5 Architecture and Design Ideas to Make Your Home Inviting

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and with it, thoughts of gathering friends and family. At Morgante Wilson, designing spaces where people are going to congregate is among our favorite things to do. Whether intimate or grand, nothing says “Welcome!” like inviting rooms that make your home the place everyone wants to be. Here, some of our best-loved architecture and design ideas:

1. Turn your kitchen into a living room

We first wrote about super pantries a few years ago, and they’ve continued to top our clients’ wish lists ever since. The rise of the super pantry is based on the idea that kitchens have become the room in which we do most of our living – during the holidays, and every other day of the year. Which is why more and more of us are relegating actual cooking and storage functions to a more secluded space called a super pantry. Located just off the kitchen and able to be closed off by a door, super pantries house food, dishes, glassware, appliances, and plenty of counter space for preparing food. This allows the kitchen itself to become more of a gathering space than a workspace.

2. Build a bunk room

Regular readers of this blog already know of our abiding love for bunk rooms. We consider them literally life-changing and enthusiastically recommend them to every client with children, grandchildren, or out- of-town family and friends. There is no easier way in the world to host overnight guests with minimum fuss.

3. Create conversation areas

We love incorporating intimate areas within larger rooms. People seem to gravitate toward them. Imagine your kids coming home from college break, or your sister and her family visiting from out of town – a space like this would probably be the first place they’d choose to settle in for an evening of catching up. A fireplace, comfy chairs, and a nap-worthy sofa are key ingredients to encourage conversation and camaraderie.

5. Be flexible

Another favorite trick to make your home an ideal entertaining venue is to furnish for flexibility. Here, the large square dining table is actually made up of four smaller, individual tables that break apart when necessary. One night, the whole clan can settle in for dinner without needing to resort to a separate kids’ table to fit everyone in; the next night, adults can be playing cards at one table while the kids work together on a puzzle at another.

Read our blog for more great ideas related to entertaining-worthy houses. Or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

Morgante Wilson Architects provides architectural and interior design services in Chicago, Deerfield, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Kenilworth, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Northbrook, Northfield, Ravinia, Wilmette and Winnetka – along with Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Utah, Wisconsin and the U.S. Virgin Islands.