With Thanksgiving just around the corner, your social calendar could be filling up. The season to eat and celebrate the harvest is nearly here, and you can’t do it alone. If you’re the host for most — if not all —Thanksgiving weekend get-togethers and dinners, you only have so much time to prepare.
Many of us remember to stock the spice rack, pack the fridge, and print out our favourite recipes. It is, after all, the holiday all about food. But if you’re expecting out-of-town friends and family to stay over, you can’t forget about another essential part of the holiday — which is your home. Creating warm and welcoming accommodations for your visiting guests is a step you can’t overlook this Thanksgiving.
Your menu may take precedence, but we urge you to consider your inner spaces well in advance to receiving your guests. The best food in the world won’t account for much if your friends and family feel unwanted or uncomfortable during their stay. Subtle changes to your home and its décor are all that it takes to make them to feel welcomed and cherished as visitors, as it’s proof you’ve spent the time thinking about their comfort.
First and foremost, you’ll want to make sure you have enough furniture for the amount of people who will be calling this Thanksgiving. This extends from seats around the dining table while you eat to couches and beds on which to sleep at night. Depending on your budget, you may be as extravagant or as frugal as you need to be. You don’t have to buy a totally new (and expensive) set of dining chairs in order to be hospitable. Mixed and match chairs are good enough, as long as no one is left to eat their turkey dinner on the floor. Likewise, no overnight visitor wants to sleep on the floor. Inexpensive blow up beds, made up with quality linens, can make anyone guest feel welcome.
Another way you can make space for you guests by removing clutter from the common rooms. While those collections of knickknacks, books, and papers will be the obvious focus of your clean-through, don’t forget to remove unnecessary belongings from closets, guest bedrooms, and washrooms in order to free up space for your visitors. You may even want to go as far as making a small welcome basket, in which you’ve collected towels and toiletries for your guests during their stay. You may be surprised at just how touched they’ll be over this small gesture.
If you have the time, giving the interior spaces of your home a quick renovation can inspire the autumnal atmosphere you wish to create for the holiday. It can be as simple as a new coat of paint in the living or dining room. Warm colours like rust orange, moss green, and aubergine are clear winners of the season. Or it can be as elaborate as new window treatments to revamp the décor of your rooms. Old, broken, and outdate window coverings can create the wrong impression with your friends and family, but newly installed, custom-made blinds, shutters, and shades can impress your guests, while creating the warm and cosy ambience you wish to achieve.
Speak with one of our design consultants to learn about the contemporary styles we have available. They can discuss the various light control, privacy options, and heat regulations that come with our various treatments. With so many to choose from, you’ll be able to pick a treatment that offers the perfect amount of style, light, and privacy in your dining room or guest bedrooms.
Taking the time to improve your living spaces before company arrives is an easy way to show them how much you appreciate their visit. It’s also a sure-fire way to impress your friends and family with your comfortable home. Get started early, and give us a call right away. We’ll have your treatments ready in time for turkey day, and our work together will ensure your home’s ready to host in December.