JENNIFER LITWIN’S LIST OF MUST-HAVES FOR ACCOMMODATING HOLIDAY GUESTS
The cou
ntdown begins for holiday entertaining! With only three months to go, home furnishings expert and author, (Furniture Hot Spots and Best Furniture Buying Tips Ever!) Jennifer Litwin, advises homeowners to avoid the last minute crises and jump into action and start getting houses into shape for the onslaught of holiday guests.
“Advanced planning for your holiday company is a must,” says the Sotheby’s-trained Litwin, who is a contributing columnist for Consumers Digest magazine and appears frequently on TV, sharing her advice on anything for the home.
“By starting early, you can save time and money. As soon as you know how many are coming, you can plan sleeping and eating arrangements, especially if your house is small and you are not used to hosting guests. What’s hot now is dual-purpose furniture that can be used for daily living as well as entertaining. I also recommend having easily portable items that can be stored in the closet, and taken out just before company comes.”
LITWIN’S TOP FIVE “MUST HAVES” FOR HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING:
- Sleeper sofa. A couch or chair that also serves as a bed is a necessity. Inflatable mattresses placed into sleeper sofas have replaced stiff bars in couches. Cost Plus has an oversized chair that turns into a sleeper sofa for $699 and a studio sofa-bed that folds down and sleeps one for $399 (cushion sold separately).
- Tray Tables. Whether stored in the closet or used as side tables in your family room, tray tables are great for overflow when your kitchen and dining room tables are filled. Some of the more decorative ones can be used all year-round and are great accent pieces for the home. Target’s tray table sets are in walnut and beechwood and the cost is $69.99.
- Folding Chairs. Made of metal, plastic or wood, folding chairs can be used around dining tables or placed in living room and dining room areas to seat extra guests. The trend today in folding chairs is a chair that isn’t floppy, like the old folding chairs, often with safety closures, and doesn’t look or feel like the older-model folding chairs. Many of these chairs look good enough to leave out year-round. Ikea boasts folding chairs in durable plastic for $8.99 a piece and Terje folding chairs in beechwood for $12.99 each.
- Dual-purpose ottomans/coffee tables. In all different fabrics, ottomans can provide storage for items and can serve as tables, foot rests or extra chairs. Another up-and-coming trend is the coffee table that raises and lowers to become an eating table. Target has a brown leather storage ottoman available for only $69.99. Cost Plus has a beautiful brown leather cube for $95. It’s a great place to put the pieces you don’t want out for the company to see!
- Futons. Futons no longer look like the clumsy, unattractive versions seen in the 80’s. Today’s host can feel comfortable having guests stay in the updated, contemporary futons, many of which come with magazine racks and drink holders. Affordable Futons offers a variety of futons in the $150-300 range, and you can even select your own mattress (included in the price), and fabric. This is currently the best value in extra sleeping surfaces.
With sixty-five percent of all furniture shoppers first browsing online, before walking into a store, Litwin recommends online shopping because many large retailers offer discounts online that aren’t available in their stores—discounts of up to 50%.
“And when shopping in local stores, don’t forget to ask for a 15 percent discount on furniture items,” she adds.
Designers generally get a 15 percent discount, and Litwin has found that furniture salespeople will offer the same discount to the end user, especially in a down economy or a slow season.
A contributing writer for Consumers Digest, magazines and television news programs around the country, Litwin is the nation’s leading home expert. She is the author of Best Furniture Buying Tips Ever! (Random House), full of practical tips on how to get the best quality furniture without getting ripped off. With Litwin’s expert techniques, buyers can become well-educated, confident shoppers when purchasing furniture.
Litwin is also the author of Furniture Hot Spots: The Best Furniture Stores and Websites Coast to Coast, in which she uses her trademark “chair rating system” to rank all kinds of furniture stores nationwide according to their price, personnel, ambience and quality. Litwin received her MBA from the University of Chicago.
Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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