How to Help Your Kitchen Be a Hub Of Social Activity

The kitchen is no longer just a purely practical place to prepare meals, it is fast becoming a social space. At the centre of the house, the kitchen is the perfect place to entertain and we’ve got a few tips to help you prepare your kitchen to be the perfect social space.

Social but functional!

The key to ensuring your kitchen is a social hub is making sure it also remains practical for everyday use. Introducing a breakfast bar or an island to your kitchen is a great feature for hosting parties. It can be used to hold glasses and nibbles before the food is served, but importantly it is also functional for everyday use with bar stools, which could be removed at parties to create more space.  An island can become the focus of your kitchen and it creates extra worktop space as well as room for a sink and cupboards.

Go open-plan:

Along similar lines, you might want to consider knocking through to your dining room to create an open-plan space. This way the kitchen becomes more the focus of your house.

An open plan design also means when you are entertaining you can stay more involved in the party and won’t be trapped in a separate room while cooking.

Buy the latest tech…!

One way to ensure your kitchen is a social hub is to keep up with the latest tech. For example, you might consider everything from a blender to a smart speaker, offered by both Amazon and Apple, which answers your questions and voice commands. Most importantly for your parties it plays music when commanded by voice, ensuring you can set the right mood for every occasion.

Think outside the box:

To really make your kitchen a great social space you need to get creative! You could, for example, invest in a drinks fridge and make it a feature of your kitchen. This is a great way to display the drinks you can offer your guests and it frees up space in your other fridge for more party food. Alternative, you could choose to buy soft ice machine or an ice cream display freezer. These are a great way to make your kitchen unique and you can offer ice cream to family and guests all year around. What’s not to love?

Set the mood

Choosing the right lighting for your kitchen ensures you create the perfect atmosphere. Finding quirky and original lighting is an upcoming trend, whether its hanging jars, lanterns or a copper pendant light, choosing the right lighting for your kitchen is crucial.

Make sure your kitchen also has plenty of natural light, so it is bright and inviting. Big folding doors or French doors are becoming increasingly popular to let the natural light flood in.

We hope you have found our top tips to make your kitchen the sub of social activity helpful. The most important things are to make sure your kitchen reflects you and your personality, and to ensure your kitchen is practical as well as a great social space.

Charlotte Giver

Charlotte is the founder and editor-in-chief at Your Coffee Break magazine. She studied English Literature at Fairfield University in Connecticut whilst taking evening classes in journalism at MediaBistro in NYC. She then pursued a BA degree in Public Relations at Bournemouth University in the UK. With a background working in the PR industry in Los Angeles, Barcelona and London, Charlotte then moved on to launching Your Coffee Break from the YCB HQ in London’s Covent Garden and has been running the online magazine for the past 10 years. She is a mother, an avid reader, runner and puts a bit too much effort into perfecting her morning brew.