How to Design Your Kitchen and Backyard for Amazing Gatherings
Hosting your friends and family should be exciting, not a drag. However, entertaining groups of people isn’t always easy. If you don’t have a backyard that can accommodate guests, it can be challenging to cook, manage their needs, and keep everyone entertained. For instance, if you don’t have a barbecue, your guests will be outside while you’re stuck babysitting the stove, running outside once in a while, and missing all the fun.
With a well-designed space and the right equipment, you can prepare tasty meals, serve your guests, and enjoy the party without getting stuck in the kitchen or scrambling between rooms.
1. Create a seamless indoor-outdoor flow
One of the biggest obstacles when entertaining guests is having bottlenecks at the door to get into the house. A well-connected kitchen and backyard will make entertaining smoother.
The first thing to do is eliminate the need for people to constantly move in and out of the house. One way to keep people outside is to get an outdoor kitchen. Cooking outside on a grill will significantly cut down on foot traffic through the house. When nobody needs to pop inside for condiments, dishes, or food, there will be fewer bottlenecks at the door.
2. Place dishes and utensils out in the open
If you need to store supplies in your kitchen, pull everything out and arrange it on a table. This eliminates the need for people to open all the cabinets and drawers to hunt for things like forks and plates.
3. Place extra trash cans all over
As a good rule of thumb, nobody should have to walk more than 10 feet to find a trash can. Place several large, easy-to-spot cans throughout your backyard to keep things tidy. Use bright, visible signage so your guests can see them from a distance.
Put a few trash cans inside the house in intuitive spots. A single, hidden bin under the sink will overflow fast and cause a mess.
4. Put a mini fridge outside
The best parties have a mini fridge stocked with goodies where all the action is taking place. If you don’t already have one, you can get one for around $100 that will keep at least 3-4 six-packs cold at one time. If you have a bigger budget, get a small beverage refrigerator made specifically to hold drinks. It’s a better use of space and they come with built-in dispensers.
5. Install a sink
Nothing beats having an outdoor sink with plumbing when you’re hosting parties. Your guests will be able to wash their hands or rinse off without trudging through the house. You can also use your sink to wash vegetables and utensils, or get water for cleaning up spills.
6. Create dedicated stations
It won’t take guests long to figure out where to get drinks and food, but when you have a dedicated station for everything, there will be less chaos. Set up a dedicated drink station using a bar cart or cooler so guests can serve themselves without having to ask for permission to get something from inside the house.
For large gatherings, use a buffet-style serving setup by arranging food on a long table. This will allow guests to serve themselves in a line that moves forward and keeps the flow.
If possible, use warming trays or chafing dishes to keep food hot. Depending on what food you’re serving, this will make all the difference, especially when your guests go in for second helpings.
7. Prep your backyard for entertainment
Your gatherings will be memorable if you include entertainment that appeals to your specific group of guests. Here are some ideas to keep your guests entertained:
· Install outdoor speakers. Every gathering needs music. With outdoor speakers connected to a device in your house, you can play music all day long without having to worry about a dead battery.
· Create a movie theater. A simple projector with a white sheet is all it takes to host a movie night. You can get fancier if you have a decent budget, but it’s not necessary.
· Host lawn games. There are so many fun games to play on the grass, like tic-tac-toe toss, cornhole, bocce ball, croquet, and even giant Jenga.
· Invite a live band or speaker. Depending on who your guests are, they might enjoy live music from a local band or a speaker who has something to say on an important topic.
Go all out to create a cozy space
When revamping your backyard, don’t hold back. It only takes a handful of small upgrades to host the kind of gatherings nobody will want to skip.
