Publisher's note: accommodation of people in your home does not need to be overwhelming. We share this article, initially published in September 2019, to invigorate the host in each of us (without stress!).
Oh, the evenings I hosted. Perfect menus, surprisingly fixed tables, perfect lighting and incredible reading lists. Unfortunately, most of them only occurred in my head. Don't get me wrong, I like to accommodate. I love to gather people and be in charge of their care and feed a little. But my Pinterest interior perfectionist is lost in planning, overwhelmed by all the small details I want to withdraw. More often than not, I end up putting in place the idea.
I finally found a formula for accommodation that works for me. This leads to a perfect evening with a low constraint, a minimum preparation work and always, always a good conversation and a connection.
Last winter, a little on the endless rain and not wanting to venture, I finally found a formula for the accommodation that works for me. This leads to a perfect evening with a low constraint, a minimum preparation work and always, always a good conversation and a connection.
My best accommodation advice so that it happens on the regular are the following.
Intimate and interesting company
Gathering small groups of friends who know each other vaguely maintains the light, flowing and engaging conversation. It's fun to get to know foreigners, connected by friends, and an intimate group provides the right atmosphere to explore and know new connections.
Simple food, arranged arrangement
I am partial with several organized tips scattered throughout the space to encourage mixture, move and snack whereas small groups come together. A mixture of shopping in store and homemade keeps the preparation at least and gives a lot of variety to snack. To imagine food (And to build layers and add height), I remove all my trays, bowls and ships. I always plan another warm snack to make an appearance halfway through the evening, once everyone takes a few glasses. Some recent favorites: This cheesy kindness,, grilled skirt steakAnd These chicken meatballs.
Involve everyone
Your friend who is a closet mixologist, quietly brewing her own concoctations at home? Ask him to bring his last sufficient obsession to share. The guy with the best reading lists on Spotify? Sign up it to bring the air. Not a baker? Ask a friend to bring a dessert. The sharing of the workload supports your stress as a host, and everyone likes to show their skills when he had the opportunity!
Since I adopted these tips and withdrew the pressure of being the perfect host, I found myself more excited to plan each event. Gathering my group and enjoying good drinks, food, company and conversation is now something that I look forward to with pleasure instead of dread, all thanks to these little changes in the state of mind.
Jill Elliott is an artist, a wallpaper designer and a writer looking for inspiration and balance. You can find Jill's wallpaper and original art to Colored studio. She can often be found doing art and disturbances alongside her daughter and puppy.
