Ruth Handel: Retro party host proves thrifty is fabulous in a vintage Gregory Ain home
By David Keeps
For Ruth Handel, the key to throwing a great party is simple: Stick to a retro theme that’s suited to her home, a classic 1948 Mar Vista tract house designed by renowned modernist architect Gregory Ain. With Handel’s strong sense of vintage design, the stage is set for a low-cost, high-style celebration. Join the party.
What a hoot: In the entry hall lined with thrift shop portraits, Ruth Handel, left, receives a hostess gift from performance artist Johanna Went. Went found the metal sculpture of an owl earlier that day in a junk store. “I didn’t dust it or take off the price tag,†she admits. “Ruth likes things that way.†(Christina House / For The Times)
Instead of piling Handel’s vintage Bakelite-handled forks into an upright container like a plastic tumbler, co-host Stan Williams arranged them “pickup sticksâ€-style to create a geometric abstraction on a striped tea towel that was used to line the inside of a baking pan. “Stan just rummaged through our cabinets for items that I often overlook,†Handel says. “Displaying your cutlery in an interesting way adds character to a tabletop,†notes Williams, who is the author of “The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating With Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects and Vintage Details.†(Christina House / For The Times)
Red radishes, orange carrots and cool green celery look even more vibrant on a striped board set on a floral tablecloth. The vegetable rose in the center of the dip served in a midcentury ceramic bowl is made with a radish as the center of the bud surrounded by petals made from celery stalks.
To read the full story click here. (Christina House / For The Times)
“The pineapple upside-down cake is a show stopper, and this one was made from a mix,†Williams says. “While some advise using fresh fruit, I like the sliced rings from the can better. They bake and caramelize with the brown sugar really well.†To top it off, Williams and Handel went to a garage sale on the morning of the party and found hair accessories in the shapes of butterflies — still sealed in their packages — and decorated the desserts with them. (Christina House / For The Times)
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In the kitchen of Handel’s home, a handwritten place card identified a pot of vegetarian rice and beans simmering on the stove. Handel created the hot pad holders as a commemorative gift for guests at her 2002 wedding to Lloyd Scott.
To read the full story click here. (Christina House / For The Times)
Veteran garage sale shopper Ruth Handel keeps a drawer of vintage bar accessories, including a tiki bottle opener, stirring spoon, cocktail shaker and strainer. “Nothing matches, but together it all looks pretty fancy,†she says. In addition to colorful swizzle sticks displayed in a glass, she also offers flexible straws. (Christina House / For The Times)
A Danish sideboard with a floating hutch for glasses also sports an array of figurines and floral arrangements in the dining room of Ruth Handel and Lloyd Scott. The painting above the buffet is one of many that Handel has found at estate sales in Los Angeles. “I love taking paintings and sculptures that had been relegated to the attic and giving them a new home,†she says. “It keeps the work of unsung artists alive.â€
To read the full story click here. (Christina House / For The Times)
Gregory Ain’s 1948 homes for the Mar Vista housing tract included a breakfast bar integrated into the kitchen cabinetry, which provides a view into the living-dining room. For a recent party, Handel turned the built-in table into a cocktail bar for guests, including interior designer Jonona Amor, left, and writer Gina Piccalo.
To read the full story click here. (Christina House / For The Times)
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Handel’s husband, Lloyd Scott, began buying colorful midcentury ceramics by companies such as Fiesta and Bauer at age 18. Now, 28 years later, his collection includes iconic pieces such as this wheel-thrown cat by the designer Aldo Londi for the Italian company Bitossi. (Christina House / For The Times)
Design and home-entertaining writer Stan Williams surveys his table display for a party in his honor at Handel’s home. The classic midcentury architecture includes a wall of windows and two oversized doors that open onto a concrete patio furnished with vintage chairs and tables. (Christina House / For The Times)
Before guests arrive, Handel, photographed from outside her home through the dining room window, selects party glasses from a Danish modern hutch. (Christina House / For The Times)
“The morning of the party, we found a book set that featured all the religions of the world and liked it because it was a colorful conversation piece — especially when we recounted the interesting people who sold it to us at a garage sale,†Williams recalls. On the shelf: a pair of nesting salt and pepper ceramic salt and pepper shakers by Eva Zeisel.
To read the full story click here. (Christina House / For The Times)
