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Living Room Décor Ideas for Small or Large Gatherings

Living Room Décor Ideas for Small or Large Gatherings

Bringing savvy living-room décor ideas to fruition can mean the difference between spending the entire party seeing to everyone’s needs or enjoying the shindig alongside your guests. It doesn’t matter if you throw a gathering for friends each month or you entertain only over the holidays, how you decorate and arrange the room is key.

My husband and I fall into a midpoint category, hosting spring and winter holiday parties and a summer get-together with friends, family and neighbors; the last thing we want to do is bounce around, stressing out over food and furniture details, while the party is in progress. Really, it takes only a little planning ahead to be able to relax when the doorbell begins to chime.


Create Mingle Zones

Awkward is the word for an unorganized party where everyone shuffles about, not knowing where to sit or stand. As hosts, we don’t want that; after all, a successful night of entertaining includes making sure that everyone is comfortable, right?

If you’re having a small gathering, smart living-room décor ideas include pulling your furniture away from the walls to create a cozy setting for chatting. Our living room is 21 feet long by 14 feet wide, but we keep our furniture grouped in a comfy 10-by-10-foot arrangement on one end, leaving space for a narrow bar-style table with a pair of stools in front of a window on the other end.

When hosting a large group, arrange various niches where two to four folks can gather throughout the room. If space allows:

—Reconfigure or separate a modular sofa for various seating options.

—Arrange dining room chairs in the living room for additional seating.

—Define seating areas with throw rugs borrowed from other rooms.

—Provide plenty of tables for finger foods and drinks. We’ve noticed that compact tables such as tulip tables, side tables or bar tables act as beacons that our guests migrate to for munching, sipping and interacting.

—Use a nearby dining table as a self-serve drink station to hold large beverage dispensers, buckets filled with ice and bottled drinks, a coffee carafe and so on. I include pretty bowls of cut limes, lemons and mint leaves so guests can garnish their own drinks.

—Expand your party area to an adjoining deck with additional seating, if the weather permits. The sliding glass door from our living room to the wrap-around deck is left wide open during warm-season get togethers, providing good traffic flow and airflow.


Remove Breakables and Relocate Trip Hazards

Irreplaceable collectables, travel mementos and valuables such as a lamp inherited from a grandparent are treasures to enjoy daily with family. But fill the space with a bunch of happy—possibly tipsy—guests and expect special things to get broken, damaged or stained. I still (secretly) mourn my favorite folksy rug, years after a girlfriend “slaughtered” it with 9 ounces of red wine.

We even take non-sentimental but expensive items such as the TV out of harm’s way before a houseful arrives. Look around. If you see anything breakable or valuable that you want to protect, move it to an off-limits area like your bedroom.

As for stumble-causing footstools, pull them to the outskirts of the room as extra seats. Not only does an uncluttered area reduce the chance of a fall, it’s a place to bust out some moves, if anyone gets the urge to dance.


Protect Your Furniture

Spills happen. Although quality seating is topical stain-protected to minimize liquid absorption, it’s smart to cover your favorite pieces. Blankets come in handy in a pinch, but one day I’ll invest in sofa and chair covers that complement our decor.

Cover tables with tablecloths and wipe up spills from flooring asap, not just to protect your laminate or hardwood but to prevent slips, too. Oh, and learn from my mistakes: Put out plenty of drink coasters!

Tip: Make inexpensive, stylish or themed coasters by, say, laminating autumn leaves, photos or party-appropriate handwritten notes or sayings. My daughter and I made a couple dozen coasters by cutting cup-width birch branches into half-inch-thick rounds.


Make Your Guests Feel Welcome

The right background music sets the tone—if it’s not so loud that you need a bullhorn to communicate. A bonus? It fills any awkwardly quiet moments with sound.

Beyond the tunes, I like to include other mood-setters and conversation-starters:

—Blow the dust off of old photo albums and set them on side tables.

—Decorate the space with cut flowers and battery-powered candles.

—Dim the lights—we installed dimmer switches in our dining and living rooms.

—Match people up if they don’t know each other, “Hey, Tasha, this is Carly; she’s a yogaholic like you.”

Regardless of how often we entertain, it’s all about getting together with old friends, making new acquaintances and spending time together. So, why not plan ahead, turning your living room into the warm, welcoming heart of your next party?

Lorna Hordos is a home-improvement business owner and freelance writer. She has composed thousands of friendly, helpful home and business articles for numerous clients, including Lowes, Daltile, ModernMom, WordPress.com and Bizfluent.

References:

  1. https://www.kardiel.com/sofas/modular-sofas/
  2. https://www.kardiel.com/tables/
  3. https://www.kardiel.com/outdoor/
  4. https://www.kardiel.com/sofas/
  5. https://www.chatelaine.com/home-decor/how-to-create-a-drinks-station-for-your-next-party/
  6. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a25988/stop-party-stains/
  7. https://thegraphicsfairy.com/diy-laminated-coasters/