Entertaining at Home: Designing a Kitchen for Guests

Guests always end up in the kitchen. Designing for that rather than fighting it changes where everything goes.

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Entertaining at Home: Designing a Kitchen for Guests

Give people somewhere to stand

Guests gather at the edge of the work zone. An island or peninsula with a clear overhang gives them a place to lean that is out of the cook's path, which is the single most useful thing you can plan for.

Separate the drinks from the cooking

A drinks station away from the hob, with the wine fridge, glassware and ice to hand, stops the busiest corner of the kitchen becoming the bar. In Thai homes a dedicated chilled-drinks point earns its space quickly.

Serving and clearing routes

Plan the route from hob to table and from table to dishwasher so neither crosses the prep zone. A landing surface near the dining area makes serving and clearing far less disruptive to everyone still sitting down.

Lighting for the evening

Entertaining happens at night. A kitchen that can drop from bright task lighting to low plinth and accent lighting changes character completely, and it costs very little if the circuits are planned early.