Advice

Published 9 December 2025 | Last Modified 10 December 2025

Get Ready for Guests with Our Expert Guide

Whether you go all-out by decorating the whole house and hosting the entire family, or simply add a touch of sparkle and invite a couple of special people, the magic of Christmas is that we all celebrate our own way. But however big or small the gathering you’re planning, a few effortless touches is all it takes to entertain at home this season, from cosying up your living room to setting the table and preparing a guest bedroom. All of which is sure to provide a warm welcome to friends and family the moment they step through the door. The only problem? They may never want to leave…  

A beautiful spare bedroom.
A beautiful spare bedroom.
A dining table set for seasonal celebrations.
A dining table set for seasonal celebrations.

Style Up Your Spare Bedroom 

There’s nothing quite like being in your own bed – or is there? Here, we’ve taken our design cues from a boutique hotel with beautiful furnishings and luxurious details that make a night or two an absolute treat for visiting friends and family. Add interest, warmth and colour to your bed by investing in a couple of new scatter cushions such as Lahar or Archibald together with a textural throw like Muhibbi. Embrace the cosy shades of winter in earthy reds, browns and greens to envelop your guests. Why not add a floor covering to zone the space for sleeping and complement the shades you’ve chosen for the textiles? Next, create a soft and flattering lighting scheme that’s conducive to rest and relaxation with a combination of table and floor lamps – we love our Piraamid design teamed with Nina. If space permits, nothing says ‘stylish stay’ quite like an occasional chair in the corner of the room, while a few new pieces of artwork can breathe life into even the most redundant of nooks. Finish with fresh towels rolled up on the bed, a diffuser or candle on the bedside table and some chocolates on the pillow as your own take on a turndown service.  

Shop the Collection

Give Your Guests a Warm Welcome 

Guests always need somewhere central to gather, whether it’s around a central island in a particularly convivial kitchen or simply on generous sofas arranged cleverly in a living room. For the latter, seating that’s as social as it is comfortable really is the secret to making things effortless. In this space, we’ve combined three components of our Alora modular range to create a cosy L-shape that lends itself perfectly to intimate deep and meaningfuls, while the Rosina slipper chair and Samena ottoman provide extra seating on the other side of the room (and the perfect perches for drinks and nibbles). Elsewhere, the Aptos rug and Hampstead coffee table anchor the whole space, as well as providing a practical surface for serving drinks and nibbles. A roaring fireplace complemented by club fenders and a twinkling tree dripping in decorations act as a warming and atmospheric backdrop.  

Shop scene (2)

Make Your Bar the Star 

You don’t need a dedicated home bar to wheel out the welcome wagon, as our Harmonia drinks trolley demonstrates, its woven cane base and handmade wooden frame teamed with bamboo detailing and brass accents to make for a real conversation-starter. Whether positioned in the corner of your living room, or simply wheeled from one space to another as required, it’s a fabulous addition during festive entertaining. Style up both levels with bottles of your finest spirits, plenty of mixers, bowls of garnishes and a bucket filled with ice, plus functional accessories like tongs and stirrers as well as more aesthetic ones such as cocktail books and decorative objets. Then, enjoy being the host with the most by mixing and muddling the classics, or simply tell guests to help themselves for stress-free hosting.  

Set the Table for Seasonal Celebrations 

You don’t have to wait until the big day to set the table. In fact, you can get ahead by laying it for soirées you might be hosting beforehand, such as supper with the neighbours or a Christmas Eve feast, and simply tweak for every subsequent event. Here, we’ve loaded up our Balbac dining table with crockery and glassware in our Nephele and Evander collections, together with all the extras for a special occasion (from napkin rings to candle holders). For a less formal affair, we might remove the foliage and replace the tapers with a couple of wireless table lamps, for example; or, for something like New Year’s Eve, you could dial up the drama with patterned crockery, a dark tablecloth and a whole lot of sparkle. The secret is customising to create something unique each time without starting from scratch. 

A bar cart laden with drinks and accessories.
A bar cart laden with drinks and accessories.
Shop scene (2)

Gifting

shop now
shop now
Shop scene (2)

Hosting

shop now
shop now

Date Published

9 December 2025

More Articles

Last Modified

10 December 2025

Category

Advice
Share
The OKA Christmas Gift Guide 2025
The OKA Christmas Gift Guide 2025

The OKA Christmas Gift Guide 2025

It can be hard to know what to buy loved ones every year, whether friends or family, especially those who...
Read article
Read article

Interested in more inspiration?

From tips and tricks to decorating advice and expert know-how, we've got plenty of bright ideas for the home and garden.

DISCOVER MORE ARTICLES