If you want to entertain your friends and family, or if you want to spend less time and money eating meals outside of your home, one potential solution is to re-design your home as an homage to your favorite restaurants. Fortunately, you do not need a large budget, and you definitely don’t need to charge your guests (though we won’t fault you for accepting praise as gratuities). There are several options available for do-it-yourself types and budget shoppers to give a home the feel of popular eateries.
Upgrade Your Kitchen
The trick here to combine moderation with functionality and appearance, especially since you do not have the budget and clientele of your favorite restaurant. If you do have money for a major kitchen renovation, consider installing stainless steel fixtures such as range-style cookers and utensil holders. If you store your equipment and utensils on poles and wooden blocks instead of drawers, you will make your instruments easier to locate as well as enhance the restaurant feel of your kitchen. You can still place your children’s artwork on your refrigerator doors; that is one enhancement where your home trumps your favorite restaurant.
Control the Lighting
If you can manage both internal and external light sources, you can dramatically enhance the mood of your dining area and kitchen. Favoring LED lights and incandescent lights over fluorescent lights provide softer, more subtle light for you and your guests. Installing light switch with dimmers will allow you and your guests to customize the light levels, which will also prove useful for theme nights such as Halloween parties. To further match the theme of your favorite restaurant, you can purchase light-managing decorations for windows and transparent doors. Drapery-weight curtains, blinds, and glass art are common ways that you can enhance your décor and either utilize or block external light sources. Many window decorations also have the added benefit of helping regulate your home’s temperature and lowering your air conditioning costs.
Design and Distribute Menus
Few successful restaurants offer “Take it or leave it” as dining options. Even the most common fast-food establishments offer menus that allow customers to select their dining experience. If you want your home to reflect your favorite restaurant, creating menus that emulate your favorite restaurant’s menus is a simple, effective option. If you’re technologically minded, you can create digital menus that can be accessed by a QR code just like restaurants opting for contactless menus.
Be Creative with the Table Settings
Admittedly, this option may be easier done than said if your favorite restaurant is a fast-food establishment; clean the table, add a napkin dispenser, and enjoy the meal. However, if your favorite restaurant is a more traditional or upscale sit-down restaurant, you can decorate your table accordingly. Depending on your restaurant choices, you can adorn your dining table with a variety of tablecloths, fresh flowers, centerpieces, and even candlelight.
Re-Design Your Floors
Restaurants have high foot traffic, and their floors need to be both resilient and eye-catching. May restaurants avoid carpets due to these factors, with many of them having distinct visual effects and textures. If you have the time and money, consider re-flooring your home to complete the restaurant feel. You will likely not have as much foot traffic as your favorite restaurant, but your choice of floor types and visual designs can make your kitchen and dining area stand out.
Begin with Cocktails and Appetizers
Most sit-down restaurants offer cocktail menus, happy hour specials, and appetizers to satisfy customers while they wait for the main courses. If you’re aiming to achieve a restaurant feel in your home, giving yourself and your guests something to sip or nibble while the entrée is cooking is a simple way to achieve this effect. The key is to focus on light food and drinks that aren’t too filling or powerful; if you wouldn’t fill up on bread at your favorite Italian restaurant, why would you and your guests do so at home?
Dress Accordingly
You have menus, décor, and… sweatpants? That may be fine if your favorite restaurant is a common staple in supermarkets or shopping malls. For anything more upscale than a grab-and-go, however, dressing for the occasion can enhance your home dining experience. This is especially true when you are entertaining guests. If you want to give the feel of a formal restaurant, preen yourself accordingly. An ornate dress or a tuxedo might be overdoing it, but you should at least consider business-casual attire.