Imagine your brand new home filled with your friends and family, enjoying special occasions together, holidays, and even the odd get-together just for fun. There’s enough space for everyone to mingle comfortably, and the right function to offer food and drink without everyone having to crowd around one tiny serving station. Entertaining at home (especially in your new home!) is what you’ve always dreamed of, and we have some tips to make it even better.

INDOOR-OUTDOOR BAR 

This design feature is becoming more and more popular. It’s easy to see why! It offers you the ability to serve food and drinks directly from your kitchen without having to carry everything back and forth. A large window opens entirely from your kitchen to the outside, where an eating bar or bar top allows guests to sit right at the “bar” to be served.

It’s a fun place to visit and it allows the host to chat with guests while preparing food or drinks inside. It may sound like this would require a lot of custom design but it can be as easy as adding a bigger window and an extra counter. 

A CUSTOM BAR IN THE BASEMENT

Speaking of bars… you can create a custom bar in your home! The basement is a perfect place to put one because you can have a designated place for guests to enjoy a few cocktails, catch the game and even stay the night in the spare bedroom.

Think about what you’ve always wanted to have in a home bar – the features you want to include. From there, make your list and see what makes sense.

A wet bar is versatile and can be used for more than just serving drinks. You can have a bigger fridge for food that doesn’t fit upstairs. Then you can add a mini fridge for your drinks that can be fitted in the cabinet space below the countertop. This extra space makes it easy to prepare and put out food on the bar top for parties, while stools add plenty of convenient seating if you plan on having a lot of people over. 

OVERSIZED KITCHEN ISLAND 

Guests tend to congregate where the food and beverages are located. Let’s be honest—we’re always excited by good food! Having a larger island that can accommodate both the food and the lingering guests is essential. A large enough space to fit plenty of platters and a large spread will ensure there aren’t a ton of leftovers (due to it being in the refrigerator waiting its turn to come out).

This will also provide enough space for dishes and used wine and cocktail glasses to rest, instead of finding their way onto random surfaces throughout the home. The almost-empty glass in the bathroom is a puzzler—I’ve had that one a few times.

IN-COUNTER ICE CHILLER 

Speaking of oversized islands, a stylish feature you can add to this surface is a built-in ice chiller next to the sink. This is a great place to fill with ice for your champagne and wine bottles so you don’t have to take up your sink or find a large bowl. The best part? It’s designed to drain like your sink so you don’t have to dump a huge pile of ice into the tub at the end of the night.

LIQUOR ORGANIZER

We’re sure you’ve heard of specialty cabinets such as pot-and-pan drawers, utensil drawers, and spice cabinets. But have you thought of a better way to organize your liquor bottles instead of just using a spare cupboard? No doubt you have to dig out ten bottles to get to the rum at the back of the cabinet.

Perhaps you could include a custom built-in with regular cabinet doors, where inside you’ll find a larger roll-out drawer with dividers at the bottom for all of your bottles, and a shorter drawer at the top for your strainers and other drink-related utensils. Your guests will think you’re a pro.

OUTDOOR LIVING AREA 

If you plan to have an outdoor kitchen, you know that weather can sometimes put a damper on entertainment plans. When designing your outdoor kitchen and living area, consider designing spaces with sheltered and unsheltered areas. This way if your sunny gathering suddenly turns from sunshine to rain, you can all still enjoy the outdoor atmosphere by simply moving under the sheltered area.

This could be a covered gazebo-type area with plenty of comfortable seating. Another option would be having your outdoor stove, countertops, and other features could be under a rooftop with sheltered bar seating all around. For unsheltered spaces, perhaps design a fire pit area with plenty of comfy seating all around.

There are plenty of design options available for outdoor living spaces; this is one area you can get really creative with to meet your dreams and goals for entertaining outdoors.

TAKE THE PARTY TO THE DECK

Now that you’ve been thinking about your outdoor entertaining options, a simple way to add more space for social gatherings is a large deck for your new home. You can add a nice sectional outdoor sofa on two sides, with a barbecue and extra seating on the other side. Put a fire table in the middle and you can keep the conversation flowing all night while staying warm!

When it comes to entertaining friends and family, the easier your home can make it for you to be a wonderful host, the more you’ll want to entertain. Get creative with your space and wow your guests with your unique style and great spaces.

Originally published Sep 19, 2017; updated Jun 2, 2023

Author: Casey C.

I enjoy long walks on the beach...just kidding. Diehard Oilers Fan (#SorryNotSorry). Old Man Millennial.