Kitchen / Dining Room

After you've established a main entrance into your abode, your focus should shift to creating a space for your Sims to eat and entertain themselves. The first priority should be the kitchen. Although all you really need for a kitchen is a refrigerator, you won't be getting very much nourishment from a cold meal. A fully-stocked kitchen will have a fridge, food processor, and a stove, in that order. The food processor will need its own counter, but you can save on space by putting it on top of your trash compactor or dishwasher. These latter two pieces of equipment are optional, but quite handy; the dishwasher replaces the kitchen sink as the preferred Sim method of cleaning dishes, when purchased and installed, while the trash compactor acts as a high-capacity trashcan. Compactors can actually replace trashcans around your house, if you don't mind the aesthetic unpleasantness involved; they hold more garbage than any normal trashcan, and have a flat surface for a lamp or Aromaster to boot.

When a Sim gets done cooking the food in the stove, he or she will look around for the a clean countertop to set the food down. (Assuming you Served food; a solo meal will be taken right to the table.) This countertop shouldn't be an appliance; this can cause trouble if people are queuing up for a meal while another person is waiting to use the machinery that the food is set upon. Instead, buy a plain countertop from the Buy menu and set it wherever convenient. You'll often have multiple people attempting to get food at the same time, so try to set this countertop away from the wall if at all possible. It'll need to have at least two sides free, but the more the merrier.

Your dining room table doesn't contribute to your Sims' comfort motive while they're sitting down; all it's good for is a bit of a room bonus and to act as a place to eat. There are a variety of models available, in a number of sizes, but the most efficient is usually a 2x2 table with eight chairs around it. Sims can share a corner of the table with another Sim sitting beside them, so you will be able to use all eight chairs simultaneously, if it comes down to it (although you'll have to serve some damn tasty food before this occurs). This also lets your Sims pick up plates by walking to the corner of the table; a 2x3 table, with three chairs along the long side, will force a Sim, or your maid, to sit down at the middle chair before they can reach a plate there, which wastes time. A Sim won't sit where there's a dirty plate, so you'll need to make sure you clean up after yourselves if you plan to eat many meals after your Maid leaves. At parties, one or two of your guests will usually have a high enough Neat score to make them clean up after everyone.

Most Sims will just leave their plates at the table when they're done, but your Maid, or Sims with high Neat traits (even your guests), will clean up. This involves taking a plate to either a kitchen sink or a dishwasher. Your best bet for clean-up is to buy the most expensive dishwasher possible, which will set you back around $1,000, but will essentially eliminate the chance that a spill will occur. Should a plumbing mistake occur, you can expect your room score to fall through the bottom; the same is true if a large number of empty plates stack up on your dining room table, so don't hesitate to force your Sims to clean up, especially during a party.

Living Room / Den

Now that you've set up your kitchen to your satisfaction, you can move on to the entertainment area. You'll need to decide whether or not you want to set this up in the same room as your kitchen and dining room, first off. On the upside, the entire area will reap the benefit of a high room score, and your Sims won't have to maneuver through doorways to reach their Fun-building items; on the downside, a spill or mess in the kitchen will reduce the room score for your entertainment area, as well. In most situations, it's easiest just to eliminate or not build any walls between the dining room and the living room, and deal with messes as they appear.

In the living room, you're going to want to have at least one high-Fun item that large groups of Sims can enjoy concurrently. The best choice for this task is usually the Hellagraphix game console, which offers nine Fun to your Sims and lets them remain seated, and therefore enjoying their comfortable chairs and couches, while they play. Another good option is a high-end stereo, which lets your guests dance themselves silly without having to walk too far.

Items you definitely want to avoid are the skill-boosting items that involve showing off to the crowd, such as pianos and the microphone. While these can be nice if your Sim has a high score in the related skill, these items can sometimes be monopolized by poor-performing Sims, who will try to belt out a tune while the other Sims gather around and heckle. Unless the Sim is one of your controllable roommates, you won't be able to do much except wait until that Sim gets tired of playing their instrument, which can take quite a while. Best not to tempt fate; close off any of these items into a separate room before you entertain.

Pools are also a problematic item. While it may seem neat to have a huge pool outdoors, they have a tendency to draw your guests away from your living room, thus making them less accessible for Socialization. If you notice that your parties fragment into smaller groups, try eliminating some of the outdoors entertainment options. This should force your guests to stick to the living room that you've set up.