Best Ways to Arrange Your Furniture for Your Holiday Party

 The holidays are about spending time with the people you cherish, sharing a warm meal, and reminiscing over the memories of the year. Rearranging your home for the holidays sets the scene for festivities and celebrations. Whether you’re a seasoned holiday host or it’s your dinner party debut, there is always room for new decor inspiration to refresh your home’s festive look. Here are a few tips for furniture arrangement to transform your home into a winter wonderland this holiday season.

Furniture Arrangement Essentials

The flow of a party is dependent on the space. Aim to create cozy seating arrangements to encourage pockets of conversation throughout the room. You will likely have to rearrange your furniture to form smaller groupings, particularly in larger rooms. Arrange your living room for conversation by turning the sofas away from the television and towards the fireplace or coffee table instead. Consider placing matching couches back to back with a thin table or console in between them, forming a structural anchor in the room.

You can also use a rug to define your smaller furniture arrangements – this creates visual structure and flow through the space. Using rugs to define seating spaces keeps conversation over a coffee table largely uninterrupted by movement. Rugs also make the room feel a little warmer – making them a welcome addition to a winter evening event!

Remove What You Don’t Need

Hosting a party means your home will be fuller than usual, and you could probably do with some more space to move. Try to eliminate unnecessary clutter from countertops, fireplace mantles, TV consoles, and other surfaces. Plan your furniture arrangement around the party activities you have planned for the evening. If you hope to spend time playing games in the living room, move extra end tables out of the way for more space.

Spacing Rules

While arranging furniture is in many ways a freeform pursuit, there are a few time-honored rules to consider. In general, there should be 3 feet of space between furniture pieces so people can walk easily between each grouping. This spacing ensures people are within a comfortable talking distance without being uncomfortably close to one another. For arrangements with a central coffee table, the table should be anywhere from 15 to 18 inches from the nearest sofa or chair. Sticking to this distance means you’ll be able to place your drink on the table while seated.

Extra Seating

Depending on how many guests you’re expecting, you might need to provide some extra seating. Try swapping out your cumbersome coffee table for an ottoman that people can use as a comfy seat. Other seating options include folding x-benches, armchairs, poufs, and movable wooden stools. Populating unused corners with lightweight seating encourages your guests to move around and mingle during the holiday party.

Essential Spaces

Once you have your largest spaces arranged for the festivities, two other rooms that need your attention: the entryway and the powder room. Regardless of where your guests end up mingling, they’ll all arrive and leave through the entryway and likely visit the powder room. Have your guests walk through an array of ornaments or twinkling fairy lights over the door frame to welcome them to your party in style.

In the powder room, make sure you have hand towels, a lit seasonal candle, tissues, and toilet paper easily accessible and nicely displayed. You can also dress up your bathroom walls with festive wall art or add a holiday-themed soap next to the basin. Last but not least, move all your personal belongings out of the way. Leaving toothpaste on the counter doesn’t say “party-ready”!

Food and Drinks

Aside from good conversation and a festive atmosphere, a holiday party is all about good food and drinks. Transform a bar cart or dining room cabinet with a floral centerpiece and tea-light candles to guide guests towards the drink station or buffet. Carve a clear path through your home for guests to find the food and drinks station using thoughtful furniture placement.

Before the guests arrive, try the walking path yourself and relocate any obstacles. Lighting can also be a useful tactic to guide people to food and drinks. Drape a string of twinkle lights on the wall behind the bar or weave them around the bar cart to encourage guests to imbibe.

Holiday Decorations

What’s a holiday party without festive decorations? Make your holiday decor the center of attention and arrange your furniture around larger pieces to set them as focal points in the room. Create a fun holiday centerpiece for your dining table, add festive accents above your TV unit, and dress up the windows and walls to add festive energy to every room.

Find Holiday Decor at Home Zone Furniture

However you plan to celebrate this holiday season, Home Zone has the furniture and decor you need to get your home dinner party-ready. Our friendly team of consultants would love to help you choose new additions to your dining set to wow every guest at your party. Get in touch with us or visit any of our Home Zone stores to find the furniture you need to make your space sparkle for the festive season.