Top home entertaining tips

With daylight saving and public holidays to take advantage of, January is a great month for entertaining. Make it special with our home entertaining tips – with gorgeous, affordable styling or even a fun theme. Then fire up the barbie and let the good times roll with these helpful entertaining tips.

Tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves, and a mask, for example) when moving furniture or working from height during your party set up. Always follow the instructions for the product or equipment.

Essential home entertaining tips: Set the scene

At-home shindigs can range from a casual barbie to a sit-down dinner, so one of our best home entertaining tips is to arrange your furniture to suit. A smaller table set up as a beverage station, topped with a tray of glasses, drinks in ice buckets and a filtered-water dispenser, is always a good idea. Place bench seats as a perimeter around a ‘dance floor’, and group chairs to create conversation zones. Lightweight plastic chairs can be moved around indoors and out as needed and easily wipe clean.

Easy party decorations to make at home: Theme ideas

While a themed event may take a little more pre-planning, professional event organiser Allison Barrett of My Perfect Party believes the fun it creates is well worth the effort. Easy party decorations to make at home can include themes like:

• Masquerade: Make your own masks using cardboard, paint and glitter, or create a backdrop wall using metallic streamers and hanging masks.
• Gatsby: Transform wine bottles into art deco vases with gold paint, and make geometric patterns from black and gold card for table decorations.
• Tropical: Create paper palm leaves, use fruit as natural decor, and make your own leaf garlands using green cardboard.
• Year in Review: Display D.I.Y. photo galleries of the year's biggest moments and create themed centerpieces representing major events.

“There’s always someone attending who’ll go all out with fancy dress and create plenty of laughs,” Allison says, sharing her home entertaining tips. The theme can be as simple or elaborate as you like.

Creative entertaining tips: Light it up

One of our easiest entertaining tips is to use dazzling lighting effects to instantly boost the atmosphere. String up colour-changing low-voltage smart LED ball lights inside or out. Use disco balls or coloured spotlights for a dance-floor effect, run LED strip lights along shelves, walls and under furniture, and spotlight key areas like a dessert table, suggests the team at Arlec. The smart 5m ‘Sound Sync’ strip light from Arlec has a mode to react to the beat of music, so you can really wow your guests.

Easy party decorations to make at home: Glitter and shine

Layering metallic tones and sparkles will give tabletops a glow-up. “Mini disco balls placed down the centre of a table interspersed with battery-operated twinkle lights make a magical setting,” suggests Allison. Try these easy party decorations to make at home: turn empty bottles into dazzling vases using metallic or glitter paint.

Entertainment tips: Play that funky music

No party is complete without tunes to set the mood (while being considerate of your neighbours, of course!). Create a playlist in keeping with your theme, or select your favourite songs from the past year, and ensure you have a Bluetooth speaker charged and ready to go. Speakers with colourful LED displays can double as decorations, while a party ball with spinning lights and an in-built Bluetooth speaker creates an instant disco vibe.

Need assistance with the party prep?

Bunnings can help with outdoor kitchen fit-outs, barbecue assembly and more. Plus you can hire all kinds of products including pressure washers, landscaping tools and deep-cleaning devices through our Hire Shop.

Note: Not all services are available in all stores.

Keep in mind…

• Any hardwired electrical fixtures must be installed by a licensed electrician.
• Use the correct safety equipment when working from height and follow equipment instructions.
• Follow noise restriction guidelines in your local area.
• When painting, always wear safety equipment (eye protection and mask) and ensure the room is well ventilated.
• Keep all paint and chemicals out of reach of children and pets.

The setting is set, now what to serve…

Wow your guests with tantalising BBQ and smoker recipes set to impress.

Photo credit: Jonny Valiant.