N a t u r a l w o m a n
To both decorate her
taking a chance on
home and feed her
whatever the season
friends, Yasmine
is serving. She’ll fill an
stops at the local
antique dish drying
farmer’s market on
rack,
le ft
, with hearty
the way from work,
loaves of bread.
a
fter I had a baby, so much of my
social life changed, and my husband
and I weren’t able to meet people
out after work like we used to,”
says Yasmine McGrane, a vintage
housewares shop owner. “So we
had to find a fun way to get them to
come to us.” That’s when Yasmine began stopping off at
the farmer’s market after work every Friday, bringing
home the bounty, then inviting friends to stop by. “I like
to think of it as a different kind of happy hour,” she says.
A self-confessed Francophile, Yasmine has adopted a
European casualness in the Sausalito, California, home
she shares with her husband and baby son. “The French
know how to slow down and enjoy life, to savor all kinds
of simple pleasures, and that’s our goal with these get-
togethers,” she says. Yasmine doesn’t cook for her Friday
afternoon gatherings; she simply sets out a beautiful
display of fresh fruits, nuts, artisan cheeses, olives, and
breads and asks her guests to bring a favorite beverage.
“People sometimes fear entertaining because they think
things should be elaborate,” says Yasmine. “But to me,
the less elaborate a party, the more entertaining it can
be. I don’t even send out invitations. I never have. I just
spread the word and everyone knows to call a friend
and tell them that our door is open for company on
Fridays at 5.”
She fills her farmhouse table with repurposed
everyday dishes and never goes overboard with cut
flowers. Grain sacks make stylish runners along the table,
and a few fresh dahlias mixed with stems of colorful
leaves from her yard compose simple arrangements
throughout the house. Yasmine opts for comfortable
rubber boots rather than heels, greeting her guests as if
she just stepped out of the garden. “After all, the point
of a proper happy hour is to relax and unwind.”
I 3 8 SEPTEMBER2008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
