Creating Extra Space this CNY to Celebrate with Family & Friends

Chinese New Year (CNY) is a festive period for many Chinese families and friends to celebrate the beginning of a new cycle in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. The first day is marked by the first new moon until the full moon appears. Chinese commemorate this season of feasting and get-together each year, represented by one of 12 zodiac animals. So get ready for the year of the rabbit by tidying up at home and doing these preparations.

With reunion dinners and visitation plans, families typically start cleaning their houses a week before the actual day. There are many reasons to keep your house tidy and organised prior to CNY. According to superstition, taking out the trash is a metaphor for expelling luck or fortune from the home. Hence sweeping or throwing garbage away is often avoided as it is thought to symbolise throwing money away.

Celebrate the year of the rabbit by creating an inviting home for your guests. Before you start hanging up decorations, or spreading plates of snacks around the house, take some time to mop the floor, dust the cabinets, and set aside items that you no longer use often. Reorganise your living room and dining area to accommodate your guests and finally, do a thorough spring clean a week before CNY.

One of the reasons why we love CNY is because of the many assortments of CNY goodies and snacks. Before you start purchasing them, ensure that you have extra space to create a delicious display by your side table or coffee table. You may consider hiding away things such as magazines, TV remotes, phone cables and other items commonly found occupying side tables and coffee tables. This way, it’ll make it easier for your guests to sit around the table to enjoy all-time favourite snacks such as pineapple tarts, fried dough twists, sweet and sour candies, love letters and many more.

If you are anticipating many guests visiting your place, there are bound to be many pairs of shoes outside your house entrance. Install a removable shoe rack for your guests to neatly organise their shoes during visiting. Dedicate an extra space outside the main door to accommodate the extra pairs of shoes and other items such as umbrellas, baby prams or bags during the peak hour of visiting. Keep away items that do not add to the aesthetic of your house and take up unnecessary space, such as laundry racks, bicycles, etc. One solution is to store them away in extra storage facilities until the end of CNY.

This has always been a struggle especially for those with a big family. It's always a treat to have family and friends over but finding space to seat everyone can be a struggle. To ensure the comfort of your guests, rearrange your space and prepare ahead of time. Open houses typically last half a day or more, which means that guests will be spending long hours at the house. With snacks to accompany conversations, it’s a nice idea to clear some areas for guests to sit and chat. Move around furniture and rearrange the room to create extra seating space. These places include the living room, balcony, dining area, kitchen or even personal bedrooms. Place extra seats such as foldable chairs or cushions so guests can easily hop from one area to another.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, families come together for a reunion dinner. A hearty meal is a great way to bring the family together for some catching up session and bonding time. Make sure that your dining area is ready with ample space for everyone to sit around the table. Store away dining utensils that you don’t intend to use for the dinner and have some extra seats on standby just in case more guests stop by at the last minute. You’ll find that these extra spaces will provide ample room for guests to move about, preventing hazards or accidents, especially with older or younger guests around.

If you have bulky furniture that you can’t fit or store away, it might be good to consider temporary storage facilities for the duration of CNY.

Another popular activity that takes place during CNY is Mahjong, a skill-based game that’s commonly played by 4 players with a set of 144 tiles before or after dinner. However, Mahjong requires a special table and an entire Mahjong set might take up a significant amount of space in your living room, including the 4 players who would sit around it. If you’re planning to hold a Mahjong session, plan early on how to set up the entire set and the extra space needed for your players to sit. Some areas in the house you can consider: the living room, converting the dining area or an extra guest room.

While preparing for the Lunar New Year, plan and carry out your CNY preparations early. After evaluating your items, you may want to store some that are rarely used in a self storage facility. At StorHub, we offer extra storage facilities with different services and sizes to accommodate to your needs. Pay only for the space you need for your required duration during CNY. You’ll be able to access your items 24/7 in StorHub storage facilities.

StorHub facilities are also equipped with secure access to always keep your items safe. Request a quote today or call 6337 2000 to learn more about our storage solutions.