MAY/JUNE 2019 | SOUTHERN HOME 16Raffia, silver, bone china, ceramic plates—I’m always experi-
menting to create new combinations by mixing formal with less
formal. There are simply no rules. I choose what pleases my eye.
SH: What’s the best advice for those who don’t feel at ease with
entertaining or are just starting out?
Begin with close friends, the kind who aren’t going to care if the
soufflé falls flat. Practice and master a few dishes, or if cooking
isn’t your thing, have the best takeout delivery on speed dial and
focus on creating the environment. Some people are intimidated
by flower arranging, so just find one type of flower you love and
use it in abundance. Or decorate with topiaries and greenery.
And I always recommend documenting the table. I’m constantly
taking pictures and studying them for reference later to figure
out what I can do differently or better the next time.
SH: A lot of those pictures not only end up in your books and
on Instagram but also in your vast collection of scrapbooks,
a subject you’ve also written about. What does scrapbooking do
for your creative juices that surpasses, say, putting together
a Pinterest board?
Pinterest has its place, but it’s passive. When I’m doing a scrap-
book, I’m actively engaged with the elements—pushing them
around, cutting and pasting, putting them on a page of things
with the same ilk, creating categories. There’s a lot of musing
and thinking in between that doesn’t seem to happen digitally.
And it slows me down, which can be a good thing. Scissors and
a glue stick are pretty inexpensive psychological tools.