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Presidential elections — especially those of this day and age — spark plenty of conversations and gatherings.
What does that call for? A fabulous dinner party, naturally. When politics are entertaining, it's prime opportunity to get serious with stylish home entertaining.
Gretchen Culver and Alyson Newquist, the stylistic geniuses behind furniture and decor rental company Rentivist, arranged a debate dinner that not only makes talking politics at the table acceptable, but also fun and stylish.
Culver and Newquist designed a tabletop for each candidate with items based on the personality of the candidate and the political party he or she represents.
"When we designed these tabletops, we really took into consideration what represented the candidates," says Culver. For the designers, that meant making Clinton's style classic and vintage-inspired, while lending Trump's table an architectural, modern aesthetic.
Clinton
For the Clinton-inspired place settings, the designers incorporated classic white china flatware from Rudy's Event Rentals, glassware by The Festive Frog and linens by Mosaic.
"We wanted it to feel like the dishes could have been handed down by her grandmother, while also incorporating blue for that Democratic party element," says Culver. "We also thought Hillary would have really nice placecards so everyone knew where to sit, because she seems like someone who likes order."
The calligraphy is by Rossan K Calligrapher.
The floral arrangements, by BLOMMONSTER, also took on a distinct personality.
"For the Hillary centerpiece, we wanted to find something that was romantic, lush and soft, using things you could potentially find in the garden," says Culver. "And candles are always a warm staple for entertaining. We didn't, however, feel like Trump would be a big candle guy."
For the Clinton party, the blue and white bowl for the floral arrangement is by The Vintage Laundry, the vases and urns are by Bungalow 6 and the white candlesticks are by Munster Rose.
Trump
The Trump-inspired dinner party reflected the real estate mogul's design found in his hotels and residences.
"For Trump, we knew there was going to be gold involved," says Culver. "Because of that, we used gold-rimmed glasses and gold flatware, among other gold and red elements."
Using a 3D machine by 3D Printivist, the designers also printed out mini busts of Trump, which they spray-painted gold and placed on each plate.
The flatware, glassware and china are by Pieces Tableware, the black and gold coin glasses are by The Festive Frog and the napkin is by Mosaic. Both tables used chairs by BeEvents.
The Trump party also showcased a modern, clean-lined aesthetic.
"For Trump, we used gold vases with white floral, which was really striking," says Culver. "It created a architectural, modern look."
The gold vases for the floral arrangements are by Beverly & Co. For a bit of fun that maintained the gold, black and white color scheme, the designers also added a black dog statue by Beverly & Co. and a gold skull with flowers by Bungalow 6.
So, what do you do if your guests are a mix of political backgrounds?
"You could do something neutral for the tabletop, and personalize each place setting to fine-tune for which candidate or political party your guest supports," says Culver.
Besides, every political party likes a good dinner party.
