- Guest Room
See what you love about a great hotel, that might include an duvets, spare hangers, pillows etc. Bonus points for bottled water, a box of chocolates or mints, and a note with your Wi-Fi password. To prevent guests from stumbling over suitcases, keep a luggage rack in the guest room. And in your guest bath, “always, always set out extra toilet paper and a plunger, because there’s nothing more awkward than having to ask,” Joanna Goddard of Cupofjo.com says. An extra-thoughtful touch: Keep a stockpile of just-in-case medications (ibuprofen, indigestion pills) and bandages, plus a sewing kit for garment emergencies.
- Dinning Room
Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs of Food52 suggest buying plain linen fabric that’s 10 inches longer than each side of the surface. Wash and dry it to create intentional frays along the cut edges. As you set the table, don’t sweat it if you don’t have enough matching china, says Huh. Either mix and match two sets evenly (the salad plate from one set with the dinner plate from another) or disperse many mismatched pieces throughout the table, sticking with a consistent color palette to keep it looking uniform. Lay out serving dishes the night before, each labeled with a sticky note with the menu item you plan to serve in it. Hesser and Stubbs divide each dish into two serving platters or bowls so everyone at the table can have easy access.
- Kitchen
A self-service buffet keeps you from playing short-order cook. For breakfast, make and refrigerate mixtures of pancakes a day or two before guests arrive; make sure to have everything in stock from teabags to ketchup. Furnish with a coffee and tea area stocked with mugs, spoons, and sweeteners. And for off-hours nibbling, a basket in the pantry or fridge labeled “Eat me” takes the guesswork out of what’s fair game to munch on during the day and also makes it fun.
