5 Tips for the Perfect Entertainer’s Kitchen Design
The best kitchens are designed to be shared and enjoyed with others, whether that’s the people you live with or the loved ones you have over to entertain.
From creating more space for your guests to making the clean-up process easier, here are our five tips as experienced kitchen builders to achieve the perfect entertainer’s design.
1. Create space for your guests
Particularly if you live in an older home, the kitchen may not have enough room for guests to sit with you while you prepare. This often leaves the host stuck in the kitchen preparing, while your guests are mingling in the lounge area or outside.
Opening up the kitchen to the living or dining area is a serious consideration for entertainers, creating one large living zone rather than segmented rooms throughout the host.
A large island bench with a breakfast bar creates another seating area for your guests to chat with you while staying out from under your feet.
2. Consider your appliances
If you’re entertaining often, your appliances will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Standard-size appliances therefore might not get the job done.
Look for a fridge with a front-door hutch for easy drink refills, keeping the main contents of your fridge concealed. You’ll also want a unit with lots of freezer space for canapes and wide shelves to store foods that you’ve made ahead of time.
It may also be worth investing in a double oven and oversized dishwasher if you’ve got the room.
3. Out of sight, out of mind
Where space permits, talk to your kitchen builders about how the addition of a butler’s pantry may help lighten your load when entertaining.
An easy place to keep clutter out of view, your butler’s pantry is a great way to get all of your preparation done without having to worry about a big clean-up before your guests arrive.
The butler’s pantry is also a great home for your appliances, from bigger items like your dishwasher down to smaller benchtop appliances like the coffee machine and toaster.
Consider installing a sink in your butler’s pantry to make washing up easier.
4. Bring the outdoors in
Whether it’s gathering around the firepit in winter or making the most of the weather during the summer months, your outdoor area should be a natural extension of the kitchen when entertaining.
If your kitchen opens up to the outdoors, position your alfresco area adjacent to the kitchen for easy access for both you and your guests.
Another option is a servery window that opens up when you need it but otherwise adds a nice view to your preparation area. Your kitchen builders can help to create a bar bench beneath the window, for another seating area without taking up more room outside.
5. Lighten the mood
Lighting is everything when it comes to entertaining – and if you’ve got your usual preparation lighting on when you’re hosting guests over, it can seem a little harsh.
Work with your kitchen designer to incorporate different styles of lighting throughout your kitchen, so you can mix and match which ones you have on at any given time.
Consider feature pendant lighting over your island, strip lighting under your cabinetry, and dimmers to give you more control over the ambience in your kitchen.
Entertaining the idea of a new kitchen? The team at Apollo Joinery Group are the experts when it comes to kitchen design that’s as enjoyable as it is functional. Meet with one of our designers for an obligation-free consultation on how we can help transform your kitchen into an entertainer’s dream.
