Five Ways to Toss a Holiday Party in Your Tiny Home
Consider the “wow factor” assigned to your non-traditional way of life on a day-to-day basis. Now consider the reaction to your intention to throw a holiday party in your tiny home!
Whether you decide to park your home in a single locale or take it on the road, people will stop to “oooohhh” and “aaahhhhh” at the way you choose to live.
Likewise, the wonder of knowing someone who chooses to live in under 400 square feet will attract visitors. Many people who decide to downsize and live the tiny home lifestyle are people who’ve enjoyed hosting dinner parties, birthday gatherings and game nights with friends.
But how can you continue being the host when your real estate shrinks by 400 percent?
Consider these five tips for hosting a holiday party in your tiny home.
A Full House is A Happy House
This is true in traditional homes as well as tiny homes. When your kitchen counter is simplified to a sink with fitted inserts that double as beautiful cutting boards and a 1×3-foot space that can flip up to extend your “counter”, you might think things get claustrophobic during food prep for a full family holiday meal.
You can still cook simple lunches, trays of fresh fruit and cheese, a breakfast spread or dinner with all the trimmings. What changes might you implement for other cooking sources? Think about the grill for meat, pre-cook some side dishes or cater the meal to reduce the number of cooks in the kitchen.
Arrange for Creative Seating
Use the popular open floor plan of tiny homes by incorporating event seating. Set up spots at a bar or counter area, dining area, as well as any couch or chair space you may have. Please avoid being concerned about a lack of space. Just as they would for any party, guests will assume the room will be crowded. So, don’t be afraid to extend that invite!
Additionally, tiny houses with stairs offer creative seating space with the simple addition of a few cushions or pillows.
Use Outdoor Space
No one wants to be sardined into any tiny space with tons of other people, no matter how beautifully “farm to table” the cuisine nor how modern-retro that space is fashioned. To solve that problem, plan to sit outside; for dinners or Legos for the kids, for playtime and partying, sit outside. Create an outdoor space that people will want to visit.
Make the best of the small space and the most of the outdoors. Prepare for foul weather even when the forecast calls for no rain. A simple canvas canopy can fit several partygoers around a beautiful dining table — or over a fire pit where memories can be made for dozens of your closest family and friends.
Plan Vertical Place Settings
Stack cake plates into three-tiered cheese and veggie displays. Use wire baskets on the walls to offer storage for silverware and paper goods without using valuable real estate on your table.
Take Trendy Tips
City dwellers often are forced to choose a smaller apartment. This means there are always trends that will teach you how to host anything from an elegant dinner party to a bonfire outside in a space meant for two. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Hang Your Décor- This current trend is a space-saver and will allow for matching theme decorations without taking up your table space.
- Use Drink Containers- Instead of choosing bottles and cans that will take up places on tables and countertops, opt for drink-serving carafes to save room in coolers or in the fridge, as well as saving on waste.
- Leave Out Your Cutting Board- These are so much more than a kitchen tool, as their beautiful designs have graduated to décor. Use this to both cut veggies, cheese and fruit, as well as to serve it to guests.
It is hard to know how several people will handle socializing in a small space, but we all know we need to reconnect. It doesn’t matter if it is at a luxurious table for six, intimately coordinated and lovely for friends, or in lawn chairs with horseshoes and friends who enjoy the great outdoors. Living tiny has a way of creating the opportunity for lasting memories.
Check out these other MHVillager blogs that can provide information on holiday kitchen safety, tiny home holidays and Andrew Morrison’s Tiny Home Appendix Q.
