I think it was rude to comment on a friend's party publicly like this. I'd hate to invite you over with the knowledge you'd write it up and comment the next day.

I've done the zone party well, even in a small space.

And there is a time and a place for a kitchen party, I love a good one, but I like to be swanky sometimes, too.

I have always had roommates and before a party move all the furniture around to create hubs, all spread from each other and all with a bit of snack. The drinks go out of the kitchen and the food as well. Treat a party like you're planning a kitchen. The triangle approach. That way, there's not a bottleneck at the bar/food. Guest can get food, and move on, then get a drink, and move on to mingle and dance if need be.

Make furniture easy to negotiate around with two hands full. Sit in each place and see which other seats are easy to chat with. If it's more than 5 other seats, reconfigure.

And have a happy party...don't drink too much if your the host, you still have to clean up!

Oh it's just a rhetorical device, would you all relax?

Do people actually dance at house parties in NY? How odd.

I hosted a party Saturday night and went to a party Sunday night. My party was small, with 10 people. The nightmare was that 2 of the guests showed up at 6:45, 2 others showed up at 6:50, and the rest came between 7:00 and 7:10. I wouldn't have minded, except for the fact that my roommates had left a scrap of foil on the roll so I didn't have enough to wrap around the biscuits when it was time to put them in the oven, so my friend and co-host ran to the store to get more. This left me racing around trying to finish the last touches. I answered the door not quite ready for guests (jeans, tee, no makeup). Thankfully they asked to help, which I hated, but they seemed pleased. While they got set up with drinks, I changed and did a quick makeup job. It ended being a pretty good party, despite the rough beginning.

The party Sunday night was really awkward, with The Circle and people who didn't really know each other. My friend (the host) did the best he could with his small space and conversational skills, but it kind of died.

Remind me to take you off my guest list...

We have a fairly set structure for winter parties. We move the kitchen island under the kitchen and use that for the bar. The food is in the dining area (living and dining are one room) with the table against the wall. Then we move some of the furniture out of the living area to make more circulation space. We usually end with several small groups including some who migrate to the stairs and the first landing.

Pixie (and others),
I think the only way to avoid The Circle in a really small space is to invite a lot of people over, so that not everyone can sit down. If you try this, make sure there are a LOT of people who can't sit at once. If it's only one or two, they'll be stuck standing against a wall, extending The Circle from above....

I am so glad to hear about the circle of doom! I have always wondered why my parties were a flop, now I see! I always have built everything around the living room "grouping". Some would stay in the kitchen but most would just sit in the grouping until I come sit down and entertain everyone. My crowd is used to the typical "Bible-Study" format where everyone sits around and kum-ba-yas. It will be hard to break them but it will be my new goal! I'm sure the lack of drinking doesn't help either...

I sure hope Maxwell's "friends" don't read AT.

And, littledebbie? It's definitely not safe to assume everyone loves funk.

Royalty girl -that's hilarious. Unless you're not kidding, in which case I'm terrified.

Okay, I get the fact that people throwing parties need to consider flow. But really, this post is ridiculous. I have a lot of parties, and they're successful enough that people who have never been to one will sometimes mention to me that they've heard about my parties and need to come to the next one. Two of the best: a Cuban themed party that was supposed to be held outdoors. Except it rained on and off, so we kept pulling things indoors, until there was a ton of food outdoors and drinks and utensils indoors, and really a complete logistical mess. However, that party remains a legend: great food, great people.
The second party was Russian-themed. In my tiny apartment, I shoved together three small tables to make one long one. My borther ended up bring four extra people at the last minute. We sat on stools, a low futon couch, dining rooms chairs and armchairs, all gathered around the makeshift table. It was chaotic and fantastic. There were people there from four different countries, the vodka flowed, there was a lot of excellent food, everyone talked to everyone else. Neither of those parties would have passed your criteria, but they were the best parties I've had. Boring people make for boring parties, and that's pretty much the whole of it. Pretty table settings and all the space and flow in the world won't make up for bad food, bad music, or dull guests.

Re: the rude post party criticizer...that's what you get when you invite people just to maximize your density!