Entertaining at Home is Back: 19 Ideas That Will Elevate Your Game!

The main image showcases an elegant table setting by Julia Knight.

The year 2022 officially marked the return of entertaining at home, whether for large outdoor gatherings of 50 or more, or intimate dinner parties for just a few friends. The timing is still perfect, so let the planning begin!

Changing Times
Upgrading Your Venue
Creating a Memorable Experience
Saving Time with Food & Beverage Technology
Providing Amenities for Your Guests

Also see:

9 Creative Themes for Hosting a Memorable Social Event at Home

Must-Have Products for Home Entertaining

Find Interesting Event Spaces in Your Neighborhood

More Home Entertaining Articles & Resources

Changing Times

According to a study by ButcherBox, a home-delivery meat, poultry and seafood service:

“Americans planning to host in their home rose by 25% over pre-pandemic levels. Close to one half of American respondents (46%) are very excited to host and entertain guests in their home when it is safe to do so and of those excited, nearly half (44%) say hosting isn’t about celebrating life milestones, its simply about hosting a dinner party.“

Even more good news, is that while we were all hunkered down, honing our culinary skills, eating our home-cooked meals and binge watching our latest, favorite shows, innovators have been busy with entertainment products to improve and elevate your hosting skills.

From setting the stage for the venue with weather protection, seating, lighting, tableware, and improved air quality, to having the right amenities, such as charging stations for guests, outdoor projection for “viewing music” and innovations in food preparation, it is now all available for your next soiree.

Upgrading Your Venue

Whether you host your party indoors or outdoors, a number of products have evolved that can help you create the perfect ambiance: from ample seating, acoustic panels, and smart louvered pergolas – to improved indoor air quality for the home.

Adapt Your Outdoor Space with Transformable Design
Soften Your Indoor Sound with Acoustic Panels
Adapt Your Seating Capabilities with Transformable Furniture
Improve Your Air Quality
Create Seamless Indoor-Outdoor Spaces
Consider an Outsourced Venue as a Last Resort

1. Adapt Your Outdoor Space with Transformable Design

StruXure pergola products allow you to host an outdoor event, even if nature decides not to participate. Their app- and voice-controlled, interlocking, louvered pergolas allow sun to shine when you wish, and protect your guests from rain, wind or UV rays when necessary. This is an exquisite example of modern transformable design that is stylish, easy-to-use and wonderful to experience!

Struxure Pergola G6A2886

2. Soften Your Indoor Sound with Acoustic Panels

A festive event sounds great to you and your guests, but what about the noise to the neighbors. You can either invite them or install acoustic panels for sound absorption to prevent sounds from spreading across a room and through the walls by reducing the energy of the sound waves.

Zilenzio Acoustic Panels deliver high-quality sound absorption with their patented designs and acoustic absorption technologies. Choose from standing, wall, floor and ceiling mounted screens, Zilenzio’s product line has a host of solutions to keep the festivities private.

These panels are also terrific for after the party, as they are highly effective at making conducive work-from-home spaces.

Zilenzio Fazett Acoustic Wall System

3. Adapt Your Seating Capabilities with Transformable Furniture

If you only give one great dinner party this year, or host one blow-out outdoor event, you will still need enough formal sit-down or casual seating to accommodate your guests. So, what happens to this furniture during the rest of the year? It transforms!

From seating for 2 to 22, Transformer Table products have you covered with their multifunctional space spacing furniture for both indoor and outdoor events. Smartly designed with pieces that interlock, transform, disappear and become what you need when you need it.

Transformer Table’s product line of extendable and rearrangeable tables, benches, sofas, and outdoor patio sets are configurable and easy to set up before the party and easy to reconfigure after your event.

Transformer Table Siberian Birch Seating for 8

4. Improve Your Air Quality

For those guests still a bit shy about attending in-home events due to air quality issues, welcome them with one of the many air quality products that are available for in-home and outdoor use.

Panasonic Cosmos is an intelligent indoor air quality monitor that manages harmful indoor toxins and volatile organic compounds, fine particulate matter, carbon dioxide and humidity.

