Have you noticed how, when you invite family and friends around, crowds inevitably gravitate to the kitchen? With Christmas around the corner, the kitchen is about to be the hardest working room in your home. From the luxury kitchen experts, Tom Howley, here are the essentials to give your bespoke design those all-important final touches, creating the ultimate entertainer’s kitchen just in time for a memorable Christmas season.
Begin with a beverage centre
As soon as guests arrive, drinks are poured and mixed. Wine storage and coolers are an entertainer’s kitchen essential, providing you with that perfectly chilled bottle of wine or fizz at a moment’s notice. “Position your large appliances like fridges and wine coolers near to the dining area in your kitchen, allowing your family and friends easy access to drinks and snacks whilst not getting in the way of the main cooking area,” says design director Tom Howley.
Additionally, for Christmas morning and other gatherings, Tom Howley sales designer Lucy Nash adds: “A boiling water tap for teas and coffees is a must-have item for people who love to entertain.”
Find balance between sociable and practical
“An entertainer’s kitchen must have elements of multifunctionality in the physical layout, plus the lighting schemes to create various zones within the space that can be used for different activities, simultaneously or individually,” comments Howley.
“It’s important that your kitchen designer understands how you personally envision entertaining in your space. For example, if you are a social chef that likes to catch up with guests whilst you prepare dinner, an intelligent, open living plan with integrated island seating will create a culinary hub that is equally sociable and practical.”
Howley also advises: “The most effective lighting solution is to specify a scheme that allows bright task lighting over the countertops where the food preparation is taking place, and warm, low lighting for the guests. There may only be a couple of metres between these two very different light sources, but it makes a world of difference to your guests’ entertaining experience and the chef or the host’s cooking experience.”
Seriously stylish storage
In the days and weeks leading up to Christmas, you’ll probably be stocking up on crockery and making as many dishes as possible in advance. Thus, elevated storage solutions are essential.
“For me, the most memorable part of a fabulous kitchen is a double pantry, laden with interesting bottles of infused oils, rustling packets of the finest truffles, artisanal jarred vegetables and special seasonings,” says Howley. “The act of opening a double pantry is truly a moment of awe and gives the process of cooking and entertaining a real sense of occasion.”
If you have the space, consider a bespoke walk-in pantry which further personalises kitchen storage to your lifestyle and needs. Perfect for stashing tools, dirty dishes, and dried or fresh ingredients right before guests arrive, this space can also be utilised as a secondary prep area for food and as a present wrapping or floral arranging station too.
Outstanding appliances that simplify
Lastly, the right appliances are paramount to the success of any entertainer’s kitchen. Not only do they allow for home cooking at professional standards, but they also create a memorable kitchen that impresses and inspires guests.
With turkey and Christmas pudding on the mind, your oven and refrigerator should rise to the occasion. “By investing in appliances by reliable, reputable brands for your kitchen, you add value to your home whilst gaining peace of mind that every part of your culinary hub is made to last for decades of Christmas celebrations to come,” explains Howley.
