How to Maximize Space for your Next Party

1. Keep It Clean

Your first step in preparing your home for a party is to organize and clean. For many a small dwelling, this means decluttering by putting aside items you don’t need to entertain but that take up your valuable floorspace best reserved for your guests. In this case, if you don’t have the time to purge, feel free to hide things where you can find the room like, under your bed, in your closets or a garage.

The objective is to keep messes out of sight especially in areas that will be frequented by your visitors. For example, you should remove all personal items from your bathroom during party time. You must make sure your bathroom is spotless especially throughout the night since smaller spaces are bound to get messier faster.

2. Use Your Space

Apart from putting away your clutter and freeing up new space, you should also learn to use your new real estate for your party needs. Remember, when it comes to pint-sized homes, any free area matters so be sure to put them to work. For example, you can do without the toaster and coffee cup mug tree on your counter for one night. Space would be better used to set up your buffet fresh from the kitchen.

You can also maximize your space by going tall and thinkwith your tables. Not only will it add more drama (think skyscrapers and skylines) but for pint-sized interiors, they will create more leg room for guests to navigate through. This rule should likewise apply to your serving dishes. For example, you can place your eating utensils in tall glasses rather than arranging them flat on the table surface, taking up more room. You can also use stacking cake stands for your appetizers and desserts instead of serving them on space-snatching trays.

You should also think about where you will put your bar and food station. The best strategy for smaller spaces is to keep them next to each other. Not only will this make it more convenient for your guests, it will manage traffic in your space-challenged interiors much better. You must keep your guests moving so no one has to lose their patience waiting in a line, which also has the drawback of making it look and feel more crowded in your gathering area than it might really be. Another useful tip is to pass out drinks to guests as theyenter the door and keeping your buffet table as far back as possible. This will gracefully sidestep any gridlock and keep things flowing. Plus, it doesn’t break any known party etiquette.

3. DIY Coat-Check

Speaking of space, you should have a place for your guests’ bags and coats reserved. While using your bed as dumping ground is the standard, buying a coat rack will provide you with a more suitable place for your visitors’ personal items. Best of all, you can also put it to use after your party as an extra place to neatly put away your everyday outerwear. It is highly recommended to put your coat rack near the door where guests can “self-serve” while you are free to focus on your other hosting duties.

4. Set Your Party Mood

The mood is everything when it comes to your get-together's success. Sure, your Spotify playlist is one way to set your mood, but your lighting should also play an integral role. You should steer clear of your standard overhead lights and bring your illumination down-to-earth. You can combine your lamps and some candlelight to evoke a cozy yet sophisticated ambiance.

If you have followed our other blog posts, then you already think of your home interiors as a series of “zones” based on their function. Your lighting strategy for your party must also follow suit by combining the ideal amounts of lighting to be enough for the zone such as tall candles to show off your buffet table while tinier votive candles can soften every area where your guests might sit.

Another way to set your mood is to invest in wall décor. This can be temporary or not (that’s up to you), but it is a better idea than using space-hogging table decorations and centerpieces. Your walls will always be more visible than your table surfaces anyway. Feel free to use a theme, whether holiday, occasion, or even color to tie everything together. This can include your napkins, service, and even your garnishes.

Throwing a party in a small space can also heat up quickly and not in a positive way. The temperature is sure to literally rise if it becomes too crowded. Be sure to prepare for this before your guests arrive by opening windows to air the room. You can keep your windows open depending on the season. Use your good judgment but keep a couple of fans out to keep air circulating during your gathering. Good air flow is a must, especially in close-fitting spaces.

5. The Perfect Small Space Menu

Should you plan out a menu specifically for your small space party? Absolutely! You can save on space by sticking to skewered foods or finger foods that don't require plates or utensils to eat. Besides, guests often feel uncomfortable being burdened with a drink, a plate, and a fork. They will naturally look for a space to set them down, which they might not find in your limited area. Instead, eating-on-the-go is not only convenient but comfy and fun too. Get imaginative with how you serve food such as soups or desserts in cups. You can still go “high-end” with your cuisine but adapted for aminimalist modern setting.

Today’s host with the most needs to be creative, adaptable, and unique when having a get-together in a small space such as a tiny condo or home. However, minumum space to entertain doesn’t equal minimizing your guests’ experience. On the contrary, with the tips provided above, you are sure to throw a larger-than-life party everyone will be talking about.