It’s one of the reasons Dan and I recently headed off on an adventure to Brimfield, Massachusetts.

We packed up the van and headed north on I-95, with a few fun stops planned along the way. Our destination was the Brimfield Antique Market, the largest outdoor antique market in the country.

And massive is truly the word.

Field after field is filled with vendors, both large and small, and there’s plenty of amazing people-watching along the way. It’s the ultimate thrill-of-the-hunt experience—with some kettle corn thrown in for good measure.

We spend several days wandering the fields and scouring the booths for those special pieces we can bring home to incorporate into our FOUND collection at the shop. We’re searching for the hidden gems—the interesting pieces that make you stop and wonder about the story behind them.

There is so much to see that sometimes it feels like searching for a needle in a haystack. But that’s part of the fun.

The pieces we actually bring home are the vintage treasures that can be layered into your tablesettings, much like they might have been at your grandmother’s home. Our hope is that each piece brings a little nostalgia, charm, and personality to your table—and blends beautifully with the newer pieces in your collection.

When I first visited Brimfield years ago, I was told to bring three things: a picker, a packer, and a porter. I love doing the picking, and thankfully, Dan doesn’t mind doing the packing and portering! We know our roles, and we have so much fun doing it.

One of my favorite parts of the hunt is sharing what we find. We come home with a van filled with treasures, and I love imagining each piece beginning a new chapter in a new home.

That, really, is what makes the hunt so special to me. These aren’t just old things. They’re pieces with a history, and once they find their way to your table, they become part of your story, too.

The next time you’re in the shop, look for our FOUND collection. Take a little time to wander through the pieces and see what catches your eye.

And let me know what you think!

— Written by Vicky Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

For a while, I thought that was a limitation. I’ve come to think it’s actually the opposite.

When you own all of it (every choice, every detail) you’re excited about all of it. The menu is yours because you built it. The table looks the way it does because you decided. There’s a real sense of pride that comes with that kind of ownership, and guests feel it. They can tell when someone genuinely loves what they’ve put together.

Since I’m used to moving through the world solo, I work extra hard to make sure no one in the room feels invisible. I think about who’s coming and what they love... a dish I know is someone’s favorite, a drink I remembered they mentioned once. I think about seating carefully, not just putting couples together because it’s easy, but placing people next to someone they might not know well and probably should. I plan an activity or two not as filler, but because I know how much it helps people relax and actually connect.

Single hosts are paying attention in a particular way. We know what it’s like to walk into a room and have to find your footing, so we build the gathering with that in mind from the start. Every person at the table feels thought about, because they were.

There’s not a limitation in hosting alone. There is a true benefit and skill to it.

If you host on your own, what’s the detail you always make sure to get right? I’d love to know.

— Written by Jackie Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

We started Home for Entertaining because we believed — still believe — that the table is where the good stuff happens. Not just the holidays and the anniversaries, but the Tuesday night dinners and the “let’s just have people over” Saturdays. We wanted to build a shop for genuine enthusiasts, a place stocked with heirloom-quality pieces and artisan goods that make an ordinary evening feel a little more considered. What we didn’t know was how much the shop itself would come to feel like something we were hosting — imperfect, alive, and worth showing up for even in its hardest moments.

August, 2023

A year that tested our resolve

Our first year nearly undid us before it had the chance to prove itself. Not long after we opened, the street in front of the shop closed for a water main replacement, and for weeks — right as we were trying to establish who we were — there was simply no easy way for anyone to get to us. I remember the particular kind of fear that comes with watching your storefront sit behind construction barriers, wondering quietly whether we’d made a terrible decision. It was the closest we came to doubting the whole endeavor.

August, 2024

What told us we were building something real

By our second year, the fear of that first winter had given way to something steadier. I remember looking at our class calendar and realizing, for the first time, that every seat in every class was full. It sounds like a small thing, but it was proof — proof that the community we’d imagined three years earlier, people gathering to learn something new together, was real and that people wanted it.

By year three came the recognition that told us the wider community saw it too. In January, we were named an ARTS Award finalist for Best Home Accents Retailer on the East Coast, a genuinely humbling nod to sit alongside retailers we’d long admired. Not long after, the Cary Chamber of Commerce named us a recipient of their Innovation Award. Together, those two moments changed something in how we saw ourselves — we’d spent two years quietly building in our corner of downtown, and here was confirmation that it mattered beyond our own four walls.

Some of the milestones I’m proudest of never came with a trophy or certificate. Hosting events for Welcome Home Angel, the Green Chair Project, and Gigi’s Playhouse gave us the chance to turn what we love — a beautifully set table, a well-hosted room — into something that could genuinely serve two organizations doing meaningful work in our community. Watching our Girls’ Night Out and Mid-Morning Mahj gatherings grow from a hopeful idea into monthly rituals, filled with neighbors and a rotating cast of local makers, has been one of the quiet privileges of these three years. And hiring our first employees — entrusting pieces of a business we’d built with our own hands to people outside our family, and watching them care for it as though it were theirs — reshaped what we understood this business could become.

August, 2025

What three years actually taught us

Three years in, I don’t think the story of Home for Entertaining is really about the awards, proud as we are of each one. It’s about the fact that this remains, stubbornly and gladly, a family business — one that has grown to include employees who feel like family, customers who have become friends, and a downtown Cary community that has shown up for us as generously as we’ve tried to show up for it. We set out to build a place where people stay curious about the art of gathering. It turns out we needed that same curiosity, and that same resolve, to keep the shop itself standing.

Here’s to the next year of full class calendars, deeper roots in this community, and many more tables set together. Thank you for three years of gathering with us.

