Entertaining Design in Timber Homes

‘Tis the season to draw all your loved ones close, and with the openness that a timber home offers, it’s easy to make room for everyone. If you’re designing your home and planning to entertain, here are a few tips to make your abode as accommodating as possible.

1. If you plan to host evening dinner parties, consider where you want your guests to mingle as well as which areas you’d like to keep closed off. Furniture can be rearranged to accommodate lots of visitors for one night, but an open floor plan that flows easily from the foyer to the great and adjacent dining room and kitchen will do wonders for making your visitors feel welcome in your home. Subtle distinctions such as an overhead ceiling beam or a change in flooring will delineate spaces without giving the closed-off feeling that walls provide.
2. Even in the cold of winter, your outdoor spaces can offer a cozy refuge. Adding an outdoor hearth or heater to your deck, porch or patio can quickly increase the square footage of your party pad. Just make sure to park your heater in a well-ventilated spot with the heating elements out of reach of your guests’ elbows, shoulders and hairdos.
3. If you plan on having your future guests spend the night, keep their comfort in mind as you design your floor plan. Depending on your budget, how often you plan to host overnight guests, how long they may stay and their level of comfort with your family, amenities such as a guest suite versus a convertible home office, a separate bathroom and/or a full closet may or may not be necessary. Regardless of your home’s design, close attention to your guests’ needs will make your home a welcoming refuge where friends and family will want to visit again and again.