Creating a sociable kitchen

As the heart of the home, the kitchen is often the room where family and friends naturally come together. This is never truer than during the annual festivities, when homes across the country are filled with people, gathering to enjoy Christmas and the New Year. It takes clever spatial planning to create a kitchen that successfully doubles as a comfortable, not crowded, place to receive your guests. Once accomplished, the room will prove welcoming all year round. ‘By using the space effectively and incorporating high-impact finishes, you can achieve a kitchen with star-like quality that will make get-togethers a joy,’ says Alison Coleman, marketing manager at Magnet.

While it may be too late for a complete overhaul in time for this Christmas, there are plenty of ways an existing kitchen can be spruced up and adapted in readiness for the forthcoming celebrations. For example, formal dining has largely gone out of fashion and cooking is now a more social activity. So, if space allows, you might start by creating a dining area within your kitchen. To extend a bijou breakfast table into something suitable for entertaining on a grander scale, designer Johnny Grey suggests buying a sheet of inexpensive 8mm-thick ply board and fitting it over the top, with an attractive tablecloth concealing its makeshift origins.

From a design angle, refreshing art, textiles and accessories with new or vintage additions in rich hues will add instant warmth to your kitchen, enticing people inside. Dotting glass tea light holders on dressers and worktops also helps create a cosy atmosphere.

If you’re fortunate enough to be planning a major kitchen renovation, it pays to ensure it’s as party-friendly as possible – not only during the Christmas period, but any time of year. The secret to success revolves around creating as much space as you can, perhaps by knocking through into a dining room, or adding an extension or conservatory area. Simply widening doorways will give the illusion of space without excessive disruption. Luckily many period properties are blessed with rooms of large proportions, so take full advantage of high ceilings and big windows wherever you can. Ideally, there will be room for some soft seating – great for sinking into after a delicious meal – plus dining space for at least eight people and maybe somewhere informal for guests to sit and chat while you cook.

In the gallery: An open-plan conservatory extension provides a great entertainment space. This bespoke kitchen from Osborne of Ilkeston has a rich hand-painted cream finish. Kitchens start from £22,000.

Find out more about creating the perfect party kitchen...
Find out more about creating a statement kitchen...
Appliances and accessories to add that final touch to your kitchen...

FEATURE LINDA CLAYTON
Featured in the December 2009 issue of Period Living