Become the Perfect ‘Forever Host’ with My 6 Design Must-Haves for Effortless Summer Entertaining

We look forward to summer as a season of gathering – time with friends and family, a slower pace, and the kind of moments that sustain us through the long school year and the darker months. We romanticize it. We picture sweating glasses of lemonade, lazy card games, stacks of unread books finally opened, and long naps in the hammock we hung years ago. This time will be different, we tell ourselves.

We fill the calendar with visits – children, pets, old friends – and convince ourselves it will be the best summer yet. Then July and August arrive, and reality hits. We’re tired, overwhelmed, stepping over damp towels and sandy bathing suits, restocking for the next BBQ as the weeks slip by. The books remain untouched. The hammock sways empty.

When I onboard a new client, I tell them that the most important part of my interior design process is this: I design for them – not for their guests or their children, but for them. Because everyone else will have a wonderful time in the finished home. But if you can truly relax in your space – really relax – then I’ve done my job.

What does that actually mean? It means thinking through the experience of your home from the moment you arrive. Where do coats and shoes go? How do groceries come in and get put away? By mapping these everyday rhythms and routines, we can build in storage and structure that support them – quietly, seamlessly – so your home works with you, not against you.

Next, we then dive deeper. What exactly will you be doing in this home with your guests or entertainment? Is there a pool or a lake to swim? Will you ski or hike? This next layer of storage supports your guests supporting themselves. Yes, I said, supporting themselves. And what, by chance, would you be doing if your guests could function in your home independently? Well, you might just grab that book and head to your favorite chair down by the waterfront and maybe just maybe put your feet up and read uninterrupted for a good hour or two. Mission accomplished.

Over the years, I have come up with a list of items that I include in the design of a home to support the client I call the 'Forever Host'. The person who loves to entertain but runs themselves down and doesn’t know life could be easier with just planning and implementing some simple design elements.

Here are my six must-haves to support you this summer as you host your guests:

1. Your Entry / Mudroom

Starting off strong with a mudroom that can handle the overflow of guests arriving. If your weekend kicks off with coats, bags, and shoes on your kitchen floor, there is overwhelm in your future. All that gear needs to remain in the mudroom where it belongs. You don’t need a very large space to fit a bench with hooks to make sure this happens, so let's set the tone early for your sanity.

2. Toiletries

Create a designated spot for first aid items, sunscreen, Band-Aids, and extra toilet paper. This can be in the mudroom, your first-floor powder bath, or a cabinet in the hall.

Having all of this in one location stops you from being the one running around grabbing these items all weekend for people. One step closer to that book and that chair for mom.

3. Coffee Bar

I love love love a good coffee bar area in the kitchen - it’s the workhorse of the weekend. Guests come down in the morning, and there are muffins and a coffee maker there, drawers with tea bags, a small fridge with all the dairy and non-dairy creamers that anyone could ever dream up.

This area is also self-serve for Uncle Fred, who comes down at 5 am, or the teenager who comes down at Noon after breakfast has been served. Your attitude: it’s all there for whenever any of you need it, you can find me on my morning walk.

4. Towel Management

Yes, this is a big one. Where are we getting them, and most importantly, where are they going when guests are done with them? We think a lot about towels in our designs and where they are living, towels for bathing and towels for swimming. And how and where will they be dropped, cleaned, and returned back to their spot for the next day with the least amount of carrying and without YOU needing to run around retrieving them.

5. Washer and Dryer

We love to add that extra set on the second floor, where all of your guest will be, for them to throw in a load of wash or even throw their own sheets and towels in the morning they are heading out. A hall closet will suffice for this, and it’s a game-changer to have two sets for those busy weekends.

6. Your Bedroom Suite

This last must-have is probably the most important item I add to a home for my clients, and that is creating a primary suite with a separate sitting room. This room is where YOU go to relax. You may get up early in the morning and have your tea in this room and watch the sunset while Uncle Harold is down reading the paper in the kitchen, or you may sneak up the back stairs in the afternoon and grab that book and maybe just maybe take a nap on that deeply comfortable sofa in front of the fireplace.

This home was built for you, and you deserve a weekend just as much as everyone else. And if you get that nap on the sofa, that morning walk, or sit in that chair down by the lake with the water glistening with your book and a glass of lemonade in your hand, then I will know I have truly done my job.