Making Your Home Party Friendly:
How to Host a Party People Remember

Making your home party friendly.

We've all been to that party. Everyone's wedged onto the sofa, nobody's talking, and the most exciting thing happening is the cheese plate slowly sweating in the corner.

And we've all been to the other kind, where the conversation sparkles, people mix and mingle, and suddenly it's midnight and nobody wants to go home.

The difference usually isn't the food or the decorations. It's the setup. A party friendly home makes it easy for people to move around, find a drink and talk to each other. Get that right, and everything else falls into place.

The short version:

  • Clear the floor so guests can move.
  • Put out fewer chairs than guests (except at dinner parties).
  • Spread food and drinks into different rooms to keep people circulating.
  • Pick one theme or color and go big with it.
  • Get the guest bathroom and entryway ready first.
  •  Finish decorating well before the doorbell rings.

Make Room for Your Guests

Whether your home is spacious or snug, give guests room to move in the main gathering areas: the living room, dining room and family room.

  • Clear the floor. Push furniture against the walls, or move bulky pieces like the ottoman and extra chairs into another room and close the door. Roll up an area rug if you're hoping for dancing.
  • Put out fewer chairs than people. It sounds rude, but it works. Except at a dinner party, the energy drops the minute everyone sits down. A few scattered seats for people who need them, and everyone else keeps mingling.
  • Turn the dining table into a buffet. Move the chairs out and let the table do double duty as your hors d'oeuvres station.

Keep Guests Circulating

family party

Here's my favorite party trick: spread things out. Put drinks in one room, the buffet in another and dessert and coffee in a third. People naturally drift from station to station, and they meet new people along the way.

For a smaller group, keep the party to one or two rooms. Close off the den and the upstairs; once guests scatter to the far corners of the house, little cliques form and some guests end up feeling left out. And point everyone to the bathroom you want them to use, so nobody goes wandering through your bedroom looking for one.

Get the House Party Ready

Guests won't notice dust on top of the fridge, but they will notice a crowded entryway and an empty toilet paper roll. Focus your cleaning where guests actually go:

  • The guest bathroom: Clean the sink, mirror and toilet, put out fresh hand towels and soap, and leave an extra roll of toilet paper in plain sight.  These easy guest bathroom ideas can help.
  • The kitchen: Empty the dishwasher before guests arrive so you have somewhere to stash dirty dishes, and start with an empty trash can.
  • Trash and recycling: Put a small, lined trash can in each party room so empty cups don't pile up on every flat surface.
  • Pets: Give them a quiet room of their own. Not every guest is a dog person, and not every dog is a party animal.

Focus on the Big Party Picture

Focus on a single element or color for party decor.

Your party should feel like you, so pick a theme or color that makes you happy, then go big with it. If pink is your color, scatter pink balloons around the house, fill vases with pink roses and greet guests with a rosy drink. One bold idea, repeated, beats a dozen small ones.

Then think about the whole experience:

  • Lighting. Dim the overhead lights and use lamps and candles for a warmer, more flattering glow (everyone looks better by candlelight).
  • Music. Match it to the mood: mellow jazz or classical for a sit-down dinner, something upbeat for a lively celebration. Keep it low enough that people can talk.
  • Little surprises. A dramatic centerpiece that rises above the buffet, flowers floating in glass bowls, a pathway lined with flowerpots. Small touches like these are what guests remember.

Making Your Home Party Friendly Starts Outside

The party starts before guests even ring the bell. A few simple touches set a happy mood from the curb:

Greet guests with a festive front door.
  • A door wreath. Whatever the season, a wreath of flowers, leaves, herbs or fruit tied with ribbon says "come on in." Buy one ready-made, or dress up a plain base of greenery or dried vines with a few inexpensive seasonal touches.
  • Festoons. For a shower or holiday party, drape swags of greenery or indoor-outdoor ribbon along the porch railing or front steps.
  • Twinkle lights. Wrap strings of tiny lights around shrubs or small trees by the entry, or tuck them into a vase of branches in the front window as a welcoming beacon.
  • Light the path. Line the walkway with luminaries or lanterns. Battery-operated LED candles look just as pretty as real ones, and you won't have to worry about a coat sleeve or a gust of wind.
  • Turn on the porch light, and make sure your house number is easy to see.

Finish Early, Then Enjoy Your Party

Here's the most important tip of all: finish decorating well before party time. Aim to be done at least an hour early. Then pour yourself a drink, put on some music and sit down for a few minutes.

A relaxed host makes for relaxed guests. A frazzled one hanging streamers as the doorbell rings? Not so much.

Party-Ready Home FAQs

How do I arrange furniture for a party? Push furniture toward the walls to open the center of the room, remove bulky pieces you don't need and leave just enough seating for guests who need it.

How do I keep guests mingling? Spread food, drinks and dessert across different rooms, and put out fewer chairs than guests so people keep moving.

What should I clean before a party? Focus on what guests see: the entry, the guest bathroom, the kitchen counters and the main party rooms. Skip the rest.

How far ahead should I decorate? Finish at least an hour before guests arrive, so you have time to relax before the doorbell rings.

Company's Coming and the House Is a Mess?

We've all been there. My book The Daily Home Reset includes an Emergency Reset that shows you exactly what to tackle to get your home guest-ready in under two hours.

Keep Going

Plan your next get-together with these related guides: