The public is welcome to tour Metropolitan Home magazine’s show house perched high in the hills above Sunset Boulevard until April 21 for a $25 fee. But for an entrance fee 10 times that, a more elite group meandered through the modern space at a kickoff cocktail party on March 29, where many of the designers were present to share details about their aesthetic choices. New York-based Met Home marketing manager Deidre West oversaw the event with a team that included creative services director Christie Boyle, new special projects editor Samantha Nestor, and editor in chief Donna Warner.Moët & Chandon White Star, Chopin, Navan, Glenmorangie, and Casa Lapostolle Chardonnay were among the mostly light-colored beverages served from a bar in the home’s chic backyard, where servers circulated with nibbles from chef Wayne Elias of Crumble Catering. One touch we admired was designer Barbara Barry’s use of books stacked faux-haphazardly under and above chargers and plates on the tabletop in the dining room.
As for the house’s charity tie-ins with Project Angel Food and the UCLA AIDS Institute, Warner said, “There is huge respect in the design community for Project Angel Food, and [we] love what they do.” Plus, West added, “UCLA AIDS is close to Project Angel Food’s and [designer and house owner] Xorin Balbes’s hearts, and so of course it is close to ours.”
—Alesandra Dubin
Posted 04.03.07
Photos: Lisa Rose
As for the house’s charity tie-ins with Project Angel Food and the UCLA AIDS Institute, Warner said, “There is huge respect in the design community for Project Angel Food, and [we] love what they do.” Plus, West added, “UCLA AIDS is close to Project Angel Food’s and [designer and house owner] Xorin Balbes’s hearts, and so of course it is close to ours.”
—Alesandra Dubin
Posted 04.03.07
Photos: Lisa Rose
Guests mingled poolside at the kickoff party for Metropolitan Home’s L.A. show house.
Designer Jarrett Hedborg’s cocktail room featured bright citrus colors.
Crumble Catering passed hors d’oeuvres like chicken skewers.
Books stacked alongside plates and chargers gave the dining table a whimsical look.
Trays on kitchen countertops offered an array of cookies.
