Six Ways to Make Your Home More Comfortable for Guests This Summer
A beautiful home and a comfortable one aren’t always the same thing.
A styled home and a welcoming one are not automatically the same thing, and most people find that out the hard way, usually mid-party, watching a guest balance a drink on their knee because there was nowhere nearby to set it down. According to Ellie Brown, an in-house interior designer at Oak&More, the details that make a space feel comfortable rarely have much to do with buying new decor. They have more to do with thinking through a room the way a guest would experience it, rather than the way it photographs.
With summer entertaining season in full swing, here’s what she recommends changing before the next gathering.
Photo credit: Alyssa Babcock
Give Every Guest Somewhere to Put Their Drink
It sounds obvious once someone points it out, but it’s one of the most commonly missed details in a hosting setup. “Side tables are often overlooked, but they’re one of the easiest ways to make guests feel comfortable,” Brown said. “Nobody wants to balance a drink on their lap throughout an evening, so ensuring every seat has somewhere nearby for drinks or snacks instantly makes a room feel more considered.”
Don’t Let the TV Take Over the Room
For a watch party, it’s tempting to point every chair at the screen. Brown suggests resisting that instinct, since a room built purely around one focal point can end up feeling less social, not more. Angling seating slightly toward each other, or simply pulling furniture a little closer together, tends to do more for the mood of a gathering than the television ever will.
Layer Your Lighting as the Night Goes On
One bright overhead light might work fine at 3 p.m., but it rarely does anyone favors after dark. “Instead of relying on one overhead light, layer your lighting using table lamps or floor lamps,” Brown said. “Warm white bulbs help create a cozy atmosphere that feels much more inviting as daylight fades, especially when they’re placed around seating areas rather than in the center of the room.”
Photo credit: Stephanie Duncan
Clear Off the Surfaces People Use
A full pre-party deep clean isn’t necessary. What matters more is clearing the specific spots guests will gather around. Common areas include coffee tables, kitchen counters, and sideboards since even a small amount of everyday clutter on those surfaces can make a space feel more chaotic than it really is. “Clearing paperwork, chargers, and everyday clutter beforehand instantly makes the space feel larger and easier for guests to enjoy,” shares Brown.
Bring in a Few Natural Textures
If you’re tempted to buy something purely because it matches a summer theme, Brown’s advice is to put it back. A few pieces that already feel good to the touch—a linen throw, a wooden serving board, mismatched ceramic mugs—do more for a room than anything bought specifically for one party and never used again. The goal isn’t a styled tablescape. It’s a space that still looks like your home, just a slightly more welcoming version of it.
Photo credit: Randy Fath
Treat the Outdoor Space Like Another Room
Whatever outdoor space you have, even something as small as a two-chair balcony, is worth setting up with the same intention as any room inside. A spot to sit, something to rest a glass on, and a bit of shade if the sun’s still out gives people a reason to wander outside for a few minutes. A party that spills comfortably into two spaces almost always feels less crowded than one stuffed into a single room.
Nobody walks away from a great night thinking about how expensive the furniture was. What sticks is whether they felt like they could relax, kick their shoes off, and stay another hour without meaning to. None of that comes from a shopping trip. It comes from paying attention to the small, unglamorous stuff: where people are going to sit, whether they’ll have a hand free for their drink, and whether the lighting makes them want to linger or leave.
