If you love entertaining, you likely love the lifestyle in Sarasota. Beautiful weather, which includes rampant sunshine and balmy nights, makes for the best parties and get togethers. Custom homes and floorplans give every Florida homeowner the opportunity to maximize their home for guests – creating a floorplan perfect for a night with friends or family.
If you love barbecues, pool parties, or nights by the firepit – designing your home to accommodate your lifestyle is a great way to start off with your new build.
Design Ideas for Entertaining
Everyone loves a great party. But some of us love them a bit more than others, and entertaining is a way of life. Whether you prefer intimate gatherings or family barbecues, there are ways to design your home to accommodate your guests. Here are a few tips to incorporate into your new custom build, or for your dream home renovation.
- Kitchen Islands: There is a reason that an oversized kitchen island is one of the hottest modern design trends. Everyone always sees to congregate in the kitchen, right? Islands are great for food prep while talking with your guests, putting out a lavish family-style spread, or even for sitting around. Don’t forget to add ample storage underneath.
- Outdoor Kitchens: Yes, another kitchen tip. But let’s face it, the best parties revolve around food! An outdoor kitchen allows the party to move out into the sunshine, around the pool, or surrounding the fireplace. Once relegated to the most luxurious homes, outdoor kitchens and eating areas (see below) are now a common request for all levels of homeownership.
- Comfortable Seating Areas: Forget the old, boring patio furniture – go for comfy couches, futons, and hammock swings. Build a trellis or portico overhead, or add a mist system to keep things cool. Surround with tropical flowers and lush greenery, and no one will want to go inside. You may want to add a firepit or even tiki torches to not only light up the night, but help to keep bugs away. For a classic, retro look, surround with Edison lighting instead.
- Multiple Eating Areas: When you are having a large party, it is common to see people hunched over plates on the couch, or balancing food while standing and talking with friends. Create multiple seating areas throughout your home, on the deck, even around the yard (under trees, next to the garden) and let everyone spread out. Wherever possible, adding large paddle fans to keep the air moving is a most hospitable thing to do.
- Maximize the Pool for Entertaining: Once you are serving food and drinks poolside, how else can you make the space perfect for guests? Consider umbrellas or retractable awnings to provide needed shade, position ice buckets to keep their drinks cold, and our personal favorite – create cabanas and a bathroom/changing area outside. This will allow guests to enjoy the pool and the sun without continually traipsing through your home to change or use the facilities.
- Let the Music Play: Many custom builds now enjoy music throughout the entire home – but don’t forget to add the backyard and diverse sitting areas.
- Create a Home Theater: Often when entertaining, half the party is in the living room crowded around a blaring television, cheering for the game. How about creating a surround sound, multi media room for use watching the big game or to screen the latest movie releases. Stadium seating, personal refrigerators, a popcorn machine – the sky is the limit and you will be the most popular home in the neighborhood.
No matter the lifestyle you are looking to create in your new Sarasota or Longboat Key home, the team at Lindahl Construction should be your first call. We specialize in building dream homes in paradise – what can we build for you?