Entertaining Tips From ShelterPop & Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams' Party

ShelterPop gathered an A-team of entertaining experts for a wine and cheese soiree. Here's what we learned.

Last night we gathered some designer and blogger friends for a New York Gift Fair party at the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams store to mingle and gab over wine and cheese. The MG+BW store felt like the spacious yet terrifically cozy home of a welcoming friend -- with really amazing furniture -- and we were lucky enough to host experts on three of our favorite (yet often misunderstood) entertaining topics: Cheese, wine and Feng Shui. And when we hear good entertaining tips, we can't help but share them right away. Here, some of our favorites from the night.

Beth Griffenhagen, the fromager from Murray's Cheese Shop, taught us that we shouldn't always judge a cheese by its name, explaining that the Cabot Cheddar -- one of the favorite cheeses of the night -- was neither cabot nor cheddar. "It's two boring names, but the cheese is delicious and not at all boring!" The real takeaway for our guests? "The more cheese the better," Erica Reitman of Design Blahg told us this morning. Nicole Dufour DuRocher of Bklyn Contessa agreed enthusiastically: "Especially when it's from Murray's!"

Ryan Wassum from Wine Sisterhood then followed up with wine tips, reminding us that we should always provide a selection of wines at a party (different people, different tastes) and that you should always have enough on hand. ShelterPop writer Laura Fenton also pointed out that just like with the cheeses, you shouldn't be thrown off by a name. "While we felt a little goofy ordering the PromisQuous White wine, it was actually delicious." (Also on the menu: Monogamy Chardonnay.)

Feng Shui consultant Ken Lauher wowed the crowd with easy-to-implement principles -- like ensuring that you have a nightstand on each side of the bed (otherwise your relationship or your work will suffer. Eek!) "I learned that the secret to finding love in NYC is to move your bed away from the wall and to invest in a quality headboard. Who knew it could be that easy?!" said Carla Nikitaidis of CMN PR.

Other entertaining essentials: Plenty of coasters and cocktail napkins ("I've learned the hard way that those condensation rings are borderline impossible to get ride of," said Lilith Dorko from House Beautiful). And we loved showcasing a mix of "pretend" flowers from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams with the fresh blooms in bud vases -- an homage to ShelterPop's logo.

ShelterPop columnists Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams weren't the only friends of ShelterPop there -- we also hosted our beloved Design Influence gals Maria Greenlaw and Suzanne Caldwell of Design House of the Hamptons, coffee table makeover guru and designer Nick Olsen, Kristine Solomon of DIY Life, Suzanne and Lauren McGrath of Good Bones, Great Pieces, Rachel Hardage of Real Simple, Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke, Amy Wicks from Women's Wear Daily, Julie Raimondi, Amy Elliott and Leigh Crandall of Brides.com (the team behind bringing the beloved Domino archives online!), Jen Jafarzadeh L'Italien of The Haystack Needle, Shayna Kulik of Pattern Pulp and two of our fave HGTV Design Star contestants Nina Ferrer and Michael Moeller.

Any favorite entertaining tips of your own? Share them in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter! And make sure to explore our coverage of our 100 favorite booths at the gift show.