When she’s not busy dreaming up designs for her jewellery brand Meadowlark, creative director Claire Hammon indulges her love of interiors and entertaining. With a penchant for collecting bespoke wares, a party at Claire’s place is always well dressed.
When it comes to styling a dinner party, I tend to keep things really relaxed and easy – I’m often stressed so when it comes to gatherings I don’t put pressure on myself and just throw things together. I work with what I have which is usually natural and handmade. The way things feel to hold and use is really important to me. I like the aesthetics to be inviting and appealing to all the senses.
When it comes to creating the right feel for a party, I think timing is important – I intuitively go with the vibe and bring out food or wine or change the music when it feels right, to keep people pumped with each stage of the dinner.
I always bring out a cheese board at the start, because it’s basically the easiest thing to throw together without much effort. I get four or five different cheeses and a few cracker options then some honey to top it off. It’s always good to have a selection of fruit, nuts and olives too.
I like to kick things off in the afternoon and let them go late into the night. The longer the party, the better the dancing!
GET THE LOOK Stonewashed charcoal linen tablecloth, $295; stonewashed charcoal linen napkins, $23 each; Slate medium rectangle plates, $28, tessuti.co.nz. Matte charcoal dinner plates, $90 each, steinerceramics.com. Bayly & Collis black side plate, $24.99, stevens.co.nz. Broste Copenhagen 16-piece cutlery set, $240, sabato.co.nz. Serax medium glass jug, $34, nest-direct.com. Mad et Len Figur Noire candle, $170, theshelter.co.nz. Flowers, made to order, botanist.co.nz. Custom made walnut board, POA, kentandleijh.com. Brass cheese knife, glassware and chairs Claire’s own. CHEESEBOARD Mahoe Blue and Very Old Edam, mahoecheese.co.nz. Walnut oat crackers, 180degrees.co.nz. J. Friend and Co. manuka honey, raw honeycomb and panforte, nzartisanhoney.co.nz. Whangaripo Valley Flying 15 cheese; Crescent Dairy Truffolait, the-dairy.co.nz. Sparkling mineral water, antipodes.co.nz. Amisfield Brut, amisfield.co.nz.
Photography Wendy Fenwick
