Nicole Richie’s Guide to Entertaining During the Holidays

By Meghan Blalock, The Vivant Nicole Richie has made quite the journey through pop culture. The daughter of famed R&B singer Lionel who first came into the public eye as the wild child BFF of Paris Hilton on "The Simple Life," Nicole is now widely regarded as one of the most stylish women on the planet. Designers from Marc Jacobs to Dolce & Gabbana clamor to dress her, and she talks fashion and style with wit and panache on her AOL e-series "Candidly Nicole."

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But the red carpet isn't the only place Richie knows how to put things together. The style maven recently dished on all things home décor, holiday parties, and decorating and her tips are, as to be expected, are both stylish and fun-loving. Read on to hear her thoughts!

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If you had to sum up your perfect house party, how would you describe it?
First and foremost, I break out the Polaroid cameras. I have a few that I lay out with extra film, and people love taking pictures all night. I collect rugs from different places around the world and lay them out on the ground so that we have more room to sit. We're usually outside at my parties, so I keep several white Moroccan wedding blankets out in the event that people get cold.
What are some of your favorite party details?
Flowers are an important detail for me. Eric Buterbaugh & Botany do my flowers, and we have them on every table. We have a hand-painted teepee in our backyard, and I've seen some really cool and interesting ones on Etsy as well. I really love the relaxed vibe of friends sitting on the floor, D.L. & Co. candles burning, and listening to music.
What do you think is the ideal hostess gift to receive?
I love D.L. & Diptyque candles. But listen, I'll take some cash!
It's Christmas Eve. What music is playing in the Richie-Madden household?
It starts off with traditional Christmas music. A few hours and a few bottles of wine later, we're moving into more of a TLC/Missy Elliot kind of world.
Richie had designed an eclectic collection of home décor pieces which will be up for grabs as part of an exclusive Joss & Main sale event, November 12 at 9 p.m. EST. Plus scroll through the gallery above to peek inside how Richie celebrates Christmas with her family.

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