A Screaming Blast - by Rebecca Gardner (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Celebrated event designer and founder of Houses & Parties Rebecca Gardner marks occasions with outlandish events known for their unabashed style, wit, and whimsy in this illustrated look at twenty events"--

Book Synopsis

Gardner, founder of Houses & Parties, marks occasions with events known for their unabashed style, wit, and whimsy. Here she invites the reader to crash twenty of her parties, from weddings to intimate dinners at home, finding fabulous inspiration at every turn.

A swirl of elegantly offbeat parties and lush tablescapes, where ceramic snails creep under flower petals and chandelier girls covered in Swarovski crystals beckon guests to the dance floor: Gardner's infectious irreverence shines in her glamorous approach to entertaining, where even the mundane is made delicious.

This book--like her parties--is a decadent feast for the eyes, with a foreword by Sofia Coppola and photography that captures the surprise and delight of Gardner's hyperbolic entertaining style. From a brass band leading guests to dinner along the tracks of the Napa Valley Wine Train to a pink-poodle-themed holiday party with a bountiful buffet of retro desserts, the pages burst with entertainments, heavy pours, and flattering light as all the elements combine in a perfectly orchestrated yet seemingly effortless way that makes it impossible for guests not to have a screaming blast!

Readers will be inspired by Gardner's over-the-top parties and mischievous winks. In a nostalgic and personal tone, she opines on the role of a good host and a good guest, why every party needs a Pied Piper, and how to create wonder for guests. Each chapter features gorgeous parties that illustrate the joy found in entertaining, in a writing style that is accessible and funny, filled with memories of childhood parties, grown-up parties, and the desire to somehow merge the two. A chapter on the anatomy of a successful party and a list of resources present practical information. It's not a how-to, but more a why-not.

Review Quotes

"Rebecca Gardner is the hostess with the mostess." -- Vogue

"Rebecca Gardner is the South's doyenne of entertaining." -- Garden & Gun

A Screaming Blast: Exceptional Entertaining by Rebecca Gardner invites readers to 20 get-togethers organized by the founder of the online shop Houses & Parties, from lavish weddings to intimate dinner parties, and breaks down the anatomy of a successful celebration. -- Publisher's Weekly

"Gardner is a woman with a devilish sense of humor. And whether you're throwing an intimate dinner or a gala with a head count in the hundreds, Gardner's got ideas." -- Garden & Gun

"Gardner's ideas are often other-worldly--giant red tassels hanging from ceilings and cascading paper butterflies on tables topped with hundreds of candles. Truth be told, she's the real-life fairy godmother of the design and event world, a woman who makes the seemingly impossible, totally possible." -- Over the Moon

"Rebecca knows how to have a blast and how to throw one. She has a special gene that enables her to do this better than anyone else. Part of that may come from being born a Texas girl. She threw me a party for my seventieth birthday and I am still hung over. I am now 79. Her gift is to show others how to get down and have a good old time. No one does it better." -- Candice Bergen

"On the pre-order front, I've never ordered a book faster than when I learned that Rebecca Gardner (founder of Houses & Parties) wrote a book. She is the queen of entertaining, and if this book helps me pull together a party that is even 1/10th as stylish as hers, I can die happy." -- The Stripe

"Rebecca knows all the rules, and more importantly how to break them." -- Derek Blasberg

"Hats off to Rebecca Gardner who's a screaming blast if there ever was one. Her debut book is a delicious journey through some of the best parties thrown over the past decade. Rebecca's southern roots are on full display as she entertains with elegance, wit, and boundless beauty. She simply knows how to have a damn good time and is willing help others do the same. Most importantly, she recognizes that memories are our most cherished possessions -- and with the help and inspiration of A Screaming Blast, you're sure to make plenty!" -- Ken Fulk

"With an eye for detail, the elegance of a hostess from a bygone era, and always up for some mischievous fun, Rebecca knows how to do it!" -- Sofia Coppola

About the Author

Rebecca Gardner is the founder and creative director of Houses & Parties, an events, interior design, and retail collective based in New York and Savannah, Georgia. She has been named a top event designer by Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. Her design work and advice on entertaining have been published in The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, T Magazine, Elle Decor, Town & Country, Financial Times, and House Beautiful. And her online shop offers unnecessaries for devotees of the elegant and unusual. This is her first book for Rizzoli, though she contributed to Living Floral: Entertaining and Decorating with Flowers (Rizzoli, 2019). Adam Kuehl has collaborated with Rebecca Gardner for eighteen years. His photography has been exhibited internationally and has appeared in The New York Times, Architectural Digest, Vogue, and National Geographic Traveler, among many other publications.