January, 2026

— Written by Megan Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

For Dan and I, we’re always ready to greet guests with a beverage of choice. In the summer, it’s a cool pitcher of water infused with lime and mint, a glass of crisp white wine, or a refreshing seasonal cocktail. In the fall and winter, it might be an oat milk latte, frothy apple cider, or a bold red wine. We’re fortunate to have an ideal setup for entertaining, with a dedicated bar centrally located in our home for easy access. Our biggest challenge is beer -- we don’t drink much of it, so although it’s always in our beverage refrigerator, we have to keep an eye on the expiration dates (hint: if you like beer, stop by and help)!

We travel and work quite a bit, so keeping the refrigerator and pantry stocked for impromptu gatherings can be hit or miss. One thing is certain, though: we love quality ingredients and always have a stash on hand. There’s almost always cheese, cured meats, a variety of nuts, crackers, and dried fruit -- the perfect makings for an easy charcuterie board. Add some fresh fruits and vegetables and it always works.

When I’m really on my game, the freezer is stocked with ready-to-go homemade nourishment. Sometimes it’s homemade brownies for a sweet treat or pumpkin bread that pairs perfectly with a cup of tea. It might be my favorite chicken and rice soup or filet of beef chili for a friend who’s traveling. Having the time to cook and bake sometimes seems like a luxury and it’s one that I cherish (and love to share).

Whatever I may find in the kitchen, I always pay attention to the presentation. I use the artisan and vintage serving pieces we’ve collected over the years and add special touches -- think flowers or herbs from the garden, a beautiful candle, or my children’s baby spoon for serving. No matter what’s on the table, the welcome and warmth we want our guests to feel are always the priority.

We’d love to have you join us on the porch (one of my all-time favorite places to be with those I love)!

— Written by Vicky Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

There’s a version of hosting that lives in our heads — the fully set table, the made-from-scratch menu, the whole production. Very maximalist and Pinterest-worthy. And while I love all of that when the moment calls for it, I’ve come to believe that the low-lift gathering might actually be the more powerful one.

Because when hosting doesn’t have to be extravagant, you do it more often. You build momentum. One easy evening leads to another, and suddenly you’re someone who hosts regularly — not because every gathering was impressive, but because enough of them were just fun and low-pressure and worth doing again.

Easy entertaining also gives you permission to lean into themes you might otherwise talk yourself out of. A watch party for a show everyone’s been waiting for. A rewatch of a movie you all loved twenty years ago. A gathering around a big game. These moments don’t need much, maybe some seasonal paper products, a little accent here and there, a name card made from whatever is hiding in the craft closet. The theme does the heavy lifting and you just show up for it.

And there’s something else I think easy entertaining does that we don’t talk about enough: it gives other people permission to host, too. When your friends see that a great evening doesn’t require weeks of planning or a perfectly curated table, it lowers the bar in the best possible way. Approachable hosting is contagious.

Summer is the perfect season to practice this. Things slow down a little. The light stays longer. Everything feels less formal. It’s the right time to gather without overthinking it — to text someone “come over” and mean it simply and let the evening be exactly what it is. Need an idea to get started? Host a reading day. Pull out the cozy blankets and snacks then sit back and relax.

What’s the easiest gathering you’ve hosted that turned out to be one of the best? I’d love to hear it.

— Written by Jackie Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

And because I like to plan ahead and want people to feel like they can stay as long as possible, I try to always have a few things on hand.

I’m someone who really connects music with a specific time in life, so having a great playlist ready to play is important to me. When getting ready to host, I try to think about who is coming over and what I know they like to listen to, plus what the weather might look like or the current season (fall music is different from summer music in my opinion). I have a lot of fun creating these playlists from scratch, but when I’m in a pinch or have a feeling for something specific on a whim, I’ll have Spotify do it’s thing and curate a playlist that matches the vibe in my mind.

This might be a hot take, but I think beverages are just as important (if not more important) than food when hosting- and it’s often so much easier to have a larger assortment and something for everyone on-hand. I keep sparkling beverages chilled in the fridge for my Diet Coke loving friends, as well as a good bottle of white wine, crisp and ready to pour. Good coffee and tea are always stocked and the Breville is turned on after dinner, just in case. An extra bottle of wine that is ready to open is a must-have – typically a Pinot Noir or Cabernet in my house. Since I’m currently pregnant, I’ve been having fun searching for good non-alcoholic wines lately to try to have available for friends who don’t want the alcohol but might want the glass of wine with dinner.

My secret hosting trick for a sweet treat is movie theater candy. I keep a basket of candy upstairs (think: the kind you’d find at a concession stand), where we often watch movies, TV shows, and hockey games. It’s one of those little things that makes people excited to pick out their favorites and cozy in with a blanket. There’s something a little playful and nostalgic about the boxes of candy and it signals that the evening is for enjoying - not impressing. Jackie taught me what a “candy salad” is and I’ve loved creating themed ones for casual hangouts with friends to keep on the counter!

So- with the playlist queued, the drinks covered, and a little something sweet on-hand, effortless hosting is ready to happen.

— Written by Megan Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

At Home for Entertaining, we celebrate the art of gathering. We believe there’s something special about sharing Sunday dinner with family, welcoming friends for an impromptu evening together, or hosting a leisurely brunch with your favorite girlfriends. It’s in these moments—around a table filled with good food and even better conversation—that life’s best memories are created.

And somehow, it always seems to start in the kitchen.

I suppose that’s why it’s called the heart of the home.

Over the past decade, kitchen design has become incredibly personal. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all kitchens. Today, there are countless opportunities to customize every detail, creating a space that not only functions beautifully but also reflects your personality.

So, how do you design a kitchen that truly feels like yours?

For me, it always begins with the appliances.

