Dooley Noted Style: Dont Judge A Book By It's Cover

As long as I can remember I have always loved to entertain. Planning a menu, decor and executing all the details makes me positively giddy. However, if you recall from my home tour last winter, me and my husband live in 500sf which doesn't always allow for a whole lot of hosting. Well that all changed this week when I took on the challenge of hosting my Beacon Hill Book Club second gathering at our cozy apartment. I knew I wanted to make the evening special as it was my first time having more than two guests in our home and I also wanted to keep the integrity of the apartment's style and feature how to entertain in small spaces for you all! It took a lot of planning, trial and error as well as creative use of space but the night was a great success and so was the hysterical book that we read.

I wanted to work with the style of the apartment and use color but also coordinate with the grey walls of our home. I chose a soft aqua as the accent color for the decor. It turned out a little more dull then I had hoped so perhaps take into consideration how things will photograph versus how they look in person. While the banner was more difficult to read then I had planned for, it read the title of our book "White Girl Problems". It took several attempts to get everything I had planned to fit on the desk turned buffet table to fit so you will see the progress below.

Set out the food that doesn't need refrigeration so you can get the overall look and move around accordingly to get everything to fit.

Dresser turned plating sideboard.

I am totally pleased with my Society Social bar cart. It was perfect for separating the cocktail area from the food without causing too much crowding in one area. I also had everything laid out for my guests to help themselves to whatever they would have liked.

Book Club Sign // Straws

Circle of chairs for chit chat about our book

{white chairs purchased}

I wanted to give my guests a goodie bag to take home. I decided to fill it with items that all would be for a perfect night in with our next book. The bag labels read "For Ladies Who Drink & Read Books". This was the subject title of the the email chain that went around from my sweet neighbor who introduced me to this fabulous group of women.