7 Things I Never Leave Out When People Come Over to My Studio Apartment

When I was growing up, I dreamed about having my own place one day. I was excited by the prospect of entertaining, hosting dinner parties, and making drinks and appetizers for friends and family to enjoy every time they visited. The reality, though, ended up being quite a different story for me. Like many single people in an expensive high-cost-of-living urban environment, I live in a roughly 400-square-foot studio apartment in a walk-up building. I still fantasize about all the entertaining and dinner parties I’ve always wanted to do, but the reality is that having people over requires major creativity to make everyone (and all of my stuff) fit. 

After all, I have no magical “other room” to shove everything in before company arrives — or a space to put all their coats, either. My bedroom is my living room and my office; when something is out, it is out. In a larger home, you can simply close a bedroom door before guests arrive. I also have just one small closet and it’s already packed to the gills. So, at the risk of having my life even more on display than it unavoidably is when the bed is in full view of the kitchen table, I have some things I always put away before people come over.

I’m not saying I think any of my friends are kleptomanics, but I do think it’s best to   safeguard anything that’s sensitive, private, or personal. 

My purse contains items such as my keys, money, credit cards, checks, and ID. I just feel better knowing it’s in a safe place, not just to avoid unlikely theft, but also snooping. People are curious! Putting my purse somewhere more private, such as my closet, until the people go home creates a safer, less cluttered space and keeps essentials from being misplaced.

I’d love to tell you I have a laundry room, and all my recently laundered clothes are neatly stashed in there until I put them away. Not so much! Once I do laundry, the bags of clean and dry clothes are often sitting on my floor or couch for a little bit. And the stuff I hang to dry is on a rack right in the middle of my apartment, as there’s no room for it in my bathroom.  

Obviously, hanging undies is not good etiquette when guests come over; stashing the drying rack is a way to maintain visual flow in my small apartment and remove unnecessary clutter. It’s easy, too: I just fold the drying rack and slide it behind furniture. (Of course, the clothes have to be removed from it first.) Doing this frees up actual floor space and removes a visual distraction.

I love my dogs more than anything, but they create quite a mess. I always clean up dog toys and food/water bowls before people come over and put them in a more discreet place, as they are a tripping hazard, and I want people to be safe. It’s also not very inviting to have bits of kibble on the floor or chewed-up dog toys lying around.

I get a ton of mail and packages, especially this time of year, and it can create a busy, cluttered, and not very welcoming environment. I maintain my privacy (and avoid snooping or misplaced mail) by stashing all these items in my desk drawer before people come over. 

Mail and bills have a lot of sensitive information, and I want to maintain my privacy and security whenever I can, even among people I know and trust. But doing this also makes the space neater and helps create necessary counter space, which I can use for cocktails and a cheese plate!

Speaking of countertop clutter, all of it that can go, should go. It reduces visual clutter, which I find distracting, stressful, and sometimes over-stimulating. I shove what I can under my bed or in cabinets that won’t be getting a lot of use during my parties. 

It also makes things seem cleaner, which is more welcoming, especially if guests will be eating there!

Obviously, guests are going to use my bathroom, and unlike people with multiple bathrooms, I can’t simply designate a separate guest bathroom. I’m all for avoiding awkward situations, and no one needs to see my anti-fungal cream or laxatives if they’re coming over for cocktails. 

Even the most well-meaning friends and family will snoop given the opportunity, and this takes away the temptation. (This goes double for my mother.)

I’m a single adult female. Of course these things exist, but no one has to see them unless I want them to, and obviously they get put in a safe and private location whenever anyone is in my apartment.

Ultimately, I might not have the big apartment or elaborate dinner parties I used to fantasize about, but I can still make my tiny home feel welcoming. Sometimes that just means clearing a little space for cocktails, putting away the things that don’t need to be on display, and accepting that hosting in 400 square feet requires a little creativity. And possibly hiding a few things from my mother.