Pexels Image: CC0 Licence
It’s long been said that the kitchen is the social hub of the home. Nothing quite beats boiling the kettle and then sitting right down for a good old natter with mates. Even better, the biscuit draw and snacks galore are right on hand if you need them!
The trouble is that not every kitchen lends itself to this social focus. Many homeowners find that kitchen hosting is like attempting to squeeze guests into a shoebox. It’s uncomfortable, confined, and not exactly the buzzing atmosphere you’re aiming for.
Luckily, there are some simple solutions to overcome these issues, and we’re going to talk you through some of the best options here.
Think about layout
First, you’ll want to do here is to think about kitchen layout. If your cupboards are crammed together or tied together with a hefty kitchen island, is it any wonder your social dreams are failing to come to fruition? Layouts like these are guaranteed to create the shoebox feel. Instead, then, you’ll want to think about changing things around.
Think about a flowing kitchen environment that invites rather than inhibits social meetings. As well as creating a generally more inviting space to spend time, opening things up will create a more comfortable kitchen to cook in. There’s nothing not to love, even if this does mean getting professionals on board to give you a helping hand.
Somewhere to sit
No social kitchen hub will work without somewhere to sit. Without this, guests will hover awkwardly and wonder why you don’t just take them into the living room. Make sure that doesn’t happen by providing a comfortable seating area they can settle into.
How you incorporate this feature is entirely up to you. You could provide a bench along one wall if you don’t have much floor space, or even that you install a breakfast bar on the end edge of a kitchen counter. If you have room, you can’t beat proper seating solutions like these gloss dining tables and chairs. With any of these in place, you should find that your coffee dates naturally gravitate here without any effort on your part.
Pexels Image: CC0 Licence
Consider lighting
Last we have one of the smallest pointers on this list, but it stands to make a massive difference to your efforts here. We are, of course, talking about lighting. Standard kitchen lighting tends to be relatively bright to ensure you have decent cooking visibility at all times, but this doesn’t exactly create the calm social space you’re looking for. To achieve that, think about installing dimmer switches, or creating a two-way kitchen light system that allows you to turn down the brightness a little when you’re hosting. This is a pretty simple task for an electrician, but it could be just the thing to create the social ambience you’ve been missing.
Social kitchen spaces are fantastic, and they aren’t even difficult to achieve. Simply take care of these key pointers, and you should find that your desired social hub soon follows.
~ This is a collaborative post, and may contain affiliated links. ~
