How Do You Entertain At Home?
No, not jumping through hoops, putting on a show, or playing party games, well at least I hope not, unless it's a kids party of course. I'm talking about us grown-ups here.
I think we all have different ways of entertaining, and I also feel that the way we entertain reflects the way we decorate our homes and vice versa.
For me, decorating and entertaining follow the same pattern. I like to keep things casual and welcoming, but I also like a bit of luxury and glamour. So whilst I won't be serving caviar, I will buy a bottle of champagne occasionally. I can't afford a new kitchen with marble worktops (er, maybe that's because of all the champagne?), but I will buy a Diptyque candle, and serve that champagne in beautiful glasses. And of course make the house look (and smell) as nice as possible.
So entertaining for me is the whole package. It's about setting the scene, as much as it's about what I might serve.
I love entertaining at home, and I also love an excuse to celebrate, so when LSA International asked if I'd like to choose some pieces from their current collection for this post, I knew immediately what I'd do - help them celebrate of course! Well, it is their birthday after all.
I'm sure you're already familiar with LSA. I already own several LSA pieces, in fact they're my go-to brand for vases and glasses, but what I didn't know is that their product range is much more broad, including products made with porcelain, leather, wood and enamelled steel, and that they actually started with a small collection of traditional Polish enamelware back in the sixties.
This year marks LSA's fiftieth birthday. The company is still owned by the family that founded it, and each year 250 pieces are added to the collection, all designed by Monika Lubkowska-Jonas (daughter of co-founder Janusz Lubkowski), who is the designer and creative director, with nearly all their glassware being mouth blown in Poland.
Part of the fun for me when entertaining at home, is making the house look it's best - much to my husbands despair! (Quick, clean the bathroom, they'll be here in half an hour! Take the pile of clean washing upstairs! No! You can't leave the laundry drying there! Shut the bedroom door, I haven't made the bed! Where's the hoover??! You know, that kind of thing.)
Getting the lighting right if it's in the evening, lighting some scented candles no matter what time of day it is, getting some nibbles ready, and of course popping open a bottle of champagne (or prosecco when the purse strings are tighter), and pouring myself as glass whilst doing all of the above, is all part of the joy. If only my house looked the way it does when we're expecting company all the time.
So let's have a look at the lovely pieces I chose...
First up, is the super pretty Host bowl. Small, but perfectly formed, it's satisfyingly heavy and chunky, but that heaviness is offset by the delicate translucent pink. I love it. Perfect not only in the kitchen for olives and nuts, but also useful at the bedside for jewellery at the end of the day. To be honest, it's so pretty it doesn't need anything in it, and it looks perfectly lovely anywhere, as is.
The disc bowl immediately caught my eye; the black stained beech handle on the glass bowl is so unusual, and the brass fixtures finish it off beautifully. Again, this piece is so versatile. I've styled it here full of limes, but I imagine it will be filled with sweets very shortly as my kids favourite event of the year, aka Halloween rolls around!
These Aurelia champagne saucers are super chic and glamourous, and make champagne seem even more special. The fluted glass gives them a vintage feel, and coupled with the fine stem, I find them completely irresistible.
But don't save them for champagne exclusively! Remember to pull them out for serving cocktails in too.
The stemless wine glasses are kind of for my husband. He's a wine lover, but me, not so much. However, I do love an Aperol spritz served in these glasses, and to be honest, they're so lovely to hold, even a sparkling water with a slice of lime tastes better in one of these. They're also perfect for the special non-alcoholic drinks I like making for the kids when we're entertaining, so they feel special too.
The city ice bucket is just the right size to be useful without taking up a huge amount of space, and does fit a full sized bottle of champagne even though it's not marketed as a champagne bucket in this size (this is the 18cm high size, there's a roomier champagne bucket size too). I'll be using it on the bar to have ice to hand when we finally finish the TV room at the top of the house!
Lastly, the enamelled steel utility pot with leather handle, is a lovely piece whether used for its intended purpose or not. It's now found a home on the kitchen bench full of wooden utensils, but would also be a super cute vase.
Let me know if you're like me with your entertaining habits, because I think I might be a *little bit* of a nightmare. Does the house have to be looking Instagram-worthy before you'll let anyone through the front door?
This post is in collaboration with
. All products are available from
. Happy Birthday LSA!