The holidays are right around the corner, which means many of us are about to spend a lot more time at home—cooking, hosting, gathering, and making memories with family and friends.
And you know what else tends to happen?
You start noticing EVERYTHING about your house.
Why does everyone end up crowded around one tiny section of the kitchen?
Where are we going to put all these coats?
Why don't we have enough seating?
Why is everyone walking through the cooking zone to get to the drinks?
Where am I supposed to put all of these serving dishes?!
Sound familiar?
As an interior designer, I actually think the holidays are one of the BEST times to learn what is—and isn't—working in your home.
Pay Attention to the Frustrations
When we meet with clients at the beginning of a renovation, one of the most important things we discuss isn't necessarily what they want their new space to look like.
We talk about what isn't working.
Maybe the kitchen feels cramped when more than two people are cooking.
Maybe everyone gathers around the island, but there isn't enough seating.
Maybe you love hosting Thanksgiving dinner, but your dining room doesn't comfortably fit your family anymore.
Maybe the entryway becomes a pile of coats, shoes, bags, and everything else the second guests arrive.
Those everyday frustrations are incredibly valuable when we're designing a renovation because they help us understand how your home needs to function—not just how you want it to look.
Don't Renovate for One Day a Year
There is another side to this, though.
Your home shouldn't be designed ONLY for the one or two times a year when you have 25 people over.
One of our jobs as designers is finding that balance.
How do we make the kitchen work beautifully for your family on a random Tuesday night AND make it easier to host Thanksgiving?
Could we incorporate flexible seating?
Would a beverage station keep guests out of the main cooking area?
Would a larger island improve everyday prep while giving everyone a natural gathering place when you're entertaining?
Could better storage make the dining room, kitchen, mudroom, or entryway function differently?
Good design considers both.
The Kitchen Usually Tells Us A Lot
If you're hosting this year, pay close attention to your kitchen.
Where does everyone naturally gather?
Where are the bottlenecks?
Do you have enough prep space?
Is the trash can in the worst possible location when multiple people are cooking?
Do you have enough outlets?
Where do you set up drinks?
Where do appetizers go?
Do people have somewhere to sit without being directly in the cooking zone?
These may sound like little things, but they're exactly the kinds of details we think about when developing a new kitchen layout.
A beautiful kitchen is wonderful.
A beautiful kitchen that actually makes your life easier? Even better.
Think Beyond the Kitchen
Holiday gatherings can reveal problems throughout the rest of the house too.
Your entryway might need better storage.
Your living room furniture arrangement might not encourage conversation.
Your dining area might need more flexible seating.
A powder room may desperately need an update.
Your lighting might feel too harsh when everyone gathers at night.
Or maybe you realize that the closed-off rooms you've lived with for years simply aren't supporting the way your family lives anymore.
Write these things down as you notice them.
You don't necessarily need to fix everything. But identifying the problems gives us a much better starting point when it's time to design.
Your Home Should Work for YOUR Life
This is something we talk about constantly at Bonae Interiors.
There isn't one perfect kitchen layout, one perfect furniture arrangement, or one design solution that works for every family.
Some of our clients entertain constantly.
Others want a quiet home designed primarily for their immediate family.
Some need seating for ten.
Others would gladly give up extra seating for more storage.
That's why our design process starts with getting to know you.
How do you live?
How do you cook?
How do you entertain?
Where does everyone gather?
What drives you crazy about your current home?
And what would make everyday life just a little easier?
Those answers help us create a home that isn't simply beautiful—it actually works for the people living there.
Hosting This Holiday Season? Do This One Thing.
Instead of trying to make your home perfect before everyone arrives, pay attention to it.
Notice where people naturally gather.
Notice where things get crowded.
Notice what you're constantly moving, rearranging, or apologizing for.
Notice what works really well, too!
Then, when the holidays are over, you'll have a pretty good list of what you'd love to change.
And if a renovation is on your mind for 2027, that's the perfect place for us to start.
You don't need to come to us with a finished vision, a Pinterest board with 500 photos, or every decision already made.
Bring us the problems.
We'll help you figure out the possibilities.
Happy Hosting & Happy Designing!
