A Seasonal Celebration, Creatives Included

For a while now, we’ve been lamenting the demise of the dinner party (check out the recent article in the New York Times on that very subject). So in anticipation of our third annual Remodelista Holiday Market, we pulled together a crowd of local architects and creatives, including preserve maker June Taylor, linen maker Tricia Rose, and necklace creator Maki Yamada, to enjoy a Monday-night dinner.

We used Cécile Daladier’s Parisian Oyster Party as our inspiration and enlisted Inverness, CA, restaurant Saltwater to provide local oysters, food, and wine; our favorite forager Louesa Roebuck decorated the room with bay laurel, mossy branches, and dried cardoon thistles, making it a very Remodelista affair.

Photography by Aya Brackett for Remodelista.

Above: Julie’s house in Mill Valley was the venue for our Monday night dinner. Louesa scattered soft cardoon thistles (part of the artichoke family of plants) down the center of the table (“their tawny gold looks like fur,” she says). She weaved Usnea Lichen (otherwise known as Old Man’s Beard) into the mix.

Above: For the place settings, we used dip-dyed place cards made with off-white card stock soaked in dye made from the leaves of ornamental plum trees (see DIY: Seasonal Vegetable Dyes, Holiday Edition); we penned the names with a charcoal stick.

Above: We asked them to bring something to share with another attendee: the offerings included handmade knitted trivets, home-brewed sloe gin, handmade wood cutting boards, original drawings and sketches, and a collection of podcast interviews. Performance artist Ryan Tacata gave the most original gift: a five-minute performance piece for architect Douglas Burnham of Envelope A + D.

Above: Alexa samples a local Sweetwater oyster from Hog Island, heaped high on a vintage metal tray filled with rock salt and adorned with seaweed.

Above: The aluminum and brass seafood plates by San Francisco artist Arthur Court are from Heritage Culinary Artifacts; $485 for a set of six. The Sterling Silver Oyster Forks are $125 for a set of six (she’ll be at our Market too).

Above L: Jay Carroll of One Trip Pass armed with a glass of Cremant de Bourgogne.

Above: Architect Jerome Buttrick, who designed Julie’s Mill Valley house, pours rosé for necklace maker Yuki Yamada and furniture maker Julian Paul (opposite). Across the table, architect Douglas Burnham chats with Louesa Roebuck. Hanging above the table are bunches of bay laurel tied with twine.

Above: Maki Yamada (L foreground) shares a dish with graphic designer Kyle Macy. Louesa Roebuck chats with furniture maker and designer Julian Paul.

Above: Tricia Rose (in red scarf) of Rough Linen provided the rustic table linens. Across from Tricia sits Berkeley-based June Taylor of June Taylor Jam. Next to Tricia sits journalist Tania Ketenjian, who holds her one-year-old daughter, Nora.

Above: The menu, by Stacy Lauer and Gwendolyn Meyer for Saltwater, included farro salad with pomegranate and sausage, chanterelles, onions and sauteed greens and a cauliflower hazelnut salad.

Above: The table, set and waiting for guests. The large Napa Valley-made beeswax pillow candles from Culinary Heritage Artifacts give off a sweet smell of honey and are available in different hues, according to the shade of the seasonal pollen.

Explore More: House Call, Dining Rooms