Whether you’re a fan of clean minimalism or love creating a calm moment amongst the brighter flourishes, neutral hues are the quiet heroes of style elevation. We enlisted chef and entertaining expert Olivia Muniak to create a neutral tablescape and cook a delicious lunch for our re-brand launch party with Style Union Home, and now, she’s sharing her top 5 tips on how you can replicate this forever-chic look for your next party!
Focusing on one color family and building a monochromatic table scheme amps up the drama and style. I recommend staying either in a warm or cool color story like warm whites mixed with earth tones and raw edge linen napkins with accents of gold.
Sourcing sculptural and bold ceramics, candle holders and vases (large or small) is an easy way to make any table feel high-design. Lots of retailers carry unique items that add a lot of interest to a table. Style Union Home, Evite's co-host for their event, specializes in handmade-in-L.A., small-batch tableware and artisanal accents that fit this tip to a T. Being the amazing partner they are, they’re offering 20% off of their ceramics with promo code EVITE20 right now! A few faves to consider from their collection include:
Paige Pitcher
Patricia Pitcher
Malibu 3-Piece Place Setting
I usually opt for low tumblers at a casual gathering. My favorite is the Bormioli Rocco “Bodega” glass—they are incredibly durable and I use them for everything from cocktails to wine or water and for desserts chilled like panna cotta. When it comes to flatware, I recommend finding a good-weight, minimal design or mix-matched vintage silver that can be used over and over no matter the occasion.
As a Chef, I think the table comes alive with the food. When creating a recipe, I always think about the colors as well as the flavors. And, as a woman who believes that food tastes better at a beautiful table, my gatherings are never without some sort of floral or greenery arrangement. I like to keep flowers in one color family that compliments the rest of the decor. Like in a neutral, warm-white table, I go for lots of green branches with a pop of color or white florals.
Lighting is one of the key ways to create atmosphere for a gathering. For daytime outdoor events, it’s important to think about shade for guests, and when it comes to the evening, go for low lighting. If your dining area is not equipped with dimmers on the light switches, go overboard on candles and it will create a magical atmosphere that encourages a relaxing evening at the table.
PS...here's the Evite from this party so you can host an incredible luncheon or dinner party of your own!
Olivia Muniak is a self-taught chef who grew up in a New York City restaurant family. Under her brand La Cura, she creates enchanting food-focused events for clients like Nike, Moet Hennessy and Laura Mercier and has developed custom content and recipes for fashion and lifestyle and brands including Jenni Kayne and Anthropologie. Her entertaining philosophy is deceptively simple: Settings should be candle-lit, evenings always begin with a cocktail, and the conversation around the table should be as delectable and inspired as the food.
In a word? Magic.
In 2019, newly arrived in Los Angeles, Olivia hosted a series of intimate dinners out of her tiny West Adams backyard. The six-course, home-cooked, family style gatherings were as much about the relationships that sprouted around the table as they were about the thoughtfully presented food and wine. Supper Club, as she called the now-legendary evenings, remains at the heart of her food-centric brand, La Cura.
Now, Olivia brings this exceptional and seemingly effortless alchemy to a whole new level with select brand partners. Bespoke Supper Club experiences range from intimate dinner parties to high-profile events and brand activations.
Developed hand-in-hand with community organizers, PTA presidents, parents and teachers, Evite's signup sheets are designed to make organizing volunteers a breeze. Here are a few ways SignUp Sheets are different than other signup tools:
Choose Evite SignUp Sheets for the easiest, most streamlined way to get volunteers and signups for your next event!
Signup sheets are the perfect way to streamline scheduling, volunteer recruitment, class parties, snack duty, potluck organization, parent-teacher conferences and more! You can think of them as your digital assistant for coordinating events and tasks and ensuring that your event is a success.
Evite SignUp Sheets offers parents, teachers and event planners customizable online forms that organizers and volunteers can access and update effortlessly. Volunteers can choose their preferred time slots, sign up for tasks or indicate what they'll bring to the event. It only takes organizers a few minutes to create a signup sheet and send it out with a shareable link, so they can get the word out via text, email or social media—whichever way they prefer!
Long story short, SignUp Sheets save everyone involved tons of time, avoid scheduling headaches and ensure everything runs smoothly before and during the event.
Creating a signup sheet has never been easier than with Evite! Here’s how to create a sheet that’s sure to make your event an absolute success:
When it comes to signup sheet information, there are some essentials to include regardless of what you’re organizing:
When adding your slot information, clearly define what people are signing up for, especially for a what-to-bring list or role assignments. If you want someone to bring healthy snacks for kids to enjoy after a game, specify that. You want your volunteers to feel confident in what they’re bringing and to make it easy for them to know what’s expected of them. It will save them time and stress (and you, too!). That being said, if you make your ask too specific (for example, asking for a hard-to-source item or something expensive), you may not end up with a volunteer for it. So be clear about what you expect, but also be reasonable!
Aside from providing the basic signup information, you can also add optional descriptions to both your entire signup sheet and individual slots. While not required, they can help guide your volunteers further and provide more information. You can add information about allergies, preferences and general info about the event. You can also add a wish list to make it easier for your volunteers to bring exactly what you need!
Signup sheet templates offer a ton of advantages for both organizers and volunteers and with Evite SignUp Sheets, you'll enjoy even more benefits than other digital and paper signup sheets! Some benefits our signup sheet templates offer include:
With Evite SignUp Sheets, you can enjoy organizing and coordinating all your events with ease. Signup sheets streamline the signup process for everyone involved, ensuring that everything will go to plan on the day of your event while saving you precious time in the process.