Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending an open house at Chartreuse, a design studio founded by my friend, Charity Ewanko. Chartreuse’s occasion to celebrate was the completion of their newly renovated studio in Lakewood, Ohio, including an enclosed, outdoor petit parc, just in time for summer.

Like the work the full-service graphic design studio creates, the party details conveyed a style at once classic, modern, and elegant. From the “flip book” invitations, which pictorially demonstrated how to make a “Chartreuse-ito” (a signature version of the summery mojito—which would be served at the party), to the signage displayed in Lucite blocks to the chartreuse-wrapped ginger candies waiting by the door, every detail was well-thought out and beautifully executed.

The studio space itself is a sleek combination of gleaming ebonized wood floors, natural light, minimal furnishings, pinpointed color (in a recessed niche holding a flat screen TV, and chartreuse-and-gray patterned fabrics on upholstered furniture) and high-gloss white metal ceiling tiles that were discovered and restored during the renovation.

The food was beautifully prepared, delicious and memorable in its inventive display. Female servers were all given headbands to wear, fashioned from fabric that matched a large panel displayed outside in the patio area. Bite-sized portions were charming and included tiny shotglass-sized floats in rootbeer and keylime flavors!

The petit parc is such a wonderful outdoor space, I had to include this “before” photo before it became crowded with party guests. Lucite tables (that I absolutely flipped over) scattered throughout the patio area provided a place to rest a drink. Pictured here are Michelle Zelasko (top left), Designer; and Charity Ewanko (center), Founder and Designer, with guests. Not pictured but certainly not forgotten: Jesse Ewanko, Interactive Designer and wooden platform builder extraordinaire! Thanks Chartreuse for a stylish, fun and fabulous evening!

Images courtesy of Chartreuse, Inc.