Custom Home Design For Entertaining
Party at our house!
That’s a phrase you’re never too old for, so when you’re building a custom home, don’t forget to incorporate entertaining into your plans. Designing a custom home is quite exciting in itself, but think of all the memories you’ll make when family and friends come over.
Unique Designs For Your Taste And Style
One of the best advantages of a custom home design is that your architect or builder is there to make your dreams a reality–you’re not changing up an existing plan and incurring more costs just because you want a second dishwasher, or large bifold doors. When you draw the plans for your home, you’re starting from scratch–you can have as many dishwashers or windows as you like.
When it comes to home designs for entertaining, there are a few questions you should ask yourself–and answer–before you meet with your builder. Knowing what you want up front makes their job a lot easier, and saves you from those onerous change orders down the road.
How Do You Entertain?
Really thinking through your social style is the key to creating your perfect entertaining environment. Here are some points to consider.
- Do you prepare the food, get caterers in, or a mix of both?
- Do you have more formal dinner parties, or go outside and throw something on the barbie?
- Are drinks and hors d’oeuvres more your thing?
- Does your entertaining revolve around sporting events?
- Do you want a dedicated space, like a wine or billiards room?
- What about an outdoor kitchen and living space
Once you’ve thought through how you like to entertain, it’s time to start figuring out the right features for making your new home a haven for lively and inspiring evenings.
Kitchen
Any entertaining begins and ends in the kitchen. If you don’t cook and you have your parties catered, a small kitchen will do–just make sure you have a butler’s pantry or scullery for the caterers to work when they come.
On the other hand, if you love to prepare food while your guests hang out in the kitchen, you’ll want a large and inviting space, with several seating areas–perhaps an island with barstools, a large table with comfortable chairs, and a pair of upholstered chairs (where you can also enjoy your morning coffee). State of the art appliances are a must; they are energy efficient and make food prep and clean up so much easier–convection microwaves, load-sensing dishwashers, and smart refrigerators are the home chef’s best friend.
Taking The Party Outside
An outdoor kitchen is a must, too, for throwing shrimp (or beef) on the barbie and watching the game. A large, covered deck with wiring and plumbing creates an outdoor room, and you can add a built-in bbq, wet bar, and wine fridge for hanging out in the great outdoors. Expand the roof, and include a seating area with a fireplace and a TV, and you might never want to go back inside.
Glass bifold doors to the outdoors give you more natural light and a greater feeling of spaciousness, and you can open them for parties so guests can flow easily in and out.
Open Floor Plan
An open floor plan creates seamless transitions through your house, and your guests in the living area can participate in the conversation while you’re in the kitchen. Open spaces also let large groups mingle without feeling crowded, and with bifold doors to your deck initiates good flow throughout your entire home.
Extra Goodies
If you’ve got a party-specific hobby, by all means, include a space dedicated to your pool table, or your wine collection. Your builder can install a separate humidity and temperature unit in a room, build some racks, and voila–you have a wine room. One of the great joys of building a custom home is the custom factor–if you want a small kitchen and a large scullery, no problem. If you haven’t given up your dream of being a rock star and your garage band likes to play at parties, build a studio. At Stallion Homes, we believe that your custom home should be custom in every way, and we are excited to help you design the home of your dreams. We welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss your dreams for entertaining, and how we can make those dreams a reality.
