Hey, Stars! I’ve broken down 5 key areas you’ll need to focus on to get your small apartment ready for guests (or whenever it’s safe to do so). I’ve also included a few tips about cleaning, organization, and decor to help spruce up your place. So, let’s jump right in!

Getting Your Small Apartment Ready For Guests

These are the 5 things that you should pay special attention to when trying to ready your small apartment for guests. 

1. Declutter your space
2. Clean & stock the bathrooms
3. Get the entryway ready
4. Spruce up outdoor spaces like patios & balconies
5. Make sure there are plenty of seating options

Whenever space is at a minimum, paying attention to details and clever home organization becomes important. But first, we need to do some cleaning. So, let’s start with decluttering. 

Decluttering Your Space

Look around your place. Are there things that you really don’t need or use that can be tossed or donated? Getting rid of excess stuff can free up space and make rooms appear more spacious than they really are. 

Start near the front door.  Store away any extra coats or shoes that may be lingering around. Then move on to each area until you’ve covered every room that your guests may frequent.

Get rid of old or empty cleaning supplies, odds and ends, junk mail, decorations, boxes (because some of us apartment dwellers still have things stored in boxes…don’t we?), and things you haven’t needed or used in the past year.

You’d be surprised at the space these things can occupy! 

Clean & Stock Up

I won’t get into a long list of things to clean and disinfect. You know what your place looks like lol. But here are a few places we tend to forget about. 

Check entryways, outdoor spaces, and rooms where people have to pass through to go to the bathroom.  If that means your bedroom, give it a good spruce up and hide away those things that you don’t want people to see, in closets, or in pretty storage containers. 

Next, stock the bathroom and kitchen with things you’ll need like extra hand towels, toilet paper, napkins, plates, cups, and plenty of hand soap.

Make Your Entryway Pop!

This is the place that a lot of us tend to forget about. But, it’s the very first place that people encounter when they come over to your apartment. 

Make sure to keep your entryway looking nice by removing excess coats/shoes etc.  Give the floors a nice sweeping/mop over and make sure there’s room for your guest’s belongings. A nice decorative bowl can be used to hold guest’s keys too. 

I decorated my entryway with this simple accent table. I use it to display things like plants and small decor items. It can also store shoes or purses if needed.  Other items you can find near my entryway are a pretty but functional coat hook, some artwork, and a small umbrella holder. 

Seating Options

When entertaining in a small apartment, you have to get really creative to maximize space.  Pretty much all of your living space can become places for people to congregate. So, just make sure you have a good mix of seating and places to hold plates & drinks.

Things like ottomans and benches can double as extra seating.  Or, multitask your chairs. For example, a couple of dining chairs can be moved from eating areas and moved to the living room or patio.  Whatever works for you and your space. 

Give Attention To Patios and Balconies

There should be a nice flow from the inside to the outdoor areas. So, the same rules should apply to patios and balconies. If you want your patio or balcony to be inviting to guests, make sure there are ample seating spots and enough places available to hold food and drinks.

A nice Bluetooth speaker is a plus. But, throw pillows and comfy seating is a must! You can also add things like string lights, lanterns, or LED candles to light up the nights. 

Let me know if these tips were helpful to you and as always feel free to leave a comment or ask a question.