One of the most rewarding aspects of building custom homes is integrating the value a family places on opening up their home to host and entertain guests. With the holidays soon approaching, we would like to share our top must-haves for creating unique spaces that make entertaining easier so that your guests are relaxed, happy and comfortable.
Kitchen and Dining Room
- The Kitchen Island: The kitchen is generally considered the most important room in the house. Most captivating kitchens have an exceptional island. It is very common today to design your island to look like a custom piece of furniture. One of the advantages is that it makes a great area to prepare food and a beautiful staging area for entertaining guests.
- Fit to size: The dining room is a delightful place for birthday dinners, family gatherings and Thanksgiving feasts. Design your dining room so you can expand the table and seating for special events and a larger group. Don’t send overflow to another room.
Lighting
One of the biggest mistakes a new homeowner can do is let the architect design the lighting package for their new home. Since most architectural firms don’t have a lighting expert on staff to devise a proper lighting plan, you could wind up with an underlit home that will cost thousands of dollars to change after construction is complete.
- Ambience: Having multiple lighting options makes it easy to change the mood of your rooms depending on the occasion. By changing just the lighting you can create a whole new feel. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and entertaining can all call for different lighting effects.
- Variety and Function: There are several light sources available to light a room. One of the best ways is to use recess lighting. It can help make a small room feel bigger and produces a clean, streamlined look.
- Lifestyle: If you do a lot of formal entertaining and like elegance, you may want to consider chandeliers.
- Outlets: Be mindful of how many outlets you need for each room. Ultimately, your lifestyle determines how many you will need. Outlets should be properly positioned in your home, and in good reach for uses around the holidays to accommodate extra entertaining, holiday decorations and Christmas trees.
Entertainment Room
Having an additional space dedicated for entertaining allows your family and guests to be in multiple rooms to interact and converse. If you plan this room right, it’ll be a favorite for your family and guests.
- Media Room: Any football fans in the house? What could be more enjoyable than watching your favorite team play on the big screen in the comfort of your own media room. As a single use room, you can keep guests entertained while still being in proximity of other guests.
- Game Room or Playroom: This space allows for a large open area for games, activities, and a place to play pool or ping pong. Children may be allowed to turn the music up a little louder or create more noise because this space is generally far away from the main living area. Wood wainscot can be applied to the walls to minimize damage form children playing in the room.
- Multi-purpose Room: If a room for the sole purpose of viewing movies is not practical for your lifestyle, consider adding a multi-purpose entertainment room. This space could be used for family movie nights, a video gaming area, a music room, or a place to watch your favorite sports. Since this room will be used for various purposes, determining the proper audio and video components are key.
Guest Accommodations
Whether you have guest rooms or a guest house, the accommodations can be one of the most luxurious places in your entire home. Pamper guests with luscious amenities and little extras that will make them feel like they never left home.
- Lighting: Opt for more decorative lighting. Look for gentler, softer options and add dimmers.
- Furniture: Add furniture pieces that allow your guests to relax and unwind at night. Be sure to add at least a queen or preferably a king-sized bed. If space permits, include a comfortable sitting chair. A small desk with a nice lamp and comfortable chair is wonderful for guests.
- TV: Since all hotels include a TV in their guest rooms, it’s a nice touch to include one in yours.
- Bathroom: Make your guests feel welcome by including special features in your guest bathroom. They need space for everything they bring with them including toiletries, grooming supplies, and small bags for such items. You don’t want them to feel cramped, so space is an important consideration.
- Extras: Including a miniature refrigerator is a great extra for your guests. You can stock it with bottled water, juices, fresh fruit and their favorite snacks.
We hope these tips make it easier and enjoyable to host your family and guests this upcoming holiday season.