Looking to host a dinner party for your loved ones? It’s a great way to get everyone together as well as making the most of your home. But when you’re having guests over, you’ll of course want to make sure that your place is up to scratch and ready to impress. Here are some of the ways you can upgrade your home if you plan on having regular get togethers, or getting it ready to host a dinner party.
Consider your floor covering
If you have guests over a lot, it can make sense to have easy to clean flooring downstairs. Solid wood, laminate or natural stone like marble are all good choices- they’re easy to clean so if any dirt comes in on people’s shoes you won’t be sat scrubbing stains like you would with carpet. Of course you always have the option of asking guests to remove shoes, but it’s an easier option to simply go with a suitable floor covering in the first place. Not only is this great for if you have guests or workmen in your home but it prevents your children and pets ruining the flooring as well. At a dinner party you always have the risk of food or drink spills, so carpet isn’t the best choice.
Think about your table
Having a table that comfortably sits six or eight people is useful if you throw regular dinner parties. If you don’t want a large table to take up this much space on a day to day basis, you always have the option of extendable tables. Store away a few of spare chairs in the garage, and then when you’re hosting people you can set up the table to sit more people and add the chairs. Throw over a tablecloth and no one will know the difference! Dinner parties tend to be slightly more formal affairs, and so it’s worth going all out with the table decor. Find a stunning centrepiece, and add your nicest crockery and cutlery to lay the table. You could add napkin rings and placeholders too, these are especially good for occasions like easter and Christmas.
Add wine storage to your kitchen
A good host knows that at a dinner party you need to keep the drinks flowing. If you have people over often, it’s well worth having somewhere to store your wine. This could be a wine rack integrated into your kitchen or added afterwards- any gaps between appliances are useful for slotting one in. You could purchase a wine cooler, or even keep a spare fridge or shelving in your basement or garage for storing wine. Companies like Oddbins wines have plenty on offer so it’s easy to stock up without breaking the bank, and it means you’re always ready to host a dinner party or have guests over!
Do you have guests over often for food and drinks? What changes to your home would make life easier when you’re hosting guests?