igner and tastemaker Charlotte Moss celebrates gracious hospitality--from assembling striking place settings and arranging the table to hosting a dinner party or simply serving an elegant afternoon tea.

Charlotte Moss inspires readers to imbue everyday life with elegance and romance. Moss focuses on events--as small as breakfast in bed or tea in the afternoon or as elaborate as a festive Christmas luncheon or large dinner party--and the artifacts of our lives (china, silver, linen) to create the backdrop for a life well lived.

Moss celebrates the day-to-day by bringing her enthusiasm and impeccable style to every domestic activity. Setting the table becomes a joy when putting together stylish combinations of place mats, monogrammed linens, china, tableware, curios, and flowers. From tasteful meals for one to grand occasions for friends and family, Moss chronicles her own aptitude for hospitality. Style icons are conjured for their entertaining savvy: Pauline de Rothschild for her pioneering tabletop decoration, Marjorie Merriweather Post for her organizational precision, Lesley Blanch for her introduction of exotic delights to the table, and Elsie de Wolfe for her always-right recipes. Butlers' pantries are explored. Linen closets are catalogued. Flowers are collected from the garden and artfully arranged for a memorable meal. Moss invites you into her world to discover how to make everyday an occasion.