Proper Kitchen Designs for Entertaining Guests

It is not a secret that the heart of any home is the kitchen and is probably the most active space inyour home, the most used space, and definitely a room in your house that gets a lot of use. Yourkitchen should be designed to near perfection, especially when it comes to entertainment. After all,when you're hosting guests (for a night or a week) this is where people are being drawn to again andagain. But the stress of a kitchen or awkwardly shaped space in overcrowded can quickly take thejoy of sharing your home with your loved ones. Here we share our tips for intelligent design tocreate a crowd loving kitchen that also has a cooking area that is easy to use. A cluttered kitchendesign is the worst design aspects of many modern homes.

After welcoming family and friends, the last thing you want to do is make a mess even bigger whenit's time to tackle more. To keep your counters from becoming a catch-all for the after party dishesand glassware you should consider incorporating a farm sink or a pan in your kitchen design. Unlikea traditional kitchen sink double-sided hollow wells are generally much larger and deeper, makingthem large enough to hold large dishes, cookware, and dishes and all at once, so you can keep themess contained in one general area until you are ready to get your hands dirty.

One of the biggest frustrations peopleencounter when hosting friends andfamily is a poor layout of the kitchen.When designing your cooking surface,make sure it has a natural flow. Simplethings such as having the refrigeratorlocated within arm reach away from thestove. In case you miss an ingredienthalfway through your recipe, with a largecounter space provides room to spreadwithout feeling confined when cooking fora crowd. And the breakfast area(complete with a wraparound bench) isnot in the path of your cooking space,ensuring a congestion-free night. The kitchen should allow people to cook, clean, and congregatewithout crowding each other out. Most kitchen designs on older homes fail, but you can still doupgrades and kitchen modifications to help smooth the traffic flow in the kitchen.

Bench seating at a table is great for children and then at the larger table for adults you can havetraditional seating if you choose; however bench seating also works great for adults who like toentertain people. Bench seating is easier to handle, will fit more people, and will allow people to feelmore welcome. If you will be spending long periods of time sitting down at the table playing gamesor something then you may want to stick to traditional chairs simply for the comfort of having a backon the seats. Bench seating is often the best choice for group seating. Firstly, benches are generallymore comfortable for many traditional table setting styles. (The upholstered seating allows fordinners to last for hours without becoming uncomfortable visitors). The wrap-around style creates anintimate atmosphere that encourages conversation and layout style bench increases the number of

people you can sit at your table.

Each client has a tendency to have a drink in hand soon after walking through the door. But a steadystream of people running back through the kitchen to get glasses, ice, drinks, or beer can quicklybecome a frustrating traffic jam. Instead, create a small wet bar away from your primary cookingspace. Store with ice, sink and mini-bar glassware and let the customers as their own bartender. Ifyou are trying to prepare food and the bar area is right by you then you will struggle as people cometo get a new drink and they constantly get in your way.

One of the worst things a host can do is to feel disconnected from their guests. You do not want tobe located into the kitchen with the party and all of your guests in a separate room. The solution isto have a kitchen with a wide opening towards the kitchen or other room where the crowd isgathering. Not only does it allow you to cook away and not miss a minute of the activity, but it alsogives the company a comfortable place to relax and unwind without getting in your way.

A double island is an instant solution for many problems that entertaining home chefs have. This willimmediately remove the circulation around the cooking area. In addition, it gives you a place toprepare on the counter and guests are separated by appetizers. It can also double as the seatingstool, giving everyone a place to relax during a visit with the cooks.

Poor kitchen design is the downfall of many people who like to entertain in their home. If you like toentertain then you will instantly be able to recognize some of the attributes of a good kitchen design.A good kitchen that is designed for entertaining will make the home parties and events much moreenjoyable to the host as well as the guests.

A proper kitchen design will also naturally encourage your guests to help with preparation andclean-up at the end of the night. Anytime you can get your guests to voluntarily and happily help youclean up at the end of the night it is a great thing.

You may be stuck in an older home with a petite kitchen area that is not suitable for entertaining.This is no reason not to have guests over; you will just have to learn how to adapt. Although this typeof environment is not optimal for hosting parties you can still make variation such as moving acooler filled with ice to the living room area to help keep traffic way from your food preparationarea. You can also take portable burner to the entertaining area or even arrange to cook outside ona gas grill.