It was an auspicious week, let's (dinner) party.
Plus butterfinger dishes, cosmo coupes, mushroom cloches, and a swan lemon squeezer.
We just had the *luckiest day of the year* (helllooo astrology fans) and in some ways it kind of felt that way. This last week I’ve had a series of impromptu hangs—a quick glass of wine at the corner cafe, a pop-over for summer dinner (in sweats), a post-work happy hour on a Tuesday. All of these sessions took under 90 minutes. All of them brought me immense joy.
It feels so good to wrap up in the social fabric of neighbors, coworkers, and friends.
Over the last few seasons, that fabric has felt harder to stitch together—kids make life busy, schedules get tough, people are exhausted—everyone is just trying to keep it together. But this season, it feels like a door opening. Maybe we’re rediscovering the joy of the casual social invite. Or maybe this is just me, remembering how easy it is to carve out a couple hours to meet people for coffee, snacks, dinner, a walk.
The vibe is: bring your kids, bring your dog, bring yourself, let’s HANG.
In a world hurtling toward data automation and dystopia, nothing grounds me like human-to-human hangs. It reminds me of the power of our connection, different than the screen-to-eyes-to-thumbs connection, it’s a heart-to-heart connection. I think there’s something to it, something a little more powerful about it now.
Something in the air is saying, THIS IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT. Just like the "almost forgot this was the whole point” memes, it IS about soaking up the casual bbq at a friend’s place, the kids running around and stopping only to show off their latest dance moves. Or neighbors at the cafe who don’t see the world exactly the same, but can talk, then laugh, then talk some more.
THIS IS what it’s all about—the million little moments in our shared communities. It’s not a utopia but a living, breathing entity, sometimes fragile, more often powerful.
We saw community in action just this week in NYC, which made my heart beat a little faster and expand with hope. Regardless of your stance on the mayor’s race, New York just reminded us that people can VOTE for things that matter most. In the face of rising authoritarianism, how radical to dream of a better world for more people, then put it on blast and win. F*ck yes. (PS I loved this conversation on Pivot about it, skip to minute 25:00.)
Right now, the world will convince us it’s all falling apart. There are a lot of days I feel that way. But whether it’s seeing democracy in action or taking 90 minutes to hit the corner cafe, social fabric is how we make a life, make a community, make a country we’re proud of. It’s about the people. It’s about relationships.
Somehow I went to democracy and back, but what I’m trying to say is: this season, let’s get people together.
Said another way: let’s party.
This article “Americans Need to Party More” from The Atlantic has really stuck with me. I love this quote from author Ellen Cushing,
“We are obligated to create the social world we want. Intimacy, togetherness—the opposite of the crushing loneliness so many people seem to feel—are what parties alchemize,” Cushing continues. “Warm rooms on cold nights, so many people you love thumbtacked down in the same place, the musical clank of bottles in the recycling, someone staying late to help with the dishes—these are things anyone can have, but like everything worth having, they require effort.”
Whether it’s around your dinner table or in a third space, send out the casual invite. Show up messy and in your sweats if that’s where you’re at because a good hang session is what it’s about. If you’re anxious about opening your home, read this post on
, one of my favorite Substacks follows.Riding high on the luckiest day of the year, let’s take momentary pause on the doom and raise a glass to each other. Let’s party. Let’s connect. Let’s hang. Let’s not forget, this is really what it’s all about.
ON OUR RADAR
If I could open a store, half of it would be home goods. My house (apartment) is spacious-ish (for SF) but I find so many gems, I wish I could host you every single week and rotate the room to reflect all the different vibes/ styles.
There was a time when I was a home buyer (at Huckberry) and though it’s been yearssss since then, I still find myself bopping around, curating little edits of delightful finds. More importantly, because I was a buyer, I look for trends, a good story, solid value, and of course, smaller independent brands.
Hosting or not, dressing up the table is a lot like dressing up an outfit. It feels good. I LOVE glassware and unique pieces—I don’t need to match all the things. Here are some of my fav brands and finds to fanci-fy your table—by fanci-fy I mean have fun.
Note: the following finds maximize personality. I’ll focus on the basics another time.
TABLESCAPES
From painted plates to Puglia-inspired splatter bowls, hilarious butter dishes and eclectic sculptural glassware, I love a table FULL OF PERSONALITY. Food is fun—why not have a fun table too?
PORTA NYC
In a word: stunning. Porta is an IRL curated shop in New York that we can thankfully shop online. It’s at the top of the list for my next visit. The two friends behind Porta do an incredible job of curating special pieces—it’s hard to pick favorites. Another thing I love? The storytelling. They feature really cool people in art, food, and everything in between, I’d happily immerse myself in their world for hours.
Not to miss:
Plates—you can’t go wrong, but I saved the Vito and Catalina sets
Platters—the Tommaso with the sun and sardines, what else could you want?
Love the Nesting bowls in orange, available in another color too
Someone please buy this Butterfingers Butter Dish »
LR Butterfinger dish at Porta NYC LAETITIA ROUGET
Laetitia Rouget, cheeky plates for a guaranteed good time. Thanks to Porta NYC, I learned Laetitia Rouget has a ceramics collection! She first hit my radar as half of Pangea which has transformed into a bespoke, collaboration dream team with pieces handmade in Paris. Now you’ll find Pangea styles in Zel hotels. Outside of that project, Laetitia has her own collection of home goods which are SO CHEEKY. They make me laugh—hope they make you laugh too!
