Don't let the size of your apartment discourage you from hosting dinner parties. It's possible to entertain in a studio apartment with some creative party planning. In fact, your resourcefulness might a great icebreaker!
Separating the living space and keeping clutter to a minimum are only a few solutions to making the best of studio living. But, what if you want to entertain? Good old fashion dinner parties can memorable environments for making new friends and interesting- sometimes hilarious -conversation. Small spaces can make these events cozy and intimate, but the logistics of entertaining in a studio can be frustrating, and prohibitively overwhelming if you don't plan ahead.
Tables and seating are the two main challenges to entertaining in a small space. Dinner parties are really just cocktail parties if you don't have a central dinning area where everyone gathers to talk, drink and tell great stories. Most people in studios don't have the space for a large dining table, but there are many fun alternatives to eating at a traditional dining table. You can take advantage of what furniture you already own and push your dresser, desk and other tables together to make one large surface. Don't worry if your dresser is a little bit lower than your desk. You can either leave it uneven for a cool "thrown together" look or you can prop up your furniture with sturdy books, for a smooth dining surface.
Another idea is to find some large sturdy boxes and build your own temporary dining table. Just stack them together into whatever modular shape you want and use your trusty roll of duct tape to secure the boxes together into one solid unit. Since boxes wrapped in duct tape might not be the most pleasing aesthetic for you guests, buy or make a tablecloth to put over your makeshift dining table. If you don't own a large tablecloth, you can buy a cheap flat sheet from any home goods store. Then you can customize it for a pulled together look.
Having enough chairs can also be a problem in a small space, and I wouldn't suggest using cardboard boxes as an alternative. Sturdy boxes might work as a temporary table, but they may not be safe for sitting unless you want your friends randomly crashing to the floor throughout the night. Just look around your apartment and find furniture that can safely hold the weight of a normal person. Friends can sit on your coffee table, side table, even part of your bed, if you provide a nice little cushion. Also, if you are friends with your neighbors, don't be afraid to ask if you can borrow a few chairs for a night. They probably won't mind lending out some seating and might reciprocate the next time they have a party!
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I agree! I hosted Christmas dinner last year in my 700 sq ft condo and was able to seat 10 adults around my table with ease. I brought in my balcony table, lined it up with my dining table, put a big table cloth over both and that was it!
Another use for cardboard boxes? I thought AT had taken enough of a beating over the cardboard box book case.
Instead of cardboard boxes, you can get a couple of collapsable saw horses --they aren't expensive-- and you'll have them for years for all kinds of uses.
Taping boxes together leaves no leg room for you to be up close to your plate, unless your holding it. And if you're doing that, you might as well not bother with the fake table.
Also, if they're promoting the idea of impromptu tables, maybe they should show a photo with one instead of with a real table with real matching chairs.
Actually that's MY house...
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/house-tours/michaels-masculine-earthytoned-and-modern-studio-house-tour-153457
Those window treatments look lovely! I wish there was a better shot of them... billowy roman shades? And paper screens? So pretty :)
I have cooking demos in my small East Village NY apartment two or three times a week to encourage people to entertain despite their perceived limitations - which are usually lack of cooking ability, nerve and space. I say embrace the quirkiness of your situation and never apologize for mismatched dishes, chairs, a failed dish or a tiny apartment. Space at my dining table is so tight that if one person has to go to the bathroom it's a community effort to get them there, but it's always been difficult to get "students" to leave at the end of the meal. I've learned to just serve more wine and cocktails and to appreciate that strangers are laughing and lingering in my cozy NYC dining room.
@happycamper2168: What a wonderful idea and lovely sentiment. Newly-separated, I wish I could find something like this in my city. Congratulations - you are making so many happy memories for many folks.
Best investment I ever made: $225 for a folding table that expands (with a couple of leaves) from half the size of a card table to an actual long dining table that seats 10 good friends. There is a swing-down leg at the center that prevents total collapse. Three to four people sit on the couch, the armchairs are at the head and foot, and four skinny chairs fit on the outer side. Yes, people have to take turns standing up. But they don't seem to mind.
In our 1st apartment in Brooklyn, my husband & I had a sit down dinner for 20. We had a 475 sf railroad apartment, so we moved the bed into the common hallway (we were on the top floor, so no issues blocking other tenants) & put all our tables together, including the tiny nightstands. We threw a small sheet of plywood over the smaller tables & tossed some sheets over to dress them up some. The key was having all the food cooked well in advance of the party. We set up the cocktail area in our bedroom (the room between the kitchen & the living room). Then when it was time to eat, everyone got into their seats (a huge mixture of sofa, random chairs & stools) & then we passed plates of food down to everyone. It was cramped, but so much fun. Ahhh, to be 23 again!
After years of having depended upon borrowing from the neighbors and/or entertaining cocktail style in our 950 sq ft apt, we finally broke down and bought folding chairs. Used 1x and we are very happy we got them - effortless (no borrowing), practical (just stow them away afterwards) and enables us to make more small conversation areas without worrying whether everyone will find a space. Plus they are simple, dark wood folding chairs ($19 at world market) so they aren't unattractive either.
Michael, my most sincere apologies for mislabeling your beautiful home and giving credit to Stefan- who also has a stylish studio that is, however, markedly different from yours!
272 square feet. 13 people over for a cocktail party. Everyone had a place to sit. I had extra chairs ready to deploy for an occasion like this: stacking hugo chairs from Ikea.