A Home That’s Fit for the Holidays

As we head into the holiday season, our homes take center stage for entertaining guests and family during the multitude of traditional get-togethers that occur this time of year. It doesn't matter the religious or cultural background — there are just LOTS of wonderful gatherings during this season.

The holidays always cast the utility of a home in a different light than it does in other times of the year, simply because we tend to entertain large groups of guests far more frequently this time of year. This is when it becomes painfully apparent that some homes are better equipped to handle these gatherings than others.

Certain characteristics make a house more “gathering-friendly,” as I'll outline below. If you're in the market to buy a home, these may already be high on your priority list. Even if you already own a home, these are good ideas to incorporate if you plan to remodel down the road.

So what makes a house a great holiday home?

• Large Kitchen. Unlike decades ago, the kitchen has now become the epicenter of the home for entertainment. Forget about the formal living room — everyone wants to hang out in the kitchen while you're whipping up drinks and snacks. The kitchen not only needs to be large, but also extremely functional with extra counter space and seating for informal meals. Home builders have definitely caught on to this trend, which is evident when you see the kitchens in newly constructed homes. Lots of time and money go into planning the ultimate kitchen.
• Kitchen/Family Room Combo: If you've seen any of these newly constructed homes, you'll notice that the new design trend is to combine the aforementioned large kitchen with an equally large family room, creating a “great room” feel. The kitchen has everything to create the experience, and the family room, with its huge flat screen TV and incredible sound system, is where everyone enjoys the experience. The pictures below are from one of my recent listings, and they are a great example of what I'm referring to.

• Formal Dining Room: There are still many owners and buyers who demand a more formal dining experience when they are entertaining, or even for everyday family dinners, and this is also fine. But grand dining rooms take up considerable space, and depending on your lifestyle, they may not get utilized nearly as often as you think. When I remodeled my first home in 1999, I designed a formal dining room into the plans. Do you know how many times we ate in that room in 19 years? Absolutely zero! It turned out to be a multi-purpose room where the kids did homework and threw their athletic gear.
• Powder Room: At first glance, this sounds like an odd feature to mention. But if you've ever hosted a large group of people, they end up using the same bathroom that your kids use, or the bathroom that is dedicated to the downstairs suite — both of which are not convenient to you as the homeowner. Installing a simple powder room, which is essentially a toilet, a sink, and a mirror, takes up the space of a closet and is relatively easy to construct. My clients sometimes ask me to review their remodel plans before they commit to construction, and this is one of the most common fixes to those plans that I recommend. It's another design feature that I overlooked on my aforementioned remodel.
• Indoor/Outdoor Space: This past Monday, on November 11, it hit 80 degrees in San Carlos. In November… when it was 15 degrees in Chicago! Crazy, right? But it's not. We often get waves of unusually warm weather in the fall and winter months here. Having the ability to enjoy al fresco dining, even if it means turning on the outdoor heaters, gives your home that much more entertainment space. And that's not to mention how great it will be when the summer months come back around.

Whatever your home configuration is, I truly hope that you have a blessed and memorable Thanksgiving holiday. This time of year is so wonderful as we take a step off the treadmill of life and enjoy the company of the people who are so important to us.

And by the way, if you're starting a remodel project and you need a second set of eyes to review your plans, I'm more than happy to do so with absolutely zero obligation. I made dozens of mistakes on my own remodel, and nothing would make me happier than helping you avoid the same ones. I'm certainly not an architect, but I can give you some sage advice about how your updates will not only make your home more functional and enjoyable for you, but also make your home more desirable on the resale market whenever you decide to sell it. Just reach out if you have any questions!