Summer gets the lion’s share of attention from dinner party hosts. Sure, the summer’s sun-dappled patios, citrus-forward cocktails and breezy linen apparel have a certain charm. And, the Gatsby themes, Mediterranean al fresco menus and beachy vibes naturally fall into place.

But don’t sleep on the winter. There’s something richly satisfying about a luxurious winter dinner party. People coming together in the midst of freezing winds and snow to hunker down, share in the warmth, drink good drinks, and eat decadent foods. It’s a perfect opportunity for community-building and shared merriment.

While summer parties are relatively effortless (the warm weather and natural surroundings do some of the heavy lifting), winter dinner parties require a more involved approach. In this article, we explore some tips for hosting the ultimate late winter dinner event. Of course, if you really want to level up your hosting game, chat with the city’s best realtors about buying luxury real estate in Toronto.

Lean into the Season

You could serve Tiki cocktails and tapas. You could set the playlist on Spotify to “chill-out ballads.” You could crank up the big lights, roll out the white tablecloth and serve food in the brightest pastel tableware you can find…

Or you can lean into the season: dim the lights; set a stately atmosphere with candles; simmer a pot of something comforting on the stove; bump the EQ on the stereo toward “bass,” letting the soft crackle of a jazz record warm the home; establish an earthy ambience with wood, brass and burlap décor, etc.

We prefer the latter. Our favourite dinner parties acknowledge the winter weather outside by maximizing warmth and hygge.

Curate Your Food and Drink Offerings for Warmth and Wonder

Whether you’re ordering in or making food at home, consider warmth and wonder in your food and drink offerings.

People tend to associate winter fare with rich foods and fragrant aromatics, so consider this a jumping-off point. You can make something as simple as a “cheater” boeuf bourguignon that you set and forget by braising in the oven. Or it can be as complicated as a full Scandinavian smorgasbord spread, complete with gravlax, charcuterie, roast winter vegetables, homemade rye and deviled eggs (which, yes, are trendy again, at least among NYC foodies). Alternatively, order hearty options from some of the Six’s best French, Central European, Indian or Ethiopian restaurants (each of these cuisines excels at spiced, stick-to-your-ribs fare).

As for drinks, think similarly warm and inviting. Wine is never a bad option; a beefy Syrah or cellared Riesling can warm you up pretty quickly – not to mention a mulled wine made with clementine peel, cinnamon, star anise and cloves. As for cocktails, consider drinks that complement your spread, picking up on some of the same spice notes, or counterbalancing the rich food with bitter and sweet flavours.

Consider Seating and Service

Seating and service go a long way toward establishing the ambience. There’s no wrong or right way to seat and serve guests (just don’t stick them in a closet). Instead, you’ll decide what’s best depending on the type of atmosphere you want to cultivate.

Buffet-style service is informal, shaggy and communal – bringing people together over the shared “breaking of the bread,” so to speak. Meanwhile, plated service (where the host composes each individual plate) puts a more refined and old-fashioned foot forward. They can both be luxurious – it’s just that one is formal while the other is informal.

Similarly, a seating plan is optional. Are you trying to cultivate a free-wheeling, mingling atmosphere? Consider ditching the designated seating arrangements. Are you going for a formal, buttoned-up kind of character? Do the place card settings in advance.

Declutter, Clean and Design

A few days before the big dinner party, you can turn your attention toward beautifying the home. In our line of business as the top Toronto realtors, we might call this step “staging.” It has the same core principles at play: decluttering to make the home as airy and inviting as possible; cleaning to put your best foot forward; and reinforcing the mood (or “brand”) of the space with thoughtful design elements.

When decluttering for a dinner party, focus primarily on visual clutter: the items crowding counter space, tabletops and communal areas. (No one’s rooting around your closets, so you shouldn’t worry about private areas of the home). Simply box things up according to their final destination – i.e., “put back in place,” “donate,” “sell,” etc.

Clean as normal. Then, decorate as we mentioned above, putting special emphasis on warm, inviting, and rustic design elements. For detailed design inspo, check out our articles on kitchen colour schemes, rustic designs, holiday décor and more, which you can find in the “Interior Design” category of our blog.

Have a Gameplan for Coats

Here’s a small but not insignificant component of a successful winter dinner party: coat storage. While some opt to house bulky coats on their bed (or even the shower, as one advice blog suggests), we prefer a more accommodating solution.

While preparing for dinner guests, move your personal coats from the entryway closet to a private, tucked-away space in the home, like a bedroom closet or basement bin. This should free up enough space to hold everyone’s winter wear in an accessible spot, saving you and your guests the hassle of rifling through a bedful of lookalike jackets. If you anticipate a large crowd, establish a “spillover” closet somewhere nearby.

See Everyone Home Safely at the End

Your last job as a host is to make sure everyone gets home safely. The snow and ice leave slick patches on the Toronto roads, which make for tricky driving under the soberest conditions. That said, push the designated driving rule and/or have some cab numbers and ride apps out in the open to encourage responsibility.

As a parting note, if you really want to throw the ideal winter dinner party – and you have enough lead time – connect with our expert realtors about buying luxury homes in Toronto. We’ll gladly show you some luxury properties perfect for a jaw-dropping dinner party.