The Secret to Small-Space Entertaining

From a former Brooklyn & Queens renter

My favorite parties to throw are often my most ridiculous ideas. For my 30th birthday, I threw a sparkling wine-themed cocktail party with 6 different sparkling wines from around the world, explainers, a bounty of appetizers, and glitter almost everywhere (I’m still finding pieces an unnamed number of years later). But one of my favorites is still my “Soup-er Saturday” party from 2023.

The bottles from said Sparkling Wine Party

A bit about our apartment before I get into the party. We somehow packed two apartments worth of furniture into a one-bedroom in Long Island City: two desks, two couches (for a short time), two dining tables (had to sell the OG), and two kitchens’ worth of equipment. I filmed 4 short-form videos a week for my old job out of our apartment, completely taking over what small space we had to work around a Wayfair kitchen island (used to give ourselves any inch of counter space).

We packed a lot of memories into this apartment, including eating on our floor for a week when mold was getting treated in the bedroom and living with a wall of boxes when we finally moved out.

My husband and I were getting married in just a few months and had both been on our bachelor/bachelorette parties. Both of our individual groups got along so well, but we knew that the best weddings were when the wedding party sides really knew each other. Cue: Soup-er Saturday. I invited our 18-person wedding party (plus their SO’s) over to our one-bedroom apartment for a soup-themed party. Did I have enough space for everyone to sit to enjoy their soup? Absolutely not. Instead, I bought a ton of tiny compostable bowls so people could sip with one hand while standing. We had slow cookers covering every inch available and power strips pushed to their limit.

The key to small-space entertaining is to know what you’re working with. While I’m sure the 14th Dalai Lama wouldn’t have expected his quote to be used in reference to entertaining: Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively. If you know the physical limits of your space, you know exactly how far you can push it. If you want to do a classic seated dinner party, you might be limited to how much floor space you can set up tables and chairs in (plus finding/borrowing/owning a folding table and extra chairs, if you need more than what’s usually in your set-up). Knowing how many people you physically can fit can help you decide how intimate or big of a party you can throw. We had a recurring “Board Night” with one of our couple friends where the four of us would just come together and eat anything off of a board (from fondue in the photo above to Taco Bell) and maybe play a board game. It doesn’t have to be a ton of people or a big to-do to still be entertaining.

Or, you think outside the box: why can’t you sit on the floor instead? A quick search on Pinterest of “floor dinner party” pulls up TONS of inspiration, some even using boxes as makeshift tables. Throw some pillows on the floor for people to sit on and thrift some tablecloths. It’ll come together more quickly than you expect! You can also do what I love and just have a standing party. You don’t need to have 0 seats, but you don’t need to have a seat for everyone. Guests feel like they can mingle and get to know each other better. Another option? Get creative with third spaces. Does your apartment building have a rooftop? Is there a community center or park nearby? You don’t need to be at home to host!

Am I saying that you can pull off the sprawling lawn parties of Hamptons fame? Maybe not. But can you create a legendary party in your friend group where bits are referenced months after the party happens? You absolutely bet.