EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT home entertaining – FROM GUNTER & CO
Part 1: The Kitchen
What to consider when designing and setting up your kitchen for home entertaining
by London interior design expert, Irene Gunter
September is ‘back to school’ time, and for many of us, it’s also the time when it dawns on us that the festive season isn’t too far off! And when it comes to home entertaining, it’s never too early to start to think about how your home could accommodate guests. Kitchens are firmly integrated as the heart of the home for our clients, and generally are designed around entertaining purposes to include a breakfast bar/island, a casual dining space, a breakfast cupboard, and perhaps a bar area too – as well as a family/relaxing area. Of course this whole space can become the most wonderful entertaining area in itself, in addition to a more formal dining room and your living room. If your thoughts are turning towards investing in some new kitchen appliances, it’s never too soon to think ahead.
Here, we are concentrating on the kitchen space as an entertaining area, with some ‘food for thought’ for your plans. A real must-have for those who love hosting a party, is of course, a wine fridge. Yes, they can be an investment buy, but if you’re the host who wants to serve wines and champagnes at the optimum temperatures, then it will be worth it. We like models from the likes of Sub Zero, Gaggenau and Eurocave. There are more cost effective alternatives though. Think along the lines of a second fridge within the working side of the island – integrated models can be hidden from view. Or a second fridge in the utility room is also a good idea, and can also be used for storing pre-prepped desserts or salads when your main fridge is already full.
Some of our clients hold on to their ‘used’ fridges, wine chillers or freezers when updating to a new kitchen and move them into a utility or walk-in larder. We also find that fridge drawers are excellent for storing small bottles, as well as cans of mixers and juice.
Gunter & Co’s top three Wine Coolers
For ultimate wine cooling options, including under-counter models, try Sub-Zero
For beautifully designed wine cellars, try Gaggenau
We really rate these integrated models from Eurocave
Drink stations
If you’re hosting for a few days, it’s nice to have an area of the kitchen where guests can make their own drinks, or at least help themselves to mixers, juices, beers etc. If the kitchen already has a breakfast cupboard, this can be rearranged into a little drinks-prep station – never forget the ice buckets! One idea we really aspire to is having two breakfast cupboards in the kitchen, positioned either side of the cooking area. One can be a breakfast cupboard, naturally, and the other can be a drinks cupboard with cocktail accessories and all of your beautiful glassware lined up!
breakfast cupboards
Speaking of breakfast cupboards, we think these are a great idea for any household where there are often overnight guests – it makes it very easy for all concerned when all the coffee/tea/breakfast provisions are all in a designated space. If there’s no surplus space for a separate drinks/bar cupboard, make sure that there are drinks trays laid out, with an ice bucket, mixers, glasses, napkins etc. One at each end of an island is always a good plan …
kitchen islands
Which brings us to the kitchen island itself. On a day-to-day basis it’s where we sit down for a quick coffee, a chat, a scroll through our phones, or to supervise homework. When it’s an entertaining occasion though, the island is generally where people perch on a bar stool, hang out, have a glass of wine and help themselves to crisps and nibbles! So the island often becomes the focus of the party. - unless the hob is on the island when it’s best to try and steer guests away from any cooking action! It may be worth bringing in some extra bar stools or chairs for celebratory occasions, and clearing away any island clutter. For seasonal parties, it’s lovely to have flowers or a display on the island, and perhaps some candles, lanterns or even festive fairy lights at Christmas.
kitchen lighting
Lighting is really important for kitchen entertaining. Day-to-day it’s vital that kitchen lighting is clear, clean and bright – but you may want something a bit more atmospheric when hosting get-togethers. Candles and lanterns are perfect to add atmosphere, we like to build-in mood lighting at the kitchen planning stage. Consider a pendant, or a series of pendants over the island or peninsula. A pendant over a breakfast corner or a series of pendants over a dining table. Ceiling spots ensure the whole room can be beautifully lit when required and using different circuits and remote controls can make the scheme adjustable to suit the event. Even within the most streamlined contemporary kitchen there’s still room for interesting floor-standing lamps too – consider floor-mounted sockets to avoid trailing cables.
Gunter & Co’s favourite pendant lights to go over a kitchen island
The Tassel Series from Apparatus
The Celestial Pebble Chandelier by Ochre
Clear Lantern by Rose Uniacke
The 3 Arc Island by Allied Maker
kitchen extraction
One really important point to consider for kitchen entertaining is extraction. Open plan spaces should have good air circulation to keep them fresh and inviting – not full of last night’s cooking aromas (however delicious they may have been!). Extraction needs careful consideration, particularly in an island layout, where the hob may be inset into the island, or if a roof lantern is part of the structure. Suspending an extractor over the hob/cooking area is easy enough when a wall is available, but a ceiling-mounted extractor can sometimes be a little intrusive in a conservatory-style kitchen or where there is a central roof lantern. There are lots of solutions though. Consider a down-draught extractor which is set into the surface of the island, or a discreet integrated ceiling-mounted model.
Extractor solutions
Integrated cooktop and extractor from Bora
Down-draught models from Gaggenau
Ceiling-mounted models from Westin
Top Tips for Kitchen Island Design
Try to include charging points on the island, either within a drawer, a rise-and-fall system or a wireless pad.
On a large island a combination of materials, say quartz and timber can indicate different areas -quartz for prep, timber for the breakfast area for example.
Keep the practical cabinets for the waste bin, recycling etc on the hidden side of the island.
A prep sink is incredibly useful, especially when paired with a recessed compost bin.