8 Ways to Bring Southern Hospitality to Small Spaces
Posted In
August 19, 2025
Posted On
Written by Stephanie Kehr
There’s no better feeling than knowing guests feel cozy and comfortable in your home. But if you live in a small space, it’s easy to feel limited. These Southern-inspired hospitality tips let you cultivate beauty in any space or season of life.
Chapters
- 8 Ways to Bring Southern Hospitality to Small Spaces
- The Bottom Line: Hospitality Is for Every Space and Season
After growing up in Virginia, I have mixed feelings about Southern hospitality. At times, it can feel inauthentic and competitive, and it gets messy if you don’t know the unspoken rules. But the more time I spend outside of Virginia, the more I crave the Sunday afternoon potlucks and porch swing conversations of my childhood. The only problem is, my home is fairly small, and hosting huge get-togethers feels a bit out of reach. So, here’s how I plan to combine all the sweetness of Southern hospitality with the authenticity of my small Colorado home.
8 Ways to Bring Southern Hospitality to Small Spaces
1) Always Have Something in the Oven
Peach cobbler, tea cakes, and buttermilk biscuits. We’re talking classic Southern comfort foods to eat with your neighbors on cool summer nights. If you grew up in the South, you know it’s expected to have these foods warming in the oven when company comes over.
Personally, I don’t love that this turns into a competition over who has the most free time, the most ingredients on hand, or the best recipes. The best-tasting food is made with love, after all, and those of us with small spaces don’t always have a huge pantry.
I prefer to live out this principle through my well-stocked freezer. When I have time, I think about future guests and what they’ll enjoy eating. Then, I prep food ahead of time and pop it in the freezer. When people come for a visit, it’s easy to get the cozy scent of warm pie in the oven without the stress beforehand.
2) Use the Pretty Dishes
Why are we all saving the pretty dishes for special occasions? Simply existing is a special occasion, and pretty dinnerware makes every meal feel elevated and charming. I know most people hesitate about this because “the good china” is expensive and breakable. So if you want to protect the family heirlooms, go thrifting for a few elevated pieces. You’ll find china dishes that are just as lovely but without the sentimental value.
If you don’t have family heirlooms, all the more reason to buy pretty dishware for everyday use. You won’t need a separate china cabinet, so you can keep the plates and bowls above the stove, where they belong. That way, you’re not collecting more things that take up closet space.
3) Ask the Right Questions
If you’ve never been to the South, it’s a pretty chatty experience. You’ll strike up a conversation with the grocery clerk and become fast friends with all the Sunday brunch ladies. This is something I love about the South, and I miss it when I’m anywhere else. But these conversations aren’t just a happy accident — often, they’re the result of deep questions.
Learn to ask follow-up questions about someone’s life story and to listen well when they tell it. Be genuinely interested in their personal experiences, dreams, anxieties, and what drives their passions. And make spaces to have those conversations, whether it’s long walks at dusk, quiet National Park road trips, or an afternoon tea break.
4) Center Your Spaces Around Nature
All your guest space really needs are those wildflowers you picked by the creek. But if you’re feeling a little fancier, you can pop over to Trader Joe’s for some sunflowers and sweet-smelling eucalyptus. Nature is the best teacher for generous and understated beauty. Open the windows, enjoy dinner in the garden, hang a birdfeeder, and invite nature into your home alongside your guests.
5) Theme Your Gatherings
Do you know that neighborhood parties and casual get-togethers are becoming less common? Americans are working more and gathering less. So sometimes we need a coaxing to get people together, and a well-planned theme is a great start. I love classic literature, so I enjoy book or movie-themed events. I’ll never say no to a Lord of the Rings, Little Women, or Anne of Green Gables party, and neither will my friends. These parties are always fun with a small crowd, too, and can prompt deeper conversations than you’d have with a bigger group.
6) Let Your Guests Pitch in (Potluck Style)
If you have a small home and a full-time job, you probably don’t have the time or space to host a three-course meal. You might think that hospitality is just not the right fit for this season of life. But you simply haven’t discovered the potluck. When your friends each bring a warm dish, they all get a say in what’s for dinner. They also feel like an important part of the event, since they pitched in. There’s not a ton of extra work for anyone, and it’s the perfect way to prioritize community and connection, even when time and space is limited.
7) Prioritize Small Comforts
I have a wellness obsession, which means there’s always a new biohacking device or clean beauty product in my home. Whether it’s handmade body wash or a visit to my infrared sauna, I always offer these little luxuries to guests, and they go a long way. A homemade bath product with a sweet note or grounding sheets on their bed for better sleep helps a guest know I’m thinking of their comfort.
8) Get a Welcome Gift
After a long road trip or plane ride, it’s so nice to arrive to a thoughtful gift basket. I love to pack these with local farmers market goods that will remind guests of their trip long after they return home. Especially if your guest is sleeping in a common area (usually what happens with small spaces), this gives them a little something that’s totally their own to appreciate.
The Bottom Line: Hospitality Is for Every Space and Season
The central theme of hospitality isn’t the welcome gifts, pretty dishes, and sweet desserts. It’s not you achieving the role of perfect hostess or even your guest having a seamless visit. Things will go wrong, you’ll feel stressed at times, and you’ll forget things that you wanted to put out for dinner. Hospitality is really about the deep conversations and nourishing friendships. It’s about making others feel valued and welcome, which you can do in any space, any season, and with any budget.
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