How To Renovate

EP34 How To Prepare Your Home For The Holidays & Guests

• Tash South • Season 1 • Episode 34

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It’s officially the first week of the silly season 😬
An exciting and busy time of year where you’re just trying to create a little magic (right?!) on top of all the extra socialising and chores at home 
(mammas, I hear ya!)

If your home’s not quite yet ready to welcome guests amidst the December chaos, I’ve compiled my 7 Top Tips to help you be the host with the most, whilst still having time to spend relaxing moments with your guests.

If you want to actually enjoy time with your guests – not rushing about hosting 24/7, then check out this episode. 

It’s packed with time-saving advice to help you glide through this this festive season with ease 💅

Hit play, and I’ll see you inside.

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Hi I'm your host, Tash South I'm an Interior Designer and Renovation Consultant.
Each episode of How To Renovate is short, but brimming with practical advice to help you manage your renovation project with confidence and success.

Grab some more renovation advice & free resources and become part of the South Place Studio Renovation Community at
https://www.southplacestudio.com/freebies

Everything I teach about renovation falls within my Five Pillar Process for A Successful Renovation, to learn more about the process, head to
https://www.southplacestudio.com/pillars


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Speaker 1:

Hello, hello everybody, and welcome to the how to Renovate podcast. So we are in December. Can you believe it, hasn't the time flown by? So as we're in December, I thought I'd do something a little bit different. This week I am going to be talking about preparing your home for the holiday season.

Speaker 1:

So I know this is a very exciting time of the year and it's also a very busy time of the year. I mean, if you're anything like me, if you have work, a family, a home, social engagements, all of these things to deal with, it can be quite an overwhelming time of the year. But I always like to think in a good way. And also, you might be expecting guests to come and stay in your home over the holiday period, and I think that's always such a lovely thing. But it can also be quite a toll on your time and on your home when you have lots more people suddenly coming in. And I always think, well, you want to try and make it kind of as relaxing and enjoyable as possible and I always want guests to feel relaxed and calm and like they're having a good time when they come and stay in my home, and I'm sure you're the same. But that does take a level of preparation as well, and especially over the season when everything's so crazy anyways. And then you've got guests coming into your home and you've got a plan for that as well. So I thought I'd do this episode, just with a few tips on how you can prepare your home ready for the holiday season, ready for holiday guests, with some tips and things I've learned over the years. So I think all it takes is just a bit of planning, maybe setting aside some time and I know time is in short supply this time of year anyways but what I always try and do is maybe dedicate a Saturday morning or perhaps an hour or two on a weeknight. I involve the kids and we all kind of do bits and pieces in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas. When the guests do descend, then we're ready for them. So so just doing a couple of tasks each night whether that's prepping bedding or maybe cooking something that can be put in the freezer for the holiday season or you know some, some kind of baking or something that can be saved or kept um for a while in the freezer with a kit, and involving the kids as well, I always find things like that are quite nice to do with them, and then in terms of kind of the planning and the organisation, if that's spread over a longer period of time, it's usually a little bit more manageable, especially with everything else going on as well. So let's get into the episode.

Speaker 1:

So the first thing I usually do at home is a deep clean and a declutter. So this time of the year there's so much else already coming into the home, so we've got the Christmas tree to put up, you've got loads of presents coming in that need to be wrapped, decorations everywhere, lots of extra things going on surfaces, and so what I like to do is just take some things away. Before that stuff even makes its way into the living room, into the downstairs, from the storage or wherever it may be, I first try and put some stuff away, so that would be anything like large vases or anything on surfaces that we don't really need to have out. So I'd kind of put those things into storage, where the Christmas things were, and then bring out the Christmas decorations and tree, and then there's kind of space for those things and you can appreciate them a bit more if it's not just squished in amongst all your other things that are out all around the year anyways. So then of course at the same time it's a good time to do a deep clean as well. Whether you do that yourself or you get some help in to do that, it's good to kind of, once you're putting things away and doing a bit of a declutter, you can kind of just do a deep clean at the same time as well. I think always nice to kind of approach the holiday season if everything's kind of clean and calm and you can take some time to just sit and enjoy yourself and finally get some of that relaxation in that you've been maybe craving for all year round and some of that family time.

