The Good Host

Last week I had the pleasure of attending India Hicks latest book; Entertaining, with a side of chaos. Where we spent the afternoon talking about something I think about more than I admit: what makes a truly good hostess. It left me inspired, and I wanted to share a few thoughts with you while they're still fresh.

 I begin with the table

 I have always loved creating beautiful tables, for as long as I remember. I always saw my grandmother and mother spending hours in the kitchen making meals full of love and care. To then make tables with fresh flowers, live candles and homemade food. A beautifully set table tells your guests they were expected and that you took the time to prepare. It doesn't need to be formal or perfect. It needs to feel intentional. Layer linen with your everyday plates, mix old family glassware with new finds, fold the napkins by hand. The most memorable tables are personal ones, where every piece has a small story behind it. 

Live flowers, always

There's a quiet difference between a table with fresh flowers and one without. They bring life, scent, and a sense of the season into the room. Keep arrangements low so guests can see each other across the table, and don't be afraid of something loose and a little wild: garden roses, branches, whatever the market has that morning. A single stem, picked from your garden, in a small vase at each place setting can be just as lovely as fancier centerpieces.

Real Candles

Candlelight changes everything. It softens the room, slows the evening down and makes everyone look their best. Choose unscented candles for the dinner table so they don't compete with the food, and light them before the first guest arrives, so the room is already glowing when they walk in.

The quiet skill of seating

This was the part of the conversation I loved most. A good hostess doesn't just feed her guests; she creates the conversations. Think about who might enjoy meeting whom: the friend who travels with the one who dreams of it, the storyteller beside the good listener. Separate couples and close friends so they meet someone new. Place yourself where you can keep an eye on the whole table and gently steer the conversation when it needs it. Handwritten place cards make it feel effortless, even when you've spent an hour moving names around.

The finishing touch.

For me, hosting and jewellery have a lot in common. Both are about the small details that make someone feel special. A pair of earrings that catches the candlelight, a ring that starts a conversation across the table. When I dress for my own dinners, I choose pieces that feel like me, because a hostess who feels at ease makes her guests feel at ease too.

So this autumn, I hope you'll light the candles, cut some flowers, and invite a few people who haven't met yet. You never know what conversations might begin at your table. And I finish of with the most important sentence that was said during India`s booklaunch. We have to sit down and talk to eachother. If not, what else is there?