Homemade on the Range: Montana Dinner Party
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Photography: John Kernick1 of 13
Big Inspiration
Montana is known as Big Sky Country. For stylist Heather Chontos, who came to Bozeman by way of New York City, London, and Barcelona, it's Big Inspire Country.
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Photography: John Kernick2 of 13
A Fresh Take
Chontos and her two daughters relocated to Montana for the mountains, rivers, sprawling pastures, and big blue sky. It was time to explore a new place and let the landscape (golden willows, weathered red barns, blazing pink sunsets) inform her crafts -- all of which bring color and style to a Saturday-evening twilight dinner party.
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Photography: John Kernick3 of 13
A Vintage Makeover
“I love the contrast of rough and rustic against something brighter and newer,” says Chontos, a stylist and set designer, as she dips the handles of vintage wooden spoons into buckets of colorful paint. The spoons -- and many other crafts and embellishments -- will become part of a dinner-party table setting.
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Photography: John Kernick4 of 13
Hot for Pink
“I think everything in life should feel somewhat playful and creative, and certainly never dull,” says Chontos, who has started a housewares line, Milk Farm Road. “Maybe this is why my daughters and I love hot pink so much.”
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Photography: John Kernick5 of 13
Take a Dip
Since color-blocking brings a modern feel to a rustic setting, Chontos makes crafts or embellishes tableware with bright inks and paints: She simply dips the handles of wooden spoons and silverware into buckets of paint, then either squiggles an eyedropper or blots with a brush to decorate napkins with Pebeo ink.
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Photography: John Kernick6 of 13
Affordable Art
Chontos makes many of the decorative elements from affordable raw materials -- ink-blot napkins, paint-dipped jars as water glasses -- with the intent that guests will bring them home as reminders of a beautiful evening.
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Photography: John Kernick7 of 13
Make a Splash
Should things get a little messy, all the better: "Paint splashes really help this sort of look," she says. -
Photography: John Kernick8 of 13
Delightfully Distressed
In her career as a set designer, Chontos says, she's been called the Queen of Distressing: "I like rough, scratched surfaces, paint splashes, worn-out woods."
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Photography: John Kernick9 of 13
Plan the Meal
Heather Chontos's dinner party menu makes the most of the summer bounty from local ranches and gardens.
Fried Chicken with Cornmeal Crust
Chard Slaw with Creamy Scallion Dressing
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Photography: John Kernick10 of 13
Be Prepared
You can begin preparing this splendid summer menu a week in advance so all is smooth sailing the day of the party.
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The Berry Best Dessert
Bake blueberries and strawberries right into these shortcakes, and spoon more fresh berries on top for serving. -
Photography: John Kernick12 of 13
Local Color
Chontos brings her colorful, handmade-meets-modern aesthetic to a twilight gathering in her barn.
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Photography: John Kernick13 of 13
Raised in a Barn
A boxy barn-board table is rugged and rustic -- yet adaptable to a modern look. A woodworker can make a table to the exact desired size from salvaged boards, Chontos says: “I found mine in a pile, and they were deep red, but the woman who made the table sanded them down until it was just a light red with lots of wood grain.” While you could set a table like this on a deck, Chontos admits the overall tone owes a lot to the Montana environs. “It helps to have a barn,” she jokes.
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Homemade on the Range: Montana Dinner Party
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