If you enjoy having large get-togethers at your home, you may find that you sometimes run out of space in your living area. Rather than cancel the party, though, there’s a solution to your problem that’s within easy walking distance: your garage.

Though it may not seem like the ultimate party space, your garage has one thing in abundance that the rest of your house may not have: open space. To bring your garage up to your high standards for partying, though, a few changes will need to be made. Here are a few tips to help you turn your garage into the perfect spot for your home parties.

Customize the Lighting

The normal fluorescent light fixtures that characterize most garages simply won’t do when it’s time to party. To overcome this issue, you’ll want to install some alternate light fixtures to allow you to change the mood of the room to match the mood of the party. You can use several strands of string lights to provide dim, warm light, uplighting to provide some dramatic color, and a few globe lights hung from the ceiling to provide broad illumination.

Keep it Quiet

Even though you’re using your garage for parties, you don’t want to feel like you’re in a garage. One great way to take away the garage feel is to install a whisper-quiet garage door opener such as the MyQ garage opener.

That way, when you need to use the main garage door to allow people to come and go, no one will have to stop their conversations to compensate for the loud mechanical noises coming from your opener. Separately, to make the room feel more intimate, you can use various acoustic treatments to change the feel of the space from big and open to inviting and intimate.

Give it Some Plush

While the concrete floors of a garage are great for getting work done, they don’t do much in the way of personality or comfort when you’re having a party. That’s why you need to add a few throw rugs and some comfy couches when you’re using your garage for a get-together. These elements will help your garage feel more like a large living room instead of a workshop and car storage facility. Plus, if your garage tends to be on the cold side, having thick rugs will help keep everyone nice and toasty.

Add Some Tunes

A great way to set the mood at a party is to use the perfect background music. However, if you have to resort to playing music through your phone’s speakers or a cheap Bluetooth speaker, the music will be more distracting than satisfying. That’s why a good upgrade to make is to add high-quality speakers that will provide good sound coverage throughout your garage. This will allow you to keep the volume of the music lower, allowing your guests to continue their conversations with ease.

Make it Portable

If you intend to continue using your garage for its original purpose of storing vehicles, it’s important to make the elements you add portable and storable. If you do leave elements installed between parties, make sure that they’re out of the way so that they don’t interfere with your daily activities. This allows for easy setup and tear down so you can focus your energy on entertaining your guests.