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Creating a Kitchen for Hosting

Posted on December 2, 2022


The Holiday season is a time when our homes are filled with family, friends, music, and laughter. While these gatherings are fun, we understand that hosting and planning can get to be somewhat stressful. However, having the proper kitchen layout will make all the difference in enhancing your guest's overall experience while making it easier and more enjoyable for you to host.

If you love having people over and are curious as to what makes a great kitchen for hosting, then you’ve come to the right place. From large holiday parties to small intimate gatherings, here are the essential kitchen must-haves for entertaining!

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The Perfect Layout

There are undeniably various roles happening at once when we open our homes to welcome and entertain guests. Some of us are in the kitchen preparing food, others are holding chatty conversations, and then there is always that one friend who is happily focused on finishing their third glass of wine (cheers to that).

Regardless of what your role may be, an open-plan or open-concept kitchen if you will, allows everyone to roam freely without feeling left out. Make sure to have enough seating options to accommodate all of your guests without crowding the kitchen.

The idea is for you and your guests to be able to easily flow from one space to another without feeling distant from one another or overly crowded.

Islands

Perhaps one of the most crucial pieces when it comes to creating a kitchen for hosting is having the right island. Not only are they extremely functional when it comes to hosting but, they add a modern touch to every kitchen space. Islands create the perfect space for you to prep and cook while still giving you the ability to mingle with your guests.

Choosing the right island to uplift your space can be daunting, that’s why our kitchen remodeling experts are here to lend a hand. We seamlessly guide your kitchen remodeling process from start to finish ensuring you are left stress free and with the kitchen of your dreams.

For your convenience, we offer professional consultations via call and video or you can drop by one of our many store locations.

Bar Area

Remember when we said an island is one of the most crucial parts of any kitchen when it comes to hosting? Well, many will argue that having a well-stocked bar area is significantly more important (we’ll leave this up to you to decide).

The nice thing about implementing a classy yet functional bar area is that you have various options when it comes to deciding what that looks like for you and your space. This can mean adding a sleek bar cart that can be moved around, building a bar-specific unit, adding in a mini fridge, or installing an elegant wine cabinet/cooler.

For you wine fanatics, we highly recommend this Fisher & Paykel Integrated Column Wine Cabinet to showcase your collection. The modern design seamlessly integrates with your kitchen or cabinets and holds around 91 bottles. Featuring four exclusively developed wine modes to select the optimal temperatures when it comes to serving and cellaring your different types of wine.

This stunning wine cabinet also comes with an activated carbon filter in each compartment to continuously clear the air of harmful pollutants and care for your wine. Did you know that vibration can dull the flavor of wine? The Fisher & Paykel Integrated Column Wine Cabinet takes action against this by using a quiet low-vibration compressor and full-extension soft-close slides with white oak shelving.

All of the materials used to craft with wine cabinet are strategically chosen to optimize wine preservation while looking beautifully elegant in your home.

Storage

Making sure your kitchen has enough space to neatly store all of your necessities and keep them out of sight is a must. Cluttered spaces tend to look dirty and can make it harder for your guests to comfortably get around or find things.

It’s important to select kitchen cabinets and appliances that have a lot of internal storage, we also suggest purchasing a good-sized trash bin or trash compactor. Another neat storage trick to keep in mind when hosting is placing used plates and glasses into your dishwasher as the night progresses. This way dirty dishes are out of site and already loaded to be washed when the party/gathering is over!

We suggest adding in a visually appealing dishwasher like the Thermador Emerald® Stainless Steel Dishwasher that will elevate the overall appearance of your kitchen. This chic appliance offers extra space with a handy “chef’s tools drawer” where you can conveniently store hard-to-place items.

The Thermador dishwasher can also be controlled remotely through the use of an app so you can wash your dishes at the push of a button (literally). This cutting-edge technology will give you more time to attend to your guests and enjoy the party without worrying about the cleanup.

Lighting

Proper lighting plays a big role in setting the mood, it is important to account for this and consider which areas of your kitchen you would like to highlight. For instance, you can add a bright light fixture above the island to provide an overall lively and energetic feel to the area.

Make sure to install dimmer switches so you have full control of the lighting and the ability to create the exact mood you would like for your gathering. Dimmer lights seem to give off a more romantic and intimate feel while brighter fixtures provoke more vibrant energy.

Adding LED light strips is a great way to highlight and draw attention to certain areas/features of your space. We suggest adding them under or over your kitchen cabinets and placing them in your bar area/wine cabinets for a chic luxury look your guests are sure to love.

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Ready To Host in Your Dream Kitchen?

Bray & Scarff has multiple in-store locations in Virginia and Maryland where you can stop by and get expert one-on-one help with your kitchen remodeling. We also offer a wide selection of stunning appliances to fully equip your kitchen from start to finish. Take the first step towards your dream kitchen and schedule an appointment with our remodeling specialist today!

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