When it comes to entertaining, Katherine Weeks Mulford, co-founder of Addison Weeks, knows how to bring the fun and style. Planning for her holiday gift exchange, she knows her party priorities: fun guests, good music, and a signature cocktail. This calls for a mix of childhood friends and new friends, including a conceptual artist and a ballroom dance instructor. As well, a selection of holiday tunes from her extensive record collection is a must. As for the cocktail, “A holiday brunch calls for bubbles,” Mulford says.

As friends gather at Mulford’s Myers Park home, they’re greeted with prosecco and pomegranate cocktails wrapped in embroidered linen napkins created by Charlotte artist Stephen Wilson. Gifts are placed under Mulford’s flocked tree embellished with an assortment of colorful ornaments, including vintage mercury glass balls, stitched butterflies (also by Wilson), and bejeweled brass ornaments by Addison Weeks.

Mulford and her business partner, Lee Addison Lesley, are the design duo behind Addison Weeks. They began as a jewelry company in 2002 and expanded into decorative brass hardware and home accessories in 2012. With a shared appreciation of antiques and vintage items, the pair strives to imbue a sense of classic, sensible style into their colorful, modern pieces.

“Kat and I both like to use our mothers’ and grandmothers’ hand-me-downs in decorating and entertaining,” Lesley explains. “We may repurpose them to meet our needs, but we always include family heirlooms in the mix.”

This practice of blending old with new is apparent throughout Mulford’s thoughtfully appointed home. In the dining room, her grandmother’s crystal chandelier dangles over a large marbletopped table that her mother purchased in France decades ago.Hand-painted panels found at an antique store in Palm Beach adorn the walls.

Mulford sets the table with a variety of new and vintage china and crystal complemented by heirloom silver—a wedding gift from her husband’s family. She adds pops of color with crisp monogrammed linens, fresh floral arrangements by John Lupton Events, and, of course, some Addison Weeks brass dogwood branch “sitabouts” that were designed in collaboration with interior designer Barrie Benson. A consummate hostess, Mulford includes beautifully packaged party favors at each place.

Guests dine on delectables prepared by Sarah Wrenn of Copain Gatherings before retreating to the living room to exchange gifts. Mulford’s penchant for mixing old and new seems to influence her social life, too. “Nothing makes me happier than when my old friends and new friends meet and hit it off,” Mulford shares. Holiday merriment mission accomplished.