Before selecting cabinetry or finishes, think carefully about how you cook and entertain. Do you host large holiday meals that would benefit from double ovens? Would additional refrigeration make life easier when preparing for a weekend full of guests? Is a warming drawer, built-in ice maker, beverage center, or wine refrigerator something you’ll use often? A beverage center can keep drinks within easy reach without guests gathering around your primary work area, while an ice maker ensures you’ll never be scrambling for one more bag of ice before a party.

These are the workhorses of your kitchen—the tools that will help you prepare meals and celebrate countless occasions for years to come. Invest in the best quality your budget allows and choose appliances that support the way you live.

Once the appliances are selected, it’s time to design the cabinetry.

Today’s kitchens are centered around gathering as much as cooking, and the oversized center island has become the star of the room. It serves as a place to prepare meals, arrange a simple buffet, help grandchildren decorate cookies, enjoy a casual breakfast, or simply gather with a glass of wine while dinner simmers on the stove. More than any other feature, the island invites people to pull up a chair and stay connected.

As you design your cabinetry, consider the details that reflect your style. Do you love the warmth of natural wood? Timeless painted cabinetry? Or perhaps a combination of both? Would glass-front cabinets allow you to display your favorite serving pieces and family heirlooms? Would open shelving showcase beautiful pottery collected during your travels? Work with a designer you trust who can help bring your vision to life while balancing beauty with functionality.

Next come the countertops—another hardworking surface that deserves thoughtful consideration. Today’s options seem endless from granite, marble, quartzite, and quartz to many new materials introduced to the market each year. Each material has its own beauty, strengths, and maintenance requirements. Take the time to understand how each performs and choose the surface that best fits your family’s lifestyle.

One of the most overlooked features in a kitchen is the sink and faucet. These are fixtures you’ll use dozens of times every day. Do you prefer the versatility of a double-bowl sink or the uninterrupted workspace of a large single bowl? A generously sized single bowl can make cleanup after entertaining much easier, accommodating large serving platters and roasting pans with ease. Would a pull-down spray faucet simplify both meal prep and cleanup? What about specialty features like a water filtration system, a pot filler over the range, or an instant hot water dispenser? These thoughtful additions may seem like luxuries at first, but they often become the features homeowners appreciate most. And don’t overlook the finishes. Whether you choose polished nickel, brass, chrome, matte black, or another finish, these selections become part of the overall design story and should complement the style of your kitchen.

We often think of lighting as the jewelry in kitchen design. A hardworking kitchen needs layers of light. I recommend incorporating at least three types in every space: ambient lighting for overall illumination, task lighting where you’re preparing food and working, and accent lighting that adds beauty and warmth. A combination of recessed lighting, under-cabinet lighting, and decorative pendants over an island work beautifully together to create a kitchen that’s equally suited for preparing dinner, serving guests, or enjoying a quiet cup of coffee before the day begins.

Finally, don’t overlook the finishing touches. Cabinet hardware, a beautiful backsplash, wall treatments, and carefully selected accessories are the details that give your kitchen its personality. They’re often the elements guests notice first, and they help transform a well-designed kitchen into one that feels distinctly your own.

At the end of the day, an entertainer’s kitchen isn’t defined by its size or its price tag. It’s defined by the life that happens within it. It’s where holiday traditions are passed from one generation to the next, where neighbors become friends, where celebrations both big and small unfold naturally, and where an ordinary Tuesday evening can become a memory simply because everyone gathered around the island together.

Design your kitchen for the life you want to live—and for the people you love welcoming into your home.

Because the best gatherings aren’t about perfection—they’re about making everyone feel at home.

— Written by Vicky Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

Quiet luxury.

The idea, as fashion tells it, is simple: real quality doesn’t announce itself. It doesn’t need a logo. It doesn’t perform. It simply exists in the weight of a fabric, the cut of a coat, the particular way something fits that you can’t quite explain but immediately feel. The opposite of fast fashion. The opposite of excess for its own sake.

When I first encountered the phrase, it made me reflect on how I’ve been shopping and curating my life, not just with fashion choices, but everything. It made me wonder how I choose what is actually important to me.

I realized my introduction to this practice of quietly choosing and valuing really started with a gift.

A few years ago my sister brought me a set of glasses back from a trip to France. Six of them, handmade, dark blue, with small faces pressed into the sides are the kind of thing you’ve never quite seen anywhere else and couldn’t find again even if you tried. They are, objectively, a little funky. They are also one of my most treasured possessions. It put the glasses I’d accumulated without much thought to shame and it began my collection of uniquely “me” hosting pieces.

Honestly, one thing that I love most about them is what happens every single time I put them out. Someone picks one up, turns it over, and asks where it came from. And I get to tell them. I get to say my sister carried these back from France, wrapped in her T-shirts in a carry-on, and that no, I haven’t been able to find anything like them — even on Amazon. The thing I like to think about most is that the person who made them probably never imagined they’d end up on a dinner table in North Carolina.

My collection has grown slowly, deliberately, the way I think the best collections do. There are the crystal champagne flutes my mother gave me on my wedding day, the ones my husband and I fill for every milestone that matters, every reason to pause and mark the moment. They’ve held celebrations I’ll never forget. They’ll hold ones I can’t yet imagine.

There is a large ceramic bowl I fell in love with at market designed by a woman in Greensboro, handmade and glazed by artisans in Peru. I have filled it with florals and fruit and wrapped gifts and served salad in it, depending on the season and the occasion. It has never looked the same twice, and it has never looked wrong.

The everyday plates and bowls that my husband and I use for every meal were hand-made in Burlington, North Carolina in an old sock mill. Now, this brand has become a staple in many of the restaurant and hospitality haunts that we frequent on date nights. It’s become a game when we recognize the dishware — we flip a plate upside down and see the same hand-printed logo and signature symbol on the bottom – the same one we see on our plates at home.

