10 Tips for Kitchen Entertaining

It can get bitter cold outside this time of year, so we need to heat things up with parties inside our homes. Most of the time, guests end up hanging out in the kitchen – which is why having a kitchen designed for entertaining is essential. The home professionals at Encore Construction have shared 10 great tips for kitchen entertaining:

1. Have Enough Space - Open space allows many people to congregate in the kitchen comfortably. If kitchen space is limited, Encore Construction suggests considering an open floor plan.

2. Make Space Accessible - Guests need space to move about with ease. If possible, having an indoor and outdoor area for guests to easily socialize is ideal.

3. The Kitchen Island - Having one or two kitchen islands is ideal for entertaining. It provides a place for guests to hang out and enjoy food and drinks. If you have two kitchen islands, Encore Construction suggests dedicating one island to food preparation and the second island to socializing.

4. Kitchen Counter Seating - Provide seating around the kitchen counter. This gives guests a comfortable place to sit and enjoy. 

5. Designated Work Stations - In order to avoid chaos, designate specific areas of your kitchen for food prep, serving, socializing, etc. This way guests won’t be bumping into another.

6. Keep it Clean - Even if you have dirty dishes, try disguising around raised ledges and keeping the food prep and entertaining areas separate.

7. Oven Space - Double the oven space for convenient cooking.

8. Wet Bar - Have a separate space for serving and mixing drinks. The beverage serving area can be complete with a refrigerator, wine storage, sink, and ice machine.

9. Double Dishwashers - Two dishwashers will help clean up the mess as quickly as possible. One with drawers is great to clean smaller loads of dishes.

10. Controlled Lighting - While bright lights are great for cooking, when it comes to entertaining Encore Construction suggests having dimmers installed to the ceiling. This can set the mood just right!

Written by Jennifer Harvey