When you build your dream home, part of the joy is making memories in your new space with friends and family. From a weekend visit with your grandkids to a Thanksgiving spread for dozens of your closest friends, you want your beautiful custom home to feel welcoming for everyone who crosses your threshold.

To create a custom home perfect for entertaining guests, be intentional about the room design, include flexible layouts, welcoming focal points, and specialized spaces that you and your guests will love to be in.

Create a Flexible Layout

The best gatherings make it easy to top off refreshments, greet new arrivals, and get a breath of fresh air, all without leaving the action. Give your guests room to move around with an open layout that easily transitions inside to outside and from room to room.

With the spectacular views of the mountains and granite boulders throughout the Scottsdale area, floor-to-ceiling glass windows bring the wow factor and the flexibility to your parties. Incorporate telescoping room dividers, glass walls, and french doors that open to patios so your guests can easily maneuver around the designated area. When the party is over, you can easily go back to more enclosed spaces perfect for everyday use.

You can also use accent flooring and ceiling design to provide a sense of flow throughout your home. The Cochise Geronimo luxury home in Arizona uses curved lines and an undulating ceiling to create movement from the seating area to the bar and outside patio.

Include Elements that Bring People Together

If one of the goals of your luxury custom home is to entertain, work with your architect to create gravitational pulls for your guests. Be intentional about including elements that naturally draw people together, such as fireplaces and comfortable seating.

Decorative fireplaces pull people to them with their warmth and beauty. A great way to keep temperatures comfortable on brisk evenings, fireplaces encourage your guests to come together. This works for your outdoor spaces as well. Include an outdoor firepit perfect for roasting s’mores or just enjoying the stars on a cool evening. The Whisper Rock Pueblo home features expansive front and back patios with fire features throughout, giving guests options for outdoor mingling.

Whether in front of a fireplace or around a coffee table, the best way to encourage your guests to gather in a space is by having comfortable seating. Provide a variety of options, from backless bar stools to oversized armchairs, so everyone has an option that works for them. Be sure to have places to put down plates and drinks to limit spills.

Make Room for Play

Whether it's a room for your younger guests to escape to or a fun place to host a few hands of poker, create a dedicated space ready for game night. A good game room can double as a theater room or a quality reading nook, depending on how you want to use the space day-to-day.

Like any room, it’s important to include a variety of seating for your game room. You might need a formal table and chairs for Bunco night but more flexible options for a rousing game of Pictionary. Include bean bag chairs or poufs for your smaller guests, who might want to move them around for reading or playing video games.

If you plan on incorporating an area for movie viewing or a separate home theater, think through how you will set up your sound system along with appropriate lighting to reduce glare. Also consider how you will soundproof the room so guests in other areas won’t have to talk over the latest superhero movie playing in the theater room.

The best game nights involve multiple rounds and a lot of storytelling. This can build up an appetite, so make sure your game room also has easy access to refreshments. Whether that’s a built-in bar with custom wine storage or placement near the kitchen, plan your game room so fill-ups can happen quickly between turns.

Most of all, make your game room a place for both the young and the young-at-heart.

Plan for Holiday Decor in Every Space

The holidays provide an excellent reason to gather friends and family together, so take a few steps during the design process to make decorating easy. Even if you aren’t doing the decorating yourself.

In addition to a grand tree or other holiday focal points, mantels, shelves, and built-in nooks are great places to plant holiday decor. The different levels provide depth and can allow your decorator flexibility with the types of embellishments they use. Also start with a backdrop wall color that is easy to transform for the holidays, such as a dramatic navy or neutral pewter.

From a practical standpoint, work with your architect to intentionally place electrical outlets so you can avoid unsightly cords. Hide outlets in coves where you are likely to have a small light display, or near the ceiling to easily string garland dotted with a subtle glow. And don’t forget your outside decorations. If you like a good exterior display, consider logistics based on the roof, windowsills, and landscaping. Have outdoor outlets in the eaves or hidden near the roof line so you don’t have tripping hazards or all your decorations plugged into a single outlet.

Welcome Guests to Their Own Casita

The casita is the modern take on the mother-in-law suite. But instead of in-laws, these luxurious bungalows can also serve as work-from-home spaces or artist’s spaces. And they are great for guests who you want to stay awhile. With a casita, you can give your guests a little privacy and room to spread out with a separate space perfect for out-of-town visitors.

A casita has all the amenities of the home, such as its own bathroom and kitchen, but scaled down. They might have their own small laundry unit, too. If your lot allows it, the guesthouse can be completely separate from the main house, and connected through a covered path or breezeway. Or you can create an insular part of the home with its own separate entrance to the guest quarters, like the porte-cochère at the Spanish-colonial-inspired Silverleaf estate.

To create a design consistent throughout the property, include some of the same features that excite you about the main home, such as a balcony to take in the amazing Sonoran Desert views or kiva fireplaces for chilly nights. You’ll also want to make sure the casita has its own guest wifi access. And to make the experience memorable, pay attention to how your guest feels approaching their quarters with thoughtful pathways and well-manicured landscaping.

Need Help Making Design Decisions?

Sometimes it helps to have a knowledgeable expert take on a complex project, like feeding your extended family on Thanksgiving. When you are ready to design the setting of many gatherings of friends and family for years to come, turn to the architects that understand luxury homes in Arizona. UDA, Ltd. can help you build the home of your dreams and the place everyone will want to be for the holidays. Tell us about your project today!

5 Tips For Designing a Custom Home Perfect for Entertaining Guests