By Nancy A. Ruhling
For an elegant New Year's Eve dinner, Roehm created a table setting that takes its cues from a wintry landscape. She placed snow-flecked branches in a white bowl atop a snow-dusted linen tablecloth, using all-white china, crystal and 18th-century silver to complement the simple, elegant tableau.
The most successful parties, Roehm says, have themes. These may be as simple as a color scheme – one of her reddest Connecticut Christmases was inspired by damask shawls she found in India. Or they might be as elaborate as a period-style stage set – one of her Halloween parties included a recreation of Miss Haversham's decaying bridal feast from Charles Dickens's Great Expectations. And all else – the decor, the menu, the activities – spring from that one element
There doesn't even have to be an occasion to entertain, but when there is one, well, that's all the more reason to celebrate, Roehm says in her book, A Passion for Parties (Broadway Books, $50).
And the holidays are the perfect time to play the perfect hostess, something she does effortlessly – with pizzazz and panache.
Buy the book A passion for Parties in Sweden at Adlibris
