Tis the season!!!
Hi!
As the holiday season creeps in and we dust off our party shoes for the inevitable silly-season, I thought it only fitting to call on the gal who makes hosting look like a cool spring breeze aka effortless and perfectly chic..
Our latest soirée at FENN was co-hosted by Annalisa, who bought the martinis, the vibes and the cheese, of course. On a side note, Annalisa is also an incredible artist, designer, queen renovator and our friendly Glenmore Road neighbour - she wears lots of hats! And to top it off, she's simply heaven.
The spread was stellar to say the least. As someone who loves a good party, I couldn't help but try to get to the bottom of what goes into making a good party a great one and how to pull it off in a "its all good, I've totally got this" way.
Like any great facial, there’s a method, a quiet formula, to hosting a flawless night and delivering exceptional results.
I hope you enjoy this month’s journal, with Annalisa laying the groundwork for your next soirée. Here’s to chic gatherings, clinking glasses and the art of looking like you didn’t break a sweat.
Clare xx
What’s the first thing you do when you’re planning a gathering — theme, guest list, or menu?
I usually start with a theme first - it helps set the overall tone and direction for what you’re creating. From there, I move on to curating the menu, then the guest list.
What’s your approach to setting the mood — lighting, music, flowers? Paint the scene…
Always soft lighting, calm music, and flowers- or if not flowers, foliage.
A signature cocktail or two is essential: something classic, usually a martini, and something a little more unexpected, a Last Word, a Tom Collins in the warmer months, or a Negroni in winter. I like to have a cocktail station ready for when guests arrive.
Do you have a signature “host move” — something you always do that feels very you?
I like to pre-batch martinis in individual bottles and freeze them, then serve them on small silver trays with all the trimmings- olives, brine, lemon rind, the lot. I want people to feel like they’re at a high-end cocktail bar.
Are you a ‘everyone sit down at once’ host, or a grazing, come-and-go, long-table-of-nibbles host?
It really depends on the occasion, but if it's dinner, everyone must be seated at the same time, around the table. Food is best shared and experienced together; eating in unison creates a kind of quiet bond. I know people say travelling alone is transformative, but for me, travel is about food- and I couldn’t bear to eat alone without someone to debrief with about the meal.
What music is playing as guests arrive versus late into the night?
I love calming classical music as people arrive- it’s subtle and relaxing. Later in the evening, it might shift into Khruangbin, and depending how late we go, it could head anywhere. Sometimes I make everyone listen to Pavarotti very loudly; other times it’s ‘90s club bangers. You just never know where an evening might lead.
A chic shortcut you swear by — something that looks considered but took zero effort.
When in doubt, foliage. We’re lucky to have a garden full of magnolia trees, so if things are looking a little flat I’ll take my snips to the garden and grab a bundle of leaves to pop into any vase, bowl, or bucket I can find. Magnolia manages to make even the humblest vessel look sophisticated.
Big believer in seating plans or let everyone find their place?
Seating plans, always. It makes things easier for guests and helps with the flow of the evening.
Is there a hosting mistake you made once and never repeated?
Sometimes you try to mix up the guest list and reach into new circles- but once it backfired, and the dynamic just wasn’t very symbiotic. Still, it’s important to keep meeting new people and changing the mix. Even if it doesn’t quite work, it’s always entertaining.
Your hosting red flag — something you’ll never do.
Scented candles on a dinner table, one of my many pet hates. The table is for the smell of food.
Unexpected hosting flex — the thing people don’t realise matters but absolutely does..
Ice, and lots of it. I have three freezer drawers dedicated to different types of ice. Having worked in bars for many years, you really appreciate the importance of good ice.
AF