"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

Comments

cotedetexas said…
I would have loved to have been there =- great picture! congrats!
Mrs. Blandings said…
The love of beauty costs nothing so I will continue to covet those earrings. Sounds like a great night.
How much fun did you have! Oh, I am so envious! She definitely seems like a lady that is in touch with her Southerness. As you well know, there IS something to it.

(and weren't you the dapper one!)
Well, you picked the right outfit! Sounds like a great evening!
It was an absolutely magical evening. thanks for the sweet words about the picture and my 'ensemble.' The picture turned out a bit fuzzy, but the line was long and I didn't want to take up too much time re-shooting it. lol.
Julio Muao said…
I agree with ArchitectDesign. That hat,vest,shirt, tie and jeans looks great together. Very stylish. Thank you for sharing such a special evening with us.
Had to check back after reading your pre post. Charlotte's favorite book of mine is the Winter House. She also dresses so impeccably well-gorgeous.GT
margot said…
You look haber-dashing! Thanks for sharing -- she's one of those amazing people who can speak in wise quotable soundbites. LOVE.

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