While New York City is home these days, I am—and always will be—a Midwesterner at heart. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, I was imbued with the love of hospitality and the art of entertaining friends, family and guests. (Practically spoiling them, really!) I learned growing up that every great cocktail party has to be both festive and functional, and my entertaining style aims to perfectly blend the two. So, when I throw a cocktail party, I just have to go all out with it with design, and do so with objects that have great stories to tell.
The perfect décor sets the tone, and what better way to establish the mood for a cocktail party than a little candlelight? These gorgeous 19th Century-inspired Lunet oil lanterns from Guild are bound to instantly elevate your gathering—especially if you cluster them together in the center of your dining table. One thing I love to do in my interior designs is mixing materialities, and this nickel & bamboo selection from Mecox makes for quite the aesthetically pleasing juxtaposition between finial and base.
On the table, even the smallest functional items can add a huge boost of festiveness to your setup—take a second look at these golden bird napkin rings from Jung Lee. They honestly look like jewelry! (And if you want to kick the bird theme up a notch, this gorgeous azure silver hummingbird centerpiece from Scully & Scully is perfect for serving dishes, jugs or even glasses.) Also from Jung Lee, these hand-embroidered daydream napkins have timeless patterns that seamlessly match with a wide range of table linens. And of course, you can’t forget about the place card holders. This cast sterling silver holder from Guild is forged, cast and finished entirely by hand—it’s essentially a work of art, while serving as functional a purpose as it gets.
Finally, let’s not forget about the drinks. The simplest addition of a quirky design can add an incredibly delightful spark, and this martini glass from Coming Soon does exactly that. Just wait until your guests realize there’s a green olive sculpture at the base of the glass! (Be sure to put out some Kim Seybert tortoise drink coasters from Jung Lee as well—they make a strong visual statement while protecting your table from those pesky condensation rings). And before the customary champagne toast, let your bubbly cool in this champagne bucket with ball accents, the exact kind of eclectic piece I’d expect to find at Mecox. But how about if you really want to impress your guests? Look no further than this Yuan Noir Narcisse stackable dish set from Stella. Individually, they’re gorgeously functional pieces of your cocktail party. But stacked together? They take the shape of a silhouette of a classic Asian vase.
What makes entertaining exceptional is the host with a good story to tell—and sometimes a well-found design object can do all the talking.
