How to arrange your living room for a festive party

The playlist is ready. The eggnog’s on ice. It must be party season. 

If you’re hosting a Christmas or New Year soirée at home, here’s how to set up your living room before the guests arrive. 

How to arrange seating for a house party

Often, when people are hosting a party, they put their sofa and chairs in one big circle. And while this gives guests plenty of places to sit, it can create an awkward social dynamic in the room. Instead, it’s best to create ‘conversation pods’ where you group 2–4 seating options together, so people can mingle and chat amongst themselves. 

This is where your modular sofa can really shine. Because you can split it into sections, and dot it around the room with some ottomans and dining chairs. 

Don’t have a lot of space? Put two sofas (or sofa sections) back-to-back in the middle of the room, and place some smaller seating options on each side. This primes the room for social interaction and gives it a fun, party vibe. 

You may be tempted to put every chair in the house in the living room, but sometimes, people want to catch up in the kitchen, or at the dining table. Leaving some chairs in other rooms allows your guests to freeflow into other social spaces (and frees up some floor space for a midnight dance-off).

Where to put side tables for a house party 

Once you’re happy with your seating plan, you want to put at least one table or flat, elevated surface within arm’s reach of each chair. This way, guests can tuck into a bowl of crisps, or set down their glass somewhere safe (because, as we all know, a glass of mulled wine on the floor is a spill waiting to happen). 

Side tables are your best friend here. But a tray on a footstool can work equally well. You can also pop some coasters on sideboards and console tables to make good use of your existing space. 

How to light a room for a house party

Lighting will set the tone of your party as soon as your guests set foot in your living room. Where possible, you want to avoid ‘the big light’ and instead, make use of lamps and your Christmas tree. 

For a family get-together with dancing and games, coloured lights can add a touch of fun that kids will love. Put colour-changing bulbs in standard lamps, or buy some sound-activated disco lights online. 

If a Christmas cocktail party is more your vibe, dress your living room with candles* and the glow of your Christmas tree for a sophisticated festive mood. *P.S. Opt for mostly unscented candles, so the fragrance doesn’t overwhelm the room. Just one scented candle is perfect. 

Where to place speakers for a house party

When your guests first arrive, they're going to be catching up with each other. You don’t want the speaker to be so close to where someone is sitting that they can’t hear a conversation. But at the same time, you still want everyone to hear the music. 

Ideally, speakers should sit above head height, so the sound travels across the living room, but it’s not directly in someone’s ear. This will make the sound feel more balanced for everyone in the space. 

If that’s not possible, you could also place a speaker on the sideboard in the hallway and turn up the volume. This means people in your living room and other spaces in the house can still hear the music, if you don’t have a multi-room sound system.