LIFESTYLE
The Lady Entertains
Delegate the Decor WITH ELEVATED PAPER GOODS WITH MRS. SOUTHERN SOCIAL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: LELE FAIN PHOTOGRAPHY
From glorious fall tablescapes to making holiday meals a breeze with paper goods, these elevated entertaining ideas will make your holidays not only a breeze but also beautiful. For information on products and vendors, visit mrssouthernsocial.com. Here at Mrs. Southern Social, I talk a lot about “paper parties” and using disposable pieces to make entertaining easier. But it occurred to me that I’ve never really shared my styling tricks for setting a chic and elevated scene featuring paper goods. So to help me demonstrate this, I turned to Sophistiplate, one of my favorite resources for “paper party” products (their cutlery is seriously so pretty you won’t believe it’s plastic). I’ve been using their pieces for years and absolutely love the quality and variety. So be sure to enter our giveaway for you and a friend to receive the pieces we used on this darling table. Here’s all of my advice on setting an inviting and fabulous table with paper goods front and center. Set your table as you normally would: charger, dinner plate, salad plate, a full set of cutlery, and a pretty napkin. Having a proper place setting makes your table 32 NOVEMBER 2021
Celebrating 10 Years
look fuller and more “done,” which instantly elevates paper goods. For a dinner like this – casual but not overly so – I like incorporating fabric tablecloths and/or runners versus paper ones. I think it helps bring a subtle bit of formality to an otherwise laid-back setup, and that can help make the difference between “basic BBQ” and “chic fall supper.” A tight color palette also helps with the chic factor. When you’re using paper goods, resist any temptation to decorate with the full rainbow (that’s when you get into “kid party” territory). Here I was inspired by the gold tones in the charger plates; orange is the perfect complement, and it’s appropriate for any fall celebration because the underlying palette is warm and autumnal. We chose a “runner-like” arrangement of pumpkins and flowers for this table – again, not too formal, but still pretty and deliberate. The reason it’s successful is that there’s a lot of movement and depth. Nothing here is fancy – the pumpkins and flowers are from Trader Joe’s. It’s how you style it that counts:
