The entertaining wall is the focal point of the Darcy Miller Designs Studio main room. In your own home or workspace, think about where your eyes go first, and use that as your starting point. Then, keep the following in mind:
–Storage can be stunning…or at least decorative. Items you use every day—like glasses and plain white china—look great when they’re organized.
–Mix things up, storing special, more unusual objects in between everyday objects to elevate them—like my gold tea set and illustrations do here.
–There’s style in numbers. Group the items you have multiples of. For us, it’s cake stands, cloches, coupes, and of course, copies of Celebrate Everything!
–Keep it together. Fill containers up with collections different little things, which looks good while keeping all of your supplies looking uniform. I’ve got one jar for confetti, for example, and another for wrapped candies. I chose jars with gold lids, and also gold vases, because I love metallics; they’re neutral, but not plain.
–Spotlight your passion. Since I’m an illustrator, I’ve incorporated my artwork among the items on the shelves. Add touches of what you love—whether it’s something you use often, create yourself, or an item you collect—to make the space feel more personal.
–Gather flowers. I love decorating with fresh flowers. And on the very top row of shelves, I have a big handmade paper flower by Rebecca Thuss because it’s nice to have special treasures mixed in with your supplies. Plus, I would not be able to reach to put fresh flowers up there any way!
–Pick a palette: Whatever your favorite, choosing two or three colors and having most everything fit that palette keeps a space looking cohesive. It also makes life easier—you can easily mix and match items if they stay within the same hue. I went for white, accented in metallics.
–Beautify your backdrop. To bring the gilded accents out even more, we cut foamcore and gatorboard to fit the back of our shelves and above the fireplace, and painted it metallic. We mixed gold and silver gilding wax from Jolie Paint to make a color that was uniquely ours. The gilded background elevates the white shelving, making it feel a little more luxe.
Shop some of my favorites from our entertaining wall below:
1. Glass and Gold Decanter, 2. Copper Tray, 3. Celebrate Everything!, 4. Champagne Coupe, 5. Brass Tea Set: Brass Jug, Brass Milk Server, Brass Tea Caddy, Brass Teapot, Brass Sugar Bowl and Spoon, Brass pressed Tray, 6. Gold and Silver Party Blowers, 7. Carafe
White shelving with gold and glass accents makes a chic display case for everything we need to style shoots and entertain at parties.
Shop the white, clear, and gold containers below.
1. Acrylic Canister, 2. Small Canister, 3. Earthenware Jug, 4. Acrylic Shadow Box, 5. Earthenware Bowl
A mantel automatically draws people’s attention, so make the most of it! We painted a board with gilding wax and placed it above our mantel to dress it up and elevate anything we put there. I like to be able to swap out decor, so I haven’t hung paintings there or added anything permanent that can’t be moved around easily. As the seasons, our Darcy Miller Designs products, and as what we’re shooting or celebrating changes, we can style the mantel to have a different look and feel.
As for what’s on top of the mantel, I always go with white, glass, or metallic accessories because they’re great neutrals, and go with almost anything. I also make sure to display vases that look good even when they’re empty. I love incorporating little surprises, like my hand-drawn candelabra, to add a little personality into the mix. And of course, there are always little treats set out in case someone comes by—instant party!
Shop your own metallic home accessories below:
1. White and Gold, 2. Small Gold Bowl, 3. Large Organic Brass Vase, 4. Gold Round Vase, 5. Textured Gold Vase
My go-to party supplies are kept organized and close at hand in a mix of clear, metallic-topped containers. I love these canisters because you can see what’s in them (and if you’re running low!). They’re gold-topped so they look good on the wall, and the dome-lidded Bodum ones are air-tight and food-safe—perfect for storing treats. If I’m styling, shooting, or hosting an event, you can bet there are plenty of candles, foil-wrapped chocolates, and confetti in the mix!
photo credits