Giovanni's Room

Heartbreak and heartache

I’ve been debating whether I should tackle a book that is a bit more serious, less playful, and is overall, heartbreaking. A dinner party is celebratory after all, and when the novel’s subject matter falls into a darker space it makes it difficult to justify the joyous mentality that comes hand-in-hand with organizing a fête. Ultimately, however, I told myself this was more of an exercise in set design, and bringing something to life visually. It’s as if I’m planning out the storyboard scene-by-scene for a film, so I decided to go for it.

If you haven’t read Giovanni’s Room, I highly recommend it. James Baldwin’s prose is one of the most stunning I’ve ever encountered. I found myself rereading passages and discovering different meanings in them after every new read. Set in 1950’s Paris, the novel centers around David, an American expat who is tormented between two lovers, Giovanni and Hella. I really don’t want to give too much away as it’s a novel that should be required reading - but the central themes touch on the complexities of desire, morality, and shame. Baldwin paints each scene cinematically. Although the novel broke me, I also found it raw, real, and beautiful. Reading it felt like I was transported to the bar and club scene in 1950’s Paris.

Drink

There’s so many settings that take place at a classic French bistro. I kept this quite simple. A dry white wine. Not too much fuss, just a bottle of the house white that you’d order at the bar of a brasserie. This one is, chef’s kiss. 

Menu

Photos by @samanthaomoore and @captaincami

Bread, butter, oysters, and french fries. I’m going to nix a dessert for this one and keep this very classic and French. I found the scene where Giovanni and David are eating oysters and drinking wine a climax for the book. A turning point in their relationship and time together. 

The Tablescape
For florals, something that structurally feels suffocating, just like Giovanni’s room, and ingredients that can feel devoid of life. Tulips are incredibly dramatic, and droop sometimes instantaneously. I took inspiration from one of my favorite florists, Castor Fleuriste who has a very specific style. Almost pavé-like, but with a modern twist. For the table, something that would most certainly be seen at a French bistro. Retro blue plates, balloon wine glasses, and a green glass wine bottle filled with water for the table. 

1. Empty wine bottle turned carafe!

2. Cornishware Breakfast Plate, Portra NYC

3. Balloon Wine Glasses, Web Restaurant Store

The Outfit 
This was fun to explore menswear! What would I dress David in? It’s 1950’s Paris, feels like summertime, so my mind definitely was inspired by the wardrobe from Talented Mr. Ripley. I’ll admit I was trying to find the Jamie Haller equivalent of a men’s loafer… 

Shirt, Pants, Shoes, Sunglasses

The Playlist
I didn’t want to make this exclusively 1950’s French music, but that’s the heart of this playlist. With a side of je ne sais quoi.

The Giovanni’s Room Mood Board

Art by Ron Hicks and Stephen Shore. Remaining images via Pinterest.

“What happened was that, all unconscious of what this ennui meant, I wearied of the motion, wearied of joyless seas of alcohol, wearied of the blunt, bluff, hearty, and totally meaningless friendships, wearied of wandering through the forests of desperate women, wearied of the work which fed me only in the most brutally literal sense. Perhaps, as we say in America, I wanted to find myself. This is an interesting phrase, not current as far as I know in the language of any other people, which certainly does not mean what it says but betrays a nagging suspicion that something has been misplaced. I think now that if I had had any intimation that the self I was going to find would turn out to be only the same self from which I had spent so much time in flight, I would have stayed at home.”