Speaker 1:

Your main living areas will probably see the most activity so you can clear away any clutter, anything that might make the place feel kind of cramped or chaotic, because obviously you want to have some extra space, as much space as possible for people to kind of gather around, whether you're doing parties or whether you want to be sitting watching a movie, you want to make sure that there's enough space for that so that everyone can get together and be comfortable and enjoy spending time in the same space together. And then of course, if you have a smaller space, you may want to move some of the furniture around temporarily, so do a new arrangement which maybe creates a bit more space, or add some more seating so that everyone feels kind of comfortable and at ease and you can spend that time together. And then the next thing I like to do, which might be a bit nerdy. So what I do is kind of plan things to make them easier later on. So, for example, I will store if we're having guests and we have to set up guest beds or extra beds in bedrooms or dedicate a room as a guest bedroom for that period of time, I will kind of plan ahead. So everything that I need for that guest in terms of duvets, pillows, bedding, I will store it in a wardrobe or in a drawer in that room. So when it comes to the day that I need to then make that into a guest bedroom, everything's already in there, everything's in that room. So I don't need to be running up and down the house trying to find different things from different places. I have a strategy that everything that I need to quickly set that room up is right there in that bedroom. So you can really apply this concept to many, many things.

Speaker 1:

This is just one example, but it's just thinking ahead about what you need to make something happen in one room or in one area and getting everything you need to do that particular thing in that room already gathered there. So when the time comes, you've almost won yourself time. You've created time for yourself because you're not then running around trying to find everything around the house to pull that room together. You've kind of just done it as you're going about your day. Or, like I said, maybe if you're dedicating a bit of time every day, if you're just kind of thinking ahead and getting everything that you need together, it then makes that final rush and that final flourish of getting everything done a lot easier. So this could also apply to things like seating. You just want to make sure you have enough seating, perhaps in your living area, so that could mean bringing in a few extra chairs. It could also mean gathering all the blankets you have so everyone can get cosy, maybe putting them in the basket in that room or before you actually need to do it, so that when it comes to it, everything's kind of set up for you and you can just quickly pull it together. It could also apply to things like stocking up on your bathroom items. So next time you go shopping I like to always grab some extra bits if we're having guests over, so extra shampoos, conditioners, soap, loo rolls, so just kind of making sure you're stocking up so everything at the last minute is not this huge rush, just doing it as you're going through the month. This could also apply to, obviously, food, so you can stock up on those essentials, whether it's snacks or drinks or breakfast items. So keeping your kitchen stocked for the whole of December will save you from those kind of last minute runs and just ensures that the guests have options and that you're not completely stressed out.

Speaker 1:

And then the third thing I like to do is just to freshen up the hallway. I think in our homes we kind of forget get the hallway. It's kind of this usually busy area that everyone's passing through every single day and sometimes we don't just stop and look at it and realize that perhaps it's full of clutter. There's extra coats there that don't need to be there, extra shoes or packages that have been put on the side and not opened yet. So I think a big hallway, clear out, is good, because I think if guests are arriving, they'll have bags, luggage. They'll have big coats if you're in a cold country, so you'll want them to be able to put. Come in, feel comfortable, feel relaxed, have somewhere to put their things. So I think, just kind of clearing out the hallway, just freshening it up a bit, perhaps you could kind of scent the hallway. Just freshening it up a bit, perhaps you could kind of scent the hallway. I love putting scents throughout the whole house at Christmas. I love having diffusers and candles, so you could do that in the hallway. It's kind of a lovely first impression to invite your guests in and then also just put some some, perhaps some minimal decorations so everybody gets in that festive mood.

Speaker 1:

And then number four is to create a cozy guest room, which I touched on earlier. So many people have guests over this time of the year and I always think it's so nice to just make guests feel welcome, like you've thought of them, and that they're not kind of a last minute addition being squeezed in. So make sure your duvets are fresh and washed and pillows are clean and your bedding's fresh and clean. And you know, even if it's not proper bed, even even if it's a fold-out bed or sofa bed, just try and make it as comfortable as possible and maybe add some lovely elements like some fresh towels or a candle or some toiletries in the room for them, just to make them feel welcome. And something I always like to do for guests, especially if they stay more than a couple of nights, is to give them somewhere to put their clothes, so somewhere to unpack their suitcases always makes people feel really welcome, even if it's just one empty drawer or one shelf or somewhere they can hang a couple of hangers with their clothes on. I think that really makes people feel welcome, that you've thought about where they're going to put their things and just to make them feel very comfortable in your home.

