Greet Your Guests

Welcome visitors in style this holiday season

Entertaining around the holidays comes with just as many pressures as it does joys. When you’re hosting a party, dinner, or social gathering of any kind this time of year, it can be less than relaxing to be the one in charge of entertaining and pleasing your guests. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

I’ve yet to host my own party, as my apartment is quite lacking in the space to do so, but growing up it was a common occurrence that our house became party-central this time of year and my mother loved every second of it. In my years of, let’s call it co-hosting, these parties, I’ve learned a thing or two. We had a large foyer area with high ceilings, decked to the nine with décor.

The problem was, as family members arrived – and there were a lot of them – the foyer started to seem smaller and smaller, flooded with shoes and coats and children frolicking about. I learned then that a well-organized and furnished entryway area is key, and also just looks great, too!

A great way to start any gathering off on the right foot is by creating a welcoming atmosphere from the moment guests step into your home. The entryway area is, of course, the space right as you walk in the front door. You may have just a few feet of space before other rooms of your home begin, or you may have a full foyer space. Either way, transforming this area into a statement isn’t as far-reaching as it may seem. With a few simple elements, you can really wow your visitors.

Entryway tables or console tables are a great, functional way to enhance your area. mDesign’s entryway organizer unit is perfect for this. In a sleek white and light gray finish, it tucks nicely next to a wall. The five drawers each have handles, making accessing the contents inside easy. The top area is large enough to place your grab and go objects like keys, sunglasses, hats, and other accessories. The other cool thing about having the space on top is being able to decorate it to match your home and also for seasonal occasions – ideal for holiday décor!

Once you have your table in place, including some greenery can really bring your entryway to life. Midcentury modern plant stands are a fresh way to brighten up the area. This set of three from mDesign creates a dynamic, modern feel. Place two on one side of the table and two on the other side to create a clean, asymmetrical look.

Above the table, you can mount a mirror on the wall. This will make the area feel larger and also give you and guests a chance to get one more glance at yourself to make sure you are party-ready! On the same wall, mount a key holder and letter sorter these are both functional and stylish. Place two, one higher and one lower, to create more space for your things, or your guest’s things, and create a neat, slick look.

A cute idea for creating a catch-all for miscellaneous items you or your visitors may need to place down as they’re coming in the door, is to use an organizer tray the raised edges ensure items will stay in place and it also serves as a decoration in and of itself atop your entryway table.

What’s a welcoming area without a welcome mat?! In front of your table, include a rug or mat of sorts to create a completed look that also gives your family and friends a place to neatly and safely keep their shoes until they are out of your hair for the night. mDesign’s water-resistant bamboo accent rug is the perfect finishing touch.

In conjunction with the planters, the rug will really pull it all together. Being water-resistant, if you live in a very snowy area like me, this will be a godsend. With entertaining in the winter comes all kinds of slush, mud, and snow being trekked inside. Keep it contained with a water-resistant solution.

Speaking of rugs and mats, why not begin the welcoming before your guests even step inside your home? Yes, the classic welcome mat. These mats give a homey feel to any front door or porch area, as well as functions to give visitors a chance to clean their shoes and boots off before they head inside. You can’t go wrong here!

The classic “hello” welcome mat has the word in an understated, yet classy font. When the cold winter months subside and spring is back in town though, what better way to invite guests and the new season into your home than with a springy welcome mat? It’s brown with the word “HELLO” in all caps. The letters are little flowers, bringing a warm, sunshiny feel to your front entrance. This mat is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face when stopping by your place and make them feel right at home before they get take a step in the door.

Last, but certainly not least, your guests will need somewhere to place their jackets and coats when visiting. Throughout the years, my family always hosted our annual family party. Being in the winter, there were seemingly endless coats. I was ever so luckily deemed to be in charge of the coats, making it my duty to hold out my arms as coat after coat was slung upon me, to the point where my face was practically covered. This was followed by a tricky walk up the curvy staircase to my parents’ room, aka the coatroom for the night. Then, at the end of the party, I had the honor of going back and sorting through everyone’s things to find what belonged to who. Let me tell you, that was my dread of the holiday season.

A simple answer? A coat rack! Depending on your size of party and how many guests you typically host, it doesn’t hurt to place one on either side of the table, or just one on one side if you less frequently entertain. With eight hooks, there is plenty of space to give your guests somewhere to put their coats, hats, etc. without needing to use a room as the designated coat area and run back and forth to get coats throughout the night. Problem = solved.

You now have a fully completed welcoming area with just a handful of entryway furniture that are easy to place and easy to use. Your guests will feel warm and welcomed when they walk in your home and they will also have a place to store all of their belongings, leaving them more time to enjoy their time with you.

Shaylee Dillen is a SEO Content Writer at mDesign
and considers herself a caffeine and cosmetics fanatic!

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