Despite the popularity of open-plan houses with sprawling great rooms, many Americans still dwell in compact city apartments or space-challenged starter homes. At the holidays, that lack of space can make entertaining complicated.

Thinking of throwing a holiday open house, but unsure where to put the crowd? Here are some thoughts from home design experts on maximizing a limited space for entertaining:

Cook in advance to keep the kitchen clear.

"Make sure everything is made before the event and requires no heating, turning or cooking," says Karen McAloon, host of HGTV's "Design Remix." A totally clean kitchen offers more space for guests who'll congregate there. Clear additional space by boxing up countertop items and stashing them in a closet.

Plan for overflow throughout your home.

Use a study or bedroom as additional entertaining space, rather than just allowing the crowd to overflow into those rooms. Toss bed pillows in the closet and use throw pillows to "make it look like just another place to sit," says Tammy Jo Schoppet, editor of thebudgetdecorator.com.

Think vertically.

McAloon bought wooden folding chairs to serve as extra seating during holiday parties, but lacked space to store them. Her solution?

"I spray painted them alternating red and silver, then I took down the artwork normally in my front entryway and put the chairs up on hooks," she says. "After November and December ended, I drove them down to my storage place."

Want to use holiday china for a party, but you've got nowhere to store it? Take down art from your kitchen walls and put up inexpensive plate hangers from a hardware store. During the winter, you can hang up your holiday china, solving the problem of storing it.

Rethink the display of food and drink.

If you lack surfaces for setting up a bar or buffet, consider clearing off the top of a cabinet or emptying a bookcase, Schoppet says. She says to avoid traffic jams, put food at one end of the room and drinks at other.

McAloon points out that using the correct plates can also cut down on buffet table traffic. "The plate should be a size where they don't have to constantly go back to the buffet table to replenish, because that interrupts the flow of conversation," McAloon says.

Designate space for coats and purses.

"When people come into your home, they should know where to drop their coats and put their purses," says McAloon. "You can hang up a little sign so they know to put their things there, or stage it with a couple of purses you've gotten at a thrift store."

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