A jazzy music playlist plays softly in the background as guests dressed in summer brights mingle before taking their designated seats. A long table is decked with crisp white linen and fresh, seasonal flowers, each place setting with a name card, a copper shaker set, ribbed glass tumbler, pre-sliced lemons and raspberries, mixers on ice, and a few chosen bottles of Courvoisier within reach. A mixologist will be showing a group of 10 friends how to mix the perfect French Twist and Gala, while they nibble on artisanal breads, dips and crudités and spicy cocktail sausages …
This is the summer of intimate, curated gatherings outdoors.
Not only are smaller gatherings the more responsible choice in this current climate, they feel more meaningful and it doesn’t mean they can’t be indulgent.
In fact, says art director and stylist Sanri Pienaar, if ever there was a time to really do things grandly, it would be now – when small gatherings at one another’s homes are all we have to look forward to socially. In this instance, grand doesn’t mean big; but rather putting more thought, time and effort into curation and execution. It doesn’t have to be a baby shower or a milestone birthday, simply a lunch with friends and family or braai at yours will do.
“The golden thread is this idea of slow living,” says Vika Shipalana, founder of VS Luxury Group, which curates luxury experiences for corporate and private clients. She says there’s an art to it and it’s not about breaking the bank to pull one together. “Money can’t buy experiences.” She recounts one of her most memorable experiences – learning how to make sourdough at a private home in Houghton, an event curated by Soho House’s Cities without Houses initiative. “Now, I have no intention of ever kneading my own dough at home but this experience was unmatched. As soon as I walked into this beautiful private home I took off my shoes to feel the grass underneath my feet; that’s how comfortable I felt. The host and the environment was so welcoming. The presentation of the food, the dialogue, the people, the music, being in nature, and just authentic beauty – we simply spent an afternoon, chatting, sipping and sharing ourselves with the handful of carefully chosen invited guests.”
Pienaar says hers has always been the place her friends come to. “All you really need is good people gathered round fresh blooms and good food with conversations that go on for hours and hours. And as I’ve grown older I’ve started cooking more, making things like waterblommetjies, which are a labour of love because the preparation time is so long.
