7 ways to create a great environment for home entertaining

With restrictions easing, the country opening up and social lives returning to (almost) normal, we’re starting to think about fun ways we can start to socialise at home again. From a leisurely weekend brunch to Sunday lunch with extended family and of course, indulgent dinner parties, there are so many ways we are looking forward to showcasing our hosting skills this autumn and winter.

Of course, we’ll do things a little differently now, because if the last 18 months has taught us anything, it’s that being more conscientious when it comes to hygiene is essential for our health and wellbeing, especially as we start welcoming people back into our homes. So, if you’re getting ready to dust off your hosting hat and don’t know where to start, here are our suggestions for navigating the new normal.

1. So fresh and so clean

According to the Dyson Global Dust Study¹, 59 per cent of respondents around the world indicated that they are cleaning more frequently as a result of the global pandemic.

It delivers a brand-new way to clean hard floors

Lots of us want a cleaner house, but we don’t want to spend hours on end achieving it, especially when there’s so much else to get done before friends pop by. The new Dyson Omni-glide cord-free vacuum has been designed with everyday ease in mind. It is ideal for a speedy clean before having people over, particularly on hard floors.

“The Dyson Omni-glide cord-free vacuum is our most maneuverable vacuum cleaner to date,” says Sam Taylor, a Dyson environmental care engineer. “It delivers a brand-new way to clean hard floors as the omni-directional fluffy cleaner head moves effortlessly in all directions, around obstacles, and into tight spaces and is engineered for daily cleaning.”

2. What lies beneath

With your floors spick and span, you’ll probably need to turn your attention to other areas of your house, and if you’re entertaining, the kitchen will also need some attention.

Ovens are often neglected once the door is shut but an easy way to make yours gleam without using heavy-duty chemicals is to coat the inside with bicarbonate of soda mixed with water and leave it for a couple of hours before rinsing off with warm water. Voila – a sparkling situation.

3. Sanitation station

Setting up a sanitation station at the front door is a foolproof way to ensure the safety of you and your guests at home. Use a side table or drinks trolley to display hand sanitizer, and provide a small bin to allow visitors to dispose of their masks if needed.

Or go one step further and gift them with an individual hand sanitizer. Look for mini sizes that are handbag-sized, sustainable, hydrating and which smell just as good as any fancy hand cream.

4. Turn on the bright lights

Getting your lighting right is important, even more so as we head into the darker months.

“Light helps to signal that a particular space has a specific role,” Taylor says.

“We might choose different lighting for different tasks or occasions. So, when lighting a space for a certain purpose – like entertaining friends or winding down – we need to take this into account, using lighting design and technology accordingly.”

The new Dyson Lightcycle Morph light is four lights in one, tracks daylight and can deliver light as an indirect, task, feature or ambient light. That means it can be used in the kitchen, living room, dining room or even a bedroom.

5. Game, set and match

The huge popularity of the tablescaping trend – whereby people create beautiful and often elaborately themed table settings featuring decorative crockery, glassware and flowers – really came into its own during the pandemic as we sought to make the mundane magical.

While lockdown is thankfully over, the trend for decadently dressed tables isn’t going anywhere, and with entertaining back on the agenda, we’re no longer just doing it for the ‘gram - although Instagram is a pretty good place to start if you want to tap into the trend and are in need of a little know-how.

Check out British broadcaster Laura Jackson (@iamlaurajackson) or London-based supper club host Kirthanaa Naidu (@kirthanaa) for eclectic yet accessible tablescaping inspiration. For Irish inspiration, party planner Fiona Leahy (@fionaleahydesign) can’t be beaten.

6. Raise a glass

If you’ve had your fill of Aperol Spritz this summer or don’t want to spend 20 minutes mixing, shaking and straining an elaborate cocktail recipe, why not try a Porto Tonico as an aperitif instead? Made using white port, tonic water, a sprig or fresh mint and wedge of orange to garnish, it’s light, refreshing and foolproof to make.

Or if you do fancy flexing your mixologist muscles, go for a zesty Paloma, which features tequila blanco, lime juice, grapefruit juice, soda water and a hint of agave nectar.

7. Make it sizzle

TikTok, is the latest, greatest resource for easy-peasy recipes, and Pesto Eggs is the latest viral hit that’s ideal for an at-home brunch with friends. To make, simply add a couple of spoons of pesto to a frying pan before cracking in the eggs. Once they’re ready, serve on sourdough.

Or if you’re having people over in the evening, swerve grazing boards for single serve helpings of fish tacos instead. Prep most of the ingredients ahead of time, so all you have to do is fry up the fish as you seat your guests.

In our latest purifiers, it's not just the filter that meets HEPA H13 standard, but the entire machine

While fried foods tastes delicious, cooking them can lead to unwanted odours and pollutants, and as it gets chillier, you probably won’t want to fling open every window. This is where the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool comes in. “The Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool is equipped with an activated carbon filter which removes odours and other gases including volatile organic compounds (VOCs),” Taylor says.

“In our latest purifiers, it’s not just the filter that meets HEPA H13 standard, but the entire machine – meaning that what goes inside, stays inside. It then uses Air Multiplier technology to project purified air throughout the room, helping to create a cleaner environment and remove odours from your home.”

Discover more about Dyson’s cleaning, air treatment and lighting products – dyson.ie

¹According to Dyson's Global Dust Study 2021.10,754 respondents across 10 countries: US, Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, France, Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy. Fieldwork conducted between 23rd October and 11th November 2020. Data has been weighted at a ‘Global’ level to be representative of different population sizes.