15 SOUTHERN HOME | MAY/JUNE 2019
the enthusiasm forward and continue to build on the collection.
I never want to walk out of a house with my part as decorator
done and have it remain static, where the same art books are on
the coffee table four years later. Collections should be added to,
books read and moved around, new family photographs put in
attractive frames to round out the ones already in the family
room. If a room doesn’t have those kinds of personal gestures,
it reads stiff.SH: You have such a strong intellectual curiosity, and while we
know you stay on top of all that’s happening, your work never
looks trendy. Where do you draw the line between being timely
and not falling prey to what’s fleeting?
CM: We just had a discussion about this in the office. People who
try too hard to be hip often lose their core. It’s like anything—
you just have to be true to yourself. And guess what? Things
always cycle back around, whether it’s chintz, midcentury
modern, or something else. If it’s who you are right now, it will
always be who you are. It’s all about seeing, feeling, exploring,
and adapting without copying.SH: What takes a room from being simply pretty to an
absolute wow?
CM: I can’t pin it on one thing—it’s the combination. It could be
dramatic color, the scale of objects, or the light. And sex appeal has
a lot to do with it. I want to walk into a room where even if they
have just one tulip in a vase, it looks fabulous. Maybe the candles
are lit, and it smells good as well. It’s about creating a mood. And
most importantly, the room needs to look like someone really lives
there. There are so many rooms that seem to say, “Perching only.
No lounging allowed.” My dearly departed friend Mario Buatta
used to say, “Send the Labradors in and let ’em do their job.”SH: How do you keep a room from becoming pretentious when
you’re working with very fine things, as you so often are?
CM: Even if a room is very formal, I never want it to feel like a
museum. There may be great antiques, but I’ll pair them with
a sisal rug. Or if I’m using silk curtains, I may choose some in a
gingham pattern. There are a lot of different ways you can take a
note in the room down a notch. Too much swish is just too much.SH: Spring celebrations and your latest book [Charlotte Moss
Entertains; Rizzoli, 2018] have us in the mood to throw a party.
What’s your favorite kind of gathering to host?
CM: I love to set up a buffet and invite lots of people to fill every
corner of the house. I also enjoy seated dinners, but I usually have
no more than eight people at a time. That’s the optimal number to
have one conversation at the table. Add more and you have side
chats going, and then I have the fear that I’m missing out.SH: You always set such a beautiful table. What are some of the
more interesting elements you like to incorporate? PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRITTANY AMBRIDGE, PIETER ESTERSOHN, CHARLOTTE MOSS