These pieces are valuable, not in a monetary sense, but in a different sense entirely. It’s the sense that matters when you’re actually living inside your home, feeling the emotions that come and go with occasions.

I’ve come to understand that what I am drawn to, in every piece I bring home, is the same thing quiet luxury is trying to describe but applied not to what I wear, instead to how I live and how I gather people.

It is choosing fewer things and choosing them better. It is knowing who made something, and how, and caring enough to find out. It is buying a handmade ceramic not because it’s on trend but because the glaze has a quality that no machine could replicate, and you’ll still want to look at it in twenty years.

Even deeper than the items themselves, the real quiet luxury, the version I care about, is not what you own. It’s what people feel when they walk into your home. It’s the table set before anyone arrives. The candles already lit. The small, considered details that say ‘I thought about you before you got here.’

That has nothing to do with a price tag. It has everything to do with intention.

This is the sensibility I carry with me into everything I do at Home for Entertaining, and it has become a shared value among our entire team — a common thread in everything we do.

When we travel to markets in Atlanta, New York, and Dallas we’re not just looking for what’s trending. I’m looking for what my sister’s glasses made me feel. We’re looking for the piece that has a story worth telling, made by hands you can trace back to a particular person in a particular place. We’re looking for objects that will earn their spot on someone’s shelf or table not for a season but for decades.

The signs and placards you’ll find tucked into our displays — the ones that tell you who made something and what it’s made of — aren’t a styling choice. They’re a direct extension of what we believe: that the story is part of the object, and the object is better for carrying it.

Quiet luxury, to me, has never been about aesthetics or price points or the right address. It’s about slowing down enough to notice what’s worth holding onto. It’s about filling your home and your table with things that give you something to say when someone picks them up and asks.

It’s the feeling of a gift given with genuine thought. A meal shared in a room that was made ready for the people in it. A glass raised to mark a moment that deserved marking.

— Written by Megan Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

That only works if you’re a little bit ready. Not fully ready but stocked with the right things. Here’s what I keep on hand so that saying yes is always easy.

For food, popcorn is my go-to. Long shelf life, endlessly customizable, and genuinely one of the most crowd-pleasing things you can put on a table. I keep a few seasoned salts and powdered ranch on hand to dress it up. (Trust me on the powdered ranch, it is a tip I learned from one of my favorite Nashville restaurants, Merchants.)

For a sweet treat, frozen cookie dough is non-negotiable in my freezer. I batch make it in advance, pre-scoop it, and freeze it so I can pull out however many I need and bake them fresh when guests arrive. Warm cookies straight from the oven make any gathering feel like an occasion.

For supplies, cocktail napkins and taper candles do more than people realize. I keep a small collection of cocktail napkins for different seasons and holidays (they’re inexpensive, they store flat, and they add so much personality to a moment that took no effort at all). A few taper candles lit on the table, and the whole room shifts. The mood is set. It feels like you’ve been planning to host all day.

And games and puzzles, always within reach. They don’t require any setup or coordination. They’re just there, ready to turn a casual visit into a lively game night.

A bowl of popcorn, a cute cocktail napkin, and a game on the table. Saying yes is easier when you’re prepared, and we all want to be able to say yes more.

What’s the one thing you always keep stocked for last-minute company? I’d love to add it to my list.

— Written by Jackie Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

I’ll be honest: I’m not someone who plans her calendar around a sale. But I’ve come to appreciate what they offer - a chance to encounter something unexpected, to look a little longer, to find something that wasn’t on my list but somehow belongs in my home.

But I’ve also learned, albeit slowly, and occasionally at the expense of a shelf full of things I never quite knew what to do with, that appreciating a sale and shopping a sale well are two entirely different skills. One is instinct. The other is practice.

I start with the story.

Before I fall in love with a price, I try to fall in love with the provenance. Who made this? Where did it come from? Is there an artist behind it, a region it belongs to, a tradition it’s part of?

A hand-thrown ceramic bowl and a mass-produced ceramic bowl can look nearly identical on a shelf. The difference isn’t always visible, it’s felt, and it’s found in the story. If I can’t learn anything about where a piece came from, that tells me something too.

Then I verify the making.

Hand-made. Mouth-blown. Vintage. Collected. Cast iron. Cold-process. These words mean something to me, and I look for them. Not as a snob, but as someone who has held enough pieces side-by-side to know that the process almost always shows up in the product. There is a particular weight to hand-blown glass. A particular variation in the glaze of a piece that was thrown on a wheel. These are the things that make an object interesting twenty years from now instead of just today.

I ask: can I use this in more than one way?

This is the question that has saved me from more impulse purchases than I can count. A beautiful object that only works in one context (one room, one season, one table setting) is a beautiful object with limited life in my home. But a piece that can move? A footed bowl that works as a centerpiece in December and a fruit bowl in July? A set of linen napkins that belong at a dinner party and a Sunday breakfast? That’s a piece that earns its place.

I imagine giving it away.

This one might sound counterintuitive, but it’s one of my favorites: I hold something in my hands and ask myself how it would feel to give this to someone I love. Would I be proud to wrap it? Would the recipient understand immediately why I chose it for them?

If the answer is yes, and sometimes I genuinely buy it for exactly that reason, it goes into what I think of as my gifting basket. A small, carefully curated collection of pieces I’ve gathered throughout the year, ready for the birthday that sneaks up on me, the dinner party invitation that arrives on a Tuesday, the friend who needs something that says I saw this and thought of you without requiring me to panic-shop on a Friday afternoon.

I mentally walk through what I already own.

