everyday entertaining

Sometimes, the layout and decor of a space will really talk to me, and when it does, I’m often inspired to celebrate. In this case, it was the apartment of my good friend and fellow South African, the gifted interior designer Geoffrey ­Bradfield.

Geoffrey’s place is stunning: simple, clean, elegant, uncluttered, and well-edited. (And, as we all know, when it comes to any type of design, well­-edited is the best.) Geoffrey’s interior design for the apartment is based on the Art Moderne style, more commonly known as Art Deco. It began in the twenties, was in full swing in the thirties and forties, and is integral to much of New York City’s finest architecture, interior, and exterior. The building, formerly the Mayfair Hotel, is a sixteen­-­story Gothic­-­revival apartment house at Park Avenue and Sixty­-­fifth Street in Manhattan. The sleek lines, sweeping curves, geometrical patterns, and subtle color variations of Art Deco are just right for a renovation in this setting. The apartment space is reminiscent of a forties movie set—I could see Cary Grant or Carole Lombard striding confidently through the doorway at any moment, but is equally appropriate for a contemporary, fast­-­paced urban ­lifestyle.

There is an indelibly soothing feel to the apartment’s slightly retro ambience. It brings on a sense of calm, which is always welcome at the end of a hectic day. The color scheme consists of ­various shades of light green, including mint, pistachio (notice these are both food colors!), and particularly celadon. These elements spurred me to create a dinner party based on fresh, pure, unadorned ingredients. The color theme was initiated by the use of celadon in the custom carpet and in several pieces of the furniture. I took off on a tangent, introducing other shades of green from avocado to ­chartreuse.

The green color theme runs throughout the meal, beginning with the Sour-Apple Martini, whose marvelous shade of pale green is accentuated by an elegant, paper­-­thin slice of green apple. There’s more light green in the avocado and fennel of the first­-­course salad and later in the pistachio ice cream. I love the way colors can subliminally affect the mood of an occasion. (Have you ever wondered why they paint so many fast-food restaurants ­yellow and red?) Green is a vibrant, refreshing color; pale shades of it are relaxing, calming, and ­meditative.

This was an intimate gathering for a light, early dinner. The occasion was suited to going out afterward for a night on the town or simply relaxing, retiring early, and getting a good night’s sleep. The meal itself took on a restrained, elegant aesthetic in keeping with the apartment’s design theme. None of the dishes was overly heavy, so you could easily go to the theater without having to worry about nodding off halfway through the performance. (Plus, we ended the meal with a good strong cup of ­espresso.)

Other than the two white seventeenth­-­century elephants (incense holders that were used as candelabras), everything in the place was from the 1940s or later. For the center of the table, I created a streamlined flower arrangement by packing two julep cups tightly with viburnum, which is light and simple and has a fresh, very spring­-­like look to it. To add an element of illumination, I provided pearlized over-sized sphere­-­shaped candles for the seventeenth­-­century incense ­holders.

Timing

The poached pears need to be made a day in advance. The salad can be prepared in advance of the guests’ arrival and dressed just before serving, which is the great thing about almost any salad. The fish packets for the main course can also be entirely prepped in advance and then popped in the oven either before or during the salad course, depending upon your timing instincts and how the dinner is proceeding. The cookies for dessert are optional; they can be made in advance or bought in a store.

Menu

Sour-Apple Martini
Fennel-Avocado Salad
Halibut en Papillote
New Potatoes
Pears Poached in Red Wine
Shortbread Cookies

Tips

Concentrating on a Color Scheme
The Magnificent Avocado
Mixing a Delicious Martini