How to maximize space for your party guests
When you decide to host a party in your apartment, there’s a lot to do. From decorating to menu planning, your to-do list can grow very long very quickly. But before you get too deep into prep, take a moment to consider how many guests your apartment can comfortably accommodate. If you know how to make the most of your space, you might be surprised by how many guests you can invite. Here are a few tips to help you maximize your space.
- Avoid clutter.
If you have a propensity for accumulating knick-knacks, the evening of your party is not the time to put them on display. Keep your apartment as clean and clutter-free as possible so that your guests aren’t tripping over extra end tables or knocking down picture frames every time they shift around. Spend the night before the bash stowing anything extra out of sight. - Reformat furniture.
Removing the clutter might even mean stashing some of your smaller pieces of furniture in the master bedroom for the duration of the party. Or it could simply mean pushing superfluous pieces to the side of the room, like the coffee table or decorative ottomans. - Enlist every surface.
When you’re hosting a party in an apartment, it’s not just the dining room or the kitchen that serves as your buffet space. In order to provide snacks for everyone at the party, you’ll have to use surfaces all around the apartment, from console tables to end tables. Lay out snacks in different spots throughout your home so that a bite is never more than an arm’s reach away. - Cook first.
Since your kitchen counters are probably going to be one of the surfaces where you serve up small bites, make sure that they’re wiped down and clutter-free before your big bash. Do all of your cooking in advance, allowing yourself ample time to clean up before your guests begin to arrive. To make things easier, skip hot appetizers all together and opt solely for cold foods. Or, if you’re committed to a warm dish, serve it straight out of a crockpot instead of stressing yourself out by cooking an hour before the soiree starts up. - Dispense cocktails simply.
On a similar note, you don’t want to eat up counter space with a full bar’s worth of drink options. Instead, choose one or two signature cocktails that can be crafted in big batches. Whip up a batch or two before your friends begin to arrive and pour them into glass dispensers so that partygoers can help themselves. This will not only save space, but also save you from the hassle of playing bartender all night. Just have a backup batch in the fridge for when your guests drain the first dispenser-full of your signature party drink.
10 Tips for Throwing an Amazing Party in a Small Space [HGTV]
20 Small Space Living Tips and Tricks for Hosting a Party [Elle Decor]
How to Throw a Great Party in a Small Apartment Space [Apartment Guide Blog]