Before anything comes home with me, I do a quiet inventory in my head. What do I have? What does my table look like right now? What’s on the bookshelf, the entry console, the kitchen windowsill? Can this new piece layer in with what already exists by breathing new life into a familiar vignette? or does it need everything around it to change in order to work?

The pieces I love most in my home are the ones that made everything nearby look a little better when they arrived. That’s the bar.

I look for the person in the piece.

There is a specific feeling I get when I pick something up and immediately think of someone. She would lose her mind over this. He would use this every single morning. I have learned to trust that feeling completely. Those are the pieces I buy without deliberating - for my gifting basket, for an upcoming birthday, for no reason other than that the match between the object and the person feels too right to ignore.

And finally: I hunt for the evergreen hostess gift.

This is perhaps the most practical corner of how I shop, and also one of the most joyful. I am always on the lookout for small, high-quality, endlessly giftable pieces, the kind that are equally at home tucked into a bag for a weekend away at a friend’s house or presented at a dinner party with a bottle of something good. Pieces that don’t require explanation. That feel considered without feeling heavy. That say thank you for having me in the most beautiful way possible.

The best hostess gifts I’ve ever given came not from a last-minute scramble but from a sale I shopped six months earlier, when I had time to look slowly and choose well.

Shopping a sale, the way I’ve come to do it, is less about the discount and more about the opportunity. It’s a chance to bring home something you might not have sought out otherwise and something that earns a permanent place in your home, your rotation of gifts, your life. The sale is just the door. What matters is what you find when you walk through it.

— Written by Megan Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

If you have your own version of this framework, I’d love to hear it in the comments. And if you’re looking for a good place to practice: you know where to find me!

Shop Home for Entertaining’s Semi-Annual Sale Here.

Atlanta in the summer has a way of surprising you. The weather was genuinely beautiful, which matters more than you might think when you’re walking back and forth between market buildings, your hotel, and dinner with a head full of ideas and a tote bag that keeps getting heavier. This trip had an extra layer of energy to it, too. The Carolina Hurricanes were deep in the playoffs, there was a World Cup match happening right in the city, and the streets were electric with concerts and fan events woven in between. It made the whole trip feel festive in a way that’s hard to plan for and very hard to forget.

“Before a product ever enters our building, it passes through a few filters and the first one is always us, holding it in our hands.”

But of course, the heart of any market trip is the work. This visit, we focused on a few new collections we are genuinely thrilled to introduce to the shop later this year. We’ll be bringing in a brand new brand this summer — timed right alongside our anniversary celebration — and there’s an entirely new collection on the horizon for the holidays that has us particularly excited. I can’t share all the details just yet, but I will say that walking away from those conversations with the artists and brand representatives left me feeling that wonderful mix of inspired and certain. You know the feeling when something just fits? That’s what we’re looking for.

We also headed into this market with some wonderful news close to our hearts: Home for Entertaining was recently named one of the Top 50 Retail Stars by Home Accents Today. It’s an honor we didn’t take lightly as we made our selections this trip, a quiet reminder of the responsibility we feel to the guests who walk through our doors and trust us to bring them something worth bringing home.

I want to take a moment to pull back the curtain a little, because I think the “why” behind these trips matters as much as the “what.”

Attending markets is one of my absolute favorite parts of what we do at Home for Entertaining. Not everyone on our team can make every trip. It’s Brian, Dan, Vicky, Jackie, and me across markets throughout the year, coordinating schedules and taking turns, and I actually love that about how we operate. We each have distinct styles, different pulls toward color and form and function, and that diversity shows up beautifully in the shop. You’ll find bold and quiet, classic and unexpected, all in the same room, because many different pairs of eyes and hearts went into choosing what lives there.

We travel all over for markets including New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Atlanta, and right here in North Carolina. Last year, some of our team made it to Paris. Germany is still on the list. Each place brings its own aesthetic language, its own sense of what entertaining looks like in a particular corner of the world, and we carry all of that back with us.

“We purchase things we would be proud to have in our own homes. That’s not a policy, it’s just the most honest filter we know.”

But the single most important reason we go in person, the thing no catalog or website can replicate, is the chance to see, touch, and understand each piece on a level that changes how we talk about it. Every product in our shop is hand-picked by our team after holding it, turning it over, asking questions about how it was made and by whom.

And then there are the artists themselves. Meeting the makers is, without question, our favorite part of any market trip. To sit across from someone whose craft is poured into every piece they produce and to hear them talk about the materials they chose, the process they refined, the story they were trying to tell is where a beautiful object becomes something more. It’s where we learn what we need to know to share it meaningfully with you.

If you’ve spent time in our shop, you may have noticed the little signs and placards tucked into our displays. They’re there to tell you who made something and what spirit it carries. That’s not a styling choice, it’s a value. We believe every piece deserves its story to travel with it.

Are there faster, cheaper ways to source products for a retail shop? Of course. But shortcuts don’t align with what Home for Entertaining is about. We’re often sourcing a full year out, starting with researching trends, analyzing the market, reading forecasting reports, so that when something new arrives in the shop, it arrives with intention. Our displays rotate with the seasons, and every collection drop reflects real thought about what our guests need, want, and will love to give.

We hope you’ll follow along as the year unfolds. New arrivals are coming, and we can’t wait to share them with you… and the stories behind them.

— Written by Megan Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

A question for you: Is there something specific you’d love for us to keep an eye out for on our next sourcing trip? Leave a comment and let us know. We genuinely read every comment, and you might just influence what shows up on our shelves.

My dad would not describe himself as a host. He has never done a tablescape. He is not going to source a specialty ingredient or spend a Saturday afternoon on a from-scratch meal. That is simply not his thing, and he has never pretended otherwise.

And yet, he is one of the best hosts I have ever been around.