Pro tip: find what you love on her store then google it to see if it’s carried in the US. Not sure she ships direct from Portugal.Dessert plates, too many to choose but how about cool as a cucumber and no snogging allowed! Oh, and tell me what you really really want…
I put a spell on you is a fun message to discover after you eat all the food
The big tulip fruit platter
This cake plate flips over and becomes a tapas plate (genius)
LRNCE
Speaking of boutique hotels, we visited Menorca Experimental a couple years ago partly because the interior touches were designed in collaboration with LRNCE. I’m going back this fall and I’m already swooning. From textiles to ceramics to furniture, their design studio is colorful and eclectic, adding a magic touch to any space. Everything is designed and handmade by artisans and Marrakech. PS Shoutout to my former coworker Luis who turned me onto LRNCE years ago.
For my wedding I was gifted a vase and textile, which I still need to hang on the wall. Now my eye is on:
Any of their plates—hoping the Summer plates get restocked
Another thing for my wall—the Love You plate
Cute linens, like the Starfish napkins and Sun, Water, Flowers set
L’Amour ashtray— a catchall in the house, used as designed out of the house
CROW CANYON
Family owned and woman-run for decades, Crow Canyon is both beautiful and functional. Made from enamelware, all pieces are part porcelain and part stainless steel, which means you can take them to the park, beach, pool, or outdoor dinner party and have no worries about breakage. They’re lightweight, durable, affordable and you can put them in the oven. Do not, however, put these in the microwave :)
Everyone should own splatter collection pieces—I own a big bowl & pitcher
I use their mugs + tumblers for roadies, beach days, camping, game days, etc
The Trays + pans are beautiful enough to pull out of the oven and serve
Glassware
Easy to collect, easy to gift, easy to break. I’m always on the hunt for glassware and believe me, I have some favs. Take a sip from a more interesting cup, it could change your day.
HUDSON WILDER
If you’ve been following Confidants at any point in the last +5 years, Hudson Wilder has been featured often. “The New Standard in American Design” is their focus, and yes yes yes, it’s so refreshing. Check in often, they’re always launching something new and interesting.
Tulip wine glasses—the shape is so gorgeous, I am delighted every time
Asobi collection is an interesting, more timeless alternate to the many sculptural, colorful options out there (which I also love)
I have their coffee mugs in most colors—high quality glass and with subtle twist like a colored handle or opaque white jade effect
SOPHIE LOU JACOBSEN
When Sophie Lu Jacobsen’s Ripple cup hit the market, it took the world by storm (and birthed a million dupes). Since then Sophie Lou Jacobsen has been evolving, extending her artistic vision into INCREDIBLE lighting, vases, and glass collectibles. I pass the Future Perfect on occasion and fantasize about displaying one of her pendants is in my home. That may never happen, but for now, it’s exciting SLJ still creates attainable homewares I can invest in to bring a little art, a little surprise, a little delight to the tabletop conversation.
Le Verre—“Gracefully treading the line between functional and decorative design” I love the subtle ribbed glass and fluted edge. In petit or gran sizes, stackable and ready for water, wine, or juice. Available in several colors.
Original Ripple Cup comes in a bunch of colors—so playful!
Cosmo Coupe set of 4, how divine
Keep an eye on Totem x Ghia collab, they come back into stock most holidays
GOHAR WORLD
Created by two sisters and based in New York, Gohar World is weirdly wonderful, confident, and conversation-starting. From fried chicken candles to napkin bows, they are nothing if not surprising and majorly delightful. The recent Mediterranean Noir drop has a mix of very cool jewelry I want, but for this post—the glassware got me. The packaging too. I love this brand.
What do a fish, bird, and swan have in common? Lemon squeezers. Sold as a set and separately
Studio Lunch is a collection of 20 recipes by the co-founder, so thoughtful…
Italian cake candles are a yes and larger than you think
COMPLIMENTARY DELIGHTS
Part of tabletop personality is all the things that could belong but don’t have to. Oyster plates and butter dishes come to mind. Egg cups are also really having a moment. Embroidered placemats, napkins, and table clothes are taking over in the best way. Choose what you love, leave the rest. After all, you don’t need much to break bread, so don’t sweat it, have fun.
Other Things:
Oyster Plates, like Rex Design or shop vintage at Hunt & Bloom
Paddywax A Dopo collection is adorable (and the perfect gift!)
Gloam Goods is my new go-to for taper candles—family run, so kind, love the styles and colors, especially the minis, easy to style and so cute
Spiral Coasters from SLJ—clearly I’m on a spiral kick
“From the beach house to the penthouse”… I need this salt cellar
Sarah Espeute who kicked off the scenes-on-tables embroidery trend—she’s having a SALE and I love this one—but like any good trend you can find similar styles all over. If you can invest, do it, if not, plenty of options out there.
DISCOVERY
Like always, we love ending our notes with inspiration so here are some of the people, places, messages, and musings that are inspiring us lately.
Watching hours of Alice Herbst create magic
Yes to these little fish clips, great for chips right?
A charm bracelet for my hair? Yep…
I have to get this candle for my friend Isabel—I bet you have a friend like Iz
Very on board for summer emails only
Nice to Each Other is a nice way to start the weekend, no?
Till next time friends,
xx Fenny
Reading every single one of these you send. Keep writing 'em!