With the holiday season rapidly approaching and so many of us hoping to connect with friends and family this year, we thought we’d let you in on some of our secrets to stylish entertaining spaces. Of course, the best way to achieve a fabulously stylish and unique entertaining space is to engage our team here at Michelle Gage Interiors!
Step 1: Have Great Tableware
This step includes homewares that are often a focal point of the entertaining tablescape: utensils, plates, serving accessories and linens. We love sourcing vintage artifacts for this and always keep our eyes out for unique finds! Discovering special pieces, giving them a new life is so much fun – a tarnished silverplate teapot can become a beautifully patinaed vase for flowers for your table. We often mix old with new, so combining new dishes with vintage drinking glasses gets two thumbs up from us! If you’re looking for some new treasures for your table, we love to shop local small businesses; The Little House Shop in Wayne, PA is a great source for a curated selection of fine tableware and Etsy shop Raven Pear Vintage is always a great option if you’re looking for vintage from the coziness of your sofa.
Step 2: Have Fantastic Art
We love selecting special artwork for our clients – and are always game to work with a great piece a homeowner already owns! If you’re in a hurry for some fine local pieces, check out the LAA Art Collective – or you can read all about how to curate a great collection in our post from this summer.
Step 3: Have Stupendous Furniture
At Michelle Gage Interiors, we make having a curated collection of functional dining furniture easy for our clients. Sourcing exceptional pieces is our specialty – so if you’re considering an entertaining space enhancement, it’s something to think about for the next holiday season if you don’t have the right pieces right now.
Step 4: Have Beautiful Lighting
Making everyone look good – literally – is the objective. For the most flattering lighting situations, consider layers of light that bathe the space in ambiance. Overhead indirect lighting – think gorgeous chandeliers and pendants – can effectively create a central glow. An accent lamp located on a credenza or some funky wall sconces add luminance around the perimeter, particularly on dark winter nights. We recommend keeping the lighting temperature to a warm neutral, around 2500k-3000K, and ideally being able to control the brightness level with a dimmer switch.
Step 5: Invite Friends & Family
This is the most fun part – sharing your time and space with the ones you love! We’d like to share some team favorite recipes with you as a gift: Labneh with Chili Oil, a delicious dip for veggies or chips and Apple Cider Caramels, a great finishing sweet treat or parting gift.
Although we’ve given you this stepped guide to memorable entertaining, the most import thing of all is to love one another and be kind. We wish you a joyous and safe holiday season!
If you desire a uniquely gorgeous entertaining space, we’d love to get in touch! Contact us here to get started.