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Welcome back to Home and Hosting
with Louis Burke. 

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I'm your friend at Home and 
Hosting here to help you create 

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a space where people feel 
welcomed the second they walk 

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through the door. 
Growing up in a family 

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restaurant and accommodation, I 
learnt the art of hosting early.

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It was never just about serving 
food or making a bed, it was 

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about creating an experience. 
I watched people celebrate 

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anniversaries, engagements, 
birthdays and life moments and 

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then return again and again to 
feel that same magic. 

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That's when I realised that 
hosting isn't just about what 

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you do, it's about how you make 
people feel. 

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And today I want to share my 
tips of bringing that same sense

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of experience into your own 
home. 

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So your dining table, your 
living room, your bathroom even 

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becomes a place where people 
want to come back to you again 

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and again. 
This is more than just food and 

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drink. 
This is about creating a moment.

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Because most memorable hosts 
aren't the ones with the 

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fanciest dinnerware or the most 
expensive wine. 

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They're the ones who make you 
feel instantly comfortable, 

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cared for, and a little bit 
special. 

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So without further ado, here are
my 6 tips to host the perfect 

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event at home. 
Tip 1. 

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The mindset of a natural host. 
Hosting is not a performance, 

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it's an act of generosity. 
When you invite people over, 

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you're saying I want to share my
place, my time and my energy 

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with you. 
The goal is to make them feel 

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relaxed enough to truly connect 
with you and each other. 

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So let's forget about the 
Pinterest perfect tablescape 

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pressure for a second. 
I know, Can you believe that I'm

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saying that? 
But hosting, like a natural is 

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about thinking ahead, making 
people comfortable and taking 

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the stress out of the room. 
If you've worked in hospitality 

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before, you would have heard of 
the sequence of service, which 

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is simply greeting the guests as
soon as they walk through the 

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door, requesting whether they 
had a booking or they're a walk 

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in. 
Regardless, make them feel 

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welcome. 
Then greet them and sit them at 

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their table and ask them what 
water they want. 

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Then follow up with if they want
a particular drink and then 

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return and ask them what they 
like to eat and so on and so on.

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The same thing applies when 
you're having friends and family

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over at home. 
Greet them at the door, welcome 

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them in, ask them if they would 
like a drink, be it a water or a

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favourite drink that they like. 
Lead them into the space where 

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you'll be hosting them to begin 
with before before you sit down.

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Speaking of that space, is it 
set up prior to them arriving? 

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Have you got enough chairs? 
Is the lighting right? 

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Are the flowers out? 
Is the music on? 

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Is it at the right volume? 
All these things matter. 

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I think a lot of us focus very 
heavily on the food and beverage

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and not enough on the space 
itself and the sequence in which

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you greet your guests and make 
them feel comfortable. 

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I think a lot of the stress that
can come with hosting is being 

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unsure of how to approach 
approach things, and that's what

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this episode is about. 
Let's move on to Part 2, 

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Scentscaping. 
It's one of my favourite things.

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The smell of your home is the 
very first impression people 

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get. 
I like to scentscape before 

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anyone arrives to fuse something
fresh and clean in the entryway,

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have a candle burning in the 
living room and maybe a subtle 

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kitchen friendly scent if I'm 
cooking. 

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Avoid anything too heavy or 
cloying, you want it to feel 

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like part of the atmosphere, not
a cover up. 

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And don't forget about the 
bathroom. 

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It's the one and only space. 
Guests will be completely alone,

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which means they really notice 
it. 

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Make sure it smells good. 
This is where that really nice 

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hand soap and lotion comes into 
play. 

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And even stock some paper towel 
let's or a fresh hand towel. 4 

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guests arrive quickly wipe down 
the sink and clean the toilet 

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again. 
Those little details speak 

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volumes. 
Tip #3 is lighting and music. 

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The lighting is the quickest way
to shift a mood. 

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Turn off overhead heads and turn
on the lamps. 

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Dim them if you can. 
Candlelight instantly makes 

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everything feel softer and more 
flattering, including your 

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guests. 
Then when it comes to music, not

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too loud, not too quiet. 
You want that perfect background

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hum that feels any awkward 
silences without making people 

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shout over it. 
I personally love a jazz dinner 

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playlist on Spotify. 
It's a perfect mix of elevated 

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but not pretentious music. 
I'll link my go to playlist in 

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the show notes so you don't have
to scramble when people are 

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arriving. 
Tip #4 is about seating and 

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flow. 
This is where most people go 

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wrong. 
They don't think about where 

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guests will actually sit and 
chat. 

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Arrange your furniture so the 
conversation feels easy. 

