The holiday season is finally here and bringing with it gatherings of family and friends. If you’re like me, you love to host! Many of today’s home plans offer open layouts that eliminate barriers between the kitchen and the main gathering room so you can interact with guests while you cook. In addition to an open floor plan, a kitchen with custom features can enhance the functionality of your space and present perfect conditions for hosting friends and family during the holiday season.
As a designer, one of the most important things to learn, is how my clients entertain. Identifying the most-used items in a kitchen empowers me to create custom plans that make kitchens function so much more effectively. Some of my clients love to cook where others prefer to cater their holiday gatherings. Some prefer to host large gatherings and others prefer a quiet intimate setting. The kind of events you host determine the kind of appliances, decor, cabinetry, and more that you would incorporate in your space.
When designing a kitchen that functions as an effective entertaining space, it’s all about the specialty features that are integrated in the space to make serving food and beverages easy. Appliances should reflect how you will use the kitchen. If you entertain frequently, you may want double ovens, a large refrigerator and even a warming drawer. Pictured below is an example of a home I designed for someone who loves to host!
In this post I’m discussing a few of my recommended go-to items for those who love to entertain.
Refrigerator drawers and specialty units, such as wine coolers, give the host and guests better access to beverages. Glass refrigerator doors can show off your collection of spirits. In fact, I recently upgraded my personal kitchen to include a built-in wine refrigerator. I included surrounding cabinetry perfect for storage!
Warming drawers are a must for entertainers to keep food warm and maintain its quality. The drawers help keep the food warm as guests mingle and interact with each other. These also allows you to prep/cook your dishes in advance and sit back and relax when your guests arrive.
If you entertain a lot at the holidays and your space and budget allow it, I recommend incorporating double ovens into your kitchen. It’s important to build in some appliance redundancy to avoid a crisis when cooking multiple dishes that require different cooking temps.
Open shelving and glass cabinets allow you to show off your beautiful glassware and dishware. I personally prefer clear glass door inserts vs. those with an etched design for the clean look and visibility. If you enjoy decorating, switch out your everyday dishes for a display of your holiday tableware.
I absolutely love a quality cup of coffee! A good coffee maker is top on my list. If a built-in coffee maker is not in your budget (such as a Miele), I recommend investing in a high-end coffee maker to display on your kitchen countertop.
If you don’t cook much but still like to entertain in your kitchen, adding a catering workspace like a butler’s pantry will give catering staff the perfect area to set up, prepare food and serve without interrupting your gathering. As a bonus, you could also turn this into a drink station during parties.
Ultimately your kitchen needs to work and fit your needs. The details are essential in a well-designed kitchen. Stick to a timeless and efficient design where you can enjoy family traditions for many years! Cheers!