How to: Welcome guests in style

In the great country manors of Victorian England, inviting guests for extended stays was a normal part of the social calendar. While you may not live on a sprawling estate or employ a large staff, the art of welcoming out-of-town guests is still alive and well. According to author and Martha Stewart Living alumna Amy Nebens' book, A Gracious Welcome (Raincoast Books, 2004), the secret to making guests feel at home lies in a combination of advance planning and thoughtful attention to details.

As soon as you've extended the invitation -- be it a friendly e-mail or phone call, or an engraved invitation to go with a formal event such as a wedding -- Amy says to start taking stock and making lists. Map out practical matters such as sleeping arrangements: guest room(s), a sofa bed in the den, or sleeping bags on the floor (a popular option with kids, especially en masse). Different kinds of guests have specific needs; older people might prefer a peaceful, low-key atmosphere or a main-floor bedroom that precludes climbing stairs, or have special dietary needs, while parents with kids will have very different preferences than your old college roommate. Plan out meals and menus in advance, perhaps including a barbecue in summer or a night on the town if you're in a big city. Especially for a large group, leaving breakfast and lunch as casual affairs and concentrating on dinner together is relaxing for both host and guest.

If you have a separate guest room (or a spare room that can be turned into one), emulate a fine hotel. The room should contain a bureau with at least a couple of empty drawers, and clear closet space equipped with extra hangers. Naturally, the room should be freshly cleaned and the linens spotless; put out extra pillows and a choice of light or warm blankets, on the bed or in the closet. Outfit the nightstand with a good reading lamp and a selection of books and magazines and an alarm clock. “It's essential if the visit is for a formal occasion like a wedding, but it's also nice for casual visitors too, who might like to have a snooze before supper,” says Amy. Thoughtful extras might include a carafe of fresh water and a glass (refilled each night), bedside phone, radio or TV and TV Guide and a vase of fresh or dried flowers.

Photography by Sang An, excerpted from A Gracious Welcome, (Raincoast Books, 2004)