How to Create the Perfect Kitchen for Entertaining

Gone are the days when a kitchen was simply the house’s culinary engine room; a place to cook dinner, scrub dishes or tackle daily domestic chores. Some would argue that the kitchen has in fact taken the place of a formal dining room as an area to entertain, socialise and enjoy food with friends and family. 

If you’re looking to transform your kitchen into a multifunctional space, however, there are a few things to consider first. Remember, this room needs to be versatile enough to carry out the functions of a standard kitchen and serve as an area for dining and entertainment, so you’ll need to design a layout that best utilizes the available space.

The prime real estate of any kitchen is the area between the fridge, oven and sink. The most effective entertainment spaces are those that make this zone easy to manoeuvre around. When guests arrive, you want to be able to cook and prepare drinks with ease while they have enough room to mingle and relax.

Here’re a few more things to think about when creating the perfect kitchen for entertaining.

Store smart

If the aim is to turn your kitchen into a multipurpose space—somewhere to cook, dine, live, and entertain—your first task might be to declutter your work areas. 

While it’s not practical to conceal every feature within your kitchen, smaller appliances, crockery and glassware can all easily be stored away to create more room. Integral storage cabinets like pull-out racks, dividers, hidden and pocket drawers are all great ways of keeping things tidy and spacious. Wine racks are a smart choice, too, if you’re serving drinks for your guests. Keep those workstations clear and free of bottles!

Let there be light!

Statement lighting has replaced spotlights as the go-to illumination choice for the modern kitchen in recent years. If it’s a sense of refinement and sophistication you’re looking for, low-hanging ceiling lights have become a hugely popular design choice. To make an impression in your dining area, why not opt for an industrial-style pendant light. Or, for that ultra-glamorous aesthetic, nothing screams high-end glitz like a chandelier.

As well as the style of your lighting, you also need to consider how it will function in different environments and at different times of the day. While in the evening you might need to create an understated and relaxed ambience with your lighting; in the day, you’ll need your kitchen to be flooded with light for cooking and domestic tasks.   

There are plenty of other unique and interesting ways to inject light into your kitchen. From carefully positioned LEDs to floor lighting under your work units and islands. Be creative with your kitchen design!

Take a seat!

If you want a relaxed social hub within your kitchen—somewhere for family and friends to gather and enjoy a drink or a casual meal—a kitchen island with bar stools can be a smart option. If there’s room, the addition of an armchair or a comfy sofa can also accentuate the informal nature of your entertainment space. Indeed, an eclectic mixture of seating is a failsafe method of achieving this dynamic. If you’re planning to host more formal dinner parties within your kitchen, however, you’ll need to accommodate a separate dining table and chairs.

Room with a view 

If you’re fortunate enough to have a kitchen that overlooks a garden or a scenic outdoor space: take advantage of it!

Configure your floor plans with sofas, chairs, dining tables so that they face towards the window. Let you and your guests absorb the pleasant views and give the sense of alfresco dining or entertaining. 

Better yet, if you’ve got the room and budget, invest in some patio doors and position your seating so guests can enjoy panoramic views when it’s warm enough for the doors to be open!