A plethora of UV-C technology products have become popular, as scientific research has verified the powerful germicidal properties of this ultra violet spectrum. UV-C has become a very popular way to treat air and household surfaces to reduce the spread of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms.

Products such as TRAE Goods Lighthouse Portable UV-C Air Purifier for traveling to Homedics TotalClean Deluxe UV 5-in-1 Extra Large Room Purifier have been flying off shelves over the past few years.

5. Create Seamless Indoor-Outdoor Spaces

As the party moves from early afternoon to early evening, it’s nice to know that your home can accommodate the elements with Phantom Screens retractable screens for windows and doors. Phantom’s motorized products are available in a variety of fabrics to repel sun, wind, rain, flying pests or just to allow total comfort and privacy, as you expand or contract your space for seamless indoor and outdoor living.

Their see-thru vinyl screens enable homeowners to enjoy their enclosed outdoor areas year-round, even during cold winter months.

Phantom Screens on a Backyard Lanai

6. Consider an Outsourced Venue as a Last Resort

Don’t worry if you feel that your home is not yet ready to host a “primetime” event. There are several location-rental services with sites across the US that you can use to lease an event space that will keep the feel of your event personal and warm. To get a sense of the many creative, nearby options, be sure to visit sites like Splacer, Peerspace, and Giggster, to start.

Keep in mind that once your property is ready for entertaining, you may be interested in listing your property for events and film/photo shoots, with one of these businesses, as well!

Creating a Memorable Experience

Once you’ve decided on a theme for your event, it’s time to start creating the ambiance and atmosphere that will make the celebration the most talked about for years! Having the right music, décor and lighting will create an experience that will forge a lasting impression for your guests to reminisce about with delight.

Showcase Unique and Luxurious Serveware
Present a Refreshed Interior Design
Share Something New But Romantically Familiar
Consider On-Demand Rental Furniture
Purchase Low-Maintenance Sustainable Outdoor Furniture
Integrate LED Motion Sensor Lighting
Rely on Automated Music

7. Showcase Unique and Luxurious Serveware

Julia Knight offers luxurious serveware, barware and other items that are handcrafted by artisans, using techniques passed down through generations. Set an unforgettably elegant table with modern or classic designs that combine texture and color ideas from nature’s elements. All of Julia Knight’s pieces are handmade and hand painted in India, to create products that are the perfect canvas for your dinner table.

Julia Knight Collection Serveware

8. Present a Refreshed Interior Design

Refreshing your décor after a two year hiatus from hosting events, has become easier with Scout & Nimble. As you change your interior décor and the overall mood of your home, connect with S&N’s design experts to help you create a functional, yet aesthetically enhanced environment for your at-home events. Change a little or change a lot: from chairs, rugs, wall art to paint colors, the experts at S&N can help you invigorate your home to welcome the entertaining season.

Scout & Nimble Refreshed Dining Room

9. Share Something New But Romantically Familiar

For the perfect item that will stand out and play your vinyl records, we suggest the Andover Audio Model One Turntable. With Mid-Century Modern sleekness, combined with 21st century Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, the Model One is the perfect combination of old and new, as you entertain your guests with your favorite 45 and 33 RPM records.

Andover Audio Model One Turntable Music System

10. Consider On-Demand Rental Furniture

One of the biggest explosions in home furnishing innovation over the last few years has been the plethora of home furniture rental companies. Easy to order, setup and remove, rental furniture has become the way to host events, small and large, without the headache of packing up after the party.

There are numerous companies, such as Feather, Fernish, UpFurnish, and Oliver Space, which offer indoor and outdoor furniture, and décor items, especially if you just don’t have time for a renovation.

11. Purchase Low-Maintenance Sustainable Outdoor Furniture

If your plan is to purchase furniture, while feeling good about helping the environment, then sustainable furniture is the perfect marriage of wood grain-look furniture made from recycled plastic.

Companies such as Polywood, Plow & Hearth, Outer, Yardbird and Breezesta all offer affordable outdoor furniture that are resistant to: UV rays, rust, pet, stains, mold, mildew and even wind! This type of smart purchasing will also assuage any guilt you may have about harming the environment as the products themselves are also recyclable.

