Celebrated for her original, irreverent and elegant bent on entertaining, Rebecca Gardner comes from a long line of hosts who know how to create their own fun. According to longtime friend and supporter Derek Blasberg, “Rebecca knows all the rules, and more importantly how to break them.” Through her events and online retail store, Houses & Parties, Gardner has been throwing the most talked about and lavish parties for more than a decade. A Screaming Blast published by Rizzoli New York, Gardner’s debut book with a foreword by director Sofia Coppola, is a sneakers under the ballgown look at eighteen of her most unforgettable parties-—from birthday bashes to wedding celebrations to holiday parties and intimate dinners—all with an inside look on what it takes to turn a party into a screaming blast!

"For you, devotees of the elegant and unusual, all of my secrets to make sure your occasions a rip-roaring, memorable and... A Screaming Blast," said Rebecca Gardner, founder and creative director of Houses & Parties.

A Screaming Blast embraces a bygone era of entertaining with parties that celebrate jolts of playfulness and wit, turning classic good taste on its head. Not your grandmother’s dinner party, throughout A Screaming Blast, Gardner reflects on her over-the-top, swoon-worthy parties but also on smaller, more intimate get togethers. She unveils what makes a good host (and a good guest), why every party needs a Pied Piper, and how to create something to talk about. Each chapter features spectacular parties that illustrate the fun that comes with entertaining alongside Gardner’s favorite memories of childhood parties, grown-up parties, and her desire to always combine the two.

The book—like her parties—is a decadent feast for the eyes. From whimsical tablescapes crawling with ceramic snails and abundant buffets of retro desserts to surprise burlesque dancers—all the elements combine in a perfectly choreographed dance that make Gardner’s parties so unforgettable. To inspire readers to throw a party of their own, A Screaming Blast also includes a look at the anatomy of a successful party as well as a Houses & Parties-approved list of resources to tap for your own soiree. It’s not a how-to, but more a why not?

Splitting her time between Savannah and New York, Rebecca Gardner founded her full-service event and interior design firm in 2010, and her work has been featured by VOGUE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Wall Street Journal and Architectural Digest, to name a few. A decade later she applied her learned magic to create Houses & Parties as an online retail experience for devotees of the elegant and unusual.