I was talking to a client recently who moved from a two bedroom apartment into a two storey, three bedroom, two bathroom house. My client and their partner loved all the space they now had, especially for dinner parties. In an apartment my client found it difficult to host dinner parties. This saddened me so I thought about how to have a big dinner party in a small apartment.
Extra surfaces for dinner party prep
So one of the issues my client mentioned in our chat about apartment dinner parties was limited prep space. I won’t go on about all the design flaws I come across in apartments but generally speaking kitchen apartments are not designed well.
Some of the functional problems I have had to find solutions for in apartment kitchen renovations include lack of counter space. Very small sink. Not enough storage. All key elements to a successful dinner party.
My client mentioned that she would have to use the floor when preparing for a dinner party. That’s is terrible design. For extra surface area to prep for you guests I suggest a folding bar table.
But if you know you like to host dinner parties you need to choose the right apartment for your functional needs and possibly increase the surface area of your existing counter tops.
Flexible spaces to make room for dinner parties
In my own apartment I have a dinning table for four. You could get an extendable dining table or like me invest in a trestle table to accommodate dinner party guests.
But to host a dinner part for more than four, you might need to move some furniture around. In my apartment and in my mum’s house we need to move the living room furniture to make room for the longer dining table.
Which means you need to have a solid furniture plan in place before buying furniture. A solid furniture plan is based on actually functionality.
Key pieces of furniture that will assist you with your dinner party include a side board, coffee table, TV unit.
You might start your dinner party around the coffee table with appetisers for finger food. So choosing a coffee table with storage might be helpful or keeping your coffee table styling minimal will also help you.
A sideboard is an excellent piece of furniture for dinner parties. The piece itself can storage the extra tableware you need. The top surface area of the sideboard can be used for glasses and drinks.
Living in an apartment doesn’t mean compromising on the things you like to do, such as hosting dinner parties. But to be able to have a dinner party in your apartment you need to plan.
Plan your space as well as plan your menu. I love cooking and love planning menus but in an apartment setting maybe a shared plate dinner party or a multi course tapas or mezze party would be more suitable for you and your space.
At the end of the day the aim is to host your friends, entertain in your own home, spending quality time together. So hosting a big dinner party in a small apartment can be achieved with some planning. Have fun.