He is the one making everyone a drink before they’ve had a chance to ask. Organizing a tournament out of whatever game is on the shelf. Pulling the little kids into a scavenger hunt so the adults can actually have a conversation. When the night winds down, he’s already doing the dishes, already taking out the trash, already making sure whoever needs a hand has one.

He never announces that he’s hosting. He just moves through a gathering making sure everyone is taken care of. And people feel it. They always have.

I think about him a lot when it comes to this space, because what he does is a quiet reminder of what actually makes a gathering feel good. It’s not the details on the table. It’s whether people feel seen and included and at ease. It’s whether someone made them a drink without being asked, or pulled their kid into something fun, or jumped up to help without making it a moment. There is a reason that Dan’s Party Days (simply days he is working in the shop) are some of our most popular and beloved on social media.

We spend a lot of time here talking about the craft of hosting — the menus, the setup, the formats that work. And I love all of that. But this Father’s Day, I’m thinking about my dad, who skips all of it and still makes everyone feel like they’re exactly where they’re supposed to be… ideally, on their surfboard with a rice krispy treat and key lime martini.

Is there someone in your life like that? We’d love to hear about them.

— Written by Jackie Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

The how started to take shape on a trip to New York City. Somewhere between the energy of the city and the shop windows and the way New York has of making everything feel possible, the idea crystallized into something more: a curated retail shop, carefully chosen pieces, a place that helped people host beautifully in their own homes. It wasn’t just a thought anymore. It was a vision.

And then the vision found its voice on a family vacation.

At Ocean Isle, between gin and tonics on the beach and catching waves, a business began to be born. The whole family was pulled in — brainstorming, throwing out ideas, capturing thoughts before the tide could carry them away. I’ll be honest: I had come prepared with a textbook, fully intending to get ahead of the upcoming school year teaching second graders. The textbook didn’t stand a chance. There was something in the salt air that made it all feel not just possible, but inevitable — and I found myself setting it aside to sketch out concepts and add my voice to the growing pile of ideas right alongside everyone else.

Back home, real life resumed — busy schedules, full calendars, the ordinary rush of everyday routines. But one evening a week was carved out and protected. Dinner was made, and around the table where so many good things happen, the plan took shape. The name came into focus. Home for Entertaining. It stuck immediately, the way the right name always does. The brand began to take form, and the concepts that had been floating around in notebooks and beach conversations started to blossom into something real.

And then Jackie and I made the leap. We left the careers we’d spent years building, rolled up our sleeves, and dove headfirst into something new — something that had started as Vicky’s vision on a New York City sidewalk and became a shared dream on a beach and a family dinner table. We’ve given everything to it since.

And we haven’t done it alone. Dan, who spent decades building a career of his own, retired and turned his full attention to the growing business — showing up with the same energy and dedication he’s always brought to everything that matters to him. Vicky continues to steer the vision with the same quiet certainty that started all of this, all while running her full-time design firm — because that’s just who she is. And Brian, true to form, is never far when the family needs him — his background in finances and data software making him the person everyone knows to call when the numbers need making sense of.

Watching Home for Entertaining continue to bloom and grow is exactly what we always hoped for. We’re so glad you found your way to our table.

— Written by Megan Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

As this is my first contributor post, I thought it would be fitting to begin with a little introduction and a recent experience that perfectly captures what inspires everything we hope to share here.

For those who are new, I am the founder of Southern Studio Interior Design, a firm I started more than 25 years ago, as well as a co-founder of Home for Entertaining. Over the years, I have been fortunate to build not only a business I love, but also meaningful relationships with fellow designers across the country. One of those relationships has become an extraordinary mastermind group consisting of 11 designers representing seven firms. What began as a business boardroom focused on growth and best practices has evolved into something much richer—a shared pursuit of inspiration, culture, creativity, and the beauty found in everyday life.

I am writing this as I return from our sixteenth trip together over the past decade, this time to the breathtaking region of Provence, France. During the week, I realized that the experience we were having was, in many ways, exactly what we strive to create through Home for Entertaining.

Our time together originally centered on growing our businesses. Those conversations still happen, of course, but today our gatherings have become immersive studies of local culture, architecture, art, food, hospitality, and the rituals that make life memorable.

In Provence, we stayed in a stunning private manor home cared for by the most gracious staff. Every day felt thoughtfully curated. We enjoyed dinner beneath a jasmine-covered pergola, casual garden picnics, cocktails on the terrace, beautifully presented breakfasts in the dining room, dessert and tea beside a crackling fire, and a candlelit farewell dinner in the parlor.

What inspired me most wasn’t simply the food or the setting—it was the intention behind every detail. The staff maintained an entire room dedicated to linens, vases, and tableware, allowing them to create a unique tablescape for every meal. Each gathering felt special. Each table told a story. There was a sense of anticipation and delight throughout the week as we wondered what beautiful experience awaited us next.

It was a powerful reminder that these moments don’t require a trip to Provence. We can create them in our own homes for the people we love. That is at the heart of Home for Entertaining: making everyday gatherings feel special.

We also had the pleasure of dining at some of the finest restaurants in the region. One evening, we walked to the nearby town of Maussane-les-Alpilles for dinner at Ou Ravi Provencau. We were welcomed by a father-daughter team into a cozy dining room filled with centuries of history and charm. The meal itself was simple, authentic, and deeply memorable. There was nothing overly elaborate about the evening, yet sharing local flavors and meaningful conversation with dear friends created the kind of experience that stays with you long after the plates are cleared.

That, too, is what Home for Entertaining is all about—creating memorable moments that bring people together.

Another unforgettable evening took us to Auberge Saint-Rémy, a two-star Michelin restaurant that exceeded every expectation. Over the course of four hours, we experienced extraordinary flavors, exceptional wine and cocktails, and service that felt almost impossible to describe. Each course arrived with an element of surprise, not only in the food itself but in the presentation.

