At KDP we have worked with countless entertainers over the years. Some of our clients do all the cooking, baking and serving for their parties. Many of our clients combine catering or ordering-in of some menu items and may also have serving help during their parties. Whatever your style is, there are many kitchen design ideas that will help you entertain confidently and with style.
Being organized when you entertain is critical for your own peace of mind and also to keep you on schedule, both before your guests arrive and while they are in your home. These days people entertain much more casually than in years past, with kitchens that have a large open plan so hosts are prepping, entertaining, and cleaning-up all in one space. This places new emphasis on creative ways to stay organized and encourages guests to participate in the prep and clean up.
Here are a few kitchen design features that we love to use for our projects at Kitchen Design Partners that are sure to impress you…and your guests.
Warming drawers:
Warming drawers are a fantastic appliance for those who love to entertain. It’s the size of a regular drawer and can be used in many different scenarios. As guests arrive with dishes to share or your early party-prep cooking is finished, the warming drawer allows you to continue cooking fresh dishes in your oven throughout the day while keeping your already cooked dishes warm and fresh in the warming drawer. Also, warming drawers have special settings that are not offered in standard ovens. You can select a “moist” or “dry” setting, depending on the type of food being warmed. In the beautiful kitchen pictured above where we placed the warming drawer underneath the double oven.
Dinnerware storage in drawers:
At KDP, we recommend storing dinnerware in a middle drawer of a base cabinet rather than in a wall cabinet. This way our clients can handle dinnerware more ergonomically and don’t have to reach into a high wall cabinet to grab their heavy stack of plates. We love our wooden pegs that allow each drawer to have a custom configuration. For an entertainer, we recommend taking this concept a step further and using removable storage “trays” for your dinnerware. Rather than using wooden pegs to separate your stacks, grab two handles on each “tray” and comfortably move large stacks of dinnerware- all in one fell swoop! Talk about efficient!
Self-service bars:
Do you love to wine and dine your guests? Maybe designing an impressive bar is a on your list of priorities. Wine coolers and under counter refrigerators in a self-service bar or butler’s pantry is a great way to give your guests easy access to drinks when they arrive and throughout your event. The bar is the perfect spot to display barware in your glass wall cabinets with new sleek LED lighting and glass shelving. Another detail that can set your bar apart is a stemware holder that is matches your wall cabinets. A well-planned bar is a wonderful way to help you entertain with ease while allowing your guests to serve themselves comfortably.
Waste management and recycling centers:
A challenge that all entertainers face always creeps up at the end of their event: where do I put all of the garbage and recycling? When your guests ask you where they should put your recycling, you may often tell them to forget about it because the recycling bin is in the garage and it is too much of a hassle to ask them to walk that far. A wonderful solution to this conundrum is a pull-out waste basket unit that is stored in a base cabinet in your kitchen. We recommend a unit that has two waste bins, so that the front bin is designated for garbage and the rear bin is for recycling. For smaller kitchens, you can also include a miniature version of this, with two small waste baskets that occupy a top drawer only. In many larger kitchens, we recommend two double garbage stations for entertainers: one near the sink and one near the island or in another area that is within close reach to your guests. With this fabulous design solution, your guests can help with garbage and recycling management with minimal effort.
Two dishwashers:
What’s better than a dishwasher? Two dishwashers! During and after parties we often find ourselves rapidly loading our dishwashers to maximum capacity. Imagine having a second dishwasher at hand to help with all of the overflow. Don’t start a load with with plates, pots, platters and glassware still crowding the counter. Find a home for all of it in two dishwashers. Want to separate all of your pots and pans from your dinnerware? No problem. With two dishwashers, cleanup is always easy and efficient!
For the entertainer, organization in the kitchen is key to a successful party. With these tips we hope you continue to have an improved experience entertaining and be assured that not only your guests are having a good time, but you can now enjoy the party even more!
