Newsletter Archive

Having a party?  Remember to embellish your mantel because the fireplace is the focal point for any room! Recently, a darling millennial bride asked my advice on how to decorate her Living Room mantel for an upcoming cocktail party. Here are her questions: How do I decorate a mantel in a classical style? Symmetry is key! Symmetry plays a key role in classical design. I like to start with a centerpiece. Choose something that is meaningful to you and also complements the room’s theme.  Then, work out in pairs by flanking the centerpiece on either side. Continue to work out in pairs, at varying heights, to add interest. The length of your mantel will determine how many items can be displayed. What are the two key elements that adorn the Living Room mantel at Fox Hall? A pair of vases for flowers. Flowers are like earrings to a dress on a

While visiting Foxcroft School for Girls in Middleburg, Virginia with my husband, I had a flashback to my wedding.  My bridesmaid, Lucy Brown, who had attended Foxcroft, asked me a week before my wedding if I had chosen a wedding band for Stuart.  “A wedding band?” I asked. “Do I need one?”  “Well,” she answered, “Does HIS father wear one?”  He did. That answered that! My British father never wore a wedding band; he only wore a family crest ring on his left pinky.  The thought of a wedding band had never crossed my mind… call me naive!  I quickly visited a jewelry store in Richmond to purchase a wedding band. Thankfully, it fit! What is a crest or signet ring? Both are the same: a gold ring engraved with a coat of arms. My father, brother, and my father’s British brother, all wore the same traditional, oval-faced ring with the Kirkpatrick coat of arms on

One day when I was heading out to meet a very important client in NYC, I came downstairs, twirled in front of my son, Stuart (then 18) and said, “So, how do I look?” I remember I had a pink silk suit on. He smiled and said, “Fine, but you’re missing something.” I glanced down and didn’t see anything missing. “What am I missing?” I inquired.  He nonchalantly responded, looking down as he was typing his homework, “A pin… you’re not dressed unless you have a pin on.” What? I couldn’t believe my ears! He noticed that I wore pins? I mean he was a sport-o, the captain of his lacrosse team at Suffield Academy, and the last thing I ever would have guessed was that he was aware of this detail. Out of the mouth of babes, go figure! Yes, I have been wearing pins since I received my

Giving considerable thought to your guests’ seating arrangements for a dinner party can enhance their overall experience, and yours, especially when you place guests together that hit it off. Nothing like great combinations and jolly conversations! But, when seating a group that is not the typical “boy/girl” dinner party, or your close friends whom you know would like to sit together, or you are confronted with either a group of guests you don’t know well, or a group of just ladies, or just gentlemen, the art of diplomatic “seating” can be a bit of a challenge. Everyone wants to be to the right of the host or hostess as the guest of honor, right? And, it is doubtful that anyone really wants to be seated in the middle/center of a long table… which some view as purgatory! So, how do you seat everyone, and still make them feel equal in

Impromptu parties?  That is my signature! Pulling a party together at a moment’s notice came from years of experience.  My husband has a reputation for being the “host with the most,” especially with his business clients and colleagues in his industry. When customers were in town, he would often call from his office and ask if he could extend an invitation to his guests to come to our house for a drink before they went out to dinner. It was always good for business, so I learned early on to say, “YES, of course!” With three little ones at home, I did not always have the luxury of going out to buy something pre-made or get ingredients.  I learned a repertoire of quick and easy hors d’oeuvres. Here, I want to share one of my easiest recipes! It requires only two ingredients. I can almost guarantee you’ll have both ingredients,