As designers, we were captivated by the handcrafted plates, crystal, and stoneware selected for each dish. Every serving piece felt like a work of art, carefully chosen to enhance the story being told. The entire experience was a beautiful intersection of food, artistry, and design.

It’s exactly the kind of inspiration we hope to share at Home for Entertaining through artisan-made pieces that elevate the table and transform a meal into an experience.

Our days were filled with equally memorable adventures. We toured vineyards, enjoyed leisurely lunches, and participated in wine tastings that showcased both the craftsmanship and hospitality for which Provence is known. A visit to Chateau Estoublon was a particular highlight, offering not only exceptional wines but an unforgettable sense of place.

One of my favorite experiences was a pottery class held in a garden under the Provençal sun. We learned techniques from a talented artisan, experimented with a variety of tools, and left our creations to dry before firing. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my very amateur pottery pieces—especially a set of napkin rings that will forever remind me of this trip.

What struck me throughout the week was the passion shared by every person we encountered. Whether they were chefs, winemakers, farmers, potters, or hospitality professionals, each approached their work with care, thoughtfulness, and genuine love for their craft.

That passion is what transforms ordinary experiences into extraordinary memories.

I am returning home inspired, energized, and overflowing with ideas. I cannot wait to share them with you here.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I look forward to exploring the art of gathering, entertaining, and creating beautiful moments together. I’d love to hear about your extraordinary experiences, too.

— Written by Vicky Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

There is something about planning and hosting a celebration while on a trip — be it on the beach, at a local park, in another state, or even another country — that brings out the most creative and curious side of me. I dedicate time to researching the most fun restaurants and best modes of transportation, unique local attractions and events that align with our stay, and studying the layout of the home we’re staying in to plan the necessary decorations for the event. All of the time spent planning makes the entire trip, from start to finish, feel tailored and intentional.

This past spring, my sister decided she wanted to spend a long girls’ weekend just outside of Charlotte, NC for her birthday. Things that I knew were important to her: local antique shops to explore, unique coffee shops and restaurants, an outdoor excursion with animals, and cozy quality time in the evenings. Jackie suggested I check out the neighborhood of Belmont, where I found a great Airbnb just a short drive from a quaint downtown area filled with local shops and restaurants — antiques included.

The house was booked, dinner reservations were made, and tickets to the animal sanctuary were purchased. Now it was time for the special touches. If you know me, you know I have a (possibly unhealthy) adoration for Canva, where I create invitations, graphics, itineraries, posters — the list goes on. Using a themed template, I put together a day-by-day itinerary capturing all of the activities and reservations for the birthday weekend. I printed colored copies on cardstock and placed one on each seat in my car when I picked everyone up so the whole group could refer to the plan all weekend long.

Knowing we would spend evenings winding down together at the house, I packed my sister’s favorite board games. I also tucked away her favorite “Happy Birthday” banner to hang on the fireplace, sparklers for the fire pit, candles for donuts at breakfast one morning, and of course her wrapped gift — all hidden in the trunk of my car.

My sister loves margaritas, so I picked up everything needed for an evening cocktail and included her favorite snacks for the car ride down. We had already planned to order pizza for dinner that first night, but the real surprise was that our dearest family friend was driving in from Tennessee to join us for the weekend — and we had coordinated for her to be the one to deliver the pizza to the door. My sister was thrilled and completely caught off guard. It was one of those unexpected moments that set the tone for the entire weekend.

Hosting in a location that isn’t your own home can feel daunting — there are things you simply can’t plan or prepare for when you haven’t yet set foot in the space. But that’s also exactly what makes it special. Hosting away from home has a way of stripping things back to what matters most: the people, the moments, and the small details that show someone you were paying attention. The surprise pizza delivery, the banner hung on a stranger’s fireplace, the itineraries waiting on the car seat — none of it required being home. It just required showing up with intention. And if you’re the kind of person who finds joy in making ordinary trips feel like celebrations, I’d encourage you to lean into it. The unfamiliar backdrop might just make the memory that much more vivid.

— Written by Megan Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

The first dinner party I hosted entirely on my own, I spent most of the day convinced something was going to go wrong. Would the food be ready on time? Would people have fun? Would it be good enough?

What nobody told me: that feeling is completely normal. Every first-time host is standing in their kitchen thinking the exact same things (and if you’re like me, crying). You’re not failing at it. You’re just new at it.

The other thing I wish I’d known sooner is that there is real room for help. When someone offers to bring something, let them. Give them something specific. Appetizers and dessert are almost always the easiest things to hand off — they don’t need to coordinate with the main course, and they can be made ahead or picked up from somewhere great. Hosting is about gathering and coming together, so why not bring that into the preparation?

And before you plan a single thing: look at what’s already worked for others. Cookbooks with curated dinner party menus exist for exactly this reason — the flavors are already balanced, the timing is already thought through. Hosts online who’ve documented a themed evening or a menu that came together beautifully are priceless. Borrowing a proven format isn’t cheating. It’s just using your resources.

Your first dinner doesn’t need to be ambitious. It just needs to happen because once it does, you’ll know exactly what you’d do differently and you’ll already be planning the next one.

What do you wish you’d known before your first dinner party? Share your advice with new hosts below!

— Written by Jackie Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

A few years ago, I hosted what I lovingly called “Pizza and Prosecco.”

It sounds casual, and it was, but if you had walked into my dining room that night, you wouldn’t have thought so.

The table was set with pink linens. My coordinating china was out. We used real, pink irridescent glassware. There were candles glowing and a disco ball centerpiece. I had slowly put together the entire tablescape throughout the week.

