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For those who love to entertain, the past year or so has been challenging with various holidays and milestones being missed or celebrated with smaller groups. However, with entertaining becoming safer and more comfortable again, the urge to really go all out is creating a wealth of ideas for those who love to entertain. If you are looking at homes in Vancouver WA that are ideal for entertaining, indoors and out, we have a variety of floor plans to let you throw fantastic parties. Here are some features to keep in mind as you explore our many floor plan options.

First and foremost, you need a good kitchen. This isn’t just for the quality of space and appliances for preparing food and drinks for your guests. This is about how the kitchen always ends up as a place where guests hang out. No matter how much seating you put out in other areas or even special tables set up with food and drink, people are drawn to the kitchen. Knowing the inevitability, make sure you have a kitchen that certainly has the space and quality to prepare food and drinks, but also make sure you include a dine-in island with stools perfect for groups to gather.

Similarly, you want an open floor plan so that the guests in the kitchen can still be a part of the rest of the party, just as you can be part of the party as you’re preparing last-minute dishes for more formal events. You may also want a dining area connected to the kitchen for ease of service, as well as a convenient place to set out more casual party foods.

Even though we’re heading into cooler temperatures and there’s likely to be less outdoor entertaining for a while, don’t forget how strong the urge will be to host some outdoor events when spring and summer roll back around. Having a back patio or covered porch is a must for entertaining. Ideally, as you’ll find in many of our home designs, the back porch is connected to the dining area. This lets you transition easily between indoors and outdoors, giving your guests options. Plus, you can keep the food indoors on the dining table, protected from the elements and help reduce the number of flying pests.

Whether you entertain a lot or not, it’s always a good idea to have at least a powder room on the first floor for visiting guests and for your own family’s convenience.

Finally, look for homes that have spacious bonus rooms, either as a partial upstairs second floor or in a basement level. These spaces are ideal for entertaining, especially if you have kids in the tween and teen range. This gives them a space to hang out and have fun, separate from the parents, though they can be checked on easily. Turn the space into a game/media room, or let the adults take over and create their own home bar with a pool table and card tables. It could just as easily be a more elegant wine room. How you use the space is up to you, but the simple fact of having a bonus space like this always gives you more entertainment options.

Even if you don’t entertain extensively, all of these features are just as important for your family. Having an open plan kitchen and living room area makes it easy for everyone to be included and even family members inevitably end up hanging out in the kitchen. You’re sure to make use of your back porch, as well, and that bonus room can be used for a variety of purposes ranging from home gym to music room. So regardless of how much you entertain, when you’re looking at homes in Vancouver WA, let us help you find a home that will easily fit your lifestyle. Contact us today to start creating the home that’s right for you.

Categorized in: Build on Your Land, Home Decor Tips, home inventory, Market Tips, New Home Tips, Things To Do, Vancouver WA Tips

This post was written by Garrette Custom Homes