Brynn Whitfield knows how to party – but her hosting days stretch back long before she did it in front of a camera. The West Village it-girl and latest RHONY has spent years perfecting what it takes to throw a memorable dinner party (and afterparty, naturally), and her rules translate to every home.
The socialite recently partnered with CB2 to share her hosting secrets, and her tips come amid the most sociable point of the calendar. With two holidays in a short number of weeks, this is the time we see our homes at their full potential – but what if we're working with a particularly small room?
'My grandmother taught me: Where there's a will, there's a way! In particularly small (and thus challenging) spaces such as mine, you must be both clever and creative,' Brynn begins in an exclusive interview with H&G. 'Don't feel limited by square footage; get clever with surfaces...'
Most importantly, Brynn explains repurposing is the name of the game. 'Clear off your dresser and turn it into a mini-bar. Stash your laptop under your bed and use your desk as a dessert buffet table. When I would host in my old studio apartment in Gramercy Park, I used to dump ice in my tiny kitchen sink and stick champagne bottles inside,' she says.
When looking at how to host Thanksgiving in a small space, she also reminds us to temporarily rearrange our furniture by 'pushing it up against the walls to create a mini dance floor [if we so wish].'
Room layout aside, Brynn explains that investing in high-quality dinnerware (and antique dinnerware) similarly instantly elevates any sized dining space.
'I collected antique bone China dinnerware and owned a CB2 gravy bowl long before I had the means to host a 10-person table,' she says.
'Grandeur has nothing to do with size or space; grandeur means splendor, impressiveness, magnificence- all which can be achieved without a dining room. With the right decorative accent pieces: golden cutlery, flowers, linen napkins, tapered candle holders – you can easily replicate the grandeur of a fancy long table on a coffee table (or kitchen counter).'
'Guests truly don’t care about the size of your table, or if you even have a table; it’s the accessories and presentation your guests will notice, love, and appreciate.'
With that in mind, we're elevating our spaces with these picks from Brynn's curated collection below. It's the season, after all.
'My grandmother taught me: You don’t need to have the perfect house to be the perfect host,' Brynn concludes. 'Hosting is more about what’s in your heart, not what’s in your home.'
