If you go

Home for the Holidays Designer Showhouse and Marketplace

1150 W. Garmon Road, Atlanta

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Closed Thanksgiving Day.

$25-$30; groups of 10 or more, $18 per person; children 10 and younger, free.

www.atlantaholidayhome.com

This week marks more than the start of the holiday season. It’s also the time of year when hosts begin to stress over how they’re going to entertain the hordes of relatives and guests who will descend for the festivities.

Whether you’re got a cozy Queen Anne cottage or a roomy five-bedroom traditional, suggestions for how to entertain in style are in store from a cabal of 20 metro area designers who have put the finishing touches on the “Home for the Holidays” Designer Showhouse in Buckhead that opened this weekend. Their ideas are showcased throughout the 15,000-square-foot Millwood Manor estate at the corner of West Garmon Road and Northside Drive through Dec. 13.

Of course, having that sort of serious square footage means guests won’t be elbowing each other in a crowded dining room. But owners in smaller homes can manage a crowd by thinking a bit outside of the confines of traditional entertaining areas, says James Wheeler of J. Wheeler Designs, who worked on the showhouse. Start with incorporating an outside area into the plan — an approach Wheeler used when putting the finishing touches on the home’s covered terrace off the main living room.

“This outdoor space provided an opportunity to design it as an extension of the main living room,” said Wheeler. “That allows the homeowners to live in it year-round. This space was designed to function like an outdoor living room, so we designed it as such — meaning we didn’t take a traditional approach with outdoor furnishings.”

Instead, Wheeler used pieces more commonly thought of as “indoor furniture” to create another gathering space entered through French doors and anchored by a masonry fireplace.

“Gentlemen usually enjoy an outdoor space, so we took a menswear theme and ran with it,” he said. “We used fabrics and furnishings with tweeds, herringbones and beautiful wools that blend well with the hardscapes in the space, but have a softer feel. At the same time, it shows you how to live year-round and be comfortable outdoors in a very sophisticated way.”

Including porches, patios and verandas into the entertaining areas makes it possible to offer seating and dining options beyond the kitchen and dining room.

“You have to get creative with your space,” said Wheeler. “Think outside the box; don’t always decorate in the way the space is meant for, but add elements that make people want to be outside. Areas that are fully covered are perfect to function most of the year as another room.”

Along with more traditional furniture elements, Wheeler suggests adding touches such as big throw pillows that invite guests to cozy up near the outdoor fireplace or draperies that give the sense of being in an interior room.

“By thinking outside the box, you can have another place to put your feet up, have a meal together or gather,” he said. “With a big crowd during the holidays, the outdoor room can be a great spot for people to step out of the kitchen and get some fresh air in another environment.”

Along with Wheeler’s reconfigured outdoor living space, visitors to the Holiday House will find a variety of entertaining options, including an entire room filled with table settings and decor ideas. They’ll also see six bedrooms, a pool area with pool, spa and sunbathing area and a music room that replaces a traditional living room.

A portion of the proceeds from tour tickets benefits the Children’s Learning Gardens at the Southeastern Horticultural Society.