Considering a party this weekend? Most homes are designed to accommodate a relatively small number of people on a daily basis. But then you decide to have a party and the guest list swells from ten to forty and you wonder how they're all going to fit. Some tips, after the jump...
- What type of party is it? A dinner party may only mean rounding up a few chairs from other rooms or extending a table while charades requires figuring out some place that will represent the stage. Move the furniture around: a dining room table can be pushed up against a wall; couches can be pulled away from the coffee table; dining chairs can couple up with small tables to create a space for conversation. You may find, when the party's over, that you've discovered a new furniture arrangement for your home.
- What type of food are you serving? Knife and fork food requires that people have some place to put their plates; for a cocktail party you might want to consider having two drink stations so that people all don't all hover in the same area. Same goes for food; divide it up and place it around your home so that your guests will move around.
- How many people are you having? A few people over for dessert can sit around the living room while a larger party needs a variety of spaces: small intimate places for quiet conversation, places for people to stand around and chat, a place for friends who smoke, a place for a big pile of coats and handbags.
More about a panini party potluck over at The Kitchn.
We don't have a SUPER small space, but its small enough (740 sqft). I thought we going to have seating problems when we had our housewarming party, until I realized: we have seating for TWENTY people, all in little groups (including our dining room table). Twenty! On an everyday basis. Incredible.
view Cashew's profile
My apartment is small- 286 sq feet, and I have managed several parties with about 40 people each time. I found it easiest to move everything to round the edges of the room, not even think about food, and bought a big pile of unbreakable beakers for the first one that have continued to be used for subsequent bashes. Generally, I make the bedroom the chillout zone, with ambient music, and the living room/kitchen more up beat and funkier. The fridge gets completely emptied, and everything goes on the window sill outside to stay cool. Most importantly, any breakable things that I would hate to lose go under the bed. My maximum number for dinner is 8, however.
view Edinburgher's profile
yikes! we have a decent sized apartment, 1080 square feet, on two levels with the bedroom upstairs. it is making me claustrophobic to think about even 20 people in here! i don't do well with compact crowds, though :)
view nikki moore - photography and vintage treasures's profile
I don't think I could ever have a dinner party in my apartment! I don't even have a dining table. It's less than 400 sf and that's including the closet and the bathroom, so the main living area and kitchen is only 250 sf. So tiny! I've been wanting to rearrange the furniture forever, so maybe that would help. If I ever did have a party I'm sure I'd just have a joint party with my next door neighbors who are my very good friends and have a 3 bedroom 2-story apartment :)
view abdesign's profile
I've only done a couple small parties here so not a ton of good advice - but I know I could seat 15 or more people without adding a single chair (counting all rooms besides the bedroom).
I've always found it best to just lay out coats and jackets and the such on the bed in my bedroom - and I ask smokers to use the balcony.
view ChrisGal's profile