Are you one of those households that’s always caught out when guests unexpectedly arrive? Have you ever realised just as you open the door that there’s no food in the fridge or felt embarrassed that the house isn’t very tidy? Do you find yourself rushing around trying to clean rooms and change beds just before friends and family arrive for the weekend? We’ve all been there.
But wouldn’t it be nice to welcome in friends and family without the last-minute panic? Well, with a few simple changes to your home and regular routine, it’s perfectly possible. Here’s how to ensure your home is always ready for guests.
Create a practical and welcoming hallway
The first thing that guests see when you open the door is the hallway, so this is a good place to start with any changes to your home and family routine. Hooks and storage benches are good for keeping your hallway tidy and welcoming. This also creates a more practical space where guests can take their coats and shoes off in comfort. So, their visit starts off on the right foot.
Next, it’s worth thinking about adding some welcoming touches. Some bright art on the walls or fresh flowers can work wonders but if you don’t want to be replenishing vases regularly, a dried flower bouquet is a good option.
Decorate the spare bedroom
You want your guests to feel at home. So, if they’re staying overnight, a homely guest bedroom is essential. As we don’t use them often, the décor doesn’t typically get the same love and attention as the rest of the home. But decorating your guest bedroom as you would your master bedroom will ensure it has a much more welcoming feel.
Think about using colours like sage green and sky blue for a sense of calm or colours like terracotta and taupe to boost cosiness. Keep the bed made, so it’s ready to go. And make sure you dress it with coordinating layers, so it looks inviting and allows guests to adjust the warmth to their preference. That way they’ll get a good night’s sleep.
Boost your storage
In any home, clutter can soon appear. So, when the doorbell goes, we often find ourselves racing around to clear this away. But you can stop clutter from building up and make it easier to tidy up by simply boosting your storage.
Alcove cupboards and shelves lined neatly with storage baskets are two good solutions for the lounge but it’s useful to have plenty of storage all around the home. So, things are more likely to be put away rather than left out.
Give your bathroom the spa touch
Bathrooms, especially those that are used by the whole family, are often messy spaces that we’d rather guests didn’t see. But that’s not always practical. Thankfully, it doesn’t take much work to change the ambience of your bathroom. Again adding storage, such as a vanity unit under the sink, will hide away much of the clutter.
But you can also make it more guest-friendly by adding a few luxury touches. Keep your best towels neatly rolled up on a shelf, so they’re always ready for friends and family to use and pop your handwash and shower gel into stylish glass bottles. So, there’s no need to swap basic toiletries out for fancier brands before guests arrive.
Use a professional cleaner
It’s difficult to blitz around the whole house at short notice and if you have kids, it can be nearly impossible to keep the place clean all the time. So, it’s worth considering using a professional cleaner.
A weekly clean should help you stay on top of things like bathroom, kitchen and floor cleaning, which can be incredibly time-consuming. But crucially, it will save you from panicking just before guests arrive and ensures that your home is always looking and smelling its best should any visitors pop by.
Stock up the freezer
One of the biggest worries about having guests is what to feed them. Especially if someone calls around unexpectedly. So, one way to make sure you always have something suitable to feed guests is to batch-cook your best dishes and freeze them.
It’s a good idea to portion meals up. That way you can lift out the exact amount of food you need to feed your family and the guests.
Create a flexible dining space
You may have something to feed your guests, but it also helps to have a dining space that can accommodate them. It’s not always practical to have a large table in your dining room, so a drop-leaf or extendable table is a great way to keep things flexible.
If you’re one of those households that scrabbles around to find extra chairs to seat guests at Christmas, it may be an idea to stash some fold-up dining chairs in your utility room or pantry. So, it’s quick and easy to add more seats to the table, whatever the time of year.
