What is a Home Beverage & Entertaining Center?
Last week, we talked about how the kitchen has become a gathering place for family and friends and I shared 5 updates for a bright, fresh kitchen. Today I want to share a project we recently completed that brings together all five of these updates in a spectacular way.
But first, let’s talk about where this project started. Our clients’ initial kitchen layout wasn’t ideal and hosting had become a difficult balancing act:
The cook wanted to create the meal, keep guests from getting underfoot, yet stay social and involved
The host wanted to make sure guests were comfortable and refreshed without going to and from the fridge a hundred times (and bumping into the cook)
The guests, well, they wanted to have a good time! (Okay, so they didn’t personally weigh in during the design phase, but we took their needs into account.)
These clients aren’t the only ones who struggle to entertain smoothly. We hear this story ALL the time. Many homes, especially the older ones we see in Pensacola Beach and Milton, simply don’t have a kitchen that accommodates both cooking and entertaining.
Which is probably why it’s is the biggest request we hear when remodeling kitchens. So, allow me to introduce the solution that is making every home entertainer happier in their kitchens: the beverage center.
What is a Home Beverage Center?
A home beverage center is a place to grab or make drinks, serve hors d’oeuvres, entertain guests, and steer clear of the cook in a very social, inclusive way.
This keeps the cooking area from functioning simultaneously as the serving and entertaining area. If we add a refrigerator, it also saves the host several trips to the garage or basement to restock drink supplies.
Aside from the refrigerator, other important elements of beverage centers are:
Adequate lighting, usually under-cabinet task lights
Additional storage for items like glasses and bar utensils.
A cabinet with drawers or rollout trays to increase storage options
A single, glass pendant and focused task lighting let these homeowners create their own ambiance.
Many of our clients enjoy wine in particular. If you’re in this camp, too, you’ve probably discovered that your regular fridge isn’t going to cut it. We often hear requests for wine fridges that store reds and whites at the appropriate temperatures for each. Done and done.
Where Should You Put a Home Beverage & Entertaining Center?
The best place for a beverage center is along the path from the kitchen to living or dining room. This creates a natural flow for the gathering, moving fluidly from one space to the next.
The beverage center shown below sits within sight of the kitchen, away from the cooking space but close enough to keep the chef included in the conversation. It’s also perfectly positioned to lead guests (and food) to the dining table or living room — wherever the party plans to go next!
Can Your Kitchen Accommodate a Home Beverage Center?
Wherever possible, we design kitchens with some form of a designated beverage station. Often this can be created with just a bit of space, sometimes as little as 36” of countertop. Most beverage refrigerators will fit under a standard height counter and are 24” wide.
This lower space — along with a wall cabinet above to store glasses, mixers, coffee, tea and other beverage supplies — often accomplishes the goal.
How Do You Know if a Beverage Center is Right for You?
Whether you need a wine cooler and refrigerator or a simpler beverage station depends on your lifestyle and how often you entertain. If a beverage station is needed just on occasion, a sink or refrigerator/cooler really isn’t a necessity.
Often a butler pantry can serve double duty, while the countertop will serve as a place to locate wine and other drinks for guests for a dinner party. This simpler approach will save on costs, as no additional plumbing and electrical is needed when there isn’t a fridge or a sink installed.
Other Fun Features Worth Mentioning
From a design standpoint, we often use different color cabinetry or cabinet doors with textured glass in a beverage area or just a different finish of cabinet hardware. These areas can be quite fun to design and use different materials.
This change in materials provides a varied look, visually separates the area from the rest of the kitchen, and can create a focal point. Often the kitchen backsplash or countertop material is varied a bit, but always with an eye for visually tying the areas together.
Last but not least, the beverage area often becomes a unique place where the homeowner’s personality can be expressed with their collectables and barware, art or glassware.
What do you think? Could your kitchen (and life) benefit from a beverage and entertainment center? If so, we’d love to help you design it.
In fact, the “CKD” in CKD Remodeling stands for Creative Kitchen Designs — it’s our passion! Book a discovery call here to chat with us about your next project or download our Guide to Preparing for a Renovation below.
Warmly,
Sarah