Welcome to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live. It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes? Every month a group of seven six bloggers share their workspaces, homes, towns, and more!

This month’s theme is “Company’s Coming” and is about where and how we accommodate guests.

I don’t have many house guests. Family is all far away; friends mostly prefer to do things “out.” And in a not-exactly-one-bedroom apartment, having guests stay over is a little challenging.

When my daughter occasionally spends the night she sleeps on the sofa (cuz young/resilient) but if I had anyone else stay over I would stay on the sofa and let them take the bedroom.

So I don’t actually have a “guest room” these days. But if I did…and I could ever coerce anyone into coming here (are you out there, Sister?), here are some things I would do to make their visit as nice as possible.

Make the Space Presentable

I am a notoriously bad housekeeper. I’m lazy and I just don’t like doing it. I have better things to do. But that’s when it’s just me. When I know I’m going to have company I go into hyperdrive and get things put hidden away, get rid of overflow stuff, clean (as best I can), do any minor repairs (replace light bulbs, etc), and just generally freshen up. There may or may not be new throws or bath towels involved.

I think everyone enjoys having fresh flowers around so make a couple little bouquets for around the house, even if they’re just picked from the roadside.

Keep Guests Fed and Watered

While I’m a weird eater (never been on that 3-meal-a-day OR 3-things-on-a-plate plan) and I can (again, out of laziness, which is my default rationale for so many things) happily eat saltines with butter for dinner (and lunch. and breakfast), I can appreciate that others are more conventional in their eating habits and like Three Squares a Day. At least when my sister visits I know one of those squares can be a big bowl of raw brownie dough, but…otherwise I do try to follow some basic meal plans.

I like to make it easy for guests to grab a quick snack whenever they want without anyone having to run out to the store or go through any big meal prep. And it’s fun to share with them your favorite local places to eat out or pick up breakfast or lunch.

Activities

While it’s fun to be spontaneous, it’s good to have a couple Plan Bs at your disposal just in case. I would definitely take visitors over to Northport, the town next door, with a charming main street, cute shops, and a park overlooking the harbor.

But also find out what they would like to do, even if it’s something you’ve done a million times…or never had any desire to do. Realize that doing it With Them is an entirely new experience. So be agreeable and open-minded even if it means eating at that horrible gluten-free donut shop you swore you’d never return to. Yucch.

Sleeping Arrangements

As I said above, I have limited options in my apartment. But I would certainly have fresh (probably new) sheets on the bed, an assortment of blankets to accommodate a range of sleeping temperatures, easy lighting (don’t you hate when you’re sleeping somewhere unfamiliar and for the life of you cannot figure out how to turn the lights on or off??), and a stack of magazines by the bed in case they can’t sleep.

Also, a convenient electronics charging situation and maybe even a new set of earbuds so they can watch/listen to their favorite things during the night without having to keep the volume low to not disturb anyone else. If there’s a tv with a remote, a printed set of instructions is So Helpful. TV remotes are the devil’s work.

A subtle nightlight is helpful if they have to get up in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar space. I can barely make it from the bed to the bathroom in the dark without stumbling over something, so…let’s spare guests from that.

Bathrooms

I have company infrequently enough that I can use that as an excuse to buy a new set of old towels, so they can use fresh towels and not my old dingy ones.

A little basket stocked with toiletries is a nice touch in case they’ve forgotten anything. Hotel sized shampoo conditioner, lotion, soap, their own washcloth, a new toothbrush. Let them know where things like Tylenol, tweezers, scissors are, in case they need them.

My shower faucet is tricky and I can totally see the uninitiated winding up at the ER with third-degree burns, no lie. The water can get literally scalding hot. Make sure you let your guests know how to work the water.

Most of all, make their visit be about THEM. Listen to what they’d like to do, pay attention to their energy level and sleep routines, make them comfortable. They’re not there to entertain you. Enjoy their company, have adventures, let them leave feeling like you really enjoyed having them there.

Make sure to visit my friends to see how they treat their guests:

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Leslie at Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After 
Em at Dust and Doghair

This post contains affiliate links, which means that I may receive a small commission if you buy something as a result of clicking that link, at no extra cost to you. I appreciate you shopping through my links.