We are happy to feature another guest post 10 Ways to Make More Space for Your Holiday Guests by writer Rose Morrison, managing editor of Renovated. Be sure to read her bio at the bottom and link to her other informative posts. Many thanks, Rose!
Entertaining and hosting for the holiday season can be one of the most rewarding, fun and exciting experiences of the year [even during a pandemic]. Perhaps you’re having the entire family over and cozying up together for a few weeks or invited a few select friends to join you for the happiest time of year. Either way, it can be exciting and a bit overwhelming to prepare your home for a few extra people.
Whether this is your very first time hosting or you’re a total veteran, there are plenty of ways to simplify the process so everyone feels comfortable — including you.
1. Clear the Clutter
Clearing clutter for your holiday guests can help everything flow better, making space for you to entertain and letting everyone move around naturally. Try going room by room to make things easier to break down. Reducing mess can make a huge difference if you want to make space for holiday decorations and festivities. This can be especially helpful if you tend to have a lot of clutter in your home and want to find the space to allow people to spread out. Start with the most severe dumping grounds — often, that means the guest room in many households.
2. Utilize the Coat Closet
Almost everybody has a coat closet, but not all of them get put to good use. One of the best ways to prepare for guests is to make space for everyone’s coats and other items. Visitors may produce excess clutter and having a designated spot to put it can be extremely valuable. If you happen to have a designated room for this — like a mudroom — that’s even better, although you certainly don’t need one to make this tip work.
3. Share Guest Rooms
Although it might not always be the most ideal setup, having a guest room at all is a step in the right direction. Holiday guests can always share it. Although everyone would probably love their own private bedroom and bathroom, it’s not always possible. Try a guest room setup with two beds, put an air mattress on the floor and offer a couch for extra crashing if you need to. There are so many possibilities.
4. Fold Up the Sleeping Arrangements
Even though there are many possibilities to explore for sleeping arrangements, one of the best is to fold up whatever you can to make the most space possible during the day. Two great examples of this are the Murphy bed and the pullout sofa. If your primary entertaining space is your living room, going for the sofa option could be right for you. However, the Murphy bed, which folds up into the wall when not in use, can be great for multipurpose spaces that function as guest rooms.
5. Use Walls for the Decor
It can be tempting — especially over the holidays — to decorate with numerous trinkets and baubles. However, this might not be the best form of decor when you want to entertain guests and make your home functional and comfortable. Things that take up space aren’t conducive to the flow of a gathering, but that doesn’t mean you can’t deck the halls. Instead, you can use wall space to hang posters or a portable mural and other items without taking up too much valuable space.
6. Organize Your Bathrooms
The bathroom is a popular spot, especially if you’re entertaining a large group or having people stay for a longer period. Whether you have a designated guest bath or you’re sharing your own, making space for everyone’s products and items is more important than you might think. It’s a good idea to clear off a shelf or two so everyone can spread out worry-free.
7. Dine Buffet Style
Serving things up or having people help themselves straight from the kitchen can sometimes get a little cramped, so why not set up a space to have your guests dine buffet-style while you’re all together? This involves so much less effort and prep, but still with the same delicious result. No matter the holiday meal, this is a great choice — you may even start doing it for other occasions.
8. Take it Outside
Plenty of places don’t exactly lend themselves to an outdoor party in the middle of winter, but if you happen to live somewhere with warmer weather year-round, why not throw a picnic party where you soak up the sun and enjoy each other’s company in the great outdoors? You can do this for large celebrations or more intimate gatherings. It’s all up to you!
9. Offer Creative Seating
When it comes to the actual entertaining portion of your festivities, you might come to find that having enough chairs and couches can be an issue when you have a packed space. If that happens to be the case with you, get creative with your seating. Use pillows, folding chairs and even extra couch cushions on the floor for your guests to sit on. This can make for a casual, relaxed gathering that’s perfect for the holiday season.
10. Have a Designated Drop Zone
One of the things seldom considered in situations like this is what to do with all the incoming clutter. The bags, sweaters, to-go containers, keys and knickknacks that are sure to enter and exit along with guests need a place to go. It’s much better to designate a drop zone from the start than to find a place for everything once it’s already there. If you have a mudroom, you’re all set. If not, you may want to clear out a corner or closet near your home’s entrance.
Making More Space for Holiday Guests
Hosting a celebration is an amazing way to bring your family and friends together, but it can be a difficult task without the proper space. There are many ways to make the most of what you have to provide a little comfort and warmth to your guests and have a memorable holiday celebration.
Many thanks to Rose for this article with lots of helpful tips for entertaining your holiday guests!
About the author:
Rose Morrison is a home improvement and design writer.
She is also the managing editor of Renovated. Follow her on Twitter to see more of her work.
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