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How to create the perfect kitchen space for entertaining - Martin Moore

29 Jul 20

How to create the perfect kitchen space for entertaining - Martin Moore 

Christmas is a busy time of year, full of festivities, friends, and family. However entertaining on a large scale requires careful planning and consideration, especially when it comes to kitchen design.
 
A well organised and cleverly zoned kitchen can significantly ease the flow of traffic around the room and bring a sense of harmony to the space, allowing hosts and guests to sit back and enjoy the day.
 
Open-plan kitchens offer the perfect set-up for festive entertaining and are excellent for organising everything into dedicated work and social zones. A central island is the best place to lay out canapes and drinks, making everything easily accessible to guests and providing a space where people can gather whilst the final touches are being made. The ideal is to have both an island and a freestanding table, to lay up as formally or informally as required, where people can chat, graze and socialise. This allows the host to stay in control of the cooking whilst mingling and attending to guests.

A large amount of prepping space is important as it allows one person to prep the food whilst another cooks: an ideal set-up at Christmas. Drop level worktops offer additional space for baking and pastry making and are a great place to site mixers and juicers without cluttering up the main worksurface. A couple of sinks in different locations is also extremely useful.
 
If space allows, the convenience of a separate pantry, or failing that a purpose-fitted pantry cupboard is unbeatable for keeping all your ingredients in one place and readily accessible. Jars of pickles, mincemeat, cherries and other festive delights can be conveniently stored away in the run-up to Christmas. Pantries are also ideal for storing large party platters and bowls. Dedicated china cupboards provide easy access to necessities like gravy boats, serving bowls, linens and vases for floral decorations.

Purpose-designed back kitchens are a real luxury at Christmas time.  Here busy cooks can delegate prepping tasks, store china and glass, keep wine ready and house back-up appliances such as an extra fridge, dishwasher and freezer.  Ideal for the busiest day of the year, it allows the main kitchen area to stay uncluttered - even amidst all the excitement.
 
It is a good idea to mix up the seating arrangements; a combination of banquette seating and chairs creates a versatile living/dining space.  Banquette seats can also give you valuable underseat storage.

Think about lighting and the atmosphere you are trying to create. The best lighting schemes involve light from a variety of sources, all of which should be controllable, allowing you to alter the mood at will. A combination of ceiling spots, pendant lights, under-cupboard lighting and freestanding lights offers a multitude of potential effects, transforming the kitchen from a practical zone to a warm, inviting space to be enjoyed by all.

Finally, kitchen mantels can be dressed to create a decorative focal point; candles, seasonal ornaments, wreaths, and garlands all add a touch of festive cheer to the space.
 
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