entertaining Archives - Page 2 of 2 - H is for Home Harbinger

It’s worthwhile spending time making sure that our home looks as good as possible, sure; but that shouldn’t be the only priority we have for our property. Our house is supposed to serve multiple purposes; it’s not just there to impress our visitors. You’re the one who’s going to be living and spending time there; make sure it’s an enjoyable place to be. Once you’ve taken care of the décor side of your home, get to work on upping the fun and relaxation side too. In so doing, you’ll create a house in which you love spending time. But how do you do this? Well, we take a look at a few ways below.

Relaxing spaces

You wouldn’t always know, just by looking at other people’s properties, that one of the primary functions of our home is to help us relax away from the chaos of the outside world. If your house is currently lacking in this department, then look at reducing the formality of your home, and upping the comfort levels. One effective way to do is to create a tech-free room; one that’s filled with comfortable seating, books, candles and incense. It’ll put you in a deep state of relaxation no matter what your day has been like.

Adding the entertainment

If that takes care of the relaxation side of home life, what about the fun? On those cold and windy days (of which there are plenty in the UK), there’s nothing better than curling up on the sofa with your loved ones, and watching a box set or film. Ensure you’re able to experience this in style by getting a smart home cinema from Kino AV. Whenever you want to have a fun time with your family, you’ll all be able to get comfortable, crack open the snacks and dive into a couple of hours of quality entertainment. Elsewhere, you’ll prpbably want to have an advanced audio set up – playing music can make any occasion all the more enjoyable.

Time outdoors

The UK might not be famed for its glorious weather, but it does arrive sometimes! And when it does, you’ll want to be ready to strike. If you put together an outdoor living area, with furniture and a BBQ included, then you can enjoy many a summer’s afternoon and evening right there on your own property. If you have children, then you may want to look at adding a swing set, badminton net and paddling pool, too. Who needs a summer holiday when you have your garden?!

Hosting friends

There’s nothing better than having friends around for an intimate or not-so-intimate gathering. But take a look at your home; is it currently set up to receive visitors? If not, look at making a few changes. Switching to an open-plan kitchen will make it easy to host get-togethers. If you have a spare room, then give it a makeover and bring it up to hotel quality. Those impromptu get-togethers are much more enjoyable when you know you can offer your guests a bed for the night.

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Overall, we’re a social bunch us Brits, aren’t we? Sometimes there’s nothing we like more than a good old-fashioned chin-wag with our loved ones. However, in recent years, we’ve tended to opt against heading away from our home comforts. In 2001, reports showed that just over half of the UK’s adults would prefer friends come over to their house to socialise rather than head to a pub or restaurant. By 2017, this figure had substantially risen to 75%. And, with two pubs on average closing each day in Britain, the rise of home entertainment is clearly having an effect.

But, why do we like to entertain at home?

Cost

The main reason we bring the ‘party’ to our own doorstep is to save on expenses. The average cost of a three-course meal in the UK last year stood at £28.59, excluding drinks and gratuity. That means that with the price of drinks hiked up in most restaurants, you could easily pay over £50 per head on your dinner date and that’s not factoring in other expenses such as taxis!

By entertaining at home, you can stock up your fridge and freezer with all your favourite foods and tipples for a fraction of the cost. Now that sounds better, doesn’t it?

Convenience

If ever you meet an old friend when you’re out running errands, you’re likely to have said, “let’s meet for a catch-up”, but how often do we actually follow this through? Organising a get-together can often be hard work and fall by the wayside. That’s where home parties come in handy. Unlike many bars, kids are allowed! This means less hassle in needing to find a babysitter if you have little ones as you can just bring them in tow. Great, eh?

By organising house gatherings, you can also take it in turns who plays host. That way, you continue your social circle without needing to spend too much

Personal praise

We can be a very competitive bunch. Gaining the plaudits from our peers can be a real ego booster, no matter how much we deny it. Hosting a good party or gathering can hold you in high esteem within your family our social circle. After all, we all remember who used to hold the best house parties at school, don’t we?

So, how can we make sure our homes are the perfect spot for socialising?

Add a barbecue space

Ah, the old favourite. If you visit any supermarket when the sun’s shining, you’ll be met with a limited selection of sausages and burgers and empty beers, wines and spirits shelves. Those summer months and lighter late nights give us the perfect opportunity to bask in the fresh air and wine and dine outside. With so many barbecues to choose from, it’s simple – and cheap – to pull out the barbecue and cook a feast on the coals (or gas).

Create a seating area

Beer gardens may be the port of call for some, but for others, their home garden is the place to be. While we love our lawns, we need a seated area to offer to our guests, especially if food is on the menu. Often, we choose to deck out an area of our garden and composite decking boards are a perfect low-maintenance option. This allows you to have a designated area for guests to congregate, eat and drink and best of all, it doesn’t take much to clean up afterwards!

Get a hot tub

Yes, you read that right. The hot tub is fast becoming a garden favourite in the UK. Despite the dramatic change in weather over the winter, hot tubs can actually be suitable for all-year-round entertaining. In Newcastle, sales were 600% higher in the first four months of 2018 than the whole of the previous year. With prices vastly varying depending on the model and size, the idea of relaxing in the comfort of your personal garden spa is clearly one that appeals.

Create a home bar

Another relatively popular idea in which people had previously baulked over due to the price. A garden bar is becoming increasingly more sought after in the UK to those who have enough spare space. While these can be professionally built huts, some are using their imagination and recycling materials to create a one-off garden bar out of caravans and summerhouses. Imagine being your own landlord and not needing to deal with kicking out time!

If you don’t have enough outdoor space, you can buy cheap optics for your kitchen so that when you offer those spirits, you do so in a quirky manner instead of just heading for the ‘booze cupboard’. After all, we all like to show off our gadgets, don’t we? An impressive alcohol selection will look all the better in a well-presented manner.

Purchase a dining table

When the weather isn’t playing ball, entertaining must come inside. Some people prefer to eat their dinner in front of the television, and that’s fine. However, a nice dining table can come in extremely handy if you’re entertaining guests. Whether it’s for a ‘Come Dine with Me’-type sit-down meal, or just to place your buffet snacks and drinks on while people chat away, a table could be a great purchase. Make sure you place it in a space that still allows you to freely navigate around it and doesn’t clutter your room.

There you have it! With the rise of home entertaining set to continue, make sure you make the most of the space you have available and wow your guests with your amazing hosting skills.

_Sources:

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/02/rate-of-uk-pub-closures-has-slowed-to-two-per-day/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/303776/trend-in-having-friends-over-instead-of-going-out-in-great-britain-uk/

https://www.dineindulge.co.uk/news/the-cost-of-eating-out/

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/hot-tub-capital-uk-you-14643683

https://resourcefurniture.com/make-space-entertaining/