Company is coming: How to get your home ready for the social season

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Summer holidays are rolling round and many Aussie families are preparing their homes in anticipation for their friends and loved ones dropping by for a visit after months of COVID-19 lockdowns.

For some families, hosting may mean putting together a dinner across a long dining table, but for others it may also involve readying up your guest bedroom for some overnight visitors or interstate travellers.

Regardless of what kind of company you'll be expecting this summer, there's no doubt a lot that needs to be done prior to opening your doors for social calls in the coming weeks.

Here are some of the most pressing tasks that lay ahead of all you budding hosts and hostesses this holiday season.

Your home's living spaces are going to be the main hubs for entertaining during any social visit, so it's well worth starting here and working your way outwards.

Revamping your living spaces may involve investing in a brand new sofa set, swapping out your spring or winter decor for some more summery colours and fabrics, and switching up your window coverings to ensure that your living spaces stay nice and airy during the season's peaks.

You may even decide to swap out the larger pieces of furniture in your living space for more modular options just to ensure that your space is a suitable environment for a good holiday party.

For instance, you can swap out your large coffee table for smaller tables to keep your space open and also ensure that everyone has a place to set their drinks down.

These smaller tables can be done up with some festive tablecloths that can potentially also match throws or cushions you use on your sofa, just to keep your whole living space feeling in theme with your summer celebrations.

Arguably the worst part about preparing your home for guests is making sure that evidence of your day-to-day messes cannot be seen.

For most of us, this may mean just tossing clutter into your lower kitchen drawers and pushing excess clothing to the back of your wardrobe.

If you're having house guests stay over the summer holidays, then it won't be enough to just chuck all your loose bits and bobs in to an empty closet for the duration of their stay.

It's best to take some extra time and really give your home a thorough cleaning. Decluttering for the holidays should ideally start with the areas of your home that are most susceptible to becoming cluttered once again after all of your Christmas shopping has been completed.

Your pantry space is probably the easiest place to start here, as decluttering this space first will ensure that your Christmas meal fixings have a place to go.

As your pantry is a confined space, this job is also not likely to take too long, so you can get all the satisfaction of ticking an item off your cleaning to-do list nice and early!

If you're expecting house guests, then you'll also need to deep clean your guest bedroom and bathroom spaces. Again, as highly defined spaces in your home, these two areas should be quite easy to tick off and can be fully cleaned over the span of a day with a well-organised schedule.

With barbecue season now in full swing, you'll absolutely want to show your garden spaces a little TLC so that your guests can bask in all the warmth and vitality that accompanies this sunkissed season.

Mowing your grass and trimming your trees and ornamental hedges can make a world of difference on its own, but if you're looking to encourage your house guests to really embrace your outdoor living spaces, then it's well worth providing them with an abundance of fun amenities.

Some examples include an outdoor grill and table space for alfresco dining, benches under shelter for sitting and reading or enjoying a cup of tea, and maybe even an outdoor speaker or entertainment system for ensuring all your backyard shindigs maintain a warm and rhythmic atmosphere.

Installing soft fairy lighting, lanterns, or even tea lights on tabletops can also help add an extra sense of cosiness to your outdoor living areas. The golden lighting will ensure that any snapshots taken at your parties come out looking highly flattering too!

Finally, just as investing in extra amenities may help to elevate your outdoor living spaces, securing some added goodies for your living and kitchen or dining areas may also help your holiday festivities go off with a terrific bang.

Some ideas for extra amenities in and around the house include a popcorn maker for movie nights, a home cocktail bar for classy affairs, some gaming consoles, board games, and other fun family activities, and BlueTooth speakers and smart lighting for easy party atmosphere curation.

This isn't an exhaustive list, however, and you and your family should feel encouraged to invest in any amenities that feel exciting for you.

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Getting your home ready for guests this social season is really all about ensuring that your home feels like a great place to be, not just for the visitors you'll be expecting, but for your family, neighbours, and other loved ones too.

Suppose you make sure to ask your wider household for suggestions regarding your household's summer preparedness.

In that case, chances are that your home will be a perfect reflection of all of its occupants when the time for your holiday parties finally arrives!