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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

Vanessa BrunnerDecember 17, 2011

Houzz Contributor

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.

Heather Garrett Design

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.

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.

greige/Fluegge Interior Design, Inc.

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.

Jerry Jacobs Design, Inc.

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.

My Sweet Savannah

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.

Garret Cord Werner Architects & Interior Designers

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.

Birdhouse Design Studio

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

Comments (20)

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Michele

I have hosted small dinner parties for years, usually my husband's business colleagues, and I found that the key is to offer no choices!! I know that sounds bad, but I'm a wonderful hostess who enjoys having these dinner parties and have never gotten complaints. No matter what my entree is I always serve a large tossed green salad already dressed. There is no hassle or mess with various bottles of dressings, no having to provide multiple dressings for any taste, no having to get up from the table when someone asks if I have Ranch or Thousand Island or a kind that I didn't put out. I find that a sweet/sour like celery seed dressing is loved by everyone.
I have large glasses of ice water at every place setting ( prevents having to ask who wants ice, who wants sweet tea, or who prefers unsweet, or whatever when it's time to get seated). Everyone is fine with sipping water while dining. We already had cocktails with the appetizers.
I serve dessert to everyone at the table, they can choose to eat it or simply nibble at it. (I don't have all that protesting, asking for a small piece, the should I or shouldn't I game, etc...)
I learned this from a classy doctor's wife in the south who regularly practiced hospitality. Oh, another thing...I always announce that I am not offended in the least if someone doesn't like something. Everyone laughs and the dinners have always been a success.

felixgrantham

Prep: - Put a single stem or two in a bud vase in the powder room. Everyone will see it.
Also include lit candle & spray (for more extreme unfortunate visits) in the bathroom.

Bar outside if weather permits - let guests serve them selves.

Serve food family style or buffet rather than fixing individual plates. If serving buffet-style from your normal dining table, pull chairs away from the table & relocate to walls or other rooms (or garage!).

Stash the bill pile out of sight.

Things I've learned -
1. You really can't overprepare - do as much as you can ahead of time. For larger parties, it is important to consider flow & wether furniture needs to be removed or repositioned.
2. Enlist husband (significant other, or a good friend) to set up bar, help light candles, vacuum - or anything else he can handle & you can convince him to do.
3. When guests ask what they can bring, if they are reliable - give them an assignment (don't assign hors d'oevres to someone who is chronically late). If they aren't reliable & insist on helping, ask them to bring extra ice, club soda, etc.. I'll never forget one of my mom's dinners when a guest volunteered to supply the salad & said guest showed up 1 hour late with an unwashed bag of ice-berg lettuce - and that's all!
4 - Most important! Hosts attitude and demeanor set the tone - be calm & enjoy your own party!
-> Nephew eats too many crackers & thows up on the coffee table? - just laugh & wipe it up.
-> Entree accidentally incinerated? Call out for delivery or send a friend with your credit card to do a quick pickup at a local food shop that sells prepared foods.
5. Stash an extra lipstick & haribrush in the downstairs powder room for quick touch-ups

maureenofhannah

Supply the main dish and beverages so you don't rely on what guests bring, be sure to introduce each person to every other person and say something interesting about them and, most important for a great time had by all, invite at least one other person/couple that knows another guest but not so many that they end up in a huddle.