5 Ways to Get Your Living Room Ready for Entertaining
Whether you have a week for party prep or just a couple of hours, here's how to set the scene for comfort and fun
If your space isn't set up for guests, your holiday dinner party can go from fabulous to awkward as soon as the party moves to the living room. Even if you have just a spare hour to clean up, focusing on a few basic areas will get your room holiday-ready in no time. Here's how to make your guests feel at home — and keep yourself from stressing about the state of your gathering space.
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| 1. Create mood lighting. Poor lighting — whether too dark or too light — is an instant mood killer at any get-together. You want guests to feel comfortable, but you also want to keep the area light enough so that everyone can see. Layer different types of lighting and bring in lamps at different heights. Make sure all the light bulbs are working and replace any burned-out bulbs. If you don't have lamps to bring in, dim your overhead lights and light some candles. It will look and feel much more cozy. |
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by SVEA KITCHENS
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| 2. Clean and pick up clutter. More than anything else, you want to make sure your living room is fresh, clean and comfortable. If you have the time, do a big cleanup. Start at least a few days before to avoid stressing out, or having your guests arrive while you're still scrubbing the floor. Sweep, vacuum, dust and polish. Check behind cushions and underneath pillows. You don't want a guest to be the one to find that missing popsicle from last summer. |
| If you've left cleaning up until the last minute — don't worry! As long as it's out of sight you'll be OK. Take a big bag, sweep clutter into it and store it in the garage or another unused room until after the party. Fluff the pillows, and you should be fine. |
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| 3. Seating. Make sure your furniture is organized in a way that's conducive to group conversation. You want your party environment to feel natural, and let the conversation flow smoothly. Make sure that most of the chairs are at the same height so guests can see eye to eye. Set up multiple conversation areas so that people can have private conversations, but join the group again with ease. Don't worry about things matching! If you don't have enough seating, feel free to bring in other tables, ottomans and chairs from other parts of the house. Pillows are your best friend when entertaining. Pillows can correct too-deep sofas, or serve as impromptu floor seating. |
4. Safety first. Keep hot drinks away from where children can reach them, and places where they can be easily spilled. Always keep a first-aid kit handy, and make sure the batteries in your smoke and CO alarms are fresh.
If young children are visiting your home, it's a good idea to talk to their parents beforehand to see what you need to do to prepare for them. Plugging up outlets with safety mechanisms might be necessary. Make sure chemicals, candles or breakables are out of reach. If needed, put safety gates at the top and the bottom of staircases.
If young children are visiting your home, it's a good idea to talk to their parents beforehand to see what you need to do to prepare for them. Plugging up outlets with safety mechanisms might be necessary. Make sure chemicals, candles or breakables are out of reach. If needed, put safety gates at the top and the bottom of staircases.
5. Decorate for comfort. Fresh flowers immediately change the look and feel of a room. Make them extra-special and place a bouquet in a unique container — maybe an antique pitcher or vase you have on hand.
Light scented candles to make the room fresh and festive.
Light scented candles to make the room fresh and festive.
If this is a cocktail party, consider making a mini-bar or drink station. It makes things more casual, and allows guests to mix drinks just the way they like them. Pre-dinner snacks are always a good idea too — just be sure to take any allergies and food preferences into account.
If you have a fireplace and plan on using it, make sure it's ready to run all night. Check out this guide on how to get your fireplace ready for the season.
What is your no-fail party-prep tip? Please share it with us in the Comments section below!
More: Creating Rooms with Multiple Conversation Areas
How to Arrange Your Room for Entertaining
A Lived-In Home is Great for Entertaining
How to Make Your Kitchen Party-Ready
If you have a fireplace and plan on using it, make sure it's ready to run all night. Check out this guide on how to get your fireplace ready for the season.
What is your no-fail party-prep tip? Please share it with us in the Comments section below!
More: Creating Rooms with Multiple Conversation Areas
How to Arrange Your Room for Entertaining
A Lived-In Home is Great for Entertaining
How to Make Your Kitchen Party-Ready
Comments
Bright Bold and Beautiful Definitely get rig of all the clutter ~ great tips! Holiday Party planning guide: http://brightboldbeautiful.blogspot.com/2010/11/holiday-party-planning-guide-and.html 
18 months ago · Like
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velovixen Get yourself ready first!
18 months ago · Like
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janicemclaury Love the wall color gray in the first photo! Any idea of the color name and brand. It's beautiful and soothing.
18 months ago · Like
milan120 I have the same Question about the wall color on the first photo
18 months ago · Like
darklis Reading the comments section to the photo the color would appear to be Pratt and Lambert's 'Durability'.
18 months ago · Like
AlexisAnne Great ideas for hosting a party! Another thing to keep in mind this season is how to prep for overnight (or longer) guests. Here are a few of my tips: http://cleansmartsimple.blogspot.com/2011/12/stress-less-this-christmas-hostess-with.html
18 months ago · Like
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twelve-O-eight A little planning makes such a difference. I try to plan menus and get my home ready for entertaining ahead of time so I can actually enjoy my guests instead of working the entire time.
16 months ago · Like
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jfk66 Always have a place for people to put there drinks and food down. Have coasters and cocktail napkins ready. My mother always had a table by every seat and a light, too, for reading. I hate big overhead lights that act like operating room lights. I like lamps that are warmer. I have a fight with my husband about this as he doesn't get it. We live in a foreign country where they just like to have big lights-ugh. Lighting is so important.
7 months ago · Like
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Arlene Patterson Designate a space that everyone will use to deposit coats, scarves, gloves, keys, and handbags. Nothing ruins a well planned decor that a coat thrown here and a huge purse placed in the walk way! Use a coat rack, a spare bedroom (on the first floor, or, if you are super neat, a coat closet with enough hangers. Arlene 250
7 months ago · Like
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j0dy Great tip's but can I suggest not to karate chop your pillows when decorating. It's not natural. Right? ;)
7 months ago · Like
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maisoui1 Yes. get yourself ready an hour ahead of time! At my last party, some one came over half hour before the party to basically show their face and to tell me they had a previous engagement but wanted to come by and thank me for the invite etc etc. Nice gesture on their part but then it meant guests were arriving as I dashed upstairs to change my clothes!
7 months ago · Like
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jfk66 Living overseas I think I missed the whole issue of karate chops of pillows. I didn't know what people were talking about when they mentioned "chopping" pillows. I was still in the fluffing or plumping pillow era. As long as they don't look like someone has just had a nap on them, I guess you are fine.
7 months ago · Like
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humar The color in the First photo looks like Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin More. I used it and love it.
7 months ago · Like
twinmommy Could be Benjamin Moore's Chelsea Gray 
6 months ago · Like
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defever My mother never "entertained" as such, so I am pretty clueless. These comments are great. We are carrying on my in-laws' pizza open house tradition on 1/1 and will have 50+ people (hopefully not all at the same time!). My major concern is that our house is only 950 sq. ft -- it has an open floor plan. If I move dining room chairs into the living section, it looks like a tight circle for group therapy! Living room area is basically 7x 12; can't widen the space or chairs will block the passage from front door, to the right of the floral chair. (pardon artwork; just moved into house we spent 3 years building. Still trying to sort things out, using what we have until we can get new). 
6 months ago · Like
hawk178 Some people are allergic to scented candles and flowers . The scents can trigger migraines as well.
4 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on Dec. 17, 2011.
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