We all want to have a warm and inviting home to welcome guests and visitors. When your home is guest-ready you have the opportunity to extend invitations to neighbors who come to the door or last minute guests without stress… you’d be surprised that it can be easier than you think!
1. Good First Impression
First impressions last, your visitors form an opinion within 7 seconds. Interestingly, their impression of your home influences their impression of you too. What is the first thing that people see when they enter your home- is it presentable, welcoming warm and beautiful. These are great places to put conversation pieces to invite discussion as people enter.
Have a quick look from the perspective of a visitor and ask yourself- is it organized? welcoming? Does it showcase your personality?
2. Keep It Tidy
This is the hardest part of keeping the home guest ready for most people - but has the most visual impact. People tend to assume that tidy means it is clean too!
This can be done easily by getting rid of small surface clutter, creating ‘homes’ for everything and making a conscious effort to pick up and put things where they belong. It takes only few minutes to put the dishes away or pick up the pile on the floor.
3. Smelling good
Scents have a psychological impact on us, they are linked our moods and emotions. We can encourage sense of well-being, warmth and freshness with the choice of oils we diffuse or candles we burn in our homes.
4. Keep things clean
Keeping the noticeable areas of your home clean (surfaces, front windows, bathrooms) makes a huge impact. Creating your own weekly cleaning schedule and forming simple habits means maintained.
6. Snacks and Drinks
Does anything make people feel more welcomed, nurtured and cared for than being feed? Keeping the fridge stocked with cheese, the pantry with crackers and cookies as well as having an array of beverages to offer makes this easy.
BUT… For all this, it is important to remember what makes your home most welcoming is you. Your guests wont necessarily notice the imperfections that you do, so don’t worry about the small stuff. They will have an overall impression of how your home makes them feel!
