Tour My Lanai
Plus a look (and links!) to what I use most for outdoor parties
Welcome to Quaintrelle, a weekly newsletter written by me, journalist-turned-sommelier and party host, Erin Henderson.
Would you be so kind as to click that little heart above?❤️
Here, I share my my insights from decades of working in hospitality to bring back stylish, laid-back and stress free hosting.
Won’t you join us?
It’s a Tough Call. They’re So Different …
I’m in the eyebrow-knitting process of selecting a paint for my bathroom.
I had rescheduled last fall’s bathroom reno for this autumn. But the financial world is a little topsy-turvy right now (if you haven’t noticed), and I fear it might be for the next three-plus, so I think the prudent thing to do is delay the gut job once again and hold fast to my cash in my sweaty, balled-up fist.
In light of this, I have decided if this issue of Quaintrelle inspires you to upgrade to the premium membership for $6 Cdn a month (~4 USD & Euro), any paying Quaintrellians will forever have full admission to my new loo. Front of the line access, if you find yourself in west Toronto and in need of fresh facilities. Membership has its privileges.
Anyway, as desperate as my bathroom is for a refresh, for the time being I’m just going to have to slap some lipstick on the pig and hold over with a coat of paint and some new vanity cupboard doors.
Of course, as my luck would have it, I can’t just go to IKEA and get the off-the-shelf stuff (which I’ve actually heard very good things about, BTW.) No, my vanity is about 3/4 of an inch too large (story of my life), for standard stuff. I must order custom. Of course. But I did find a fantastic Canadian company which seems to have great quality and very fair prices and it’s currently having a terrific sale, so I will be ordering from them. More on that in a bit.
But back to the paint. White. Simple and clean.
Like everything in my life: if only it were that simple.
ICYMI: The Weirdest, but Also The Coolest, Party Trick
My bathroom is in the interior of my house; no natural light. As I learned from
’s brilliant and helpful article on selecting the right white, there are four undertones to white: grey, red, yellow, and green. Depending on the white you choose, the subtle tints can either enhance or diminish the overall feel and look to the room.The artificial light isn’t my only consideration; my white vanity looks to be more of a warmer, winter white, I can’t risk it coming off as yellow. Also, this bathroom is where I do my face. And while I generally think I look best in the dark, I need to keep this in consideration when staring myself down in an effort to achieve the knife-edged wing of my liquid liner.
You can see how this process potentially induces migraines.
I shall be bringing you all the ups and downs of my bathroom mini-makeover in future issues, but for now, I’ve promised a tour of the lanai.
Today…
A video tour of my lanai
A few of my favourite things for the lanai and outdoor parties
Links to the things I use outside
I was able to host my first outdoor guest on Monday.
I don’t want to say it too loud, lest I offend Indra, Jupiter, Raijin, Zeus or any other god of weather out there, but it seems Toronto may have turned a corner on this absolutely abysmal spring.
Monday was a gloriously sunny and warm, perfect for a cinq et sept of rosé bubbly from Prince Edward County, one of Ontario’s wine regions, and Moules Sauce Poulette one of my favourite recipes from a French cooking course I took years ago.
I think it was the perfect launch to a season of outdoor entertaining.
So, let’s take a look around. Right this way.