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Hosting a Gathering in a Small Space

Hosting a Gathering in a Small Space

When it comes to being the hostess with mostess there isn’t all that much you need to do – when you have great friends and family, you could get away with buying in a small cake and handing out the cups of tea. Sometimes though, you might want to do something a bit more extravagant, the best nights are the ones where the atmosphere was relaxing, the wine and music flow and so does the conversation. Luckily, it doesn’t matter the size of the space you have to work with; it just matters how you work with it.

Photo by Kelsey Chance on Unsplash

 

If you don’t have much space, here are some tips for you:

 

Move it move it. Take a look at the flow of your space, are there a couple of things that you could move to make it easier to get between the kitchen and the living area? If so, think about moving them out the way in advance. It makes it easier for people to make their way around without feeling like they are imposing or going to knock anything over.

 

Top tipple. Place a tray of cocktails or beers as near to the entrance as you can manage. This will stop the ‘lock’ in the kitchen. If a few people have gone in to get a drink, then a few more followed, you might find people trapped. Pre-empt this and have something to drink on the way in, and another tray in the area you have designated for sitting/relaxing.

 

If you don’t have an endless supply of glasses and nowhere to set down the two trays mentioned above, hook a different wine glass charm to each glass stem. This way people are more likely to use the same glass for the whole evening unless they change drinks later on. This saves on clean up too – win-win.

 

A few people in a small place produce far more body heat than you might’ve anticipated. Make sure that you have a window open (if possible) at each end of your apartment. It is also essential that you aren’t cooking as people arrive. The oven or grill produce a lot of heat.

 

Spread the tasty treats. Again, much like the drinks make sure you have a selection of snacks around the place. The kitchen and the congregation area are the best places for this. If you are catering to different people, make sure that you label up the trays well. For example, have a vegan platter, and a meat tray and keep them as separate as you can. Thinking ahead and catering well for the people you love is something gratifying. Great snack options are olives, cheese cubes, breadsticks, tapenade, crisps, and a selection of breads. If you get stuck for ideas, splash out on a contract catering company and leave the hard work to them.

 

Have a designated space for coats and bags – but consider letting people keep shoes on. Shoes can cause all sorts of tripping hazards in smaller homes, bags, and jackets, however, can be hung up out the way with ease.

 

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