How To Entertain in a Small Space
This year, I celebrated my birthday at my apartment over drinks + food with some of my favorite people. It was a win/win because we had a great time, plus I got to do some of my favorite things – cook, put together flower arrangements, and decorate!
Leading up to the party, I scoured the internet for ideas on how to entertain in a tiny space (read: our 700 square foot SF apartment…haha). It was really tricky to find a comprehensive list of tips and tricks, so I decided to round up my own!
1. DON’T BE AFRAID TO RE-ARRANGE THE FURNITURE + CLEAR OUT THE CLUTTER.
We’ve had a bunch of people over to our apartment before, but it’s always been tricky when it comes to space…it sort of feels like sardines in our living room when everyone is packed in there.
This time around, we moved out the unnecessary pieces (a big leather chair and the TV) and we rearranged the couch to make more space for standing. I also ended up bringing in some cute stools from my bedroom for additional seating.
2. FOCUS ON FINGER FOOD THAT’S EASY TO EAT AND DOESN’T REQUIRE UTENSILS.
It’s nice to have food that you can easily munch on at a party. Plus, no one wants to have to deal with using a fork and knife to eat when they’re standing (especially when they have a drink in hand!). This also saves you from having to deal with buying/putting out flatware.
We went with a couple of different crostini (one with roast beef, chive and horseradish and the other with caramelized onions, blue cheese and roasted cherry tomatoes – shout-out Rhonda and Bill!), a board with hummus, marinated feta, vegetables and homemade pita chips, a massive cheese board and spinach artichoke dip.
3. DECIDE ON ONLY ONE OR TWO HOT APPETIZERS TO AVOID OVEN-USE (AND A SUPER HOT APARTMENT!) DURING THE PARTY.
If you live in a small apartment like me, you can defffinitelyyy relate to your kitchen over-heating when the oven is on. This is especially amplified when you fill the space with 20+ people…woof!
Choose only one or two appetizers that need to be served hot and supplement with a bunch of others that can be eaten at room temp. Just pop your hot app(s) in the oven right before the party starts and turn it off for the rest of the night.
4. LAND ON A SIGNATURE COCKTAIL AND SUPPLEMENT WITH BEER + WINE. DON’T FORGET NON-ALCOHOLIC OPTIONS!
When you’re dealing with limited space, it’s ideal to keep everything, including your drink offerings, concise.
It’s always fun to come up with a signature drink for the night (extra points for giving it a fun name that’s catered to the occasion!). We went with this one which was a HUGE hit for both Bourbon lovers and skeptics. We called it “‘I can’t believe it’s not Aperol’ Spritz” since I love a good Aperol number but wanted to make something unexpected. We pre-mixed the drink and set it out in pitchers for people to help themselves throughout the party.
In addition to the signature cocktail, we had a bunch of bottles of Rosé and Pinot Noir plus a selection of beer. We kept this part simple – we bought multiple bottles of the same wines and went with only a few types of beer.
It’s also important to have some non-alcoholic beverages on hand for anyone who may not be drinking. La Croix is perfect for this!
5. GO WITH NEUTRAL PLATES AND NAPKINS; RELY ON THINGS LIKE FLOWERS + DECORATIONS FOR POPS OF COLOR.
For a while (read: 5 mins as I was browsing Amazon, haha), I was going back and forth on which color to choose for plates and napkins. I ultimately landed on white for everything. Too much color can make a small space feel cluttered, so it ended up being perfect. I was still able to add fun pops of color with flowers and balloons!
Also, speaking of flowers, load up on them! They will brighten up the space and pull the whole thing together. I found inexpensive flowers + flowering mint at my local farmers market and also bought some dried bunny tails and stardust online to add some texture to the arrangements!
6. ADD SPECIAL TOUCHES TO AS MANY CORNERS OF THE SPACE AS POSSIBLE.
Small touches will makes the party feel super special – the attention to detail will go a long way!
I made some fun labels for the food + the signature drink, put out a small bud vase with a couple of flowers + a nice candle in the bathroom, and scattered a bunch of little bowls of rosemary roasted cashews throughout the apartment.
7. PUT OUT MULTIPLE PLATTERS OF THE SAME FOOD ITEM IN DIFFERENT AREAS.
This will help avoid bottlenecks that may form for more popular items and it will allow your guests to try more things without having to constantly move around!
8. SET THE MOOD WITH VOTIVE CANDLES ALL AROUND THE SPACE.
Candles create a super cozy, intimate vibe and instantly elevate the occasion! I love these votives, specifically because they’re unscented (didn’t want a super perfume-y smell to compete with the food) and they are small enough to be scattered around food tables, side tables, etc!