I love entertaining and bringing all my friends together at my Camden Plaza apartment. This can be challenging at times when we try hosting more than ten people in our apartment, but with a lot of practice I’ve come up with easy ways to help maximize a smaller space when hosting a party in your apartment.

Here are 7 simple steps I live by when hosting a party in our apartment. 

Photo courtesy of Rule 1: Clear out the Clutter

We all have little knick-knacks we love to decorate our apartment with. These little pieces that mean so much to us can often get in the way when we have a lot of friends over. I always move our small pieces of furniture and those little trinkets into a room where we are not entertaining. This leaves more space on side tables and the kitchen table to place food and drinks. The less you have in the space you are entertaining, the more room your guests will have to move around freely.

Rule 2: Think of different ways your furniture can be used

• Place a solid white table cloth over your coffee table or small side table. This will give your small space a more elegant look along with brightening up the apartment.

• If seating is scarce, place pillows around the coffee table. This won’t only give off a laid back vibe, but it will welcome your friends to sit down while they eat and drink.

• You can also place food or drinks on the table to free up space in your kitchen. If you have other flat surfaces like shelves they can also make a great space for placing food or drinks.

• Fill your sink with ice and use it as a cooler to hold bottles of wine, beer or carafe.

Rule 3: Designate a place for your guests to put their things

No one wants to hold their purse throughout the entire party or if it’s a winter day, carry their big puffy jackets around. It becomes cramped and uncomfortable for your guests when they have to deal with their belongings. I always designate our bedroom for our friends to put their purses, coats and other luggage they have brought with them. 

Rule 4:  Keep the décor very simple

It’s always fun to decorate the space you’re using to entertain for whatever special occasion you are celebrating, but in a smaller space, big decorations can be overwhelming. Keep it simple with small vases and a single stem flower arrangement or try hanging the decor higher. Pom-poms or a banner hung high on a wall creates a great background for a photo-op.

Rule 5: Brighten up the room

If you’re entertaining during the day, open all the blinds and let the natural light flow through. Turn on all the lights and add any extra lamps to brighten up the small space. If your apartment has limited lighting you can always hang LED lights along the wall or near the ceiling. These also make a great decoration, especially during the holidays. An alternative is to hang or place lanterns around your space. LED candles will also add more light at your party while making an elegant decoration at the same time. 

Rule 6: Spread the plates and trays throughout the room

Place the food trays throughout your apartment. Use any space you have on the counter, coffee table, kitchen table or side tables to place your food. Designate certain areas for different food groups. For example, keep the fruits on the counter, the sandwiches on the kitchen table, and the cheese plate on the coffee table. To avoid using more platters, serve similar food groups in or on one plate, tray or bowl. The more spread out the food is, the less likely it is everyone will congregate in one area of your apartment. 

Rule 7: Keep the temperature in mind

When a lot of people gather in a smaller space it can become uncomfortably warm in a hurry. Turn down the air a couple of hours before you expect your guests to arrive. This will give your apartment plenty of time to cool off. Consistently check the temperature throughout the party. Your friends won’t stay long if they are too hot or too cold.

Other helpful hints: It’s always better to have too much food than not enough. Check your guests’ glasses and if you see they are empty offer to refill them. Playing soft music in the background is a great way to fill any awkward silences.

If you follow these 7 simple steps for hosting a party in your apartment, you will feel your small space open up. But we all face those moments when our RSVPs come in higher than anticipated. Remember to ask your apartment about renting their clubrooms if you need extra space to spread out.