HMR Lifestyles /// vol. 4

Posted on by Emma Kuske

Picture this, we are on the Italian coast sipping Aperol Spritz’, munching on the tastiest wood fired margherita pizza accompanied by a mouth-watering watermelon, feta + mint salad. You walk in and see the cutest summer spread on the water and know a day of entertainment and good food is ahead of you…

 

All of this is what we felt via our own Designer Brittanie Ahrens’ Pinterest worthy photoshoot + collab with Lettuce Entertain You’s Pizzeria Portofino. Inspired by the wind-down of summer, Brittanie had the lovely ladies of LOLA Event Productions over for a celebration of a successful, beautiful summer in Chicago. 

Although it wasn’t ~quite~ the coast of Italy, Pizzeria Portofino takes such great care of their guests that we truly felt like we were joining together for dinner at a family cottage on the Amalfi Coast. Designer Brittanie Ahrens was inspired by the venue when designing this spread – she wanted to capture the lightness of a summer party while complimenting the colors of the Chicago Riverwalk. The lush blushes of the accouterments and muted tones in the floral tied the earthiness of the river together with the industrialist vibes of the skyline. 

According to Brittanie, the day was all about valuing her relationships and celebrating their victories of the last year. “Today was all about sprinkling a little FUN into our business — I mean, isn’t that what this industry is all about?!” Brittanie and the ladies of LOLA spend so much time together collaborating, that it was the perfect excuse to enjoy each other’s company outside of the regular routine.

The good company was only enhanced by the incredible, incredible F O O D ! Pizzeria Portofino served up the freshest rigatonis, pestos, collection of wood-fired pizzas, and (of course) some very refreshing summer spritz’s.

I can only say “yum” so many times, but Y U M ! What a delicious afternoon on the water with friends. We are so lucky to love what we do, and who we do it with! Stay tuned for our next quarterly installment of HMR Lifestyle, covering our personal insights considering all manners of cultural seduction, including Art, Fashion, Food, Entertainment, and Travel!

All the gorgeous china, flatware, glassware and all other fabulous dinner party accouterments featured are courtesy of our lovely friends at the NYC/D.C. based Maison de Carine.

Saluti to a fantastic summer!