Party success partly depends on how it looks

Not everyone can be Martha Stewart. For the mere mortal hosts among us, holiday party planning can whip up stress and anxiety: Is my house inviting? Do I have enough chairs?

What about food?

If the thought of entertaining sends you to the nearest couch with a bottle of aspirin, relax - we’ve compiled advice from some of the best party experts around.

SETTING THE MOOD

“Parties give us the chance to suspend what’s going on in our lives and give us space to be merry,” says Danielle Rollins, the Atlanta-based author of the new Soiree: Entertaining With Style (Rizzoli).

The best way to create that space, she says, is to build tradition into your party and make it something people can look forward to year after year. Decide on a theme or an anchor activity - gingerbread decorating, caroling, ugly holiday sweaters - and specify a dress code on the invitation.

Decor should echo the theme and reinforce the style of party you want to have. But don’t feel you have to stick with a traditional holiday color palette or decorations. “Thanksgiving doesn’t have to mean orange and Christmas doesn’t

have to mean red and green,”

Rollins says.

SETTING THE STAGE Whether your party is large

or small, deciding where to put

the guests can be tricky. Many

people make the mistake of re

moving all the furniture for a

cocktail party, Rollins says, but

it’s important to have places

to sit.

“Your living space should

be structured for conversa

tion,” Turner says. She recom

mends creating seating clusters

around the house. “Anywhere

you have a little extra room -

an entryway, an office - you

can group a few chairs around

a small table.” Rollins emphasizes the

need for tables and stools

spread throughout the gather

ing spaces.

“Pretend you’re a drink,” she

says. “Where will you go?” Too much furniture, how

ever, can feel claustrophobic.

“Some editing is necessary,”

Turner says, to allow for traffic

flow.

“You’re adding a lot with

holiday decor,” she adds. “If

you’re not taking anything out,

you’re just adding clutter.” SETTING THE LIGHTS The right lighting makes

your home (and your guests)

look their best. Our experts

agreed that overhead lighting has no place in a party;

place lamps on multiple levels throughout your rooms, dim the lights and add candles wherever you can.

And while lighting should be low in conversation areas, keep bathrooms and food areas better lighted.

SETTING THE TABLE Food can make or break a party, but Rollins insists, “It’s not about what you’re serving, it’s how it’s displayed.” For buffets, she suggests using smaller dishes and refilling them frequently.

A signature cocktail adds a festive touch, and can streamline bar mess and costs.

DETAILS, DETAILS It’s the small touches that take a party to the next level.

Turner recommends wowing guests with a spa-like bathroom: “Remove all your junk and replace it with a sprig of pine, a candle, new hand soap and lotion.” Provide a stack of rolled hand towels so guests don’t have to share the same (increasingly damp) towel, Turner suggests.

As for where to hang coats, Rollins recommends a rolling coat rack in a bedroom. “It’s so much nicer than just throwing them on the bed,” she says.

HomeStyle, Pages 40 on 11/10/2012

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