Being around creative people inspires me to no end, so this lovely little gathering hosted and designed by Filigree Suppers would be such a dream night for me. With a show-stopping hand-lettered runner by Jenna of Vichcraft (we seriously can’t get over it), beautiful blooms by Foxglove Studio and delicious eats from Dusek’s – we kind of want to dive headfirst into every image from Carolina Mariana Rodriguez. See even more in the VAULT.
Letter and Lace was a cozy fall gathering that celebrated the art of calligraphy with a moody romantic aesthetic. This supper was the eleventh for Filigree Suppers, a design focused supper club in Chicago and NYC.
Filigree Suppers is all about bringing people together to celebrate creativity and break bread. Brita is a wedding planner in NYC, and Elise is a brand designer in Chicago. We have been friends for twenty years, and started getting serious about entertaining about fifteen years ago. This past February, we hosted our first official Filigree Supper. We have three goals when throwing a supper. First, we want our guests to learn about new artisans in the community. Second, we want people to see their city in a new way. Third, we love it when our guests connect socially and creatively. Since the start, we have thrown one to two suppers a month, each with a different theme, showcasing new artists, designers, chefs and spaces.
This event, “Letter and Lace”, took place in the Tack Room, a restored equestrian tack room from the turn of the century. The Tack Room is located in Thalia Hall in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Built in 1892 by John Dusek with the goal of having a multi-purpose property that would offer commercial storefronts, residential housing, and a hall for the community, the building has been recently renovated and serves it’s original, community-driven purpose.
The theme really evolved a few months back, when we took a calligraphy class from Jenna Blazevich, of Vichcraft. We were so impressed with Jenna’s teaching style and how much we were able to learn after just a few hours, that we knew we had to create a supper that used her wild and imaginative calligraphy as inspiration. Playing off of the letters idea, we came up with “Letter and Lace”, a play on the Don Henley and Stevie Nicks duet “Leather and Lace”.
Upon arrival, Jenna took to the grand piano to do some “live calligraphy”, hand lettering special phrases or love notes by request. For the table, Jenna created a thirty-foot black table runner filled with contrasting, white letters. Guests found their name beautifully written on gold place cards, each next to a small glass wine cup with their first initial etched on the side.
Foxglove Studio amped-up the fall vibe with coral ranunculus, dahlias, wheat, and touches of other merlot hued flowers. Caitlin of Foxglove used combination of leather wrapped vases and fluted glass vessels for a whimsical feel. Candlesticks were a mix of vintage brass and black, paired with alternating white and burgundy tapers.
Dot & Army, a custom linen studio out of Georgia, created one-of-a-kind napkins for every guest. Each napkin was hand dyed a deep burgundy and finished with matching lace trim.
Every dish was beautifully prepared in the kitchen of Dusek’s, also located in Thalia Hall. Chef Jared Wentworth carried the Leather/Letter and Lace theme through to the menu by combining heartier leather-inspired elements such as smoked sirloin with roasted squash and charred brussel sprouts, with lighter, lace-inspired elements, like micro greens and bone marrow powder. Cocktails like “The Tack Room Buck”, made with bourbon, house-made ginger beer and lemon, were created by neighboring establishment, Punch House. Guests dined by candle light as the sun set, finishing the night off with a decadent plate of cookie dough, fernet chocolate chips, egg custard ice cream, chocolate cremeux and cookie powder.
The evening was a perfect transition from the warm evenings of summer, to the approaching holiday season. Every guest took home their personalized wine glass, and memories of a lovely evening with thirty-two friends, old and new.
Photography: Carolina Mariana Rodriguez | Flowers: The Foxglove Studio | Food: Dusek's Board & Beer | Calligraphy: Vichcraft | Cocktails: Punch House | Coffee: Printer's Row Coffee Company | Concept And Coordination: Filigree Suppers | Napkins: Dot & Army
