COME ON OVER! A quick guide to ‘host interiors’
With Christmas just around the corner and socialising firmly back on the table this year, many of us will be opening up our homes to guests this winter. Whether you have the extended family staying for the holidays, friends popping over for festive drinks or you’re planning on hosting the party to end all parties, it’s time to start preparing for the hosting season and make your home feel as welcoming as possible. You can even take our What Your Hosting Thing? quiz and find out what type of host you are…see below.
Check out our furniture hosting hacks…
Before you even start to think about what’s on the menu, the key ingredient to great hosting is maximising your space to ensure that guests feel comfortable, relaxed in their surroundings, and most importantly, welcome. Of course, you can’t magic additional space out of thin air - but with a little careful planning and some simple furniture hacks, you can maximise the space you have to make every guest feel right at home.
Modular sofas
Modular sofas are a host’s best kept secret, especially as the living room is likely to be the social hotspot of the house. An adaptable sofa gives you the option to flex the configuration to meet your entertaining needs. Whether you want to create an inclusive ‘gather round’ setting for socialising or create a separate seating zone for adults and kids - a good modular sofa with easily movable seats not only makes room for more guests but also switches up the look of your living room every time you host.
Multifunctional sofas
Multifunctional sofas help our living rooms work harder than ever before, especially when you’re hosting. Look for sofas with a convenient USB charging port allowing you to manage the music through your phone from the comfort of your sofa. Or seamlessly go from day to night with in-sofa mood lighting to create that party atmosphere. Sofas with built-in drinks holders or sofas with storage - to hide everyday clutter are also great handy additions that make the host’s role that bit easier.
Dining tables
Dining tables that are too small are the quickest way to make your guests feel unwelcome. So if you’re tight on space, opt for an extendable dining table - it’s a great way to make more room without the commitment of a large table all year round. There’s nothing better than having all your loved ones gathered around the same dinner table, so consider dining benches for seating instead of dining chairs as they allow you to get more bums on seats without feeling crowded! Now you’ve got that sorted you can go to town on the tablescaping!
Drinks trolleys
Drinks trolleys are a good way to make your guests be a little more self-sufficient. Not only do they bring a touch of glamour to your living room, they give guests the freedom to make their own drinks and keep them out of the kitchen while you’re preparing the food.
Sofa beds
Sofa beds are a great space saving asset for hosts, especially if you need to transform a lounge or an office into a sleep sanctuary without compromising on the style or purpose of the room. As they’re unlikely to be used as a bed all year round, make sure you pick one that is compact enough for your space when it is fully open, easy to assemble, and complements your existing decor. If you have a good sofa bed, you never need to worry about unexpected guests again.
Guest bedrooms
Guest bedrooms are the ultimate test for hosts as there is extra pressure to make guests feel at home and ensure they get a good night’s sleep. Visitors want to feel like the room has been carefully considered for them and not a dumping ground, so opt for a divan storage bed in the guest bedroom and pack your stuff away! Also why not have fun with the decor - to add hotel luxe vibes to your room opt for an oversized headboard. If you can’t quite stretch to a new bed frame, then it is worth considering a new mattress to ensure that your guests have a comfortable night.
