Some people like their home to be their sanctuary, a place to relax in sweet solitude at the end of a hard day. On the other hand, others thrive off the company of guests, be they friends, family, or romantic partners, but for this, you need to have an inviting home. We’ve put together this guide explaining how to make a home feel welcoming to visitors, with nine surefire tricks covering decor choices, layout, and more. Now, enough with the small talk, let’s get started!
Inviting Home Tips #1: Make It Easy to Find a Seat
This simple one can even be used as a temporary trick for a guest-heavy weekend. When inviting guests, you need to be prepared for them to be comfortable, so while an abundance of chairs and sofas is always a good idea, it’s also essential to lay them out in a way that makes it easy for them to reach. No one wants to take part in an obstacle course when they’re coming over for a cocktail party.
Inviting Home Tips #2: Emphasize Natural Light
Make the rooms in your house where you plan to entertain guests the areas that get the most natural light. While most hosting occurs in the evenings, household lunch dates, afternoon coffees, and long weekends with friends can be just as fun and rewarding. Making the most of natural light in the daytime is a great way to increase the sense of space in a room while offering numerous mental and physical health benefits.
Quick Tip – Have Food, Drink, or Activities Ready: Your home can look the part perfectly, but that can only do so much of the heavy lifting. Make sure you’ve prepared some refreshments or entertainment before your guests arrive.
Related article: Pop-Up Guest Room Ideas for Hosting Overnight Guests With Flair
Inviting Home Tips #3: Start at The Entryway
Nothing says welcoming decor like a lovely welcome mat! Having a nice mat for your guests to rub their shoes off when they arrive at your home is a great way to set the tone for a lovely visit, and a friendly message on there is a bonus! The same goes for having a nicely painted door with warm and inviting colors, and of course, the immediate space after the door is opened. Start strong with a nice, tidy entryway to make your guests feel at ease from minute one.
How To Make a Home Feel Welcoming #4: Embrace Plants!
Biophilic design is all the rage at the moment, and for good reason. With many studies supporting the concept that it can significantly improve our physical and mental well-being, it only makes sense that it would make a home feel more inviting to guests and visitors. Bringing a variety of lush greenery into your home will naturally make guests feel a little more at ease while also curating a lively atmosphere from the jump; just don’t crowd your spaces.
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Quick Tip – Choose some Nice Music: Along with comfort, sights, and smells, some nice, easy-listening music is a great way to make someone feel welcome in your home when they come over.
How To Make a Home Feel Welcoming #5: Smells Are Key
This tip demonstrates that welcoming home decor doesn’t all have to take the form of furniture, art, or plant life (although certain plants can contribute to it) and that targeting the other senses can also be a great way to put guests in a good headspace. With smells, there are several directions you can go in, whether you choose a scented candle, diffuser, or even go all out with the incense sticks. As a bonus tip, pair the smells with some music to activate the senses!
Inviting Home Tips #6: Create a Space for Food/Drinks
However long your friends and family have traveled to see you, the least you can reward them is refreshments and a place to enjoy them. This could be a collection of high stools around a kitchen island, a fully-fledged dining set, or a few smartly-placed ottomans around a coffee table, depending on the nature of the visit. Either way, you want your guests to know that you’ve prepared for their arrival – all more that you need is some food and drinks!
Photo by Olga Lioncat from Pexels
Quick Tip – Make it Your Own: While entertaining and accommodating guests is a great experience, don’t make your house too guest-centric. It will host only you and your family most of the time, so ensure it shows.
Inviting Home Tips #7: Keep Your Home a Comfortable Temperature
That perfect sweet spot of temperature in your home is tough to find without human interference, which is why it’s great that we have heaters and AC! This is an integral part of hosting guests, as too hot or cold of a home will make people feel intrinsically uncomfortable, regardless of how kitschy and cozy your decor is. Keep it warm in the winter and cool it down in the summer, adjusting accordingly as the seasons pass – simple.
How To Make a Home Feel Welcoming #8: Tidy Up!
As the old saying goes, tidy house, tidy mind! This is the simplest yet most important tip in this list. No one’s saying you have to live in a meticulously clean house all year round, but when company comes over, it’s a different story. Get rid of those old newspapers you’ll never read, get your socks off the floor, and get your kitchen spotless for the love of God. A nice, tidy space is the least a guest can ask for after the journey to see you.
Photo by Vecislavas Popa from Pexels
Inviting Home Tips #9: Choose Cozy and Inviting Decor
Hardwood floors can look bare and harsh, especially with visitors, as are meticulously clean and minimalistic sofas and chairs. A shaggy throw or rug can warm up the atmosphere in the living room, as do accent cushions and pillows. You don’t want your guests to feel on edge when they enter your house, so opting for slightly less pristine, white furniture is another thing to learn when figuring out how to make a home cozy.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, you now know just how to make a home feel welcoming to guests whenever they grace you with their visits. Keep things tidy but not too pristine, bring out the beauty of nature, and always provide plenty of seating options. If you’re still stuck for inspiration, visit one of the many great decor and interior design blogs on the internet.
