RAISE THE BAR: ideas for easy entertaining at home

It’s the weekend, and we’ve got a fun little post for you about entertaining at home. These days I’m inclined to favor a night in versus trekking downtown to a fancy restaurant. Hosting friends and family from the comfort of home seems way more personal and relaxed to me, and it’s a joy to extend a bit of old-fashioned hospitality.

Whether hosting a crowd or a more intimate gathering, it’s helpful to designate a space for setting up everything from drinks to charcuterie. Today I’m sharing a glimpse at one of my recent home projects, along with a few creative ideas to make entertaining at home more seamless.

Our current butler’s pantry/bar area (pictured above) is a work in progress. This narrow hyphen connects the dining room to the kitchen, offering an ideal place to set up drinks or a buffet within easy reach of the party. To offset this small room from the rest of the house, we chose to go dark and paint the walls and trim the same french grey as the cabinetry. We outfitted the space with a built-in ice machine, bar sink, and beverage refrigerator, along with plenty of storage for glassware, linens and other entertaining essentials. We’ve continued to customize this workhorse of a room by papering the ceiling with a favorite marbled pattern from Lee Jofa. It’s been fun taking our time and adding vintage touches here and there, including a federal-style mirror and a pair of brass candle sconces. Someday soon I hope to finish the space by replacing the current tiles with an antiqued mirror back splash to reflect a bit more light.

As you likely can tell, we haven’t taken decorating this room too seriously. But when adorned with twinkling candles, fresh greenery and a pleasing selection of food and drinks–it’s a fun spot to gather and mix a beverage.

Farrah and I have rounded up some of our favorite entertaining spaces below, along with a few ideas for no-stress hosting and creating a home bar in any space.

“It’s called entertaining for a reason: You get to have fun while you do it!” -Mark Addison

Home Bar Hacks for Easy Entertaining:

It doesn’t require a lot of space to designate a special area for serving drinks. Topping a console, desk or kitchen counter with a tray creates an instant “bar.” Load up your tray with your choice of beverages, sparkling waters and juices. Add a pretty ice bucket, glassware, cocktail napkins, freshly-sliced citrus and herbs, along with a little dish filled with a salty snack mix. Voila!
Consider converting an underutilized closet or piece of furniture into an entertaining destination. Designer Amanda Lindroth, for example, is fond of placing a “drinks cabinet” in her clients’ living rooms.
Be ready to host at a moment’s notice with an organized supply of cocktail napkins, candles, and party cups. Keeping pantry staples like nuts, cheese straws and olives on hand, as well as an array of cheeses and meats makes it easy to throw a charcuterie board together in no time.
We’re fans of keeping chilled Perrier or a bottle of champagne in the refrigerator at all times for an impromptu celebration. In addition to the standard wine and beer, it’s always a nice idea to serve a range of non-alcoholic beverages to suit a variety of tastes and preferences.