No matter how good you are at hosting parties, your house might not be cooperating. It’s not your fault – not every layout is conducive to entertaining. Whether it’s a glaring flaw or a small-yet-bothersome detail, you don’t have to let your home’s built-in features prevent you from hosting just as you love to. The following tips are 10 ways to update your space, so it works for parties.
1. Make The Entryway Welcoming
As you welcome guests into your home, the entryway will be the first thing they see. That’s why you’ll want to start your entertaining-centric updates with this space. It won’t take long – you just want it to look inviting while functioning as a busy thoroughfare during parties.
Add a rug and a coat hanger so guests have an obvious place to wipe off their shoes and place their jackets. Then, add a few decorative elements to create a homey vibe. Art, a bench, a mirror, a table and lamp – the choice is yours.
2. Generate Flow
Your home’s layout could be playing against your entertaining spirit. Walls keep your guests contained in a room or rooms, which can have a party feel cramped and unnatural. If you’re in for a big renovation project, tearing down strategic walls to create a more open kitchen-living-dining space could instantly transform your abode into the perfect backdrop for get-togethers big and small.
Of course, not everyone has the energy or funds to cover a major construction. So, create visual flow with design tricks – for instance, you can use the same wall color in multiple rooms to link them together . Or, you can use mirrors to draw light and eyes from one corner to another.
3. Give Them Seating
A party calls for all different kinds of socializing. There’s the initial mingling with a cocktail or appetizer in hand, which typically takes place on foot. Then, as everyone gets more comfortable, they start shifting to seats in the living room or dining area for intimate conversation with the person the hit it off with during the icebreaker portion of the evening.
You can create these chatting centers by strategically clustering seating – and by providing plenty of it. From kitchen barstool and patio rockers to living room chairs placed close enough for people to talk at a reasonable volume, the more seats, the better.
4. Spruce Up the Bathrooms
Your guests will have to use the bathroom during your party – it’s human nature. For one thing, the restroom should be easily accessible from the main party area. It should also be sparkling, which you can achieve by updating the materials used within it.
Nothing will have a bigger impact than updating the countertops in your guest bathroom. Whether you chose granite or quartz, the shiny new material will make the guest space feel luxurious, even if it’s a simple powder room. You can do the same in your kitchen – with the same countertop materials, to boot – but that renovation would cost even more than a quick bathroom dusting.
5. Light It Right
No one wants to sit under a glaring overhead light,especially if it casts an unflattering glow. So, fill your entertaining spaces with lighting fixtures of different strengths so you can quickly customize the vibe you want to create. You can use table lamps, floor lamps and candles to add more layers of light. You can also work in your overhead bulbs but do so sparingly – they tend to be overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to create a cozy, intimate atmosphere.
6. Rearrange Furniture
Without knocking down walls, you can still make your home more open for guests who want to move around and mingle. Before the party, play with the furniture configurations in your entertaining space to create a less crowded footpath. You could push sofas closer to the wall, for example, to create more room for movement. Or, you could go deeper by learning the feng shui basics to get the energy flowing through your space with a few furniture readjustments.
7. Turn Up The Music
Another easy way to create ambiance is to add music. Chances are, you don’t want to use your phone as the designated speaker, though, so delineate a budget for your entertainment electronics and choose the right speaker system for you.
With the purchase made, put together a playlist fit for your party’s theme. Dance tunes, foreign ditties, oldies – there’s a song for every type of atmosphere you might want to create, and then some.
8. Add Guest Beds
A good party might have some guests crashing at your house. Another way to prep your home for entertaining is to add as many guest beds around the place as possible. This is doable even without designated guest rooms, although those can play host to traditional beds, Murphy beds, daybeds and everything in between.
You might also consider investing in a sofa bed or a blow-up mattress, depending on the space you have. These are both comfy places for guest to crash if you don’t have a spare bedroom. Plus, they’re easy to set up when you need them and put away when you don’t.
9. Don’t Forget the Outdoors
The right weather can pull your party outside, but it won’t stay there for long without the right atmosphere. You’ll want to bring out all the comforts of the house itself – places to sit, cozy blanket to keep warm, good music, cozy lighting, etc. With that, you’ll paint a magical backdrop for your party with a warm summer evening or a crisp fall afternoon.
10. Keep Your Style in Mind
No one knows how you entertain except for, of course, you. So, make your updates based on what you need and want for your space. Ultimately, you don’t have to adhere to design suggestions given elsewhere if it won’t boost your party-throwing capabilities. Instead, do what meshes with your entertaining style, and voila – you’ve got yourself a party house.
