HOUSEBABY

Discover how to create effortless, joyful gatherings at home with six custom DIY food-bar ideas. From build-your-own taco bars to hot cocoa stations, this guide helps you entertain with ease and style.

Hosting a Build-Your-Own Pasta Bar is one of our favorite ways to feed a crowd. It feels cozy, abundant, and customizable, giving guests the freedom to build a bowl that feels just right. In this post, we share the pasta shapes, sauces, toppings, serving tips, and layout ideas we plan to use in our dream home so you can recreate the same relaxed and elegant dinner in yours.

A cozy winter entertaining idea we cannot wait to host in our future home: There is a particular kind of magic that settles in when the air gets cold and the sun dips early. Just like our Build Your Own Chili and Cornbread Bar , our Weekend Breakfast Bar , and even the Peppermint Bark Bar we imagine setting out during the holidays, a Hot Chocolate Bar feels like another gathering moment that fits naturally into the way we picture living. Warm, simple, and sensory. A Dutch ov

Peppermint bark is one of those holiday treats that makes a kitchen feel instantly festive. Melted chocolate, crushed candy canes, swirls of white and dark, and a spread of toppings that guests can use to build their own creations. It is low-stress, interactive, and easy to scale for a full house or a cozy winter evening. Just like our Hot Chocolate Bar, our Chili and Cornbread Bar, and the Weekend Breakfast Bar we picture serving during long family visits, a Peppermint Bark

Some meals feel tailor-made for winter evenings, long weekends with visiting family, or nights when the house is full and everyone wants something warm, comforting, and customizable. A Baked Potato Bar checks all of those boxes. Potatoes are economical, filling, naturally gluten free, and endlessly adaptable, and they pair beautifully with toppings that can be as simple or as indulgent as you like. We’ve been imagining a Baked Potato Bar as the kind of dinner that makes hosti

There are certain meals that instantly make a home feel warm and lived in, especially when family or close friends stay for a long weekend. Chili and cornbread might be one of the easiest ways to feed a crowd without losing the relaxed, come-as-you-are rhythm that makes hosting enjoyable. Everyone builds their bowl differently, seconds happen naturally, and you stay part of the conversation instead of standing over the stove. As we imagine entertaining in our dream home, this

Slow weekend mornings deserve a breakfast that feels both effortless and considered. Our Build-Your-Own Weekend Breakfast Bar brings everyone to the table at their own pace, with warm waffles, fresh fruit, and simple toppings arranged in a way that feels inviting, abundant, and beautifully easy to host.

A build-your-own soup bar is one of the easiest ways to host all winter long. This cozy, family-friendly guide shares menu ideas, leftover-friendly planning, and thoughtful styling for stress-free gatherings.