The Holiday season is right around the corner – a time to bring family and friends together. Entertaining guests makes the Minnesota winter just a little bit warmer! With the right design elements, your home can be the perfect place to gather with those from near and far.
Add Some Elegance In Your Dining Room
It seems like every home design magazine and website is talking about Open Floor Plans these days. Many families like to “hang out” in their casual open homes, but many families still embrace the idea of elegant, formal dining – especially with guests.
Most older homes have formal dining rooms. With a few tweaks, these homes can have the best of both worlds. A pass-through wall with a buffet between the kitchen and dining room can connect these spaces and add the sense of openness without breaking down the walls entirely. Expanding door openings between formal dining rooms and living rooms can also improve the flow of older homes and make them feel more connected to the home.
Homeowners with open floor plans can also bring a little of the formality and intimacy of a formal dining room with some careful choices, too. Adding half-walls between the cooking and dining spaces can separate the spaces without compromising the open feeling of the room. Color choices, furniture placement and floor treatments can also help mark the boundaries between the casual kitchen area and the formal dining space.
The Kitchen – The Place To Be For Parties
Kitchens in older homes are often treated like Cinderella – the unwanted stepchild. In the past, kitchens were hidden from the more formal parts of the home. Families today want more open, casual home designs that enable communication and connection among family members. Open kitchens are a perfect way to integrate the kitchen into the rest of the home. An island makes entertaining in the kitchen easy, creating a gathering place for guests – especially if the island includes a bar and seating options.
Gather Round The Bar
There’s no better place to welcome the New Year than at your own home bar. Many homeowners dream of the perfect home bar to complement their entertainment room or “man cave”. Home bars designs are as diverse as the homes they inhabit. From simple wall units to full bar and bar-back combos, the possibilities are limitless. Design styles vary widely, too. A bar can follow the style of the home or be a unique “statement” piece in the home. They can be elegant and sophisticated or a showcase for your favorite sports or beer memorabilia. The sky’s the limit when it comes to style.
Whether you’re entertaining 2 or 200, we can help you make your home a memorable holiday destination for your friends and family. Contact our design team today to learn how they can help you create the perfect entertaining space in your home.
