Hopefully in the summer the majority of your entertaining will be hosted outside, but as winter approaches we no longer have such a luxury. Indoor entertaining can be just as good as outdoors if done effectively in a well thought out environment. Origin bifold doors present beautiful panoramic views in the day and in the evening stunning views of the night’s sky, perfect for moulding the evening’s mood. There are several main areas to focus on when hosting festive dinner parties.
- Think seasonally. This is the season to be jolly of course so having lots of colour. Dark reds, blues, gold, green all give off a winter and Christmassy vibe. Light candles when the time comes and the sun has set, hopefully all visible through your origin bifolding doors. Hang cards on ribbon or place them on top of your mantel piece to really enhance that Christmassy feeling. Seasonal plants give the extension life as well as a decorated Christmas tree. A beautiful tree subtly decorated with gold and red gives the tree a classical look alongside small LED lights and traditional bourballs.
- Flowers. Obviously everyone loves a well presented table but what often happens is it becomes a jungle! With flowers blocking people’s views and huge lily’s covering the table they can disturb the atmosphere. One good method of solving this issue is putting your elbow on the table and stretching your fingers upwards. Unless you have very long arms the highest point of a floral decoration should be the wrist.
- Dress the Christmas table. Like flowers, dressing a table is all about aesthetics. However when you dress a table you must take into account the logistics of your guests and more importantly the food. Positioning guests with common interests and depending on space position by size, this is an important factor to take into account. Long table mats or linen down the centre of the table are particularly fashionable at the moment, both bringing colour to a possibly plain area and providing a protective layer for hot plates and the beautiful turkey.
- The kitchen/dining room. This is often a choice for many extensions, having the kitchen and dining room all in one large space. The old days of carefully having to carry a host of delicious food through small or closed doors will no longer be a hassle. As well as logistically better, the kitchen/dining room layout means that the chef is no longer excluded from exciting conversations or the end of that ‘witty’ Christmas anecdote. This may not be the choice for smaller extensions where a living room is priority but changes to the interior of the existing house can create this large, open and social space.
- Entertainment. A dinner party is not just for Christmas but it does make them more fun! With a group of conversations happening around the table you can be sure that everyone is engaged, and those who are quieter are hopefully surrounded by more extravagant people to help them join in. A silent meal is not a bad thing; it means that everyone is concentrating on the food you have so delicately prepared. With your guest stuffed, cracker hats askew, bring out games to carry on the party. Table party games are some of the best, such as post-it note people on the foreheads, sequence games with tapping hands and of course charades. As your guests become more embalmed the evening will move into the living room where a more relaxed vibe can grow. These are just some ideas on how to create a great extension Christmas dinner party. In the summer there are even more options with Origin bifolding doors wide open such as; having easy access to the garden with no hindrances for the chef, or when the night cold sets in you can move inside and enjoy the warmth but also the summer evening views. Both the height of summer and Christmas bring out fantastic ways to enjoy your extension and Origin bifolding doors installed by Multifold.
