Do you love to entertain or host parties, but get a bit stressed when you’re trying to get everything cooked, organized and served?
We love having friends and family come to our house, so I have designed and built many different things to make it easier on me.
I love DIYing everything from furniture to cooking supplies, serving dishes to games we can play, that I can use when entertaining to make my night go smoothly.
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Whether you are entertaining inside or out, make your next DIY project one that will make your next gathering easier!
Find entertaining ideas fast! Jump ahead to the hosting DIY ideas you need with the links below or scroll to see them all.
DIY Furniture for Entertaining
Having furniture that can help manage extra people makes entertaining fun!
Look for items with extra storage for hosting dishes, furniture that can grow when you need it, or things with surfaces you can use when entertaining.
Sideboard with Serving Dish Storage Shelf
When you’re having a gathering, a sideboard (or buffet) turns into the perfect place to serve appetizers, drinks or dinner. The extra space in the dining room is so useful!
And this dining room buffet does more than just serve as an additional surface for food, it is designed with a large shelf, perfect for storing those entertaining dishes between parties.
Display Cabinet with Glass Doors
If you love to host, you know the challenge of storing away all your extra entertaining dishes, flatware, napkins and more.
This beautiful display cabinet would be the perfect place to store and display your specialty dishes in your dining area. And with adjustable shelves, it’ll even work for odd shaped things.
Dining Table with Leaves
Nothing is better than a dining table that can grow! I love being able to add a leaf or two to our table when we have company.
Without the leaves, this table is perfect for a family of 6. But at full size, you can easily fit 4 more people.
Large Dining Table with Benches
If you love to entertain regularly and have the space, you can build a large dining table perfect for extras.
This 8′ long table can seat a lot, but you can add even more to your party with DIY space saving dining benches instead of chairs. Especially useful if there will be children at your gathering.
Modern Rolling Kitchen Cart Build Plans
If you have a smaller kitchen or just need more counter space, this rolling cart is for you.
It has a leaf that can fold down for storage or put it up to add almost 4′ of extra countertop to your kitchen.
I leave my heavy mixer on the cart so I never have to lift it. It has become my baking cart, perfect for rolling into place for holiday baking.
Folding Wood Picnic Table
This beautiful table folds in half for easy storage. I made it to use as a picnic table because we love summer gatherings.
But this table is so beautiful, you can use it as an extra table indoors too! Use it as an extra dining table or as a buffet table.
DIY Outdoor Kitchen Island
If you love entertaining outside, this outdoor kitchen island will be your new favorite DIY. It transformed our basic grill into an outdoor kitchen!
With a large countertop for cooking and serving, plus an overhang for seating, it makes cooking outdoors fun and easy.
DIYs for Cooking
Cooking is a big part of entertaining!
I love building things that I can use in the kitchen to make cooking fun and easy. Plus lots of these projects can be built from wood scraps.
Easy Folding Cookbook Holder
I hated when my cookbooks wouldn’t stay open. I’d try to find heavy things to hold the pages down while I was cooking.
Until I transformed a couple scraps boards into this beautiful cookbook holder. And it folds flat so I can store it away when I’m not using it.
Easy to Build DIY Cookbook Stand
Here is another DIY cookbook stand, but with a few more parts to it.
This one uses a piece of plexiglass on the front to hold your cookbook open. This way you can easily see all the text on the page.
I also repurposed a wire hanger to create a back that can be tilted to varying angles. As well as fold flat for storage.
Easy Beginner Cutting Board DIY
Once you start using nice wood cutting boards, you will never go back!
This easy to build edge grain cutting board is easy on your knives so they will not dull as quickly. And it look beautiful so you can use it when guests are there.
No-Carve Wood Cooking Utensils
Make cooking a breeze with these beautiful wood utensils that you can make out of small scraps of hardwood.
I use the two flat bottom ones when cooking on the stove. They are great for breaking up ground meat.
The round whisk is perfect for stirring together a batter or sourdough bread. And the small scraper is my go to for feeding my sourdough starter.
Easy DIY Cheese Slicer from Scrap Wood
Can you have a party without cheese? If you visit my house, the answer is no! So of course I had to make a simple cheese slicer.
This slicer is perfect to use when cutting softer cheeses that would be squished by a regular knife. And you can make it from a pretty scrap.
DIY Tortilla Press Plans
If you want the ultimate taco party, you need homemade tortillas!
This beautiful tortilla press is a fun build (I’ve already built 2 more) and presses both corn and flour tortillas. We use it Tuesday night for the most delicious tacos.
DIY Pasta Drying Rack from Scrap Wood
Wow your guests at your next dinner party with homemade pasta.
I hated making pasta cause it would take over my entire kitchen island trying to lay it out to dry. Now I can quickly drape it over the rack as I cut it.
Plus this pasta rack can fold up, without having to take the pieces apart, and slide it right into the cupboard to store.
Beautiful Scrap Wood Paper Towel Holder
This quick and easy project will help you keep the kitchen clean while looking pretty.