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No one should be shouting across
the room if you have the space 

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at a bench, Ottoman, or even 
floor cushions to create layers 

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of seating and make sure there's
a surface for everyone to put a 

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drink down. 
That alone makes people feel way

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more relaxed, including you. 
Be sure to have some coasters on

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standby if anyone has a marble 
coffee table. 

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Tip #5 is prep table setting and
the little touches. 

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Hosting like a natural is about 
thinking ahead so you can enjoy 

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yourself too. 
Prep as much food as you can 

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before guests arrive. 
Chop marinade, pre plate if 

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possible. 
You're not stuck in the kitchen 

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missing the conversation. 
Consider dietaries ahead of time

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and don't be afraid to ask 
guests to bring something. 

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Most people love to contribute 
to the dinner party. 

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When it comes to the table, 
elevate it where you can. 

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Tablecloths and napkins are 
instant ways to make the night 

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feel special. 
Even if you're just doing 

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takeaway serving cutlery, don't 
forget it. 

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There's nothing worse than 
putting down a gorgeous dish and

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realising there's no way to 
serve it. 

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When it comes to flowers, keep 
them low so everyone no one can 

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see each other or move taller 
arrangements off to a buffet or 

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Cyborg so they don't block out 
the conversation. 

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And then there's the big 
decision food on the table or 

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buffet style. 
I personally prefer buffet style

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because it removes the 
awkwardness of the can you pass 

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this can you pass that and 
allows people to serve 

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themselves the exact amount they
want. 

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It also keeps the table feeling 
a little cleaner and calmer 

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while you eat and there's no 
interruptions of any 

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conversations. 
And tip number six is hosting 

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without stress. 
The golden rule of hosting is 

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this. 
If you're stressed, your guests 

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will feel it too. 
We've all been in those 

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instances where our mums, our 
aunts, the people in the space 

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are stressing and it puts us all
on edge and it feels like 

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they're not enjoying the event 
as much. 

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It's almost like the stress is a
part of the job and it shouldn't

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feel like a job, it should feel 
like a moment. 

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You want to enjoy these times 
together. 

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Those little things like 
lighting the candles, turning on

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a playlist, hey even pouring 
yourself a drink before people 

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arrive to help you relax. 
I think it's a great idea to 

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write out a list of things that 
you want to have done prior to 

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people arriving because it takes
the stress away. 

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You don't have to have that 
mental load. 

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You can just get to work, do all
the tasks and have it done. 

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And don't be afraid to ask 
people for help. 

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People 9 times out of 10 will 
come up to you while you're 

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prepping and going. 
Is there any way I can help? 

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If you have a list of things 
that people can do while you're 

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prepping, it actually makes it 
easier because it takes the 

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mental load of you trying to 
come up with something for them 

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to do. 
You know, I think people want to

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feel more involved in what's 
going on. 

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So if you have little things 
like can you go put all these 

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cups out over here? 
Could you move the flowers over 

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to here? 
It's those little bits and 

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pieces that make people feel 
involved and a part of the 

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event. 
I think if you do it right when 

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your guests walk in, you should 
be able to actually be present. 

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Hosting should be as enjoyable 
for you you as it is for them. 

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That's what makes people want to
come back. 

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Remember, hosting, like a 
natural, isn't about perfection.

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It's about connection. 
When your home smells good, 

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softly lit, has music playing 
and a thoughtfully set table, 

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and there's little gestures that
show you've thought about your 

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guests, you can create a place 
where people can exhale and 

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that's what they'll remember. 
Not the menu or the wine 

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pairing, but how you made them 
feel. 

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And probably the state of your 
bathroom reminds me. 

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One tip I do like to do is that 
if I'm leaving the table to head

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into the kitchen, it reminds me 
of my server days. 

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See if there's anything you 
could pick up and take with you 

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and put it into the bin. 
It makes the cleanup a lot 

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quicker and easier. 
If you're inviting a group of 

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people around that aren't 
familiar with each other, you 

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can have a couple of games off 
to the side to kind of break the

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ice a little bit. 
I don't think Cards Against 

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Humanity kind of vibes. 
I'm more think maybe Jenga. 

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And so that are all my tips so 
far. 

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I hope you found these ones 
helpful and you'd learn 

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something new. 
And if you try any of these tips

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at your next get together, feel 
free to send me Adm over on 

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Instagram at Louisbourg. 
I'd love to see your setup and 

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learn if any of these tips help 
you out. 

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If this episode inspired you, 
feel free to share it with a 

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friend who's always the first to
say we should do dinner 

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sometime. 
Because the more we make our 

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space for connection, the better
our homes and our lives become. 

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I'll see you all in the next 
one.