How the Age of Hosting Has Changed the Way We Design Our Homes
Beyond just the table, a growing desire for conversation and community has started shaping the way we plan our interiors
As I write this article, I'm knee-deep in plans for an upcoming 'cafe party' I'm hosting at my flat. Between menu ideation and adding extendable leaves to our bistro table, I found myself telling my partner that we finally need to invest in a loveseat for our living room to seat everyone. Talk about practicing what you preach: the way I host has directly influenced how I want to design my home.
And I'm not alone. Culturally, there's certainly been an uptick in the number of people hosting design-forward events at home. Perhaps it's a lingering effect of the pandemic, or maybe the result of a rising cost of living. Whatever the reason, it's become fashionable to have your friends over. I asked Panayiota Soutis, author of Substack The Goal is to Eat, and she agreed: "It's definitely popular right now to be generous, and to connect to others — particularly those you love — physically, in a digital age when it's so easy to feel very isolated."
Indeed, spaces designed to encourage connection and communication are a big interior design trend right now. That extends to tableware that starts conversations, multifunctional furniture that adds practicality (prettily), and even rooms designed around the art of listening. What's clear is that host-centric design isn't just about what your space looks like, but how you live in it.
The New Age of Hosting and How It Affects Space
Hosting is a large part of our collective human culture; it's a concept that's been around for centuries and is the foundation on which community is built. And over the past year, entertaining trends have shifted to emphasize this notion of community. From the way we lay out our kitchens and living rooms to details as small as how we set the table, the goal has become about personalization and connection, while also looking good.
The concept of connection can be used in conjunction with interior design to create an atmosphere that shapes how people feel in the space. "Everyone enjoys something that feels expressive and more personal to them," says table stylist and professional chef, Madeleine Pearse. When you keep how you specifically like to host in mind when designing a space, your home will instantly feel more intentional.
Then there is the analogue movement to consider— we're shifting away from being online constantly towards slower routines and being offline and more in the moment. Being at home helps. "When you are out of the house or in a restaurant, people are so often on their phones, which can be intrusive," says Madeleine. "Entertaining at home feels more intimate, and I find my guests are more present and relaxed."
Madeleine Pearse is a London-based stylist, chef, and table setting expert. Madeleine has fine-tuned an eye for how color, design, and material come together on a table, and closely relates these elements to how we entertain. She is also the author of a Substack called Madeleine's Place.
How to Design a Host-Centric Home
A floating kitchen island is a fabulous way to make your design more host-centric, providing somewhere for guests to congregate around.
If you can picture a Venn diagram with interior design on one side and hosting on the other, your table setting sits in the center. "It is where design becomes interactive, and food becomes part of the visual language," says Madeleine.
When designing a room around hosting, it's important to consider how you intend to exist within the space. How do you want to prepare meals as a host? How do you want guests to interact? Madeline says, "An expandable table, layered lighting, and pieces that feel collected rather than too matched are priorities for me."
"I am currently renovating my dining room, so I'm making decisions around permanent lighting, room layout, and where everything should sit," she continues. "I keep coming back to how we gather in modern dining spaces, whether it is for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, with family or friends. I want my space to be flexible, welcoming, and support all of those gathering moments and feel effortless to host in."
Small spaces and apartment means you can play with how dining and cooking interact with one another.
This means different things for different people. As a Gen-Z-er, I've noticed a lot of my friends have already embraced hosting-led design. This is, in part, thanks to the fact that most of us live (and therefore host) in small spaces. Small spaces often have open-concept kitchens or freestanding islands, which can actually help with host-centric spaces.
On the other hand, when you have more room to work with, you can lean into more eccentric additions, like adding a dedicated hosting closet that lets you really embrace the art.
As a keen host myself, I've also learned that it's often not what you serve, but what you serve it in that makes for the most memorable moments at a dinner party. This has influenced how I shop for glassware and dinnerware — taking the time to collect (or thrift) one-of-a-kind pieces that feel more intentional, personal, and start conversations at the dinner table.
"Dining out these days is expensive, and it's a flex to consider yourself a gracious host, whether or not you're gifted at cooking is beside the point," says Panayiota Soutis.
Panayiota Soutis is a contributing editor at Toothsome Magazine as well as the founder of the Substack, The Goal is to Eat. Panayiota has professional experience in all things curation, hosting, and entertaining, and often contemplates how fun connects people and informs design.
But the dining table isn't the only place where host-centric design is making its mark. In the living room, conversation pits have re-entered the conversation, as well as listening rooms, designed to switch off.
When thinking with the mind of a host, Panayiota says, "Spaces become more open, and we pay more attention to how we might interact with others within them. We design with more perspectives in mind."
You don't want a room full of guests distracted by a TV or inconvenienced by inflexible seating; you want fluidity and adaptability in your entertaining spaces. In 2026, we are adapting our living room layout for hosting — having our friends over to listen to records, talk for hours, and dance the night away.
Want to know the secret to designing a conversation room? The best hosts embrace personalized moments that make their home feel unique. "I grew up partly in the South of Spain, and I’m very conscious of how differently people gather depending on where they are," shares Madeleine. "In Britain, the focus is on entertaining inside largely because the weather is so unreliable."
Consider a home bar, games room, or even a cinema space — moments that feel fun and invite interaction. Plus, these alternative entertaining spaces can be dressed up or dressed down. A home bar could be as simple as a well-stocked trolley, and a games room needn't be more than a chess set on your coffee table.
"Considered use of color and texture and soft lighting, including candlelight, can have a transformative effect," adds Madeleine.
A home designed for hosting is a home that caters to community, conversation, and more intentional living. Whether you're following interior designer-approved hosting tips or sourcing the pieces that speak to your interests, treat this modern age of gathering as a chance to slow down and connect through design.
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