PHO TO GR APH (BEDROOM ): EDM UND BARR; PARTY TEXT BY KATHY BARNES

Get a Party

Started

Welcome the cool months by

entertaining outdoors. San

Francisco, US, party planner

Alison Hotchkiss shares

her tips for decking out the

backyard or the garden.

To celebrate her boyfriend’s

birthday, Alison hosted a

backyard get-together.

Low tables, floor

cushions, and strands of

clear fiesta lights put this

party in a happy mood. “I

love to criss-cross party

lights all over the yard,”

Alison says. “The secret is

lots of extension cords.”

Turquoise blue, red, and

white boost the festive

atmosphere. Alison dressed

the tables with plastic

tablecloths topped with

sheets of striped paper.

Interject living colour into

rooms with

freshly

picked flowers.

For the biggest impact, Celerie says, stick to

bouquets o f similar colours, such as a bowl

o f radiant orange poppies or yellow gerberas,

“Clumps o f colour are happiest,” she says. ■