Life of the Party: Entertaining in Your Second Home

There’s so much to love about entertaining in your holiday home. A peaceful expanse of space, a much more relaxed mood, a sense of community. It’s one of the most delightful things about owning a second home, to be able to share it with the people who fill your life with joy. The perfect at-home entertaining space should be as stylish as it is practical and comfortable, covering you for both al fresco brunches and barbecue cookouts, stylish soirées and epic dance parties. Here are some of our favourite tips:

A Warm Welcome

Making a great first impression starts right at the door. The entryway to your holiday home should reflect the personality of the space, and by extension, be a reflection of you. A beautiful landscaped pathway leading up to a stylised, warmly lit door is a simple and effective way to create a welcoming mood. For your foyer, try an oversized mirror (or grouping of mirrors) for a touch of oomph, natural textures and tropical accents for vacay vibes or a piece of art you love that immediately sets the tone.

We love using local materials to add colour and texture, like the laterite pillars in Inaya’s Macassar House. The floating-plinth effect of this gorgeous home catches the eye from a distance and adds a sense of drama to the entrance. You can also play with plants in a striking layout — Cotton House’s open entrance surrounded by the reflective garden is a great example of using the natural beauty of your surroundings to stunning effect. 

An Open Plan

The best way to maximise your space is to have an open or semi-open floor plan. Think a free-flowing layout that moves between the kitchen, dining and living areas without too many walls boxing the space into smaller rooms. This gives guests plenty of room to mingle, while not feeling closed off from any part of the evening. Sliding doors are a great option, as they still create partitions but can be thrown open when you have large groups of friends and family over.

For a successful soirée, put together multiple intimate seating areas which aren’t disconnected from one another but at the same time allow for smaller groups to chat and mingle within themselves. While selecting furniture, pick a mix of sofas, chairs, benches and ottomans to incorporate flexible seating. Avoid too much clutter and go for a more cosy, relaxed feel that makes everyone feel at home. At Inaya, we love Cinnabar House’s expansive halls, lounge room and decks for hosting the parties no one will ever forget.

Inside meets Outside

A screened-in porch, an open deck, a sweeping courtyard or even an expansive terrace — a well-designed outdoor space is a gamechanger when it comes to entertaining in your second home, and one of the features that makes it most special. You can use this space as a dining or barbecue area, build a garden or pool, or even fashion a home bar or fire pit. Ahsan Ansari, Inaya’s architect, says, “The seamless spillover of indoor spaces to the outdoors is a charming feature in all three homes, with enclosed & semi-enclosed courtyards a a key feature of each villa.”

When decorating, merge the boundaries between your outdoor and indoor spaces to make your home feel and look bigger, and to allow for fluid movement and an easy flow of communication. Having people moving about freely, comfortably and organically will make your job as a host a lot easier, and let you enjoy yourself as well. Glass doors, French windows and screens will help you accomplish this, creating more space and bringing light and slices of nature inside. For the changing seasons, benches and seating areas, along with a pergola, sunroof or gazebo have you (quite literally) covered.  

Food & Drink Zones

When entertaining at home, make sure to have clear areas for food and drink. If you have an open kitchen with an island, for example, this serves as the best spot to lay out appetizers and refreshments. A kitchen island also serves as a natural focal point for guests to gather and socialise over a glass or three. While planning your kitchen, remember to feature functional work zones to prep, cook, serve, and entertain.

If you don’t want to use your kitchen as a serving station, simply use your dining table to hold a full buffet spread of food. Assign a different area for a wet bar, with ice buckets and drinks that guests can help themselves to all night, and don’t forget to provide plenty of water to keep everyone hydrated. A movable cart or sidebar is a very handy addition as well.  

Forgotten Spaces

Guest bathrooms are often given the least thought when it comes to designing and planning your second homes. You may not pay much heed to these on the daily, but they are crucial spaces when it comes to hosting people, and should be easy to access in common areas of your home and have all the required amenities — and then some. 

Personalise your powder rooms for an added touch of hospitality and elegance, luxury and style. This is a great opportunity to play with the décor, experiment and add dashes of drama. In the Cotton House, we created a moment of surprise and oomph with an outside courtyard that features a hanging chandelier. Make a bold statement that will leave an impact and let these spaces shine with glamour and colour through your choice of fittings and wallpaper. 

Setting the Mood 

The most important step is to set the right mood for your party with good lighting and the music that gets you grooving. Lighting can completely transform the look of a space — pendant lights or artistic installations make striking options, wall sconces and lamps are perfect for ambient lighting and coving or cornice lighting is an effective tool to accentuate certain spots. For outdoor spaces, string or garden lights combined with recessed can lights are positively magical. Always ensure that the lighting can be tweaked and adjusted for different times and moods.

And finally, because music truly is the food of love, a top-class speaker and sound system that connects both indoor and outdoor spaces is the perfect way to set and control the mood for your party. Whether you’re trying to keep things calm or get people dancing, the right song at the right moment makes all the difference.