A Galley kitchen will still end up being the centre of the party if the lighting and the mood are right. What is it about kitchens? Why are we all drawn there like moths to a flame or teenagers to a fridge?  

It’s true these days that kitchen design is often given more focus than other rooms. Serving many functions and being used so much, people really want a space that meets the particular needs of their life and family. There are endless magazines and websites dedicated to providing homeowners with the ideas and inspiration they seek, such as the likes of Houzz https://www.houzz.co.uk/photos/kitchen-ideas-and-designs-phbr0-bp~t_10135 (or come on, have you not used pinterest yet!) 

But the kitchen buzz is not just down to the rise in open-plan spaces and social design. The party phenomenon seems to happen in kitchens of any size and space, even if it means guests are standing in front of the fridge and cupboards as the poor host awkwardly tries to access everything they need. Bear in mind also that the Jona Lewie song ‘you’ll always find me in the kitchen at parties’ was recorded in 1980!

A train of thought that your guests are simply being polite is a sensible one. Inevitably someone will always arrive first (or early, never me!) and out of politeness they will join you as you continue to prepare the goods. Then the next will arrive, probably with something for the fridge or the table? See, out of politeness everyone feels at home here.

How do we get them out of there!

Look at pre preparing drinks and food and present them out of the kitchen before guest arrive. Don’t make people feel guilty staring and wondering “is it time yet” by breaking up the areas of display. Oh and certainly move those chairs away from the table whilst your at it!

Get the lighting right and don’t have “spotlight” areas where you or your guests become the centre of attention whether you want it or not! You’ll genuinely see guests veer away from these hotspots that are usually created by too much “open space”.

But, as the merriness and fun flow and the voices get that little bit louder (and in complete contradiction to the paragraph above), there will, if the party has really worked, be a time when that open space and that playlist become the absolute highlight of the night.

And that bit, that move of the table to the edge of the room, that dimming of the light a bit, doesn’t cost anything.

Thanks for reading.