The holiday season has arrived and it’s the happiest time of the year! These last few months of the year are filled with cheer, decorations, parties, and my #1 favorite… FOOD! Good food, good wine, and good company are all you need to have the perfect dinner party in your apartment home. If you’re concerned about whether you have enough space in your apartment home, let me erase your fears and tell you that there are 5 steps to host a dinner party in a small space.

Step One: Throw a Dinner Party

The number one thing that prevents a successful dinner party in a small apartment is not throwing one at all. Seriously. If you haven’t hosted a party because you're embarrassed that it's not decorated like you wanted or you have this pre-existing thought that parties should be big and glamorous... stop.  It may only be for three people, or maybe you'll surprise yourself by fitting in 15 people or more. Maybe you can invite your neighbors! Ask around on your Camden community’s resident portal, MyCamden. It’s a great place to connect with your community.

Step Two: Rearrange Your Furniture

• Utilize a long coffee table with pillows or footstools as seating

• Push a few tables together, balance some boards on tables and cover them up with a tablecloth

• Do a buffet-style dinner where the kitchen table is the casserole zone and guests plop down in the nearby room on a large pillow, footstool, or couch

• Fold out futons out flat and place a large mirror on top that acts as the table's surface

• Don't be afraid to move your kitchen table into the family room or use a side bench instead of dining room chairs

Step Three: Find the Right Light

Anything can be improved with good mood lighting. The overhead lights or tracked lighting in your apartment home use energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs. They’re GREAT for never having to change a lightbulb, but they aren’t the best for atmospheric lighting.

• Lamps with warm white light

• Tea lights and candles

• String lights or globe string lights

Photo courtesy of Siniz Kim on Unsplash

Step Four: Be Smart With the Space You Have

• Have your guests label their drinks to avoid having a pile of dirty cups

• Use wine charms, drink stirrers, or a marker

• Designate a place for your guests to put their things to avoid feeling cramped, like a bedroom for purses and coats

Step Five: Keep it Simple

• Less is more!

• Set up simple centerpieces such as one singular flower

• Use clean, solid lines compared to loads of patterns

Wherever you live, you can throw some kind of dinner party. Everything else can be worked around or managed, but you have to commit to throwing a party first. Entertaining in a small space is a wonderful idea because it promotes coziness and closeness with your friends, family, and neighbors. Whether it's a studio apartment or a three-bedroom apartment, you can host a dinner party for the holidays as long as you prepare! If you find that you still need space, utilize the clubhouses in your Camden community! Some amenity rooms can even be rented.

Photo courtesy of Camden Cypress Creek