It looked like a dinner party, but here’s the part most people don’t expect:

I ordered takeout.

No grocery store run. No chopping vegetables. No last-minute stovetop chaos. No sink full of dirty dishes.

Just our favorite local pizza place and a few bottles of bubbly.

And it was one of the most relaxed, joyful evenings I’ve ever hosted.

For a long time, I believed hosting meant doing it all… cooking from scratch, plating beautifully, managing timing perfectly. Over time, I’ve learned something that has changed everything: The atmosphere matters more than the menu.

Setting the table is my favorite shortcut because it can be done slowly and well in advance. I’ll iron linens the weekend before. I’ll pull dishes the day before. I’ll play with glassware combinations just for fun. This makes lighting candles right before guests arrive feels calm, not rushed and by the time people walk in, the work is done.

And because I’m not juggling pots and pans, I’m present. I’m pouring prosecco. I’m laughing. I’m actually sitting down with my friends.

We often think shortcuts cheapen the experience, however, I’ve found the opposite to be true. The right shortcut protects your energy and your presence.

If you’re short on time (or just short on desire to cook), try this:

Set the table beautifully.
Order your favorite takeout.
Serve it on your real dishes.
Light the candles anyway.

No one remembers whether you made the dessert from scratch. They remember how it felt to sit at your table.

— Written by Jackie Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

There’s a specific day every year when everything changes. All of a sudden, the door stays open, drinks taste colder, and suddenly you remember you have neighbors.

Brian and I will have been settled in our house for two years this September, so this is our second spring in the neighborhood. And like clockwork, on the first truly warm Saturday, everything shifts. Garage doors open up and down our cul-de-sac, people emerge with half-finished landscaping projects, and conversations pick back up as if no time has passed at all.

Drinks are offered almost immediately, and conversations drift easily-from winter catch-ups to the best grass seed to whatever grill setup someone is currently researching. There’s no formal invite, no real plan. You just sort of… end up outside.

Now that the nice weather has become more consistent, these casual gatherings have turned into something of a rhythm. Sitting on a neighbor’s porch with a glass of wine, snacking on whatever happens to be in the fridge, watching the sun stretch a little longer into the evening. Someone pulls up a chair, someone else heads home and comes back with chips, and before you know it, a few people have turned into a full evening.

Winter gatherings are beautifully planned with dates set weeks in advance to work around busy schedules, meals prepared to be warm and comforting, everything centered around creating a reason to stay inside a little longer.

But spring brings something different. There’s a lightness to it, a flexibility. Hosting becomes less about preparation and more about openness- walking down the street with a chilled bottle of wine, setting out a simple plate of fruit and vegetables, sending a quick text: “anyone want to come sit on the porch and watch the hockey game?”

Last weekend, I walked over to a neighbor’s house with no intention of staying long. Just a quick hello, a glass of wine, maybe an hour. But as the evening settled in no one seemed in a rush to leave. At some point I realized no one cared what we were eating, or whether things felt “put together.” We were just together, outside, enjoying the fact that we could be.

I’ve started to realize these are the gatherings I remember most. The ones we didn’t plan, the ones that unfold naturally, without expectation.

It’s made me rethink what it means to host. Maybe it’s less about preparing your home, and more about being open to who might walk into it.

That first warm Saturday doesn’t just change the weather- it changes how we show up for each other. I think I’ll always look forward to that first Saturday.

— Written by Megan Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

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If there’s one hosting rule I break every single time, it’s this: everything has to be ready before guests arrive.

I used to believe that a good host had everything perfectly prepared… food finished, table set, drinks ready. Over time, I realized that this approach left me stressed and exhausted before anyone even arrived.

Now, I intentionally leave a few things unfinished.

I might finish a salad while guests are chatting in the kitchen or prepare a self-serve bar instead of pouring drinks ahead of time. It gives the gathering a more relaxed feel and reminds me that hosting isn’t a performance, but a shared time.

Some of the best moments happen in the in-between spaces: someone helping stir a pot, another lighting candles, conversations occurring naturally while things come together. It turns hosting into something collaborative rather than controlled.

If you’re hosting soon, try leaving one thing undone on purpose. You might be surprised how much lighter the evening feels for everyone.

— Written by Jackie Serany, Co-Founder of Home for Entertaining

Home for Entertaining was built around a simple question:

How do we want people to feel when they walk through the door?

Welcome. Comfortable. At ease.

Confident enough to stay a little longer.

From large celebrations to intimate dinners, we believe gathering should feel as good for the host as it does for the guests. At the core of what we do is a simple idea:

You should be able to enjoy your own party.

Our tagline grew from something we observed again and again. So many people approach entertaining focused on the work — the details, the pressure, the desire to impress — rather than the reason for the gathering itself. It’s easy to fall into the Pinterest whirlpool of inspiration boards, themed decorations, and picture-perfect expectations.

But somewhere along the way, the heart of it can get lost.

We believe entertaining isn’t about performing. It’s about connecting.

When we strip it back to that foundation, hosting becomes lighter. More meaningful. More human. And from there, we can do what we love most — empower and educate others to gather confidently at home, knowing it truly is possible to enjoy your own party.

From the vendors we meet at market, to the chefs who teach in our kitchen, to the winemakers who pour at our tables, to our growing team behind the scenes — we are united by the same excitement and genuine joy that comes from bringing people together.

We’ve built Home for Entertaining to celebrate education, hospitality, creativity, and above all else — joy.

And we believe stories are at the center of it all.

Every piece in our shop carries one.
Every recipe taught in a class holds one.
Every bottle of wine poured begins one.
Every guest who walks through our doors brings one with them.

This journal is simply an extension of those stories — and an invitation to gather well.

We’re so glad you’re here.

— Megan