This being the sixth edition of the Planners Dining Club series, upping the glam and embracing a dark romance at a swanky private club in Chelsea seems totally on-par. Event planning and design guru Jove Meyer embraced Norwood’s Victorian panache and brought in a moody, dramatic color palette with black as the feature, and had Alma Floral fill the space with unexpected bursts of flowers. The historic 5-story townhouse’s eclectic, lived-in feel proved the perfect backdrop for such an inspired fête.
And because no event is worth its hype without delicious and equally inspired food, it’s worth mentioning that Norwood’s catering team developed a menu for this event that was entirely allergy safe. We’re talking vegan scallops, you guys. How imaginative is that! Muddling Memories also brought the cocktail game in strong, with a heavy hitting cocktail that included a cinnamon smoke infusion. Read on below for all the details from Jove.
This one was super special since it was in a private, members only club in a townhouse in Chelsea, New York City! The house is so beautiful and eclectic including a curated collection of art throughout the building. Norwood is also a preserved slice of early victorian architecture and is listed on both The National Register of Historic Places and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. We had welcome drinks and cocktails on one floor and then desserts and dancing on another, there are so many places to host events it's amazing! For this dinner we selected to sit in their dining room to take advantage of their lovely circular red velvet banqettes which allowed for intimate groupings of people to dine and chat.
Norwood is a one of a kind space, it has so many beautiful spaces, each uniquely designed. It is fresh, fun, young and classic all at the same time. Norwood is also a private, members-only club that targets and attracts those in creative fields so it seemed like a perfect fit for planners and designers. 
I took inspiration from the space. We decided to have dinner in their restaurant dining room which is moody, sexy and gave me Parisian vibes! I wanted to embrace the dark nature of the room and add more moodiness and edge to compliment it. Since the tables are on the smaller side, we focused on designing the space with flowers growing out of the lights, corners and available spaces, including a 'wow' installation moment as you walk in the door. The fireplace install also took my breathe away – it was so stunning and I was so inspired by what Alma Floral did with roses, a flower that is typically not so popular, but she made magic with them and knocked it out of the park!
For the menus, our stationery partner Fourteen Forty used a black velvet envelope and hand calligraphed the guests names on the outside and sealed them with wax, it was super sexy and fresh!
Broadway Party Rental just released brand new cuttlery – black and gold – and I knew I had to have it for this event along with their matte black ceramic plates. It's rare that I get to design a darker event with black as the feature color, so I fully embraced it and encouraged it with all creative collaborators and they really stepped up to the plate!
We had a cocktail company come in and create craft drinks for the event – they really set the tone for the evening! One was infused with smoke that was a fun experience for guests.
Cocktails
Green Fairy: Ketel One, cucumber, lemon, lavender, absinthe, Peychaud’s Bitters
Summer and Smoke: Don Julio Blanco, maple, sweet vermouth, grapefruit oil, cinnamon smoke
The savory menu was a great one, Norwood focused on crafting a menu that was very allergy friendly, with more and more people having allergies and dietary restrictions they took this dinner as an opportunity to showcase delicious food that was not boring or expected. The vegan scallops were to die for, literally better than real scallops and made from mushrooms!
Canapes
Gluten Free Parsley Lemon Gougers with a smoked salmon rillete
Scallion Pancake with edamame puree, honsumejji mushrooms, black sesame seeds
Appetizers
Vegan “Scallops:” Cauliflower puree, truffle leeks, toasted pinenuts
Zucchini Basil Soup: Roasted fennel, sunflower seed crème fraiche, fennel pollen oil
Entrées
Confit Chicken: Creamed broccoli rabe, herbed polenta cake, morel mushroom jus
Bronzino: Red curry lentils, English cucumber, cilantro yogurt, arugula
The desserts were also very allergy safe, vegan, dairy free and gluten free and so so good! She prepared 2 sizes, small and smaller bites of delicious desserts that we could not keep our hands off of!
Desserts
Signature Flavor: Milk & Cookies
Almond flour batter flecked with vanilla bean seeds and mini chocolate chips. Topped with whipped coconut milk + mini chocolate chips.
Specialty Flavor: Choc & Chip
Almond flour batter darkened with raw cacao and mini chocolate chips. Topped with whipped coconut milk + mini chocolate chips.
Allergen alternative: Pumpkin seed meal darkened with raw cacao and mini chocolate chips. Topped with whipped coconut milk + mini chocolate chips.
Seasonal Flavor: Lemon & Berry
Almond flour batter brightened with fresh lemon juice and zest with a handcrafted seasonal berry center. Topped with whipped coconut milk + seasonal berries.
Catch up with the entire series: The Colorful Winter Dinner, The Pink Party, The Spring Equinox Party, The Illuminated Party & The Rooftop Farm Dinner
Book your next event at Norwood →
Credits
Host, Planner + Designer: Jove Meyer | Venue: Norwood | Stationery: Fourteen Forty | Florals: Alma Floral Design | Tabletop Rentals: Broadway Party Rentals | Entertainment: The Elements, Elan Artists | Dessert: Tea & Jam | Photography: One Night Cereus | Cocktails: Muddling Memories
