Around this time of year, many of us will find ourselves playing host to family and friends. Whether you have guests coming in for a couple of days or a couple of weeks, your home likely needs some preparation before it is guest-ready. You want to make sure your guests are comfortable, make sure your space is ready for entertainment activities, and ultimately provide enough space to keep everyone in the home sane.
It can be difficult to know where to start when prepping your home for guests. Luckily, Daniels Design & Remodeling in Northern Virginia has plenty of experience designing homes that are perfect for hosting. Here are our top 5 tips for prepping your home for guests:
1. Create multi-purpose rooms
Many of us don’t have the luxury of endless space for hosting guests. If you live somewhere that has limited space, it is important to maximize the usefulness of your existing rooms. If you have limited bedroom space, you might consider combining a guest room with an office or craft room. It is possible to design a beautiful guest room that doubles as an office space and is organized and functional enough not to crowd your guest.
2. Provide storage space
Whether your guest is staying long-term or short-term, they are bound to have brought some belongings with them. Without a place to store these belongings, it is easy for your guest to begin feeling cramped. Even in a small space, there are a few simple ways that you can provide storage for a guest. One example is to clear out a closet or a dresser drawer where they can store their clothing. Your guests will feel more at home and less like they are living out of a suitcase.
It’s also important to consider if you have enough storage space throughout the rest of your home. When prepping for a guest, many of us realize that we need to tidy or “hide” our cluttered belongings. While it is best to get rid of things you don’t need, you can also save yourself some stress by ensuring that you have plenty of storage space available in your home. Organizing your closets, installing shelves in a laundry room, and closed-cabinet doors are some simple solutions to increase your storage capacity.
3. Additional seating
Your guests are going to be spending a lot of time in your home, whether that is during mealtime or socializing in the living spaces. A component of guest prep that is often overlooked are the seating arrangements? Does your table big enough to seat a larger group for Thanksgiving? Do you have enough seating in your living room to make everyone comfortable? Making sure that you have additional seating before your guests arrive will save you some stress when you are in the middle of hosting. In your living area, ottomans can function as both additional seating, tables, and foot rests. In your dining area, consider dining tables that have removable leaves so that your table is the exact right size for the number of people coming over for dinner.
4. Update appliances and fixtures
Your current appliances and fixtures might be contributing to your stress-level when hosting guests. When cooking for guests, updated kitchen appliances can improve your cooking experience and provide functionality for cooking larger meals. Similarly, you might consider whether your refrigerator provides enough space when you are hosting meals.
Updating a few other appliances and fixtures in your home can also help with water consumption. When hosting guests, you are likely going to be washing a lot of sheets and bedding. Newer washer and dryer models will not only work better, but they are also designed to reduce your water consumption during this time. You can also update your bathroom fixtures, such as a low-flow showerhead, to improve water consumption and hot water use when you have guests staying over.
5. Make the space your own
Ultimately, the goal when hosting is to make sure that your guests feel as comfortable and welcome as possible. Your guests care about you and that is why they are choosing to stay in your home and not a hotel! By making sure that your home’s style reflects your personality, you are sure to make your guests feel comfortable and at home. If you are not sure where to begin with your interior design, take a minute to complete Daniels Design and Remodeling’s Design Personality Quiz to find your style.
Contact Daniels Design & Remodeling Today
Our team at Daniels Design and Remodeling are experts at designing homes that are perfect for you, your family, and your guest’s needs. If you need assistance with creating spaces for entertaining guests, reach out to Daniels Design & Remodeling today. Our team is happy to answer any questions you might have, and we look forward to hearing more about your upcoming projects!
