Garrity - Nell Hills Entertaining in Style: Inspiring Parties & Seasonal Celebrations

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO ENTERTAIN. NOTHING GETS MY CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING MORE THAN PLANNING AND HOSTINGOR ATTENDINGA PARTY, WHETHER IT BE A SWANK RECEPTION OR A CASUAL GET-TOGETHER WITH A FEW GOOD FRIENDS.

PERHAPS I INHERITED THIS GREAT LOVE OF CELEBRATION FROM MY GRANDMOTHER NELL HILL, FOR WHOM I NAMED MY FIRST HOME FURNISHINGS EMPORIUM. AN IRISH IMMIGRANT AND EARLY KANSAS PIONEER, NELL MADE EVERYONE WHO ENTERED HER HOME FEEL LIKE THE MOST SPECIAL PERSON ON EARTH. I STRIVE TO REFLECT THAT SAME SPIRIT EVERY TIME I OPEN MY DOORS TO VISITORS.

for me as it does for my hometown. Atchison, Kansas, has warmly greeted visitors for hundreds of years, starting with famed explorers Lewis and Clark, who picked this beautiful spot on the Missouri River to dock their boats and celebrate Independence Day. With the thriving Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Rail road, lumber and railroad barons made Atchison their home, building grand homes high on the river bluffs. One or these was the childhood home or Atchisons most famous daughter, the gutsy aviator Amelia Earhart.

My husband, Dan, and I jumped at the chance to renovate one of the towns fabulous historic homes, and over a decade, sank more time and money into our fixer-upper than we want to admit. Even before our 130-year-old Greek Revival was finished, I was already planning the parties I would throw there. Like my grandma Nell, I like to keep my home filled with the laughter of friends and family.

Through the years, many of my friends, family, and customers have confided that they too would love to entertain more often, but they are intimidated by planning and pulling off a party. Some are at a loss for how to decorate their homes for special events. Others become overwhelmed by the thought of creating a culinary feast. But most are just stalled and need a spark of inspiration to fuel their natural creativity.

The advice I share with them is always the same: Develop your own style of entertaining, because when you entertain in a manner that comes naturally to you, youll have as much fun hosting the gathering as your guests will have attending it.

For instance, my favorite part of party planning is decorating to create a dazzling first impression. I like to go all out when building the kind of drama and mood my guests will long remember. My reliable tools include gorgeous seasonal accents, which I weave throughout my homes decor, and beautiful tableware like china, crystal, silver, and linens, which, when carefully combined, can really wow guests.

Youll see my love for entertaining reflected in my three home furnishings stores. Weve filled gallery after gallery with treasures you can use to add spark to your homes interior and exterior, plus loads of dining items essential for creating unusual and memorable tables for all your events. Were thrilled to work with visitors who travel here from across the region (and even from both coasts), helping them discover new ways to mix and match pieces to make their homes-and events-truly unique, entirely personal, and always remarkable.

Its this passion for inventive entertaining that prompted me to write Nell Hills Entertaining in Style. Ive been dying to pass on the creative ideas, secret tips, and practical techniques Ive gleaned from years of throwing my own parties and attending events in the homes of others. In these pages, well introduce you to the Nell Hills style of entertaining, brought to life through the parties and celebrations at my home and those of a few dear friends.

Through the twenty-five years Ive been lucky enough to own Nell Hills, my customers and friends have shared with me one-of-a-kind ideas for parties. These folks are marvelsthey can put together a fabulous fete faster than I can restock the store. These are among the best parties Ive ever attended, and in this book, well tell you how the hostesses pulled each one off with relative ease.

Since decorating is my passion, Ive included my personal favorite ideas to help make your home simply stunning for every event you host. In the pages that follow, well share professional styling tips, like how-tos for creating an entry that makes an indelible first impression. Youll gain step-by-step instructions for building dining room displays so creative that we hope your guests will be speechless. And well pass on ways to incorporate the natural beauty and bounty of each season into every room of your house.