70s Dinner Party Is Back – Are You Ready? Hosting at Home to Boom as Lockdown Loosens

New company ‘Setting Pretty’ launches with top hosting tips

LONDON: Stephanie Bloom and Julie Darwent today announced the official launch of their business, Setting Pretty, an online store which offers a range of table settings and accessories designed for home entertaining.

Other countries that have started to relax their lockdowns, such as New Zealand, have reported a boom in dinner parties. Commentators in the UK expect a similar resurgence of dinner parties as people eschew restaurants in favour of entertaining in smaller groups at home.

Conceived in early 2019, Setting Pretty is primed to take advantage of this trend. It offers a range of affordable, coordinated and complementary products including tablecloths, runners, napkins and placemats, as well as accessories such as candles and candle holders – ‘everything needed to create an elegant but casual table’ – all delivered to your door.

Founding partners Bloom and Darwent offer top tips for this new kind of hosting:

1. “The Invite: One of the most important things as a host is making your guests feel comfortable. Everyone has different comfort levels when it comes to social distancing. Your invitation should make it clear to your guests who is invited, where you are having your gathering (outside in your garden) and how you plan to socially distance.
2. Set the Scene: Set up everything ahead of time. We colour-coded our place settings and assigned each couple a colour so they knew where to sit – each tray was filled with cocktail snacks at each couples’ seating area.
3. Self-serve Bar or Buffet: Stations allow your guests to easily and safely access their favourite beverage or food. Set ahead of time with recyclable individual water bottles, already made cocktails and hand sanitiser.
4. Easy Access: Make sure access to your home, garden and guest bathroom are free and clear. We stocked ours with disposable hand towels and hand sanitiser.”

Bloom explains the idea behind the online business: “I’ve always loved entertaining, creating a welcoming environment, and friends were always asking me for advice or wanting me to style their parties. Julie and I recognised there was a gap in the market for affordable, elegant settings that weren’t so expensive you only used them for special occasions, but also weren’t cheap, bland or disposable.”

The 100% cotton products contain no plastics or fibreglass and are handmade by carefully sourced small manufacturers in India. They are designed to be easy to use, hardwearing and easy to care for (all are machine washable). The website is divided into mood-based collections such as The Wild Child, The Modernist and the Romantic, making coordination simple, and gift sets are available.

Founding partner Darwent adds: “As someone who grew up in the restaurant trade my heart breaks for the industry, but I fear that customers will be nervous about returning too soon. I think we’ll see more dinner parties, more small gatherings in people’s homes and gardens, or in parks and at the beach. But more than ever people will want to be able to make these meals feel cheerful and inviting – and our settings are perfect for that, whether it’s styling a dinner party, adding a pop of colour to a picnic or just making a pot luck supper with friends a bit more special.”

Bloom has a background in fashion and accessories – having interned for Donna Karan in New York before training to be a physiotherapist – while Darwent, a former City financier, grew up in the restaurant trade with her family running a chain of Italian restaurants in her native Manhattan. A shared interest in art and love of entertaining family and friends inspired them to create Setting Pretty.

— ENDS—

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Bloom, Co-Founder, T: +44 (0) 7944953345, E: stephanie@settingpretty.com or julie@settingpretty.com

NOTES TO EDITORS
Setting Pretty is a London-based company founded by Stephanie Bloom and Julie Darwent. It sells a range of affordable, elegant table settings including napkins, tablecloths, table runners, placemats and accessories.

The 100% cotton products contain no plastics or fibreglass and are handmade by carefully sourced small manufacturers in India. They are designed to be easy to use, hardwearing and easy to care for (all are machine washable). The website is divided into mood-based collections such as The Wild Child, The Modernist and the Romantic, making coordination simple, and gift sets are available.

Source: RealWire