It gets harder and harder to put on all that cold-weather gear just to head out to a family friendly restaurant with friends and kids in tow. That is why fall and winter are perfect for hosting a dinner party from the comfort of your own home.
Be it a casual evening or formal affair, you can make your home a setting for great food and wine where no one will ever want to leave.
“Guests should always feel at home,” says Samantha Sannella, president and CEO of Toronto’s Design Exchange. “Comfort is critical.
“If you have to add chairs, then get creative and change the groupings of furniture to accommodate more people.”
Part of making people feel comfortable is making sure they don’t have to ask for anything.
“Always have more than enough wine and refreshments,” Sannella says.
“Guests should never feel uncomfortable that they might ‘take the last bite.’” In a world where the Food Network and Rachel Ray reign, make the kitchen the central room for your party.
One might also consider hosting an event where everyone cooks together to ensure that conversation is flowing.
For cheap and quick decor ideas, Sannella has three words: “fruit, fruit and more fruit. “I love pomegranates and bosc pears,” she says.
“Placing these in a bowl is a great way to add colour and a festive feel.” Or, consider filling red and white wineglasses with acorns and grouping them together in the centre of the table. It’s all about being creative, especially in tight financial times.
And because of the recession, new trends are popping up that may not have been as popular a few years back.
People are having potluck parties, where each guest makes a signature addition to the menu, or wine tastings, where the hosting home provides the cheese and chocolate, but guests bring a bottle of their favourite vino.
For more wallet-busting tips, interior designer Dvira Ovadia recommends reusing what you have and simply introducing one unique touch to spruce it all up. Your existing china set can be revived with a new coloured bowl, a glitzy underplate or unique goblet.
A new tablecloth and an unusual centrepiece will also make last year’s table feel like a completely new one.
Sannella insists that every detail counts, and while you may have the ideal entertainment room, it won’t make the difference if the rest of the house just doesn’t add up.
She recommends you ensure that your powder room is spotless and that there are plenty of “supplies,” including decorative guest towels and soaps.
If you want guests to remove their shoes at the entry, then accommodate this without making people feel uncomfortable.
“Consider offering new socks for ladies that might have freezing feet,” she says. “You might make it fun and buy silly holiday socks for guests.”