Industrial Summer Dinner Party

This gathering dreamt up and styled by Rebecca Gallop of A Daily Something was a night out for creatives and tastemakers in the Washington D.C. area. And for us? It’s gorgeous inspiration for a summer dinner party done right. Sweet Root Village put together the most stunning greenery along with images of the day that showcase fresh farm-to-table spread by Number 1 Sons, artisan cocktails and a truly unique backdrop. The pickle bar is an added bonus. Click here for so much more.

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The goal of this dinner party was to celebrate the wonder of collaboration and to bring together creative folks in the Washington, DC area. I was working in collaboration with Kinfolk Magazine as part of their ongoing events series. The dinner turned into a beautiful explosion of talent with a stellar summer meal prepared by the brother-sister duo of Number 1 Sons, a warehouse buzzing with conversation and talk of future collaborations, string lights & candles twinkling late into the evening; a lasting memory for all who attended. It took an army to pull off this dinner, and I’m so very grateful for each person’s contribution.

Dock 5 at Union Market is a gorgeous, 12,000 square foot warehouse in DC, & I wanted to somehow embrace and show off its size, while simultaneously producing a cozy and welcoming atmosphere for guests. Since we were expecting nearly 70 guests, and I was setting one long dinner table, I knew the table would be the focal point of the warehouse. Thankfully, the venue keeps string lights overhead, and we were able to place the dinner table directly underneath these. The dinner table created quite the statement when guests arrived.

Because one of the goals of the evening was to promote conversation & collaboration, I decided to set up a lounge area. The local West Elm DC loaned me a van full of items to put together a little nook, a place where new (and old) friends could sit back, relax, and dream about the future together. It was a dream come true to “shop” the store & work with the West Elm pieces. To help define the space, super talented DIY/lifestyle blogger Lindsay and I designed banners to hang from the warehouse rafters. We included some of my favorite quotes on collaboration and working together. Lindsay hand-lettered all our signage for the evening, and they ended up being one of my favorite elements of the evening; the scale of the hanging banners was perfect in the huge space.

My good friends Lauren & Rachel from Sweet Root Village documented the evening with these photos and also decorated the space with the greens (and white blooms) of my dreams. These ladies work magic, I tell you. I showed them maybe 5 inspiration images for florals, and they took those ideas and ran with them. They produced an epic overhead centerpiece for the 64’ long dinner table using gorgeous geometric hanging brass pots from West Elm. They designed everything on site and it was a serious treat to watch them in their element. And of course, they spread the greenery love around the entire warehouse, producing some gorgeous towering accent pieces. They also added candles everywhere, which provided the perfect ambiance.

This dinner would not have happened without the Number 1 Sons team and the brains behind it: Caitlin and Yi-wah. They own a local pickle, kraut, & all things fermented business. They dreamt up the perfect summer menu. Everything was locally sourced from the market or area farms. The menu included kimchi devilled eggs and oysters with chopped pickles for starters. For dinner, they prepared roast pig with peas and carrots, sauerkraut pasta salad, and tow farm-fresh salads. Lastly, for dessert, they surprised us with two summer cakes with June fruit from the market. The menu was so simple and hearty and satisfying. Perfect for a mid-summer dinner. The weather cooperated 100% and we were able to open the 3 massive garage doors at Dock 5, which gave us the perfect amount of light and summer breeze, and guests were able to mingle around the large cocktail spools we placed out on the loading dock.

The evening finished with a casual musical performance by my friend Andy Zipf, which was the perfect way to slow down and unwind after hustle of the evening.

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Industrial Summer Dinner Party