This Season, Sparkle

Martha Stewart Shares Her Tips for a Perfect Party.

If anyone knows how to plan for a holiday gathering, it’s Martha Stewart. With the opening of her new restaurant, The Bedford by Martha Stewart at Paris Las Vegas, we sought out some party planning advice from the lifestyle guru herself.

Photo courtesy of Dana Gallagher

What are the keys to throwing a memorable dinner party at home? First and foremost, it’s important to make sure your guests enjoy themselves and the key to that is to be prepared and organized ahead of time. When planning, keep in mind the occasion, what you would like to serve and where you are going to serve it. With all of that prepared and well thought out, you are sure to have the perfect dinner party.

This holiday season, what trends are you finding fascinating? Now more than ever, it is about people wanting to enjoy a casual experience where they can go at their own pace, appreciate a beautiful display of food or drinks and then enjoy eating and drinking with friends and family. Communal setups, like a bar where people can serve themselves or a dessert station with cake stands with cakes and cookies, make for both a decorating moment and an entertaining moment. Two ideas to try this holiday season are cheese boards, which are an opportunity to be creative and are easy to replenish so they always look good, and a signature cocktail. I love to serve something seasonal.

How should one approach decorating and selecting a theme? Being aware of context is really important and looking at the color palette of your room is key. Decorate your tree to suit your environment. Metallics work really well with this as they look great in almost any room, so you don’t have to worry about colors clashing. They look festive and celebratory. You can even mix metallics— silver and gold on a tree look really good together. It looks celebratory and reflects the light beautifully.

What items can be included in a table setting to give it a wow factor? You cannot underestimate the power of candles and candlelight. Get a glass cylinder or bowl, fill it with ornaments and surround it with votive candles—that’s your wow factor. Take advantage of the light.

How about floral arrangements? Fresh flowers or dried foliage? There’s nothing more effective in communicating a holiday feel than evergreens, which add a wonderful smell to your space. Holly is a great complement to that because the shininess of its leaves and red berries complements the evergreens. Pine cones are also beautiful and easy to live with. Buy evergreen garland and put it down the center of your table, sprinkle it with pine cones and you’ve got a dazzling holiday tabletop display.

Now that the theme is established, how should someone approach the menu? You have to have a strategy when it comes to the menu. Consider how many people you are serving, what kind of food they enjoy, the occasion and what ingredients are available and in season. Be thoughtful about the resources you have and the occasion you are entertaining for.

Tell us about the decorations you’re planning for The Bedford this holiday season. We are embracing metallics in a big way. There will be gold tinsel trees everywhere, gold tinsel evergreen garlands, wreaths and lots of sparkling rhinestone snowflake ornaments. It’s all about gold at The Bedford this winter.