Better Homes And Gardens Crossmill Entertainment Manuals

Entertaining at home can be a fairly stressful undertaking, and admittedly we are all a little out of practice at this point. But as we reopen our homes to friends and family, there are certain provisions we can put in place to ensure our home entertaining goes as smoothly as possible.

From practical considerations like how to accommodate more people around a dinner table, to the finishing touches of creating the right atmosphere for your evening, these six essentials are always good to have on hand. Get your space ready for entertaining...

Plain dinnerware

Artfully mixing and matching patterned or colourful dinnerware is super stylish when done with intention, but emptying your kitchen cupboards to find a medley of mismatched servingware will have an entirely different result. Plain bowls, plates and platters are a hosting essential. Your table will look pristinely put together, and you can add your areas of interest with flowers, candles and table runners.

A fully stocked bar cart

There is nothing wrong with keeping drinks and glassware stashed away in a cupboard, but a beautifully styled bar cart adds a sense of occasion and keeps everything on hand for drop-in guests. Styling your bar cart is not a simple case of well-designed bottles and elegant glassware, liven it up with plants and flowers, fresh cocktail ingredients like limes or mint garnish, and a marble chopping board or pestle and mortar. Read our guide to styling your bar cart.

Gold Drinks Trolley

Jakson 2 Tier Gold Drinks Trolley

With a reflective rose gold finish, this sleek, two-tier drinks trolley on wheels is complete with black tempered glass.

Black Bar Cart

Cole Glass Bar Cart, Black

John Lewis & Partners + Swoon

£199.00

Sleek, refined and with an industrial-inspired edge, this bar cart is ideal for your next dinner party. Two mirrored shelves provide a reflective base for your barware and bottles.

Gold Drinks Trolley

Antique Style Gold Metal Drinks Trolley

Rockett St George

£225.00

This drinks trolley is made from gold metal with a mirrored surface on both levels. We love the gorgeous intricate detailing on the top shelf, which gives it a rather lovely vintage look.

Glamorous Drinks Trolley

Bronzed Venice Drinks Trolley

Ella James Notonthehighstreet.com

£590.00

With a nod to Art Deco, we love this glamorous drinks trolley in a stunning brass finish. Curate the shelves with your favourite wines and cocktails.

Black Drinks Trolley

Fine Bar Drinks Trolley - Black

Bloomingville amara.com

£229.00

This sleek Scandi style drinks trolley has two glass shelves and a large handle at the back for easy manoeuvrability.

Outdoor Drinks Trolley

Alfresco Rattan Outdoor Bar Drinks Trolley

Rockett St George

£250.00

Bring the party outdoors to your garden with this black and brown rattan effect drinks trolley. You can roll it wherever you need, and there are six compartments to securely store bottles without the worry of them toppling over.

Square Drinks Trolley

Aero Drinks Trolley, Brass

We love this squared, sleek and refined drinks trolley, with an industrial-inspired design. Perfect for barware and bottles - this small bar trolley is ideal to easily transport between rooms thanks to the metal castors.

Rattan Drinks Trolley

Bali Natural Rattan Bar Drinks Trolley

Bali oliverbonas.com

£275.00

With a circular silhouette and three woven rattan shelves, this vintage-inspired drinks trolley will create a bohemian style statement in your home.

Round Bar Cart

Luxe Round Bamboo Gold Drinks Trolley Bar Cart

This rough luxe gold bar cart boasts a mixture of marble and two burnished mirrored shelves, plus castor wheels.

Black Bar Trolley

Black Steel Bar Trolley

Ella James notonthehighstreet.com

£195.00

Perfect for a contemporary home, this black steel bar cart is both sleek and minimalist, and despite being compact in size, boasts three shelves for storage.

Small Drinks Trolley

Harper Drinks Trolley

Limited on space? Choose a small drinks trolley instead. This circular gold bar cart is perfect for keeping spirits and glassware close to hand. Crafted from metal and tempered glass, it comes complete with a convenient handle and castors.

Antique Drinks Trolley

Pimlico Antique Brass Drinks Trolley

Crafted from iron and mirrored glass, this drinks trolley is finished in an antique brass effect with a convenient handle and wheels for manoeuvrability.

Scented candles

Create the right atmosphere to welcome guests into your home. Plain pillar candles are perfect for dinner parties to keep the surrounding light soft and low, whilst scented candles are an inexpensive way to set a preferred mood. One of the joys of scented candles is varying your scents with the seasons – choose something warm and spicy for a cosy winter night in with friends, or fresh and floral for summer gatherings.

Extra seating

Accommodating a number of guests, especially in a small home, means getting creative with your seating. Keeping spare chairs that are only used in company is a waste of precious storage space, so opt instead for decorative or stackable stools, slim benches, and multifunctional furniture.

House Beautiful Darcy Large Footstool

Philippe Starck for Kartell Side Table/Stool

Woody Coffee Table and Nesting Stool Set

Tassel Tufted Natural & Cream Bench

Speakers

So everyone is comfortably seated, your coordinated dinner table was a success, cocktails are to hand, and candlelight has set the mood. The only thing missing from this picture is music. If you've spent time creating the perfect playlist, there is nothing worse than relying on your laptop speakers to provide the atmosphere for the evening. For technophobes, or design purists who don't like cumbersome technology in the home, opt for something like the elegant Symfonisk Picture Frame Speaker from IKEA that fits seamlessly into your home decor.

A sofa bed

Are guests staying overnight? Not every home has the space to accommodate a guest bedroom, and so a sofa bed is essential. Gone are the days of the cumbersome fold-out, sofa beds have become far more versatile with various styles, mechanisms, and sizes. The compact House Beautiful Sofia Sofa Bed at DFS can fit into snug spaces, and it comes in nine upholstery options to suit a variety of tastes, whilst Loaf's ingenious Bed in a Button and Slumberbox designs have pull-out mattresses stashed away inside.

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io