10 Tips to Make Entertaining Easy

From setting the table the night before to using black candles on the dining table, entertainers extraordinaire share their best ideas for throwing an elegant, easy bash.

Go Overboard on the Candles

"Go heavy on the tea lights. Rather than 10, I would do 40," says designer Thom Filicia. He placed them generously around the dining room in a Designer Visions showhouse for a look that sparkles. Chairs and Bordino dining table, Thom Filicia Home for Vanguard Furniture. Karlin latern from DessinFournir.

Make a Playlist

Music is an essential part of a party atmosphere. "Play a mix, from bossa nova to big band to disco. Start mellow, build, bring it back down," says Filicia. In the showhouse's media room, James Street wing chairs from Thom Filicia Home for Vanguard flank a 24-inch Rosie Touch TV by Savant.

Create Flow

"Pass hors d'oeuvres so guests will circulate," says designer Frank Delledonne, who often entertains in his New Jersey living room. He also advises to use serving bowls that are from different sets. "If they match, it will look like a catering hall." Camelback sofa, three-piece sectional, and coffee tables are by FD Interiors.

Consider a Buffet

"I come from a huge Italian family, and they come over all the time for family dinners," Delledonne says. To feed a crowd, "Serve buffet-style, with food that can be eaten in one forkful." Upholstered chairs by FD Interiors are in Bergamo's Terrazza. The handcrafted pendants are by O'Lampia Studio.

Prep Ahead

Do what you can the night before. The owners of this San Francisco home designed by Orlando Diaz-Azcuy often host dinner parties for 30, so they set the table the night before to cut down on stress. The walnut table and leather-upholstered dining chairs were designed by ODA Design Associates.

Don't Go Overboard on the Flowers

Elegant flowers are easy to pull off. The homeowner recommends choosing a monochromatic arrangement and displaying it a plain glass cylinder. Diaz-Azcuy choose silk fabrics, sisal, and ivory tones to give the living room a soft, serene look. Lancaster sofa and club chairs, Lyonnaise chair, and Rateau coffee table by DessinFournir.

Try a Cozy Tablecloth

To add warmth to the entry table in her family home in Idaho, designer Chipper Joseph layered two plaid blankets. "Tablecloths are old quilts, blankets, wool throws," she says. "I don't think I even have a real tablecloth."

Have Comfy Seating

Upholstered chairs — whether in a cozy corner or around the dining table — encourage hours-long lounging. "We have our morning coffee there, we sometimes eat dinner there, we play after-dinner games there — we had a big dominoes tournament last weekend," Joseph says. Pottery Barn club chairs slipcovered in On Point by Brunschwig & Fils.

Pottery Barn ottomans in Washington by Nya Nordiska.

Try Black Candles

"They disappear," says the homeowner of a New York house designed by Markham Robert. Queen Anne-style chairs are covered in Braquenié's Coromandel and backed with a Brunschwig & Fils velvet, Botticelli in Olive.


Remember to Relax and Have Fun

Grabbing a quiet moment before guests arrive can help put you at ease. One of the homeowner's entertaining tip? "A drink with my husband before the party." In her living room, a screen in Fraises Sauvages (in Multi on Cream, by Lelièvre) defines the bar area.

Article originally published here.