Start With the Kitchen
Ideally, you won’t spend entire parties in the kitchen, but it’s where the food and drink happen (not to mention a certain amount of gathering), and you should consider how open you want your kitchen to be to the other gathering spaces. Do you mind the informality of hanging out in the kitchen or seeing into the kitchen while eating? If you do, but are still considering an open plan, consider a peninsula with raised bar seating, which cuts off sightlines to the countertop while in adjacent spaces.
Another consideration is the number and type of appliances you’ll need to turn out memorable meals. Multiple ovens and a warming drawer are helpful when preparing larger feasts or cooking in stages. More burners on your stove means many pots can bubble away at the same time. You’ll also want to consider the size of refrigerator/freezer that will work best for storing ingredients and leftovers. When the guests leave and the cleanup looms, will one or two dishwashers be needed to handle the piles? There are a lot of specialized appliances available but remember that every appliance you add will take away some storage space.
If you foresee entertaining as an important way you will use your home, start that conversation with your designer early, so that you and they can create spaces that work
If your parties are on the larger side and you’re not likely to have time to refill drinks, do you have a spot outside the kitchen where guests can mix and pour their own? And speaking of libations, oenophiles will likely want a wine refrigerator, allowing for plenty of bottles at just the right temperature whenever they’re needed. Similarly, an ice maker simplifies ice production and ensures a constant supply.
In California we’re lucky to have a climate that allows indoor-outdoor living and cooking almost year-round. To that end, an outdoor grill is ideal for keeping strong food smells out of the house, and almost any part of a kitchen can be constructed outdoors if a second, fresh-air setup appeals to you and makes sense with your floorplan.
Setting the Tone—Lighting and Music
While company, food, and drink take center stage, the importance of ambience can’t be overstated. Wi-fi lighting controls have made professional-level lighting design more affordable and simpler than ever. One button can now customize the lighting in every room of the house to suit the occasion or even the moment—think one switch named “Dinner Party” that gets all the lights just right.
Background music works hand-in-hand with lighting to create the ideal entertaining environment. Strategic in-wall or in-ceiling speakers fed by a central music system, also wi-fi enabled, allow different music in various parts of the house, letting kids have their sound separate from the adults’, or setting a different mood in different zones.
What About the Kids?
When you think of entertaining, are you hosting families for fun afternoons and noisy dinners, or are they elegant dinner parties for your peers, and the kids need to eat somewhere else? If the latter, that might inform how and where you design a separate area for their meals.
Sorting the Caterers
Catering might be only for special occasions or you might use it every time you entertain. Either way, before designing your kitchen, you should give some thought to where the caterer might be stationed. If they’re in the kitchen, where are you and the guests? If there is another room for them, is it equipped with the space and facilities they need?
If you foresee entertaining as an important way you will use your home, start that conversation with your designer early, so that you and they can create spaces that work for daily family life while seamlessly transitioning to a welcoming and celebratory setting for guests.
