"Luxury need not be extravagant . . . "

Charlotte Moss and Scot Meacham Wood

Greetings and Salutations,

Where does one begin to describe the wondrously gracious Charlotte Moss? And how does one, such as myself, begin to tell you about the amazing evening . . . listening to Charlotte at Gumps in San Francisco - in conversation with Diane Dorrans Saeks - discussing design, windex, and life in general.

"The love of beauty costs nothing." Seriously, how can you beat that kind of inspiration. Charlotte opened the evening with a description of her love of fresh flowers. I think we've all mentioned how special fresh flowers make our homes feel. But now, she's up at the crack of dawn, going to the local flower market - buying wholesale and arranging them herself.

And a sea of homesickness swept over me as she talked of her childhood in the South. "My mother would always be the last one out of the house," she said. "We would just be waiting in the car. But, we knew she was inside, plumping the decorative pillows on the sofa before she would leave the house. Her reasoning was - 'You never know who might stop by?' And Mother wanted everything to be 'guest ready'." Like so many southerners, there just always seemed to be such a pronounced sense of hospitality in her upbringing. And that specific aspect of one's home, as a place to welcome guests, seems to permeate so much of her very gracious aesthetic.

And the advice wasn't limited to interior design, my favourite - "Don't spray windex on antique gold gilded mirrors. Spray the windex on a rag, and use the rag to clean the mirror. Otherwise - the gold gilding begins to turn blue." Good to know.

Cheers,

tartanscot