10-07-2025
Items to Elevate Your Summer Gatherings
Free Refill
Cold Brew Accessories for a Lively Brunch
By Luke Fortney
Cold brew is one of summer's great home projects: smooth, low-acid and significantly cheaper than a store-bought $7 cup (the going rate at my local cafe). Best of all, you can style your drink with accessories and add-ins that make each pour feel personal. Start with Oxo's Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker, favored by coffee drinkers (and Wirecutter) for its simple setup and metal mesh strainer that yields rich, consistent concentrate. Then, dress it up: The MoMA Design Store carries playful glassware, such as these sturdy two-tone straws inspired by the museum's colors. For serving a group, consider Erik Magnussen's EM77 vacuum jug, with a stopper that opens automatically when tilted, or this sculptural terra-cotta-colored thermos, based on a silhouette by the Swedish designer Sigvard Bernadotte. And for 'milk': The California-based company Koatji tested more than 8,000 recipes before settling on its blend of oat and fermented rice, called koji. The goal was to create a dairy alternative that would behave like whole milk in hot beverages. But Maj Henriques, a founder, prefers it iced. 'It brings out the flavors so well,' she says.
Under Cover
Sun Hats to Keep the Lawn Games Going
By Jameson Montgomery
For garden parties and rooftops alike, a hat can make the difference between an enjoyable afternoon and a sunburn. The Italian fashion house Prada offers a stripy version in cotton and viscose yarns knit to look like woven raffia. The California-based brand Beklina makes a plaid one in a Japanese woven fabric with a wide brim and a scarf attached for additional protection. Arc'teryx, the Canadian maker of outdoor apparel and gear, sells a lightweight shade hat with a finish that repels water. The Spanish fashion house Loewe has a woven cotton fisherman's hat in dark olive that's attached to herringbone jacquard straps printed with the label's logo. For those seeking adaptability, the French brand Lemaire makes a cotton bucket hat with a detachable neck protector. And for a bit of fun, look to the outdoor recreation outfitter the North Face. The brand offers a largely recycled nylon hat with a yellow brim that pops against its dark blue body, which features a toile print of the pines and rock faces of California's Yosemite National Park.
Easy Does It
Durable and Disposable Dishes for Outdoor Dinners
By Jinnie Lee
With barbecue season in full swing, having a stack of lightweight, durable plates on hand is a smart move. The British enamelware brand Falcon offers a set of four deep plates, each coated with a layer of porcelain, ideal for containing chopped salads or glazed meats. Antonis Cardew, a Paris-based tableware designer specializing in hand-turned wood pieces, carves dinner plates from pear wood, a type of hardwood native to Europe. Sometimes, when you don't want certain foods (and their respective juices or sauces) to mix, a divided plate is in order. Crow Canyon, a North California enamelware business founded in 1977, collaborated with Camp Wandawega, a resort in Wisconsin, on cafeteria-style plates with three compartments. For another colorful outdoor dining experience, consider the six-piece rainbow set of Hellerware plates, made from a food-safe plastic called melamine and designed by the Italian husband-and-wife team Lella and Massimo Vignelli in 1964. If all you're looking for is a breezy cleanup, the sustainable serve ware company VerTerra makes dishes out of palm leaves, sold in sets of 25, that can be tossed in the compost at the end of the party.
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