have to be simply a functional space where food is prepared and dishes are washed up – making it room only associated with chores means that you might not enjoy it as much as you could, so consider what more can be done with the space to make it an enjoyable and more sociable place to be for you, your family and guests.
Doubling up as delightful entertaining areas, kitchens can be designed in such ways where you aren’t left alone to prepare meals while others sip on pre-dinner drinks and begin the night without you. So if you’re planning a kitchen makeover and you’d like to get some advice on creating the ideal kitchen for entertaining, read on for our top tips.
A spacious start
It really does help to have as much space as possible for kitchens that will double as an entertaining area and so you should consider how you can make more space if you currently don’t have much in your current kitchen. It may be that you’ll need to knock a wall down and create an open plan area for dining and socialising or perhaps your new kitchen design will make great use of what space you already have, from the floor to the ceiling, and incorporate clever storage solutions so that you can free up other areas within your new entertaining-friendly design.
An island
Every great kitchen these days boasts an island or peninsula where friends, family and guests can gather around, creating the perfect casual drinking or dining spot. You can incorporate a sink or hob into an island or leave it simply as a preparation and dining area. Pop some bar stools around the island so you can cook, chat and socialise at the same time and be sure to use a top-notch material for your worktop here – contrasting from your other worktops or not. Quartz worktops are a fantastic material to use here as they are dazzling, high-quality, durable and oh-so easy to clean.
A table in the centre
A table in the middle of the room will work wonders to create a space that is sociable and homely at the same time and will work well if the layout in your home won’t allow space for both a spacious dining table and kitchen island. Make sure the room is well ventilated so that your guests don’t get hot and bothered when food is cooking and consider a row of banquet seating along a wall or even a stylish integrated corner booth to cosy up in.
Music
As your lunches turn into late afternoon drinks and your dinners draw on into the evening, you may be hoping to turn the space into an impromptu dance floor – or perhaps you’ll prefer to set the mood with some tunes as you cook and entertain simultaneously. Whichever type of atmosphere you wish to create, it’s important to have a top-notch sound system integrated in the space to make entertaining a breeze.
A drinks area
It doesn’t matter if you are teetotal or sink a bottle of fine champagne whenever the mood takes you, having an area dedicated to drinks will make hosting go much easier for you – just make sure it’s set away from the food prep area so guests can help themselves. Ensure your drinks area is well-stocked with a range of tipples and all the equipment needed to make delicious cocktails and you’ll be well on your way to creating a kitchen that your friends won’t want to leave. Don’t forget about wine storage – a rack for reds and a sizeable wine fridge for whites, roses and bottles of fizz will set the area off nicely as will some stylish glassware.
Mood lighting
There’s nothing worse than trying to whip up gastronomic delights in a dimly lit kitchen, so making sure the space is well lit is important. Having said that, when dining and relaxing in the same space, bright lighting is a big no, so to achieve the perfect balance, make sure that food preparation takes place under ambient and task lighting and dining under accent lighting. Ensuring you have a few options and dimmable lights will ensure you create the right mood each and every time.