The Ultimate Guide to Getting Your Home Ready for Holiday Hosting
The upcoming holiday season means more gatherings, events, and impromptu get-togethers. Unless you regularly host in your home, the thought of hosting a larger crowd over the holidays can be a little overwhelming. If you’re like me, a little planning and preparation can go a long way in ensuring you can be a less-stressed host.
Of course, if doing it all feels like too much, I’m a fan of hiring experts, from an event planner to a caterer to a bartender and to a private chef for the event. An extra set of professional hands can go a long way in reducing stress of the day. Ensuring you’ve got the menu locked down, the bar is set up or have a signature cocktail that you can batch, a great playlist, and a bouquet of fresh flowers on the table can feel like a lot. Add to that, a missing wine glass, not enough platters or even seats! Right now is the time to check your entertaining closet for everything.
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Tip #1: Select Multi-Functional Items When Furnishing
If you’ve got a beautiful collection of china and crystal, a nice cabinet or glass-enclosed hutch is the perfect way to showcase them. One of my favorite casegoods pieces is a sideboard. I store linens, extra vases and platters, votives, and matches inside. The top acts as a bar for smaller gatherings and as a buffet for larger parties.
Tip #2: Make Several Specific Seating Plans When Planning
Does your dining table have a leaf or two to expand your hosting table? If you haven’t used it a couple of years, it is a good idea to locate the leaves if they aren’t stored inside of the table, and practice putting in the leaves on your own or with the person that will be helping you. This will help reduce stress and frustration as the date draws near.
Then comes the issue of extra seating. If your living and dining room can only seat eight, but your guest list is 20, you already know that’s an issue. While metal folding chairs work in a pinch, they’re not exactly the image of sophistication. Folding chairs now come in bamboo, wood, and even have upholstered seats. Now, they may not be a perfect match, but they’re more comfortable and stylish than a dented metal chair from the garage.
Tip #3: Add Thoughtful Themed Accessories When Decorating
What is nice about several of the fall holidays, is that some of the décor can transition from one into the other. I love natural decorations and utilize pumpkins and gourds from now through Thanksgiving. Right now you can add in Halloween themed items, like jack-o-lanterns, black cats, spooky graveyard and bones, and then remove after Halloween. Take stock. If any of your décor is looking tired, get rid of it so you don’t have to store it later. Pick up some new, fresher items, to use on a buffet, on the table or the bar.
Don’t forget fresh flowers make a really big impact, even if you pick up some premade bouquets from the grocery store and put them in a nice vase, or separate stems with one or two in bud vases.
This can be a very busy and exciting time of year. My final thoughts are to take stock of what you have and begin making plans now. With weeks to go, you have plenty of time to get organized, hire help if needed, and work out the kinks of all the little details. Bonus tip for last-minute hosting: always have a chilled bottle of champagne in the fridge. No one’s been upset with take out and champagne.
If you’re ready for an expert you can trust to make your home beautiful & functional for hosting at a moment’s notice, reach out! We want to help.
Written by Emilie Kyle
Lush Interior Design LLC is a Hospitality, High-end Residential, and Commercial interior design firm located in the Washington, DC area, serving here and beyond. Lush specializes in elevating brands through beautiful and functional interior design to make the most impact on guests and users of each space. If you are a restauranteur, hotelier, creative brand, or association and want the Lush team to manage your interior design project, book a complimentary Discovery Call to discuss how we can help!
