Are you a person who absolutely LOVES to entertain? Fantastic. Us too! So, what makes a kitchen the absolute best for entertaining? That’ll depend on who you ask. But since we’re writing about it, we’ll give you our expert opinion - which is, of course, based on our 20 years of experience in the home remodeling industry. We’ll break it down into 5 categories: Space, Layout, Design, Appliances and Features. Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy your scroll!
Space
We realize not all homes have a ton of space for entertaining, but that shouldn’t stop you. We have recommendations for small kitchens as well. Our overall suggestion is to always proceed with an open concept whenever possible. What does that mean? It means removing barriers (walls and doors) that separate functional rooms. So essentially, you’re combining rooms like your kitchen, living room and dining room into one large functional room often separated by the use of furniture. It is important to note that open concept remodels should be done by professionals, like us, who can determine where load-bearing walls are located, and what spaces can support an open concept. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to do something yourself, check out our previous blog on knowing your limits!
Once you've determined your open concept capability, focus should shift to leveraging your space with an appropriate open layout. (We’ll discuss that in the next section!) The more space you can leverage, the better the space can be utilized for entertaining. An open concept allows for your guests to use three functional spaces in one. Overall, your space should feel inviting, comfortable, fun and provide that “Great Room” experience.
So, what if you have limited space? We still recommend an open concept, but instead of focusing on creating an entertaining space within the kitchen or outside of an island or raised counter with bar seating, consider creating an entertaining space right beside or near your cooking area. Set up a small couch, coffee table or bar cart so you can still cook while entertaining your guests. Even better? Create a fun breakfast nook where guests can sit while you run around the kitchen crafting your favorite meal to share.
Layout
Once you’ve determined your available space and open concept, it’s time to focus on the layout. The perfect entertainer's kitchen encourages guests to gravitate towards the entertaining area within the kitchen, but the layout must focus on flow. To keep guests out of the cook’s working area so as not to run into them, a layout that uses an inviting barrier is best. For example, a large island or peninsula creates the cook’s side and the guests’ side. A built-in banquette and open shelving allow easy access to food and drink served. Open pathways for easy transportation of eats and libations to other areas in your home where your guests are relaxing is just as important. The open floor plan allows for that optimal flow. Can you picture it? Your inner Julia Child spinning around while your guests dine and adore your cuisine!
One layout that we find to support entertaining guests includes an L-shaped wall that faces both the dining area and living room. On the L-shaped walls, have your upper/lower cabinets, main appliances like wall ovens, cooktop with sophisticated hood, built-in refrigerator, and access door to a large pantry. Opposite these walls is an oversized island with built-in sink, dishwasher and under-cabinet storage. Don’t even get us started on having two islands… It really is the perfect entertainer’s kitchen scenario.
If possible, we always recommend incorporating an island into your layout as they provide additional seating for your guests as well as prep space for meals. Kitchen islands are useful for many other things like eating, working, homework, and even a holiday buffet. But mostly, they’re perfect for a party chat station complete with a glass of wine and shared charcuterie board.
Overall, your layout will determine the overall flow of your kitchen. For entertaining purposes, your kitchen needs a good flow. Enough space, perfect layout, there you go!
Design
But that’s not all friends! Elevated design elements to modernize your kitchen while making it functional and fun is where it’s at. So, how can you do that? Let’s start with the design elements of your space: flooring, backsplash, countertops, cabinets, hardware and lighting.
Flooring
Make it durable. We have an entire blog on flooring. Check it out! For the purposes of this exercise, we recommend hardwood flooring, luxury vinyl planking (“LVP”) or laminate flooring. Go with a lighter tone, it brightens your space, and for entertaining, bright and welcoming are the bees knees!
Backsplash
Make it fun. Have your backsplash make a statement. One of our favorite backsplash design elements is filling the wall with tile from the countertop-to-ceiling. We love tile so much that we also wrote about it, ‘Talk Tile to Me’, which talks about the different types of tile ideal for renovations. We recommend reading the section on patterns. And for more fun, add in a few floating shelves with a few plants, and you’ll have your guests oo-ing and awe-ing at your design aesthetic.
Countertops
Make it gorgeous. We personally love lighter-toned slabs of quartz or granite with movement in the stone (the wavy lines). For a truly elegant look, add a “waterfall” design to the countertop where the stone slab extends turning 90 degrees at the edge and extends vertically to the floor. It’s also worth noting that a butcher block countertop can add warmth and function in the kitchen. Whatever the case, ensure your countertop plays well with your backsplash and offers the durability you need to cook and entertain.
