How to prepare your home to host guests this festive season

Christmas is a time to shake off the stresses of the year with sumptuous food, exceptional company, and celebrations that luxuriate in the warm weather and infectious festive atmosphere. This year, more than any other, we can truly look forward to holiday entertaining and the joy it brings.

As a host, a festive celebration is your chance to welcome friends and family into your home for a little fun and silliness, and now’s the time to start planning.

The playlist and hors d’oeuvres can come later – first you’ll need a place for both your guests and your snacks to sit.

Holiday entertaining and sofa beds: Like mistletoe and wine

A warm room filled with people laughing, chatting, nibbling, and sipping, not even noticing as the hours breeze by. This is holiday entertaining at its finest, yet all of those people need somewhere comfortable to sit and relax.

And then some of them will need a place to sleep. That’s why a convertible sofa bed goes as well with holiday entertaining as mistletoe with wine.

For smaller spaces, a sleek two-seater sofa bed such as the Kenji 2 Seater is ideal to fit an extra couple during the festivities, then fold out into a queen size bed for the night. At just 160cm, it’s the perfect compact sofa bed that squeezes in classic style as much as it squeezes in extra tired guests.

The Cove 3 Seater sofa bed is a particularly beautiful couch, and one that neither looks nor feels like a sofa bed with its clean contemporary design and enveloping cushiony comfort. Whoever takes these spots at your party likely won’t move for the rest of the event lest they lose their perch.

Ideally, any holiday event will offer as much stylish and immensely comfortable seating as possible. For that, the Cove Chaise Sofa Bed is the perfect solution, and one that you wouldn’t dare relegate to the guest room. This living room centrepiece easily seats four to five adults, and folds out into a spacious queen-size bed plus futon-style side ideal for a child.

Regardless of size, these dual-purpose sofa beds are exceptionally practical as beautiful, functional couches and beds as they more than halve the space it would take to own two pieces of furniture instead of just two-in-one.

How to choose the best sofa bed for guests

Choosing the best sofa bed for guests is a question of notable quality and undeniable beauty. Quality encompasses its durability and comfort, whereas beauty ensures your sofa bed works well in your interior design scheme and still looks spectacular long after your guests have gone home.

Look for solid wood or steel in the frame for a long-lasting structure that can withstand the wear and tear of regular use as a couch and a bed. High-density foam in the couch cushions will add a supportive cosiness that doesn’t lose its shape, while a memory foam mattress will welcome guests into a blissful slumber whether they’re staying just one night or a whole week.

Fabric is another key consideration. It must be soft and cosy, yet durable and sophisticated all at once. Blended fabrics are often the best approach for finding the balance between form and function.

A pull out sofa bed that ticks all the boxes: The Felix Corner Sofa Bed offers a solid wood frame, high-density foam cushions, and 100% polyester fabric for the ultimate in chic style and complete functionality.

Other home styling tips this Christmas

Seating and sleeping arrangements sorted, it’s time to style the home in preparation for the festivities.

It’s not a party without endless nibbles and snacks, and you’ll need a spacious area for them to sit. A pull out table, such as the Markus Extension Table is an ingenious design for the holiday season, transforming from a standard 6-seater at 180cm to a spacious 10-seater at 240cm long. Its sleek lines and natural timber finish ensure this modern design looks at home whether you’re hosting a swish cocktail party or an intimate sit-down dinner.

You can also embrace the silly season and rearrange your décor. Perhaps your wall art usually lives in your bedroom – bring it out and display it in a common area during your event for added flair.

Finally, consider investing in extra dining chairs. You can never have enough when entertaining, and a design like the Havana Dining Chair is simply made for big groups, as not only can you use them outside, you can also stack them away in a tidy tower rather than taking up half your garage space.

Get ready to host your guests in style and comfort this festive season with our sofa beds. Shop our top picks for the holidays here.