Hospitality Station for House Guests

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Hospitality is such an important topic. We share a bit of ourselves when we open our homes and welcome guests in, don't we? Lauren from The Thinking Closet has some great hospitality tips for us today. Keep reading to see how little touches can make a big difference!

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Greetings, Serenity Now friends! My name is Lauren, and it is a distinct joy to be here today. I've been a fan of Amanda and her inspirational blog ever since I began frequenting the Weekend Bloggy Reading link party when I first started my DIY blog, The Thinking Closet, last year. And then, Amanda had to go and make me fall out of my chair when she and Centsational Kate featured my IKEA Wardrobe Hack in their Best of the Blogosphere this summer. (Yeah, I pretty much could have retired from blogging right then and there.) But I didn't! I'm still goin' strong!

One of my favorite topics to post on is the topic of hospitality and how to make guests feel at home. So, today, I want to give you an introduction to this passion of mine by sharing the hot drinks stations we set up in our guest room. See:


What do hot drinks have to do with a hospitality, you wonder? Well, a lot! I mean, to me, nothing is quite as soothing or homey as a warm cup of goodness clasped between your hands. Can I get an "amen"?


Also, it's important to note the inspiration for this hospitality station. It initially came from the Parker Family, one of the most loving and welcoming families I know. They are true role models for us in terms of hospitality. When you're in their home, they make you feel like a special guest, all the while making you feel like part of the gang; it's a fantastic balance to strike.

During a recent visit to their home, my husband and I got in late at night - - like everyone's-in-bed-asleep late at night. We crept downstairs to the guest room, tired, weary, and needing...well...a bit of comfort. And what did my eyes behold when we opened the guest room door, but a Keurig coffee machine, a carousel of K-cups, and a stack of mugs, inviting us to have a cup of Sleepy-Time tea before bed. Sigh. And boy did it ever deliver on the comfort.

That experience clearly made an impression because we ended up investing in a Keurig B-40 (got a great deal with a rebate and 20% coupon through Bed Bath & Beyond) and our very own carousel, which I stocked with a variety of K-cups. Thus, my vision for a hot drinks station in our guest room started to become a reality.

We also picked up a mint green cabinet from HomeGoods, which provides the perfect staging area for the hot drinks station, not to mention storage for our guests' clothes if they want to unpack! (Another way guests feel at home.)


And the teacher in me felt the need to write out a set of simple instructions for operating the Keurig. It's not rocket science; heck, it's not even science, but for first-timers, it can be a little daunting.

Did you know that you can create a font in your own personal handwriting? Well, I did just that and used my "Lauren" font to add some personalization to my typed instructions.


Which one are you: a one-cupper or twelve? I added some boxes of tea bags and of course, honey, my favorite sweetener for tea.
                                        

Pooh bear would be relieved.

And on the other side, my favorite sugar dish and coffee mugs from Crate and Barrel along with an antique tea cup.

       


This teacup is a family heirloom. Heirlooms are meant to be used! And all atop our Crate and Barrel table-runner. (Can you guess where we registered?)
     

To catch any drips!

Oh, the peanut M and Ms, you ask? Just a sweet treat for munching on. And maybe I had to refill the dish after eating half of them in the process of setting up my hot drinks station...and so what if I did?
                                           

Mark and I love using our fancy ice-cream bowls as candy dishes.

Every time we have company stay with us, I get giddy with glee to show them to their room and present to them the hot drinks station; so far, everyone has put it to use, meaning that it's doing what it does best: making our guests feel at home.
       

Your Turn

What are some of the ways you make your guests feel welcome? Are hot drinks a love language in your house like they are in ours?

To Close

Amanda, thank you SO much for inviting me over here today! It has been a privilege to have the chance to hopefully give back to someone who has given me so very much inspiration over the past year. And dear reader, I hope you walk away with an itch to embrace hospitality in a new way! And if you've got a hankering for more on the subject, be sure to check out my Practical Gift Ideas for Moving & Housewarming and 10 Ways to Make Your Wedding Guests Feel Welcome. They're right up this same alley! Or for something completely different, how about Filing Fabric (in your filing cabinet)? Or a Wood Pallet Sign Tutorial? Those are both reader faves over at The Thinking Closet. Hope to see you over yonder!

Cheers,



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Thank you, Lauren! When can I come and stay at your place?

How do you make guests feel comfortable in your home when they visit?

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