Cabinets
Make it functional. Uppers, lowers and island cabinets are where your primary storage will be. The choices are endless when it comes to options providing spacious and useful cabinetry. There are many features available that make organization and accessibility easy and convenient:
Trash / Recycling pull-outs
Appliance lift system to hold your KitchenAid
Tray dividers
Rollout shelves
Corner cabinets
Spice & utensil storage
And the list goes on. Suffice to say, you need them all, especially for the perfect entertainer’s kitchen. For an added design gem, choose a different color for your kitchen island cabinets to make a statement piece. This will definitely attract your guests to congregate around the kitchen island!
Hardware
Make it dazzle. Hardware is the jewelry for your cabinets …knobs and pulls for your cabinet doors and drawers. Select hardware that will best match with your design and colors. We love incorporating hardware that adds to the overall statement, but has a voice of its own. Golds, blacks, plain, ornate, leather? Options for hardware are endless but do remember one thing… function. You want hardware that is easy to handle and clean. Leather may look really fabulous, but will it be hard to clean? It might. Whatever the case, dazzle your cabinetry with jewelry!
Lighting
Make it bright. What fun can be had with fabulous lighting. Of course, we suggest installing plentiful recessed lighting on dimmer switches throughout the kitchen for necessary lighting up an open concept space. We also recommend under-cabinet lighting as it is great for task work as well as mood lighting when the recessed can lights are off. But don’t stop there… add special light fixtures above your kitchen island, breakfast nook and dining area. Here you can elevate your design by choosing pendant lighting that screams FABULOUS. We also love a good edison bulb for the steampunk or industrial look. You may find a custom piece with changing LED lighting that brings an element of youth into your entertaining space. There are so many options out there that we recommend spending time discovering the perfect lighting for your entertaining space.
Appliances
We already know you’ll need the basics - cooktop, oven, refrigerator, dishwasher. But what about the FUN? That’s right, we can’t write a blog about the perfect entertainer’s kitchen and not include a coffee station, dedicated wet bar or ice machine… wait we digress. We got a little excited. We’ll dive into these fabulous features in just a moment. The perfect entertainer's kitchen includes all of the appliances you can muster. We recommend including a dedicated space in your kitchen island cabinets to house a microwave / toaster / warming oven as well as a spot for a wine fridge (if you don’t have a dedicated wet bar). Your kitchen island is the perfect spot to place much needed appliances that you don’t want sitting on your countertop. When it comes to appliances we always recommend spending the extra to get the appliance of your dreams. And if you’re entertaining, you’ll want them. Not only will they be all shiny creating a fabulous conversation piece, they’ll function in the capacity you need to support your menu.
Features
Here we are! The perfect entertainer's kitchen has all the things you need - space with open concept, functional floor plan, flowing layout, design elements that kill, and appliances that make a bold statement. But, there is one, or perhaps a few things missing. What are those? You already know them because we already spilled the beans…
Coffee Station
Who doesn’t love a cute coffee shop built into their kitchen? Not only will you no longer have to struggle with finding a spot on your kitchen counter for your coffeemaker, you’ll be able to walk right up to your very own coffee bar! Brew your morning coffee and celebrate the dawn to your day. Not only that, your guests will feel sophisticated and stylish using your coffee station. Not sure where to put it? We recommend utilizing unused space on a wall between two doorways, underneath or next to a staircase with unused space (also great for a fun pantry or wine cellar), or in an empty spot within your open concept living / dining / kitchen space. Don’t skip out on the fabulous features of a coffee bar. Go for the espresso machine with a water hookup. Include a mini fridge to house your creamer and other morning snacks. Add a trash pull-out and maybe a trash access hole in the countertop for easy disposal of coffee filters or used espresso. Have a small sink for convenient washing of coffee cups or pouring out leftover steamed milk. Store coffee cups in upper cabinets along with your coffee beans, filters and more.
Wet Bar
Much like a coffee station, a wet bar is a fabulous addition to your kitchen. You can store liquor, mixers and more in one place. Don’t skip out on the details. Include a beverage refrigerator, ice machine and a bar sink. Not only is a wet bar for your entertaining space luxurious, it brings a night out into your home! And when hosting guests, it’s an essential element. Don’t have much space? Consider combining both your coffee and wet bar into one. We promise, this feature you’ll absolutely want!
Your perfect entertaining kitchen should be the main focus of your space where guests are immediately drawn to spend time, converse, drink, eat, and be merry. The primary goal? Create the space that you want to be entertained in. Leveraging ample space, open concept and floor plan layout, fabulous design elements, amazing appliances, and out of this world features will only help to make your home, the home everyone wants to go to for parties, holidays and family gatherings.
For further reading take a look at our recent blog on ‘2024 Remodeling You’ll Want To Incorporate In Your Home’.
Are you ready to transform your kitchen into the perfect entertainers’s kitchen? We’ve got you covered! And even though we are hitting the holiday season, we can get you holiday ready by this time next year. Interested in understanding how we can achieve this? Contact us below.
