Growing up in a small Louisiana town, Lorna Gross says she always knew she was “a creative,” but wanted to make sure she could pay her bills. She went to the University of Maryland to study business, earning a bachelor’s degree and an MBA.
Gross later discovered that working in the corporate world didn’t make her happy. “It just wasn’t something that was feeding my spirit,” she says. She returned to college for interior design, and in 2006 opened Lorna Gross Interior Design in North Bethesda, specializing in high-end residential interior design. Gross has since added public speaker, lifestyle authority and author to her credentials. Her book, Entertaining by Design: A Guide to Creating Meaningful Gatherings, was released in October by The Collective Book Studio.
The idea for the book came to Gross during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were separated and lonely, she says. “When I thought about the moments in my life that had the strongest human connection, it was always around a dining table,” she says. Building on her love of hosting gatherings and designing beautiful spaces, Gross says she hopes the book is a guide that makes entertaining easier, so everyone can do it.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
What are the essentials of a good gathering? Good food. Some botanicals—not necessarily flowers. Eucalyptus is great because people enjoy the smell of it. Botanicals bring warmth and beauty at the same time. I’m going to come back to the cliche: It’s you. It’s your spirit. Even if you only have potpies, put your potpie on your good china, and all of a sudden you have a great occasion—if you show up in the right spirit.
What are some ideas for hosting a Super Bowl party? People shouldn’t feel as if they can’t have [fans of] more than one team present. You want to just make sure that everyone feels welcome. Have finger food, but also at least one dish that you can put in a slow cooker. It could be chili or Italian meatballs or something people feel is a little bit more special. Have two areas: [one for] serious game people on the sofa in front of the TV—it’s quiet in that side. The other side, people are chitchatting, glancing at the game every so often, near the buffet area. On the ends of the [kitchen] counter, have either tins with popcorn or snack treats for people who just want to grab something really quick. You want to make sure you are accommodating all the different ways that people like to enjoy game day.
Ideas for a Valentine’s Day gathering? The most important thing that you can do, if it’s a sit-down meal, is make sure that everyone has a name card. That is the way that you can make people feel as if they’re valued and remembered. For Galentine’s Day, the coolest thing you can do is [write] on the back [of the name card for each guest], ‘Sally, I love you because of the way you smile.’ People may remember the elements from your gathering, and they may remember a few food items, but they’ll never forget—Maya Angelou’s quote—‘the way you make them feel.’ Gatherings are less about perfection and more about connection.
Any entertaining disasters of your own? Sometimes people will show up early because they’ve confused the time. I’ve had my sweats and workout clothes on. I’ll just be like, ‘Oh, sit down and you can have a little snack.’
What do people overlook when hosting? Sometimes they’re too busy to make connections with everybody. You have to leave yourself the time to be able to, in some way, touch base with everyone who is there. Some people aren’t coming for the food. They are coming to see you.
This appears in the January/February 2025 issue of Bethesda Magazine.
