Entertaining in a Small Space
Do you think your home is too small to entertain? Do you hesitate to invite guests over because of your limited space? Many of us do not have as much space to host events in our homes as we would like. But just because you have a tiny house or apartment, it doesn’t mean you can’t entertain in a small space!
The truth is that you can host in ANY space, you just need the right tools and mindset. Let’s discuss how you can make a small space work to your benefit.
Mindset of a Small Home
Many of us with a small home have the wrong mindset. It’s easy to think about what you can’t do in your home. How the lack of space hinders you from having your ideal gatherings. But this is the wrong attitude. What you need to ask yourself is what can I do with this space? How can I set up or rearrange my house to be more welcoming to guests? How can I make my small space somewhere everyone wants to be? Once you start switching your mindset from what you cannot do to what you can do, you will see all kinds of opportunities open up for you and your home.
Remember that hosting is all about hospitality. This is what makes a home inviting to our guests. The thing that makes them enjoy their visit and what makes them want to return. Hospitality is all about welcoming your guests and making them feel comfortable and at home. This is something we can do in any space, no matter how small.
Learn to love your home, no matter how much you may or may not like it. Creating a home you enjoy living in will in turn make that home more welcoming to your guests. It’s all about making the best of your home and seeing its potential.
Perks of a Small Space
Did you know that small spaces can offer some benefits? Having a small home automatically makes the space a bit cozier. Sometimes it’s hard to find the balance between cozy and crowded, but as long as you’re able to cut down on the clutter in your home, you can make your home a small yet cozy space.
A small home makes for faster and easier cleaning! This comes in handy when preparing for a party or tidying up after one. Every time I see a big beautiful home, I always think “who wants to clean all of that square footage?” I would want to hire a maid. I have a hard enough time keeping up with our 2-bedroom townhome. So, every time I long for a bigger, grander place, I think of how much easier it is to keep up with our current home.
Make it Feel Spacious
The key to entertaining in a small space is doing all you can to make it feel less crowded. There are a few easy ways to make your home feel like it has more space for your guests to enjoy. Let me elaborate.
For starters, store that clutter! When there is less stuff occupying your space, there is more room for your guests. We want cozy, not messy. Especially in a small home, you need all the surface area you can get for an event. Think of what you have in your home that is taking up prime party real estate.
Start by clearing off all unnecessary items from your flat surfaces. You want to clean off counters, tables, shelves, anything you can use for space for food and drinks should be clean and available. Temporarily store these items away until after the event.
Limit the Decorations
Additional table décor looks nice but once again takes up much-needed space. If you are planning on decorating for your party, try sticking with items that can be hung and limit items that have to sit on a surface. Banners and wall décor would be ideal.
Watch the Temperature
It gets warm quickly when you are entertaining in a small space, and a hot room will make any space feel more crowded than it is. Be mindful of this as you will likely have to adjust your thermostat as more guests arrive.
Consider Lighting
Candles and lamps are your friend in any space, but especially a small space. Why? Because candles and lamps help make a space feel cozier. And cozy is perfect for an evening event in a small space.
Change the Layout
Sometimes all you need when entertaining in a small space is to change the layout. Take a look at your furniture and ask yourself how you can create optimum space and encourage socializing.
Don’t be afraid to rearrange your furniture! We will often take all of our chairs and move them from the dining room to the living room. We set them up in a semi-circle around the “coffee table” (our coffee table is actually 2 ottomans with a tray on top). With the couch on the other side of the “coffee table”, we can easily make seating for 10 people. Much better than the 3-4 people we can fit on our couch or the 6 people we can barely cram in at the dining room table. This is our go-to seating for events.
This type of circular seating makes for a more engaging party. If we did not move our furniture, the people in the living room would have their backs to the kitchen and the dining room. This makes it much more difficult for people to relax and interact with each other. A simple rearrangement fixes all that. Now take a look at your space and think, how can I arrange my furniture to make the event more engaging for my guests?
Get Creative!
You can use a lot of unexpected places in your home for additional space. A windowsill can be used for guests to set their drinks on. An empty bookshelf can be transformed into a drink station. A side table can house a tray of cookies. Assess the furniture and flat surfaces in your home and see how they can be used to your advantage.
