Lifestyle | 4 Easy Steps for making your Gathering cuter
As I’m in the midst of putting together another community meal, this time for my Phoenix friends I thought I’d hop on here and share some of the preparation process for larger gatherings. Granted I’m handing over the cooking portion of the dinner to Chef, Kirstin Steele, of Chestnut Fine Foods which has newly relocated to The Vintage Arcadia so it’s a little different than when we invite people into our homes. But let’s pretend you’re having the meal catered or everyone is contributing by bringing a warm favorite dish from home. Here are a few other things you can spend some time on since you don’t have to worry about the market, the food preparations or as many dishes to clean at the end of it all.
The Dishes.
I’m famous for the mismatch vibe. These days it’s much less common to have a matching set of dishes for 15+. I personally have a set of dishes that we received as a wedding gift, a set of about 10 plates that I bought from a local potter, a handful of favorites from a potter in Italy and they all feel like hand thrown pottery. Then a full set of my grandma’s every day bone color dishes that were somehow more fancy than any of my other dishes. they all vibe together.. so I use the stuff I have my shelves most of the time and when I need to class things up I whip out Grandma’s collection and throw them in the mix. You might have two different sets that look very different but usually they can be tied together with some fashion of a neutral.
First I pick from casual vibe, somewhere in the middle and as fancy as I get…which isn’t too fancy.
Then I pick a color.. This usually lands in a metal or wood for me…
Then I pick the dishes. If I want it to be casual, I’ll use compostable dishes and flatware These add texture and they’re something for people to chat about, they’re compostable and they’re more durable than your run of the mill disposables without having much clean up for yourself. If I’m feeling fancy, I mix everything together and place everything out on the table implying I want people to sit somewhere specific.
The Linens
Friends, if theres one thing you invest in. Make it THESE. I bought them for our wedding and still use them all of the time. Use, Wash, Fold, Repeat. They add a little something extra, cut down on waste and they make people feel special. And if they get stained, they can be used to clean the house with or for the kids to make something with…..
The Lighting
I tend to always have the lights set to the darker more ambient side of things. If we had dimmers they’d be turned on low but instead we use Edison bulbs almost everywhere and when people are over the BRIGHT lights stay off. It sets a more calming mood and feels a little bit more dreamy. I often have non-scented candles on the table and a diffuser going somewhere in the background with very neutral smelling oils permeating the air.
Arrangements
If I’m hosting many and everyone will have a seat of their own I like to try and have one cohesive thing down the center of the table. It can be all eucalyptus, it can be all candles, it can be one dish with a cute plant in it. However you decide make sure if you stray from one large, thin piece that you use odd numbers and leave room for everyone to have space for their glasses… no one likes to fuss with where to put their glass during a meal.
I hope these thoughts help curating your next gathering a little bit easier and a lot cuter!
xx-K
