Get your home ready for guests this Christmas
The small tweaks to make now for (almost!) effortless festive entertaining
Main image: Sophie Allport
Make an entrance
As this will be the first thing your guests will see, give it some TLC. Festive decorations will hide a lot but you might wish to give the door a lick of paint, update door mats, make sure your house number is visible so you’re easy to find if you have new guests, and make sure doorbells and porch lights are working. Have a handy coat stand near the door if your cloakroom or coat rack is already stacked.
Pre-Christmas checklist
Go through the house and check on all the jobs that need to be done pre-Christmas, from getting the chimney swept to clearing gutters and drains. If you’ll be entertaining outside, are paths safe and well lit? Does the boiler need a service, are all your smoke and C02 detectors working? Make sure you have the WIFI password to hand so you’re not having to go foraging for codes for your guests at the last minute, have a few spare chargers as well as free sockets for people to use. Consider four-legged friends over the festive season, whether they are your own or your guests. Where will they sleep, be fed and find a quiet spot if they need to, and do you need to move tempting baubles up high?
Lounge in style
From popcorn machines and film projectors to throws and floor cushions, create spaces to relax with guests as well as the more formal dining set-up. If you have a working fireplace, then it is easy to create that festive cosiness, otherwise battery powered candles and fairy lights can bring atmosphere.
Pictured: OKA, Lights4Fun, Industville
Create calm in the kitchen
The key space for festive entertaining, the kitchen will need to be fully functional. Clear out the freezer, fridge and cupboards to make space for all your festive treats. Check the oven works or go for an upgrade. Make sure lighting is both functional, and if you’ll be entertaining in the kitchen, atmospheric too. Quick wins for a kitchen update include new splashbacks, cupboard door handles, or, if you have suitable surfaces, paint the cupboard doors. Check you have all the pans, crockery, glasses and cutlery you may need as well as a stack of tea towels and decent oven gloves.
Pictured: Everhot, Annie Sloan
Hotel-style bathrooms
Give your bathroom boutique hotel vibes – stack super-soft towels, upgrade bathmats and ensure that any leaks, or issues with water pressure, have been fixed well in advance. Make sure locks are working well. A good-sized mirror will help a small bathroom look bigger and is appreciated by overnight guests who may not have their own bedroom to stay in.
Plants and artwork can style up the space, a diffuser can bring in seasonal scents, and lotions can be decanted into pretty bottles. If you have more time and budget, upgrade tiles, shower niches and fittings.
Pictured: Suprima, Bathroom Mountain
Get rid of the clutter
If you clear the decks in advance, it will make life easier when your house is full of guests and all their belongings. Tackle one small space at a time or allocate a small amount of time each day to avoid overwhelm. List unwanted items on the likes of Vinted or there are many great charity shops on our doorstep looking for donations. If you have a prized possession but really no room or use for it, consider gifting to family or friends this Christmas. Tidy up bookshelves, add lighting and statement bookends. Clear out cloakrooms and make space in guest wardrobes. Install shelves to take pressure off surfaces, particularly in bedrooms with small bedside tables. Storage baskets are handy for last-minute tidy ups.
A place to sleep
The festive season can be exhausting so make your own bedroom a peaceful retreat and consider how to make a relaxing space for guests. This could include soft throws and cushions, a bedside table, and lighting – including perhaps a sensor-operated floor level light to make night-time navigation easier for guests. Add in some subtle Christmas decorations and a decanter of sloe gin.
Pictured: Nkuku