Speaker 1:

And then number five is to set up stations. So I think this is such a clever idea and I have to say I haven't tried this one yet, but I saw this online and I thought this was a really good idea just to save you some trouble whilst the guests were in your home. So you can set up stations for various different things really. So you could set up a breakfast station. It's just about having an area or place in your home. So if it was a breakfast station, it would be an area in the kitchen. It doesn't have to be a huge space, it could literally just be a tray but you put everything on there that your guests might need. So tea, coffee, biscuits, breakfast cereals, bread, things for toast have it all out and have it all curled in an area so that when guests wake up and they perhaps come down to the kitchen in the morning, you can see everything's ready for them. And it saves you taking everything out and putting everything away again every single day, and it also makes them feel comfortable because everything they need is out. So they'll feel inclined to help themselves, which of course then saves you the effort of serving them or having to host constantly, because obviously you'll want to host at certain times of the day or if you're having a party or dinner, but generally if guests are just around the home.

Speaker 1:

I think this is a great way of just saving yourself some trouble and also making them feel really welcome in a home at the same time. So you could even do this for various things like toiletries. You could have an area in the home where everything's just out and they can help themselves, and they don't have to ask you for towels or where is the shampoo or where is the toothpaste. You just have everything out for them and they can help themselves to whatever they need. And I think even at this time of year it would be great to have a little station for wrapping, because I think sometimes people are very busy, they don't perhaps have time to wrap all their presents. Sometimes people are very busy, they don't perhaps have time to wrap all their presents. So I would even put out some wrapping paper tape, some tags and some bows and some ribbon. Just have that in a little basket somewhere. And if someone says, oh, have you got some spare wrapping paper or whatever, you don't then need to go hunt around for all those separate things and find them for them. You can just say, oh, everything that you might need is right here here. So I think this setting up stations is such a great idea and I'm definitely going to try this one.

Speaker 1:

And then the next one is to prepare a mini emergency kit. So you know, things happen and it is the festive season after all. So put together a little emergency kit. You can have things like pain relievers for those headaches that might happen. You can have, you know, plasters, tissues, stain remover, even just kind of think ahead anything someone might kind of have a little accident with, or need in terms of having a headache or feeling a bit unwell, perhaps hurting themselves. Just get it all together the same concept as the station really have it all together somewhere really easy to get to and you can just access everything without any fuss.

Speaker 1:

And then the last one is plan some entertainment options. I mean, this is what this season is all about. We all want to spend time with our loved ones, play some games, get together, watch a movie. Actually have time to sit together and be present and watch a movie together, which, with a crazy pace of life that we have, um, I mean, I don't know about you, but especially here in london and the pace of life is very, very fast and busy, and so everyone really does look forward to this time of year where you can just have a few days off and be completely present with your family and your friends and enjoy these moments. So Plan some games, stack up the board games. Have a playlist ready. It's one of my favourite things to do is to get the family involved in creating a Spotify playlist, so we all make suggestions and we all put it on the playlist and then we'll just play that throughout the holiday season. Over Christmas, any parties we might have at home we'll put that playlist on and then, of course, get those Christmas films out oh who doesn't love a Christmas movie? So get your Christmas playlist of your movies set up as well, and especially if you have guests, it's really fun to watch with with family and with friends, and just creating a really relaxing and a memorable time for everybody. So that brings us to the end of the episode.

Speaker 1:

I hope you enjoyed this one. It's a bit of an unusual one this week, but just a few thoughtful touches and some planning can really help you to just have a bit more time for yourself and enjoy the festive season, rather than being stressed out and feeling like you don't have enough time and constantly hosting. I think if you just plan ahead a little bit, you'll give yourself some time to enjoy this period as well. So I hope you have a productive December and that you also get some time to just completely sit back and relax when it gets to those holiday days at the end of the month. So that's bye for now, everybody, and I hope that you enjoy having your guests around and I hope that they enjoy spending time in your home, which you've gone through a very special effort to make warm and welcoming for them. Thanks for listening and I'll see you in the next episode. Bye for now cover.

Speaker 1:

We also have a number of other free renovation resources. Go now to southplacestudiocom forward slash freebies. I have created some amazing freebies for you there. There is one on the process, like we just said, there is one on planning permission. There is one on kitchen design. There is another one on lighting planning. Go and check those out. There's so much free information there to help you with your renovation.