How to entertain people in a small rental apartment
Do you think living in a small apartment makes entertaining difficult? Quicklets offer some suggestions for maximising space and finishing touches in your mini pad.
How to entertain people in a small rental apartment
Receiving guests in a small rental apartment might take a couple of extra precautions, but it certainly shouldn’t hinder your guests from having a lovely time and you from being a perfect host. Consider the following tips to make the most use out of a small space.
Decluttering
There are many steps you can take to work towards a more minimalist interior – and I promise you, it is ever so liberating! Work towards letting go of all unnecessary objects weighing you down and taking up space in your already small apartment.
When you have a really good look at your belongings and consider taking up a simpler approach towards the things in your apartment, you’ll be amazed at just how much space these objects are needlessly occupying – and that includes mental space, too.
This is particularly important in the kitchen. When entertaining guests with food, you need every inch of that counter and kitchen table. Toss all unnecessary appliances, donate out-of-fashion ornaments.
We sometimes tend to keep a lot of items by trying to justify them as being ‘sentimental’ – but are they really? Ask yourself this - does this object really have sentimental value? The odds are you hardly even remember where it came from, or have plenty other objects to remind you of the particular person or time in your life!
The biggest bonus here, though – more space! More space means a much better environment for receiving your guests. It will also make it much easier to clean, another very important aspect when entertaining. A de-cluttered apartment is one step closer to dust-free.
Keep your decor simple
This leads us to the second important tip. Not only is plain modern decor tasteful and in fashion, if you have limited space, it is extremely practical.
This is especially important if you have many guests around one table; keep the table decor as minimal as possible. Avoid centrepieces and flower arrangements, and opt for more practical decor like candles and ornate napkin holders.
Get creative
If you live in a small flat, chances are you don’t have a lot of furniture or big tables. If entertaining a larger number of guests, consider joining two smaller tables to create a buffet table -- simply cover with an elegant cloth. Temporarily remove and stash away items which aren’t needed for your party, such as books, CDs and personal items to make space for your guests’ belongings as well as cups and utensils.
If you are limited in kitchen space, one aspect to consider is strategically timing the serving times. For instance, offer appetizers to your guests while popping other food in the oven, distract them with drinks while you quickly prepare the next course.
It is also important to space out food items, drinks and cups so as to disperse your guests and avoid a lot of traffic in one area of your small apartment.
Our last tip – ventilation!
Your small apartment might seem to be the right temperature when it is mostly empty, but small spaces heat up quickly with a lot of guests. Make sure to open up windows and take all possible steps to ensure enough air flow at all times.
Entertaining can be made fun and easy after becoming conscious of the space you have to work with, and simply taking a few extra steps towards creating the right environment for your guests. Soon enough, these habits will become second nature and hosting will be a breeze!