Parisian ceramicist Cécile Daladier throws four parties every year: one per season, and each with its own theme. A while back, Daladier, her partner Nicolas Soulier, and their friend Lucile Demory found themselves shucking 350 oysters and pouring white wine for their “White and Mother-of-Pearl” dinner party.
Daladier felt the theme was nicely aligned with her ceramics, so she designed pieces just for the event (the parties are an understated way for her to showcase new work and connect with old and new friends). First, she molded oyster shells in clay and glazed them in an opaque white. Then, drawing inspiration from rustic cheese boards, Daladier designed flat slab ceramics for her homemade loaves of bread. Her son knows a fisherman in Normandy, and a friend drove from Paris to fetch several bushels of oysters the day of the party. Daladier, Soulier, and Demory shucked the oysters, finishing the task moments before the guests arrived. As Demory says, “You can’t open them too early, otherwise they’ll dry out, so it’s a lot of last-minute work.” In addition to the oysters, the menu included white and opalescent fare: brie, white wine, yogurt ice cream, and rice pudding.
If you’re like us and dream of re-creating this look, see how Daladier threw the party together and some of the key sources below. For more of her work, go to At Home with an Artful Couple in the South of Paris, Flower Arranging á la Parisienne, and A Ceramicist and Architect in Paris.
Photography via Cécile Daladier.
![the table setting before the party. 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/10-2012/700_700-cecile-daladier-oyster-party-10.jpg)
![source a gigantic round of brie style soft cheese to feed hungry guests. 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/09-2012/700_cecile-daladier-brie-round.jpg)
![demory and daladier pulled in a large table on wheels from the studio: \ 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/09-2012/700_cecile-daladier-oyster-party-set-up.jpg)
![a dormant fern called a selaginella lepidophylla (or jericho flower) unfurls in 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/09-2012/700_cecile-daladier-ice.jpg)
![demory notes, \2\20;the great thing about oysters is that you don 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/09-2012/700_daladier-oysters-on-ice.jpg)
![ceramics are molded from beach shells, then coated in a high gloss white glaze. 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/09-2012/700_cecile-daladier-oyster-shell-ceramics.jpg)
![daladier\2\17;s matte glazed bread boards have a rustic, seashell like a 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/09-2012/700_cecile-daladier-ceramic-dishes.jpg)
![crates of oysters from normandy. 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/10-2012/700_oysters-in-tow.jpg)
![daladier\2\17;s oyster inspired serving dishes. 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/09-2012/700_cecile-daladier-oysters-white.jpg)
![the melltorp table in white is \$69 from ikea and is scratch resistant and easy 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ikea-melltorp-table-white-733x475.jpg)
![cover your tabletop with parchment paper, wax paper, or plastic wrap—and 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/brandless-parchment-paper-733x475.jpg)
![ikea\2\17;s svalka white wine glass is a quick fix for an impromptu part 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ikea-svalka-white-wine-glass-733x475.jpg)
![source antique silver flatware on etsy, or buy new flatware made to look o 29](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/knindustrie-bricklane-cutlery-detail-large-733x733.png)
![the 50 ounce pinch carafe is \$\19.95 at crate & barrel. 30](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/crate-and-barrel-pinch-carafe-733x475.jpg)
![the mechanical polder \1\1 pound stainless steel kitchen scale is about \$7\1.4 31](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/polder-professional-stainless-steel-kitchen-scale-733x475.jpg)
![to purchase daladier\2\17;s ceramics, contact her directly via céci 32](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/09-2012/700_cecile-daladier-white-vase.jpg)
For more entertaining and tablescape ideas, see:
- The High/Low Table: 11 Ideas to Steal from the Hudson Valley
- DIY: A Holiday Tablecloth Dyed with Red Cabbage
- Expert Advice: How to Set a Table Like a Frenchwoman
- A Seasonal Celebration, Creatives Included
This post is an update; the original ran on October 16, 2012, as part of our West Marin and Beyond issue.
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