Charlotte Moss knows how to throw a party. In fact, the designer has authored more than ten books on style, flowers, and yes, one 288-page edition dedicated entirely to entertaining at home with elegance, ease and elan.
With all of her experience, Moss remains acutely aware that hosting guests, whether it be two or twenty, can sometimes be an intimidating proposition. She advises that practice makes perfect—and, if not perfection, practice certainly builds confidence.
“It’s like riding a bike,” she says of hosting others with regularity. “You get in a rhythm, and it starts to come naturally. It doesn’t become a big event. It just becomes dinner with friends.”
And at this time of year, Moss is in full-on hosting mode. “August is our heavier entertaining month out here for dinners,” she says, “but I do lunch all summer, whether it’s a great lunch for one, or lunch for a couple or a table full.” Entertaining al fresco is de rigueur right now, but Moss is also attuned to how weather on the East End can change at a moment’s notice and prepares accordingly.
Designer Charlotte Moss at home in East Hampton.
Moss often adorns her dishes with edible flowers such as nasturtium.
Landscaping at Moss’s East Hampton home, Boxwood Terrace.
An abundance of cascading roses dot the landscape, and frequently make their way into floral arrangements.
“Always have a plan B,” she says. “You just pick it up and roll it inside, you know?” As for setting the scene, Moss creates flower arrangements from greenery and blooms from her own verdant garden, and chooses tablecloths, china, crystal and flatware from the extensive collection that she has assembled over the years. As with her interiors, which are often layered with an eye-catching array of patterns, colors and textures, the same is true for her inimitable tablescapes.
“It’s just like who I am, it’s my DNA, it’s how I decorate,” says Moss. “I love the detail, I love the layering, I love the mix and I know I’m comfortable with it.” As for the more-is-more approach, Moss is also fully aware of when enough is enough and when to pull back on the tabletop décor before it becomes overpowering.
“Entertaining is really about people,” she says, “not about the stuff.”
For more of Moss’s favorite things for summer, her Hamptons weekend routine, what she’s reading right now, as well her favorite podcasts and apps, click here.
