A symphony of marvelous motifs arranged within the aged elegance of a china cabinet, the perfectly set table, the collected decorative ornament placed flawlessly within a vibrant vignette: the prettiness of these only scratch the surface of the allure contained within the new book Charlotte Moss Entertains published by Rizzoli.
The chapters include “Setting the Table IS Everyday Decorating,” “The Pleasure of Your Company,” “On the Road,” “Entertaining Ladies,” and “It’s All in the Details.” Ms. Moss is writing from a southerner’s perspective, as she grew up in the South and takes the sensibilities she absorbed with her wherever she resides. “Like Spanish moss clinging to cypress trees in a swamp, my Southern roots will stay with me, and follow me everywhere.”
She brings every aspect of the genteel entertaining she learned in the region of her birth to life: “Our recipe books ooze with stained notes handed down from mothers, grandmothers, and girlfriends. They are tried, true, and beyond just tempting; they have been served repeatedly, because that is what we were taught to do—cook, serve, please.”
Opening the first chapter, Moss makes the point, “Name something that you do three times a day that gives you an opportunity to practice and to keep getting better at it. Unless you are a professional athlete, a ballerina, or a rock star, there aren’t that many things that we do daily, and multiple times per day, that give us a chance to improve our skills. But eat we do, and setting the table is our chance to make mealtime with family a special time.”
Accompanying such wisdom are lush photographs that illustrate how seriously she takes meal-time decorating. Her collection of china, table linens, glassware, vases, baskets and cutlery create a riot of color and pattern; and floral arrangements and plants provide a layer of lushness that makes each vignette sing right on key. “Even if you are setting the table once—for family dinner, for yourself and your partner—you express yourself and create a setting conducive not only to enjoying a meal but also to encouraging relaxation and an environment for conversation about the day.”
We felt inspired to share this beloved designer’s point of view with you because it has inspired us to think about new ways of displaying decorative accessories on the tables and cabinet’s we make. Our Linza media console, for instance, becomes the perfect foundation for serving buffet style, as would our Nova console table. We love that each piece we produce serves as infrastructure for the special events that take place within your homes, those beautiful moments that Moss takes great pains to describe in her book.
“I encourage everyone to embrace setting the table as everyday decorating,” she says. “It is a chance to hone your skills, develop your own personal style, and practice for your parties of the future.” She has inspired us to do just that, a particular joy this time of the year as we gather family and friends around us to celebrate the holidays. Knowing that our furniture will be at the center of our festivities brings us a feeling of warmth we wish to share with each of you as you plan all of your fêtes to come.
Image credits top to bottom: Melanie Acevedo, James Merrell, Charlotte Moss, Charlotte Moss, Charlotte Moss, BFA Images, and Brittany Ambridge.