Designing a home that will have the potential to be a party pad or modifying an existing home to host occasional soirées? Creating a space where you can entertain with ease involves more than buying glassware and stocking up on spirits. When planning a space to entertain in, consider the guest experience, as well as your own. 

Space Planning

You want to create a welcoming atmosphere that will put your guests at ease and enable them to circulate easily. An open-plan design that allows guests to move fluidly between the kitchen, living room, dining room, and terrace is optimal with new builds. 

Within that space, aim to create a series of ambiences or zones so that guests will naturally gravitate to one area for dancing and another to eat, talk or drink. Use large area rugs, colour blocking on the walls or room dividers to demarcate these zones in particularly large spaces.

For more traditional home layouts, consider where you do and don’t want guests to go, and open or close doors accordingly. Assess where bottlenecks will occur and move furniture to ensure guests can flow around it with ease.

Seating

Everyone has been to that party where they hover awkwardly, drink in hand because there’s nowhere to sit and nowhere to put your glass. While it may not be realistic to have one seat per guest, be creative with what you have: stools, benches, ottomans, pouffes and folding chairs can all be put to use – but don’t arrange them around the edge of the room, school-disco style – that’s a real ambience-killer. 

Similarly, don’t be tempted to push sofas and armchairs to the outside to create space – far better to group them together, facing inwards. This makes for a more intimate vibe and encourages conversation. 

Find it on-island:

• Sectional sofas like the Calvin Collection are ideal for intimate seating areas – available from A Squared Away.

Eating

Food is a significant component of many gatherings, with the preparation being as necessary as the consumption. For homeowners who plan on doing a lot of entertaining, the kitchen is not the place to cut corners. A kitchen that is practical, functional and spacious enough to cook for crowds is key. That means plenty of counter space, fridges large enough to stock food and drinks, enough plates, bowls and serving platters to go around, and kitchen appliances that are up to the task. 

The best parties are often in the kitchen, so if space allows, make the kitchen one of the spaces you encourage guests to spend time in: kitchen islands with seating down one side will let the chef chat with guests while preparing or clearing food. 

Find it on-island:

• For enthusiastic home chefs, a professional-grade range such as Thermador’s is a wise investment – available from Bon Vivant. 
• Arrange canapés on a pretty platter such as the round charcuterie board from EtuHome – available from Label C.
• The Liv Dining Table in pale oak is ideal for informal dinner parties – available from Living.ky.

Drinking

The drinks are arguably an essential part of a party, so when creating your own entertaining space, don’t overlook where the uncorking, pouring and mixing of drinks will occur. If you’ve room to build an outdoor bar, you’re all set: you’ll not only keep the kitchen clear for cooking but will also encourage guests to flow indoors and outdoors.

For those who lack a built-in bar space, a libation station – a sideboard or bar cart – where guests can help themselves is a good solution. 

Nobody likes to drink a margarita out of a pint glass, or indeed, beer out of a Champagne flute, so be sure to invest in a good range and quality of glassware, as well as a cocktail shaker, ice bucket and other mixology essentials. 

Find it on-island:

• The Vector Bar Cart on wheels is a great space-saving drinks station – available from IDG.
• Beautifully crafted Marquis by Waterford Brandy crystal glasses will enhance the flavour of good brandy – available from Kirk Freeport.

Creating the right ambience is all in the lighting. Lighting design is one of the most typically overlooked aspects of interior design. The key is to layer lights at different levels. At the top, you want a ceiling light that casts a general ambient light; build on this with wall lights, standing lamps and task lights, then place table lamps and candles on lower surfaces to draw the eye down – and don’t forget to change those harsh white lightbulbs for warm yellow ones. 

Find it on-island:

The Syncro pendant light is a good starting point for your lighting design – available from A.L. Thompson’s.

Sound

Whether it’s cocktails with colleagues or dinner with friends, no one wants to be socialising in a sound vacuum. A good sound system with surround sound is an absolute must in a new build – and something well worth retro-fitting in an older home. For those who party like it’s 1999 and want dancing and disco lights, it may be worth going further and investing in an amplifier and processor. 

Available on-island from Creative Tech Ltd.