Lessons from My Grandmother, Part 3

Living a beautiful life

Earlier this year, I stumbled across part of a manuscript written by my grandmother on how to live a beautiful life by making the most of your home. She was a talented decorator whose talents were sought out across the world. She even decorated the offices and homes of the president of Condé Nast (to share a very timely reference!)

While, to the best of my knowledge, the book was never published, the lessons she shares in her manuscript are timeless. I’m so excited to share some of these with you.

Part 1 can be found here and Part 2 can be found here.

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All About Silver

When I was a bride, the gift to give was silver so with thanks to family and friends, I have a lovely assortment of silver, my passion being candlesticks and trays. As I said earlier, I have candelabra on my server, sideboard and dining table and when I serve a sit down buffet my serving dishes are placed on silver trays. The silver against the wood is magical and although I know that most people don’t want to be bothered cleaning silver, there is nothing more luxurious in a dining setting.

Silver should be cleaned before it starts to tarnish. Use a soft sponge or cloth so it does not scratch. There are many good brands on the market, read the label.

All your serving pieces do not need to match. It’s really attractive to have different dessert spoons or forks as well as unusual serving pieces. In fact, serving pieces are a wonderful wedding gift. We are speaking of silver or silverplate but depending on the decor, wooden handled, bamboo, lucite or mother-of-pearl handled pieces can be used.

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