How to Make Your Cabin More Welcoming

Have you ever had company come to visit your cabin home, only to feel a bit unprepared and inadequate, as far as your hospitality goes? There are certain things a person can do to make their cabin home more welcoming to guests. In this article I will outline some tips on making your country home a delight to your friends and family.

I know that when I go to visit my friends and family, the thing that makes me feel most welcome is a deliberate cleaning and organizing of their home, so that is my first tip. I find that if the home is purposely cleaned and tidied up, then it is more welcoming to guests. That includes putting away everything that doesn't serve a purpose in that room. For example, if there is clothing laying around on your living room couch or paperwork sitting on your kitchen counter, it looks as if you're not really ready for someone to be visiting your home. The space isn't functioning at its highest ability.

Another part of cleaning is sweeping and mopping the floors. This is very noticeable and a deterrent, if not done prior to company arriving. Someone should be able to walk around barefoot on your floors without stepping on crumbs and debris etc.

The next tip I have is to have your house at a comfortable temperature. If it's chilly outside, make sure you have the fireplace lit or the heat on. At the same time, don't make it too hot because that is the easiest way to make your guest feel uncomfortable, sick or even sleepy. If you don’t like your guest for some strange reason, and just want them to go to bed, then stoke up the fire and throw on some Yanni! Only joking...

A helpful tip to make your guests feel more welcome is to have decent furnishings. For example, don't have furniture that is smelly, broken or dangerous, like an end table with a bad leg, or a couch with stains or broken springs. This can be avoided or remedied by purchasing some new or gently used furniture somewhere. If you want make your home feel more unified, you could choose a theme or general design for your space and get a matching furniture set. They sell matching items in most stores now, like living room or bedroom sets. They can add to the general unity of your space.

Another tip I have is to provide a clean bathroom with fresh towels. One might even set them out for your guests so that they don't have to guess where these are located. If they are staying the night, you might set these items in their bedroom.

Something else that makes your cabin home more welcoming to guests that are staying the night is an appropriated guest room. It should be an intentional room that is used solely for that purpose. It would not be a storage room or playroom for your kids while they are there. A stay over guest should feel like they are staying in a motel.

Another nice touch for your guests is a pleasant smelling home. Something that smells fresh or clean is a plus. Plug in scents, with something like vanilla or lavender is a good choice, so as not to offend someone with a sensitive sense of smell. Nothing's worse than going to someone's home and being bombarded by bad incense, especially when you're there to visit for a certain period of time. I am speaking from personal experience, as someone with a sensitive sense of smell. Less is more when it comes to fragrance. If you are in doubt, you may want to go with a citrus or fruit scent, or the vanilla or lavender like I mentioned earlier.

Some other minor things that you can provide for your guests are: playing soft music in the background, lighting candles or lanterns, cooking dinner for them, or even having something baking in the oven. Then they will know you went the extra mile for them.