What You Need for Entertaining Guests in Your Apartment

By Victoria Robertson on December 30, 2016

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

College has often been described as one giant party. But what happens when you go to throw one and you realize you don’t have anything in your apartment that’s useful?

Whether you’re having a few friends over for a movie night or throwing a giant party for your floor, the bottom line is that you’re going to need the materials to do so.

So to help you out for your entertaining needs, here are five things that you will need to entertain in your apartment.

1. Seating

College students often forget (especially if their apartment comes furnished) that they’re going to need seating for all of their guests. While the two love seats and a few chairs from the table might be just fine for smaller get-togethers, it’s always a good idea to have some backups.

The most cost effective way to do so would be to purchase folding chairs that you can easily store and pull out when you need them. Some students also buy bar stools if they have room to store them and may even bring in an extra couch.

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Only you can judge how much room you have for such items, but remember that seating is going to be important for these events. At the very least, purchasing a few pillows for those that are sitting on the floor will work as well.

2. Music

Aside from movie nights, where this wouldn’t be necessary, music is a great addition to any get-together. And there are very cost effective ways to get some good sound for your apartment.

One such way is to purchase a small speaker that your phone can hook up to. That way, you can make a playlist, connect your phone and you don’t have to worry about changing the channel or skipping songs. You can also use a device like this to play online music stations.

You can also use your laptop to do this, but the speaker systems typically have better sound and don’t require any of your time, allowing you to enjoy the party.

3. Food and Drinks

You will, of course, need to provide these in most cases. The easiest way is to potentially order in or to make small appetizers that you can leave out for the entirety of the event. Either way, you’ll need serving trays and plasticware for everyone to use and so that you can leave the food out on the counter without having to pack everything up while your guests are still there.

It’s best to do this buffet style, so that people can get up and grab what they want when they need it, including water and any other drinks they may want. This way, you aren’t hassled every time someone needs something, as it’s all laid out right there.

Many students also utilize coolers full of drinks so that they stay cold, but everyone knows where they are. Plus, the cleanup afterward is much easier this way.

4. Entertainment

Depending on what your party entails, some form of entertainment will be necessary. Having a few games out or turning something on the TV is a good idea for those of you with larger groups of friends that like to do different things.

For movie nights, you’ll want a large collection, so either rent a movie or pull up your Netflix account so everyone can decide what they’d like to watch. People typically like to have options, so definitely keep those open.

5. Storage

While it’s probably the last thing that you think of when you think of hosting a party, you’ll want to have storage space to put people’s coats and shoes and potentially bags if they’re coming from class or carrying a purse.

Be sure you have enough hangers/closet space or a room where you can put things and they won’t be disturbed. It helps to prevent stolen items, and this is an especially important detail to pay attention to during the winter/colder months on college campuses.

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Really, there are plenty of things to consider when entertaining in an apartment. At your parent’s house, it seemed as if they had everything necessary to host a party, but when you move into a new place with only the essentials, you quickly realize how much you took that for granted.

Be sure to plan these events with enough time to gather all of the materials and, to save money, you can always ask your guests to bring something as well. We’re all in the same boat, and no one will take offense if you need a little help.

Maybe have a potluck dinner where everyone brings a dish, or ask everyone to bring a different beverage or movie option.

Basically, no matter what the occasion, don’t let it break the bank. Follow these tips and have fun, because it’s your apartment and you should!

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