Home Improvement: Taking The Guess Work Out Of Making Your Home Guest Ready

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By mia bolaris-forget

We all know that first impression, be it on a professional or personal “interview” can be a deal maker or a deal breaker. And, in fact, that’s probably why most of us emphasize our appearance so much, or at least we should before making our most important public appearance. Yet, one area that often gets neglected is our personal space. In fact, many of us forget just how important how we live is to first impressions. In fact, how we live can be just as important as how we look as we embrace couplehood, marriage and seek to make new friends who are married or soon-to-be-weds too.

According to experts our interior design speaks volumes about who we are and how we live and can either help make others feel “right at home” or sending screaming in the other direction.

Clear the air and the clutter: A house that smells warm is inviting, but one that wreaks of fish, broccoli, cigarette smoke, mustiness, or of pets or heavy perfumes, just to name a few conveys, and quite clearly just the opposite.

Make sure to keep windows open, yes, even during the winter (open them only slightly during this season), turn on fans, and burn subtly scented candles if you’re cooking (unless your baking bread, cake, or cookies), smoking, or doing anything else that may leave an unpleasant odor. These strategies can also help with musty smells that are often the result of homes that get little or no ventilation. In addition make sure that, even if your goal is a “lived-in” look, your home looks like a couple or family lives their and not a sorority or fraternity of college students. Make it a point to put things away before they get overwhelming ensuring your home is always, for the most part, guest and visitor friendly. Otherwise set aside some time to get the job done or hire someone to do it or help you.

Put away personal and private artifacts and stock up on standards: Yes, this is YOUR home and it SHOULD be comfortable for you to live in, but it also should be comfortable for others to visit. Make sure to store away all your personal paraphernalia such as razors, feminine hygiene products, hairbrushes, picks and combs (especially if they are full of hair), “protection”, etc. But, always have on hand and easily accessible standards such as shampoo, conditioner, gel, hairspray, soap, etc. And, if there are products you think you guests will need but you don’t use, its best to make a drugstore run before they get there.

Make your space age-appropriate: A boombox as the main entertainment source in someone’s living room; survey says “NO”. What’s wrong with that you ask? Nothing really if you’re a tween, teen, college student or graduate, or if you’re a young newlywed (younger than 25 or 30), but not if you’re a mature adult, especially if you “can” afford even a “small” upgrade. Remember, while your home should be appealing to you, it should also feel welcoming and inviting to your peers. And, believe it or not, it’s also a loud and clear testimony of your values, how you see yourself and how you live your life. And, while it should reflect your personality, it should emphasize the more positive and flattering aspects of it, not those that may point out your shortcomings and may be perceived as turnoffs. Remember, also that your home is a reflection of where you are in your life, so make sure it defines you, or at least the image you want others to have of you, properly and appropriately.

Stock up on staple items: Even if you’re not big entertainers or “spur-of-the moment” types, its better to be prepared, just in case. Stock up on some fancy paper plates, cups, napkins and some “gourmet” chips, dips, cookies, nuts, wine, cracker, cheese, tea, coffee and other effortless eats sure to please even the pickiest of guests, even when visiting on a whim.

Long Island Home & Lifestyle Articles > Home Improvement: Taking The Guess Work Out Of Making Your Home Guest Ready