12. Integrate LED Motion Sensor Lighting

LED motion sensor lighting is becoming more and more popular as a way to reduce energy costs and provide contemporary, innovative lighting for both interior and exterior spaces.

We are particularly fond of pathway lighting at parties, as a way to guide guests to various destinations at your event. Different hues can represent different pathways for powder rooms, buffet tables, bars, etc. to direct your revelers with visual ease.

13. Rely on Automated Music

Be sure to set up your personal playlist ahead of time and forego the expense of a DJ, with Amazon Music, Spotify or whatever your preferred streaming music service may be. With millions of titles, artists, genres and playlists, streaming music is a must at your next event, as it allows you to “set it and forget it”, while you enjoy yourself.

It is also enjoyable to create special playlists well-suited for your party’s theme. The more personal and relevant, the more interesting and memorable it will be to your guests.

Saving Time with Food & Beverage Technology

Utilize On-Demand Bartenders
Experiment with an Automated Cooking Assistant
Make Beverages More Accessible
Showcase Your Wine Collection

14. Utilize On-Demand Bartenders

When you don’t have time to hire a full-time bartender, employ one of the many on-demand bartender machines, while providing entertainment for your guests. Bartesian Premium Cocktail Machine, DrinkWorks HomeBar by Keurig and Barsys are just a few of the products that will mix cocktails for your guests while you mingle.

This category of products cater to the desire for hosts to be able to enjoy time with their guests, and not be bogged down with time-consuming hosting chores.

Bartesian Premium Cocktail Machine

15. Experiment with an Automated Cooking Assistant

Perhaps one of the most innovative companies to present at this year’s Kitchen and Bath Show (KBIS) is Cooksy, the world’s first intelligent cooking assistant. Amp up your menu with chef-inspired creations that you can create by mounting Cooksy on your stovetop and following the flawless directions with video to create delectable cuisine from around the world.

Using visual and thermal cameras to keep you true to the recipe, Cooksy guides you effortlessly through all aspects of a recipe, much like having a trained chef watching over your shoulder.

16. Make Beverages More Accessible

One of our favorite product debuts this year is Dometic’s DrawBar, a sleek, sophisticated wine cooler for compact spaces. Able to accommodate up to five regular sized wine bottles, including larger bodies and longer necks, this Draw Bar can be placed side by side for more linear design anywhere you can fit a regular drawer.

Dometic also has a number of outdoor products that are ideal for elegant entertaining, namely the Dometic MoBar 550S and MoBar 300S mobile bar beverage centers. These outdoor ready, dual or single zone refrigerators on wheels help you keep drinks chilled in a sleek, stainless steel mobile cart that keeps everything – ice, mixers, garnishes, prep board – within reach.

Dometic MoBar 550 S

17. Showcase Your Wine Collection

Creating wine displays as an artistic expression, is the beauty of a VintageView Wine Storage Display. With its “label-forward” design, all VintageView racks and displays are designed so that you can actually see wine labels, as you peruse your collection. The 20+ year old company has been innovating in wine storage products creating some of the most memorable wine cellars and display for both residential homes and commercial venues.

Providing Amenities for Your Guests

Offer Charging Stations
Create Personalized Gifts or Mementos

18. Offer Charging Stations

Another related convenience to offer guests, is to have a dedicated charging station that comes to the aid of visitors that may be low on battery power. Lanshion Tower Charging Station with 6 Power Outlets and 4 USB Ports is perfect for accommodating up to 6 outlets and 4-USB port charges at a time. Lanshion Towers are lightweight and portable with surge protection should you need it.

19. Create Personalized Gifts or Mementos

Party favors or parting gifts that have been personalized to remember the event of the year are a must have, since guests have now come to expect them. Convey the party’s theme or just choose something whimsical.

In any event, something memorable and thoughtful will always leave a lasting impression. The Monogrammed Home, Personalization Mall, Amazon Custom, Mapiful, Things Remembered, and Uncommon Goods all have a wide range of gifts that will fit the sentiment and your budget.

For less-costly and less-formal personalized party favors and supplies also visit: