Arranging furniture for the holidays can make your home more inviting and welcoming for your guests. When people can socialize, relax and move around freely, you are ensuring that a good time can be had by all.
Maybe the most important detail is to focus on creating a flow, or a path so that visitors and guests can move around from one space to another. Create a flow in how you decorate by using using themes or color to unify different areas.
How to Use Empty Space in Arranging Furniture
Set the Tone with an Inviting Entry
Welcome your guests into your home with an inviting and functional entry. Make sure to remove all clutter to make it seem pleasant and reduce the danger of falls.
To make an entry functional, have a place for your guests to hang their coats. If there are no closets in your entry, try providing a coat tree and umbrella holder. A chair or bench can also help.
Mirrors are always welcome here. Not only do they make a place seem larger they also reflect light. Chests or hallway tables provide useful surfaces for guests.
Don't forget to put up decorations here to help set the holiday mood.
A Comfortable Place to Sit
It helps to decide on a focal point in the room to anchor it. It could be your Christmas tree, or your fireplace and mantel, or what ever else you may choose. However, one focal point is enough, because a room may start feeling crowded. Having found one, decorate around it.
Sometimes you may find that removing a sofa from the living room can free up more space for sitting, displaying your tree, or just moving around. The sofa can be used in another room to provide additional seating. For instance, your dining chairs can be moved to the living room, while the sofa can be used in the dining room to allow guests to sit down and chat.
An ottoman is especially useful for such occasions. It is a versatile piece of furniture which can be used as a coffee table, or to sit upon, depending on your need. Use any available benches or chairs to augment your seating and to create flexible conversation areas.
A Place to Eat
Unless you have great sit down dinners, chances are you will simply set out food for guests and have them help themselves. In that case you may want to pull your dining chairs away from the table.
Even when you use a dining table to set out the food, you may want to distribute bowls of snacks around the conversation areas you have set up.
Accent tables, nesting tables or coffee tables come in handy for setting down drinks or food. It helps to anticipate your guests' needs by scattering them around the room along with the seating.
Light the Way
Lighting is an integral part of any holiday setting. Layered lighting sources will make your home feel warmer and cozier. Holiday lighting adds to the lighting you already have in your home, which can be dimmed to make your decorations stand out. String lights, candles and a fireplace can all add to your holiday ambiance.
To make things easier for your guests make sure that you have enough lighting around any stairs or passages.