This simple paper towel holder is a fun way use up a pretty scrap of wood. You can feel good about displaying it on your counter when guests are over.
DIY Bread Slicer Cutting Board
Make sure you always cut even slices of bread with this unique DIY cutting board.
With 3 different cutting guides, you can cut thin slices for sandwiches, medium slices for toast, or thick slices that you can cube for dips.
How to Build a Pull Out Spice Rack Cabinet
I love having all my spices and oils close to the stove in this pull-out spice cabinet to make cooking easier.
Whether you are building new cabinets or have room in a cabinet next to your stove, learn how easy it is to build one for your kitchen.
DIY Pull Out Drawers for Pantry
Best thing I’ve ever done to my kitchen was convert the shelves in the pantry to pull out drawers.
Now I can easily find everything and nothing gets lots in the back corners. It makes it so much faster to get the cooking done!
DIYs for Serving
Whether you are serving a full meal, just eating appetizer or taking a dish to a party, you will love these DIY serving dishes.
The beautiful wood serving trays and carriers will also make your food stand out in the best way!
DIY Round Wood Trays 2 Ways
Whether you are serving appetizers or dinner, it just looks prettier on wood tray!
When you make this beautiful round tray, you get a second bonus tray with no sides. You can use it as a cutting board or for more serving.
Easy DIY Breadboard
When you are serving a loaf of bread or baguette with your dinner, serve it on a breadboard.
This long cutting board has a handle for easy moving. And makes it easy to cut slices as you eat keeping your bread from drying out.
DIY Pie Carrier and Display Box
This beautiful carrier is made to hold 2 pie for transport (think Thanksgiving dinner) or as a display case.
With an adjustable plexiglass shelf, you can even fit your mile high pies. Your guests won’t be able to wait to get a slice.
Tiered Serving Tray Build Plans
If your serving area is smaller, going vertical is a great way to get more room.
This fun to build tiered serving tray holds two wood trays that are easy to stack with plenty of room for guests to grab their favorite snacks.
Easy DIY Wood Trivets 3 Ways
Don’t put your hot dishes on a dirty fabric hot pad, use a DIY trivet instead!
These trivets are so fun to make out of tiny scraps you have lying around. Now you can make a statement while protecting your table.
Scrap Wood Cake Plate with Dome
Another great scrap wood project! Stack lots of small pieces together to make a beautiful cake plate.
Then I found a large glass bowl and routed a simple groove to hold it in place. Perfect for serving and storing.
Marble Tile Inlay Tray DIY
Have some fun turning those beautiful marble tiles into an even more beautiful serving tray.
This project uses a CNC to router out holes to inlay your tile. And I used it to cut handles to add to the sides for easy carrying.
DIY Wood Cake Stand
Cake plates can be used for more than just cake on your buffet table. They are a great way to add height and dimension to your spread.
These fun wood cake plates are made from a series of circles cut and stacked on a dowel. You can get creative and have fun with the designs.
Handmade Marble Cheese Board
Grab a single marble tile and turn it into the perfect cheeseboard. The marble helps your cheese stay cool during your gathering.
Then wood is added to the sides for a cutting surface. And added to the bottom of the tile to protect your table too.
DIY Games for a Crowd
When the food is gone, keep people entertained with a fun game. We love playing
Easy DIY Wooden Cornhole Boards
Everyone love playing cornhole! No experience is needed to enjoy playing.
Set up a simple tournament to get everyone involved in the fun. Just try to pair more experienced players with newbies.
DIY Mölkky Game with Carrier
Mölkky is also called Yard skittles or Skittle scatter. It’s a fun game that can be played with just 2 people or a group.
If the weather is good, enjoy a game in the yard. But you could also push the furniture out of the way and play on the carpet if needed.
Ultimate DIY Horseshoe Pit
If you have room in your yard, these DIY horseshoe pits means you are always ready to enjoy a game or two.
Get everyone outside to play a game or tournament.
Outdoor Scoreboard for Summer Games
This scoreboard is the best addition to any outdoor games! I used my CNC to carve out the design, but you can also just paint it on.
Use the chalkboard area to write the team names, and then easily keep track of the score with the wood beads.
Easy DIY Tabletop Cornhole Game
If the weather is keeping the party inside, you can still enjoy a fun cornhole tournament.
This small tabletop cornhole board is so fun and easy to play. The games go quick so everyone can get in on the fun.
DIY Dice Tower with Tray
If you love playing dice games, you will love using a dice tumbler. It ensures everyone’s dice roll is random and keeps the dice contained on the table.
Plus it is fun to use! The sound of the dice hitting the ledges on the way down is really pretty.
Colorful DIY Yard Dice
These large wood dice are perfect for playing dice games outside.
Toss them in the grass for a quick game of yard Yahtzee or Farkle (our family’s favorite).
Now you are ready to party! Enjoy using your new DIYs to entertain your guests over and over.
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