How Molly Sims Practices Living The Everyday Chic Life

We scoured Molly Sims’ new book Everyday Chic: My Secrets for Entertaining, Organizing, and Decorating at Home for the most important tips. Here are the top takeaways.

On feeding a family: “You don’t have to grow all your own vegetables or bake your own bread to feed your family well. I want the very best for my brood, but I am not going to make everything from scratch. Come up with practical, healthy solutions that work. Keep in mind that food is about more than what we eat. It is about love, reward, and ritual.”

On entertaining: “Serve dishes that make your mouth water, play music that moves you, and most important, remember that your guests are much more likely to remember good company and good conversation than a chic centerpiece. Follow my mantra, which I refer to as the three S’s: simple, stylish, and stress-free.”

On keeping a home: “Happiness and harmony at home can be cultivated in the physical environment: is our home clean, organized, cozy, and comfortable? But it is also about the emotional environment: are we respecting one another, following a family code of conduct, and supporting one another emotionally? A happy, healthy home has as much to do with the way a home is physically set up as it is about the energy and attitudes inside its four walls.”

Photo Credit: Allen Daniel

On decorating: “Quality decor and design do not have to break the bank. Good design can be found everywhere, from exclusive showrooms to independent boutiques to big-box furniture stores to flea markets! It’s okay to make mistakes—I’ve made many of them in my homes. Decorating is about trial and error, and learning what you like and what works for you and your family.”

On happiness: “Life is about sucking the marrow out of it. Living it. And loving it. It’s about knowing what you can physically do and letting go of the rest. Life isn’t about being perfect. Perfect is a unicorn, people. It doesn’t exist. Life is about keeping sh*t real.”