If you are not using your dining table for seating, consider combining that space with counter space for food and drinks. It’s always helpful to have food and drinks in separate areas when entertaining in a small space. It helps to not crowd guests into one area and is ideal for those of you with small kitchens and limited counter space.
Use the kitchen sink, it’s the perfect cooler. If you are providing drinks in bottles or cans, you don’t need a cooler taking up space. Just fill the sink with ice and you have a built-in drink bucket right there.
Limited Surface
No dining table? Use the kitchen countertop or coffee table for food. Clear off any flat surfaces in your home and it becomes a place to hold snacks and drinks. You should also consider purchasing a folding table if you need another surface.
Tables with removable leaves are a blessing when entertaining in a small space. We had one of these tables in our old apartment, and it came with 2 chairs. The dining area was small and when the table was extended it left little space to move in and out of the kitchen. We also had no room to store additional chairs. When it was just us, we kept the leaf covered and stored in the closet. When company came over, the leaf went in and we used our ottomans as extra chairs.
We improvised, and it worked out well for us, allowing us to seat 4 at our table instead of 2. It was perfect for when my parents would come to visit, or if we had another couple over for dinner and games.
The (Seating) Struggle is Real
Move all your chairs to your main living area. Office chairs and desk chairs should all be gathered from the house for extra seating. If you need more seating, you can invest in a few folding chairs that can be easily stored in a closet and taken out for when guests arrive. Not the most comfortable, but better than no seating at all!
B.Y.O.C.
This stands for Bring Your Own Chair. Okay, I’m just kidding here. Well, kind of… Something you can do is ask your guests to bring extra chairs. Many people have camping chairs that they use for traveling or events. Don’t be afraid to ask guests to bring any collapsible seating. It may not look as nice as the seating inside your home, but it works just fine for a casual event.
Use That Floor Space
Yep, I said it! Floors are often an untapped resource for some great seating. Consider buying a set of colorful or patterned chair cushions for guests to sit on. These can easily be arranged around a coffee table for simple seating. Perfect for that game night or an at home picnic style meal.
Cater Your Event to the Space
We all know that small spaces cannot easily host large dinner parties. Your small table may only seat 4 people, not 8. You might not even have a dining room table in your home, and instead use the couch or sit at the kitchen bar for dinner. This is where you need to consider the proper type of event to host in your specific home.
Ok, so maybe you can’t host a big event and invite over everyone you know. But what parties are good for entertaining in a small space?
You have to pay closer attention to the size of your guest list, as well as the type of gathering you will have. This doesn’t mean you can’t still host an array of events in your home. Small spaces are ideal for things such as:
- a girl’s night
- a cocktail party
- a game night
Girl's Night
Let’s be honest here, most girl’s nights can be spent sipping wine on the couch! This is the perfect event to host in a small space. Invite a few close friends and make an evening of it. Set up some light snacks on the kitchen counter or coffee table. Spend the evening relaxing and catching up.
Game Night
You might think you need a table for games nights, but some of my favorite game nights have been spent in the living room. Just gather a few extra chairs around the couch and use your coffee table for cards or board games. If you are really limited on seating, most games can be played on the floor. Make it fun! Gather up pillows, cushions, blankets, and set up the games in the middle.
This seating arrangement reminds me of being a kid, and I would host this event as such. I would get some finger foods to snack on, no utensils needed, and food that you can eat while playing a game. Serve drinks in stable glasses (no stemmed wine glasses tonight) or out of cans.
Have everyone bring over their favorite game. Dinner can be pizza, and for dessert, some fresh baked cookies. Once again allowing you to leave out the need for any silverware!
Cocktail Party
A perk about cocktail parties is that they often encourage moving around. Now, before you start stressing about a group of people moving around in your tiny little home, let me add this. Moving around means less sitting, which translates to less official seating needed. If this event is more social and less sedentary, you can fit more people in a smaller space.
Since cocktail parties are usually after lunch and before dinner, you can skip serving a meal to your guests. Instead, serve some snacks and appetizers for them to enjoy with their drinks. This also helps with the stress of figuring out where to sit everyone down for dinner.
Small Home Potential
I hope that you have found some inspiration in this post that encourages you to invite guests over, no matter how little space you may have. A home is meant to be a place to gather, and any home is a blessing in its own way. Use your space as a welcoming one; see the potential it has and invite others to share in the cozy charm it offers.
