If you are like most folks in the Naples, Florida area, your home likely became a focal point for entertaining during the holiday season, and you may have hosted overnight guests. While the memories of feasting and celebrating remain fresh in your mind, you should consider how the spaces in your home functioned to meet your entertaining needs and made your houseguests feel comfortable. That is, consider which home features enhanced your holiday entertaining success and ensured your guests’ comfort and which features may have proved limiting.

Such reflection can prove especially helpful if you plan to upgrade your existing home or build a new luxury custom home. The Naples-based general contractors of Carlson Harris have extensive experience designing and building luxury custom homes catering to entertaining and offering optimal comfort to houseguests. We’ve highlighted some luxury home build features below that can help you be the “host with the most,” with accommodations your overnight guests will be reluctant to leave (and we’ve highlighted another feature that can help you graciously endure guests who might overstay their welcome).

CONSIDER THE LAYOUT

Anyone who adores home entertaining should consider an open layout for their primary entertaining spaces. Open layouts make your home feel spacious, eases the flow of guests to maximize mingling and personal interactions, and lets everyone partake in the same party atmosphere. Guests often tend to gravitate towards the kitchen, so your open layout concept could incorporate the kitchen with the dining area, den, and/or common room.

If you want to avoid committing to a fully open concept, you can design a semi-open floor plan that allows you to close off specific spaces with sliding doors or other design elements. In fact, numerous design configurations can dictate how open your primary party spaces will be—just know that your design choices will influence the movement of guests during parties.

HAVE A DEDICATED ROOM FOR ENTERTAINMENT

As a home entertainment maven, a dedicated entertainment room will complement your reputation for hosting great times. A dedicated entertainment room can deliver whatever forms of entertainment your family and friends enjoy most. Just consider these entertainment options that you can incorporate into your entertainment room:

• Watching movies and sports—you could start with a 12-foot projection screen with comfortable seating for all your family and friends and perhaps a bar and mini-kitchen to serve refreshments. If you’re into sports, you can add some smaller HD screens to catch the action of other games being broadcast simultaneously.
• Games—Pool, ping pong, foosball, darts, and foosball are commonly found in many entertainment rooms—so what’s your preference? You can also consider a dedicated table for cards and board games or a dedicated nook for computer gaming.
• Simulated sports—Speaking of computer games, virtual reality simulated sports platforms have become widely popular in recent years.
• Parties—If your entertainment room will have a bar, you might as well enhance it with a great sound system and space for dancing.
• Karaoke platform—Speaking of music, amp up the entertainment with a dedicated karaoke system.

IF SPACE IS AN ISSUE, CONSIDER OUTDOOR ENTERTAINING

Our temperate climate allows us to enjoy the outdoors most of the year, so why don’t you incorporate your outdoor spaces into your luxury home entertaining scheme? Outdoor kitchens have become quite popular in recent years, and many luxury homeowners convert part of their yard space to a dedicated outdoor cooking, dining, and entertainment area.

MAKING YOUR OVERNIGHT GUESTS FEEL AT HOME

The holiday season is the perfect time to reconnect with faraway family and friends, but many homeowners need help with where to put their guests when they come for an extended visit. A luxury custom home should have at least one dedicated guest bedroom to accommodate your overnight visitors and perhaps more if you have a large extended family that likes to visit. That said, you’re not the Ritz-Carlton; there are only so many extra bedrooms any given home can have.

Whatever number you decide for guest accommodations, design guest bedrooms with your guests’ comfort in mind. To the extent possible, try to locate them in a quiet area of the home that gives them a sense that the area is their temporary private domain and provide them with their own bathroom.

DEDICATED SPACE JUST FOR YOU

The holiday season can sometimes prove stressful, so make sure you have a dedicated private space in your home that is just for you. Instead of holing up in your bedroom when you need some quiet time or a break from your guests, you could retreat to your home office. Even if you don’t work from home, every luxury homeowner should have a home office that is distinctly their space. Your home office should be located away from the primary entertaining area and should be delineated as a private room that is not part of the home’s entertainment focus.

CONSULT WITH CARLSON HARRIS FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT ROOM

If you’re planning to build a new luxury custom home, make sure you consider how it can effectively work to support the best in your entertainment endeavors for the holidays or any special occasion. To learn more about customizing the perfect luxury custom home for all of your entertaining needs, contact Carlson Harris today at 239-352-2460.