What's the secret to a seamless, memorable hosting experience?
Making your guests feel at home. Good hosting isn't about perfection. It's about creating an environment where people feel welcomed, comfortable & cared for.
Your individual tastes, traditions & rituals are what make a gathering uniquely yours, transforming an ordinary evening into a meaningful experience for everyone around the table. At Kurated Living, we believe thoughtful entertaining is less about creating the perfect event and more about creating a space that's true to you, where people want to gather, connect & stay awhile.
As Cameron Beall notes, "everyone has their own style when it comes to gathering (and one should certainly stand by how they like to do things), but maybe we can all embrace a little more informality and imperfection," in her article for Southern Living.
While everyone has their own approach to hosting, there are a few tried-and-true fundamentals that can help make your guests feel at home. From setting the scene to anticipating your guests' needs, these simple practices lay the foundation for a thoughtful hosting experience while leaving room for your personal style to shine.
What Makes Someone a Good Host?
A good host anticipates their guests' needs, creates a comfortable environment and remains present enough to enjoy the gathering themselves.
At Kurated Living, hosting looks like setting the mood and sustaining it. Ensuring the ambience feels comfortable with music playing subtly in the background. Focusing on a detail oriented experience, so the moment guests walk in the door, they feel welcome and at ease. It also looks like ensuring guests needs are met throughout the evening, helping establish connects and asking questions, so individuals feel seen and cared for.
For you, this may look different. Maybe good hosting looks like creating an experience. Maybe it’s purely how you work the room and connect with your guests. Maybe it’s offering a diverse variety of food & drinks, so no stone is left unturned. The list goes on, but how you host is based on what’s most important to you when it comes to entertaining your guests, so they feel comfortable and relaxed.
6 Hosting Fundamentals for Your Next Gathering
1. Set the Scene
Setting the scene is like setting the foundation for your evening. You can establish a welcoming environment through lighting, music, tablescapes, accent pieces–napkins, coasters or matchboxes as keepsakes–candles, flowers, seating flow & temperature.
2. Stock the Bar
A fun detail to focus on is having your glassware match the drinks you’re offering. Serving margaritas? Maybe a fun set of margarita glass is sourced in preparation, so the details match the intention. Wine? Determine whether you’ll provide stemless for a glass of red or stem glasses for white. Maybe you choose to serve both, so you prepare accordingly.
Garnishes are also a wonderful accent that allow you to elevate any beverage. Not only lemons & limes, but edible flowers, custom flags or a salted rim are all great additions. Part of the fun when entertaining at home is being creative, so think outside of the box when it comes to fun ways you can spice up your drink selections.
3. Take a Lap Before Guests Arrive
Take one final walk through your space before guests arrive. This is a great time to take mental inventory of the space & positioning of your setting, allowing you to zoom out.
Cover the bathroom, kitchen, bar, seating, lighting, music, food, drinks & outdoor area to ensure all of your bases are covered.
The Pre-Party Hosting Checklist should include:
- Kitchen & Bar: All of your drinks, glassware, cocktail napkins & coasters, garnishes & snacks are on display and ready to be used by your guests in a functional and inviting format.
- Lighting: This is a great opportunity to turn off the overheads and turn on your lamps & candles. Dim lighting creates a warmer and more inviting setting for your guests.
- Music: Turn on music that fits the setting. Hosting a barbecue or a bridal shower? Be mindful of the event & let your music selection reflect that. It should cohesively blend in the background and organically fill in quiet gaps if needed.
- Seating: Ask yourself if there’s ample seating? Some guests may prefer to stand while others choose to sit, but a great rule of thumb is to ensure there’s seating for 75% of your guest list. This provides plenty of space for individuals to sit while sipping a drink or eating. Keeping 25% for standing space encourages users to move around and interact with other guests as well.
- Outdoor Areas: Once you’ve checked off the the bar, lighting, music & seating, you can ensure your outdoor area (if applicable) is comfortable for your guests. A citronella candle & ample lighting are helpful accents if you’re having an evening time gathering. You can also add another speaker outside if needed, so outdoor enjoyers have the option to listen as well.
4. Kick Things Off With a Cheers!
Once guests have arrived and you’ve ensured they have a drink, initiate a brief cheers. A first toast helps set the tone for the event and makes everyone feel welcomed. This is also a great opportunity to acknowledge any milestones worth celebrating and encourage individuals to mingle with one another once the cheers concludes.
Take a moment post-cheers to survey and ensure everyone has a cocktail napkin, coaster or koozie to accent their beverage depending on what drinks are being offered now that the party has started!
5. Entertain, Don’t Just Host
Facilitate a social environment. Help promote conversation amongst guests who may be newly meeting one another. Don’t spend the evening solely preparing food and drinks. Ideally, you’ve set the scene in a way that allows for your guests to serve themselves while you all freely mingle and move between groups.
This will help your guests meet new people, foster conversation & feel more relaxed.
6. Enjoy Yourself
Now that you’ve made sure the majority of hosting fundamentals are taken care of, have some fun! The best part about hosting is that you’re facilitating a space for people you know & care about to enjoy themselves, so you should do the same.
Your guests take cues from you, subtle or intended, so stay relaxed, enjoy the event and soak up time shared with one another.
Individuals will mirror your energy, so the more at home you make yourself, your guests will too.
Remember: Hosting Doesn't Have to Be Perfect
According to recent consumer surveys, 65% of people agree that their own home offers a far more comfortable environment than going out. Lean directly into that natural comfort by creating a relaxed, inviting space for your guests. When hosting, remember to look past the pressure of an absolutely perfect presentation—true hospitality is always about how you make people feel, not how flawless your house looks.
The art of hosting isn't about having the perfect home, the perfect tablescape or an elaborate menu. It's about creating an environment where people feel welcomed and giving them a reason to stay awhile.
Your Hosting Checklist for Your Next Event
- Before guests arrive: check music, lighting, drinks, ice, food, bathroom, candles, serving pieces.
- During: welcome everyone, offer drinks, introduce guests, replenish food, check in.
- Most importantly: participate in your own party.
Ready to set the scene?
Explore Kurated Living's collection of thoughtfully designed entertaining essentials, cocktail napkins and home goods created to make gathering a little more beautiful.