5 Ways to Get your House Ready for a Dinner Party
If you're having friends over for drinks or a dinner party, try some of these tips to get your home ready before guests arrive.
29/11/2021
If you're having friends over for drinks or a dinner party, try some of these tips to get your home ready before guests arrive.
Tidy up fast
When guests stop by to drop in for a quick snack or a couple of drinks you don’t have to worry too much about the house being spic and span. All you need to do is to ensure that the main areas are neat and tidy. Do a quick inspection in areas they will see such as the kitchen, bathroom and living room, save the more time-consuming tasks for when guests will be staying a while.
When you are expecting guests to stay over, you will want your home to be as clean as possible.
Take a closer look at living spaces and do any decluttering that tends to occur most often in a living or family room. One area that always screams clutter are bookshelves and these normally end up looking messy if they are used all the time. Ditch the knick-knacks and arrange family photo frames into a sense of order before turning your attention to any other areas that tend to collect clutter, particularly kitchen and bathroom countertops.
Switch out the family's tatty towels for a selection of fluffy towels in all sizes.
A good time-saver when you are short
on time or have had no advance notice that
guests are unexpectedly going to be arriving on
your doorstep is to grab a duster and do a quick
wipe around the house. One hack that everyone
finds handy now and again is to pick up stuff
lying around and toss them into a laundry
basket that can be hidden out of sight until you
have a gap to sort it out. While it might not be
the most organised solution is it definitely a
fast one!
Sparkly clean
One eye-glaringly obvious area that often gets overlooked or ignored is the accumulation of dirty’ fingerprints on the walls, corners and doors, pet odours in the carpet and curtains desperately in need of a dry cleaning. Take a moment to stand back and see how visitors view your home when walking in for the first time and you will immediately notice things that missed your attention before.
The first step is always to look at your curb appeal and slowly work your way indoors, making sure to inspect everything - including ceiling fans and pendant lighting. Wipe down grimy light switches and grime around the door frame. In the kitchen, stack groceries neatly inside cupboards and wipe your oven interior down, just in case guests decide to come through to the kitchen to offer a helping hand.
For those that simply do not have enough time to even attempt a few of these chores. It is good to know that, in this digital age, you can save yourself a lot of stress and sweat simply by getting in touch with a cleaning service such as SweepSouth. These guys will make sure that your house is spotlessly clean and tackle any time-intensive items such as deep-cleaning the fridge, de-greasing the oven and hob or making the windows shine.
Decor hacks
Try these quick decorating tips to create a dinner-party feel fast:
Entrance area: Set the mood for guests as they walk in by placing a scented candle close to your front door. If you have a console table, turn it into the star of the show with a quick, but stunning display of different sized glass vases filled with flowers. For a party feel, lay a row of sparkly fairy lights on top for instant night-time glitz.
Sitting room: Dress up your home with faux fur cushions and sumptuous fabric throws over the backs of couches. Next, find a corner where you can create a statement, and put a cake stand on top of a small table, adorned with tea light candles and white roses.
Gorgeous little touches
Try these style ideas for instant effect:
• Style your table in a flash. Pop in to the garden to trim springs or fresh, green foliage. You can use this to add colour to the dining table, to make napkins rings or to freshen up crisp white serviettes. Make up decorative place cards and the rest is easy!
• Crafty? Freshen up the dining table with freshly cut flowers in a beautiful vase or lightly dust silk flowers with glitter.
• Tie sprigs of greenery to the backs of chairs with a pretty ribbon.
• Dress a shelf to impress with white candles and even better if you select scented candles. Group the candles down the centre of the dining table and bring in green foliage and delicate white blossoms.
Time for treats
Easy entertaining tips for added glamour:
• Welcome hungry guests by readying a plate of little snacks on a console table as they arrive.
• Serve your drinks from a metallic tray for a glamorous touch.
• Tie coloured ribbons to the bottom of Champagne flutes - it will help guests keep track of their glasses.
• Who doesn’t love an easy-to-create cheeseboard? Laying out the ingredients is simple, and you can buy them ahead to store in the fridge for days. And don't overlook making an impression by setting out a cheese board with a variety of popular cheese along with crackers. Where there is space on the board, add some grapes and nuts, and you have a cheese board that’s all-out fantastic.
Final Word
Remember that a warm welcome and loving
atmosphere will trump all else. Regardless of
how prepared you are, or how much you have to
offer guests, just put on a great playlist to
set the mood, then relax and relish the evening.