23 Dec Entertaining in Style
We are a society of revelers. We gather to celebrate holidays, to enjoy fabulous weather, to dine al fresco and to support our favorite organizations.
Dinyar Wadia—principal of the architectural design firm Wadia Associates, with a new location in Palm Beach—embraces the grand entertaining lifestyle in his designs by creating homes that serve our modern world and preserve the timeless elegance of classic design.
No one in the luxury space has mastered the balance between functionality and aesthetics in residential entertaining spaces better than Dinyar Wadia. “The key is understanding early on, what makes a client’s home their dream sanctuary. It is essential to consider the purpose, as well as the look, of the entire home and its entertaining spaces.”
A glimpse into the Wadia Associates portfolio reveals stately homes in a variety of styles from Regency and English Country to French Classical and Shingle Style. With a Wadia-designed home, gone are the days of cold, drafty estates with dated floor plans. Wadia’s modern classics are updated for today’s lifestyle and incorporate all the latest cooling, lighting, and entertaining technology.
For an entertaining space to be comfortable with and without a crowd, even airflow and additional capacity is crucial. Air registers are discretely incorporated into window sills and in ceiling moldings to create maximum efficiency and minimum visibility.
Wadia homes feature user-friendly, technologically advanced lighting that seamlessly adjusts depending on time of day. The lighting can be programmed and controlled remotely for mood or task preferences. Strategically placed state-of-the-art recessed lighting is layered with chandeliers to add a sparkling effect.
The epicenter of casual entertaining is the kitchen. Layout efficiency, appliance placement and room flow are important considerations to make to ensure guests and food preparation can co-exist.
Throughout all entertainment areas, the use of sound absorbing materials is helpful to allow for conversation between friends. “Entertaining spaces should not be loud,” he explains, “For example, a noisy kitchen exhaust hood is an impediment to a friendly environment. So, the kitchen hood exhaust fans are located in the attic to quietly do their job.” Special materials for the walls, ceilings, sub floors and finished floors are carefully engineered for comfort and to minimize noise. Concealed wall and ceiling speakers provide optimized sound and allow the beauty of the space to remain undisturbed.
For the oenophiles, a cellar or cave-like atmosphere for a wine collection produces a special ambiance. The cooler temperature and humidity requirements for a good wine cellar, however, are not conducive to prolonged entertaining. Dinyar reflects, “We normally design an adjacent tasting room, with a window into the cellar, to blend both worlds.”
Wadia Associates has been designing beautiful sanctuaries in Connecticut and New York, for over 40 years. The firm is now bringing its unique design abilities, expertise and vast experience to Palm Beach. Consideration of a client’s needs, attention to detail, careful and innovative design solutions come second nature to the architects and designers at Wadia Associates. The interpretation of a client’s vision from initial conception to completion is carefully supervised by Dinyar at every step of the way, resulting in homes that are just right, the first time around.
