"I Want You To Want Me" in Seattle, WA
I love many things but two things I really love: The Pacific Northwest and late 90s/ early aughts culture. One thing that perfect blends the two is 1999’s “10 Things I Hate About You”. The movie is a modern take (are we calling 1999 modern?) on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. It was filmed in and around the Seattle area and my husband and I’s first apartment was just up the hill, with a spectacular view, from the iconic high school. Stadium High School is a real, public high school. I had a vision to recreate a dinner party for the late Heath Ledger and his co-stars of this classic film. My vision for the design was 100% inspired by Julia Stile’s prom attire. She wore a dark, periwinkle blue dress with pearls and a red flower in her hair.
Heath Ledger (Patrick), Julia Stiles (Kat), Joseph-Gordon Levitt (Cameron) and Larissa Oleynick (Bianca) met in high school in 1999 and are returning, 22 years later. (Bianca and Cameron were pregnant with their 4th child during 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to cancel 2020. So, they’re having a belated 20th reunion dinner party at their alma mater.)
Bunny Moon Flora brought the vision to life by making reds and blues compliment with some coral blooms and the greenery was spot on, for now and 1999. She is new on the scene is definitely a florist to watch. Napkins, china, glassware, candlesticks and cutlery from Seattle-based boutique rental company, Set the Table, were styled atop BBJ’s Oxford Hidden Garden linen. The perfect throwback to Cameron, Bianca, Kat & Patrick’s prom. The Wendell Stewarts are a husband-wife duo from Seattle and they photographed everything with such great attention to detail.
NW Furniture Bank provided the chairs. NWFB collects donated furniture for families in need. As families move through the programs and transitional housing that helps them get back on their feet, they leave with little or nothing. Many can barely afford housing and food, let alone a bed to sleep on or a table to sit at. Furniture is a basic need that determines how people feel about themselves and also how well they will perform in the work place or at school.
I cannot wait to return the Emerald City for some more fun!
photo: thewendellstewarts.com @thewendellstewarts
coordination and design by me: readeventhouse.com @readeventhouse
tabletop: @setthetablepartyrentals
linen: bbjlinen.com @bbjlinen
florals: bunnymoonflora.com @bunnymoonflora
paper and calligraphy: whiteinkcalligraphy.com @whiteinkcalligraphy
chairs: NW Furniture Bank @nwfurniturebank
Since I love history, here are some details about how this historical landmark became a public high school.
The main building was constructed for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company and the Tacoma Land Company at what was then known as Blackwell Point. Construction began in 1891 with the intention of building a luxury hotel resembling a French château. The Panic of 1893, however, brought construction to an abrupt halt when the Northern Pacific was faced with financial disaster. The unfinished building became a storage facility, with much of the building materials still inside. On October 11, 1898, the building was gutted by a massive fire. The walls remained standing, and the Tacoma School District purchased the gutted building in 1904, with the intent of turning it into a high school. It was repaired and renovated into a school. Despite its extraordinary locale and design, on the inside it looks, feels, and operates like a typical American high school.
Haven’t seen it? Watch it and let me know what you think!
