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Classic & Curious is a lifestyle podcast for those who value timeless style and the art of living a well-edited life.
Hosted by Anne Kokoskie, the show introduces you to those that inspire thoughtful living. Through thoughtful conversations with artisans, designers, brands and creative thinkers, we dive into the details that elevate the everyday.
Home & Craftsmanship: From interior design to the makers behind the objects we cherish.
Travel & Exploration: Discovering historic destinations and boutique travel experiences.
Entertaining & Hospitality: The art of hosting, tablescaping, and the well-lived kitchen.
Join us for a more intentional way of living, where beauty and substance meet.
Is Classic and Curious. I'm Anne Kokoskie and each week I bring you conversations with the founders, tastemakers and creatives who have mastered the art of living with curiosity and intention. The spaces we inhabit, the tables we gather around, the places we seek out, so you can develop a sharper eye and design a life that feels distinctively your own. This episode may just inspire you to create your own entertaining capsule. Today's guest is Blake Sams, founder of Gregory Blake Sams Events, an award winning event planning firm known for its flawless execution based in Charleston, South Carolina and New York City.
Anne:Blake's creative talents extend beyond events into interior design and most recently into retail with Wentworth, his Charleston shop that beautifully reflects his signature taste and style. His work has been featured in Harper's Bazaar, Veranda, Vogue, and Elle Decor. Yet for Blake, it all comes down to something simple. The people you surround yourself with are the most meaningful detail of any gathering. And for us, that's exactly why this episode is such a delight.
Anne:Cheers to Blake. Let's chat.
Anne:Today is a fabulous day because we're joined by someone who creates experiences that are as meaningful as they are beautiful and who in his own way invites us to think more deeply about what it means to live beautifully. Welcome Blake. We're so excited that you joined us.
Blake:And thank you so much. It's an honor to be here. I'm so excited to join along.
Anne:We're so honored too. So thank you. Let's start by you sharing your story with our listeners.
Blake:Yeah. So I'm originally from South Carolina. I'm Southern at heart in New York. What I feel like a New York native now, hopefully, I guess that's controversial to say. But New York is in my heart these days.
Blake:But started in the South, started in Charleston, went to school at CFC, worked for a corporate event planner and that that sort of kept my palette wet for events. And from there, worked corporate event planning and then social events and worked for nonprofit events and all the different realms. And so throughout those iterations, finally ended up at where I am now, which is a party planner. And from the party planning, we now do interiors and have a retail store.
Anne:That's so amazing. Such a world that you created. What brings so many of our listeners together is that we all share this appreciation for beauty and this desire to live thoughtfully. And you do that in such a distinct way through your events, through interiors and through Wentworth. And there's so much to unpack there.
Anne:I don't even know where to begin, but let's start, like you said in the beginning, when it comes to celebrating or hosting, no matter the size or scale, what do you believe makes an experience feel truly meaningful and unforgettable?
Blake:Great question. Interesting. Really, it's probably not the best thing to say as an event planner because what I do is bring the beauty and all that but it really is about the people. Like if it guest list is not right, then it's not right. A fun party, you can have the most incredible location, the most beautiful table linens and all the fluff.
Blake:But if the people are boring, you have a boring party. So I think really what makes events special are the people that attend and the people that come and celebrate together. Obviously, it's my job to facilitate and make sure that's comfortable and hospitable for those folks to enjoy those moments. But I think the correct answer for that is the people.
Anne:I totally agree. When you think a little bit about the touches in those celebrations, let's say in somebody's home, a dinner party, that attention to detail and those little nuances that grab someone's attention, or I should say heart, What could be some ideas that you would share with the listeners on what to bring to their home for entertaining?
Blake:Yeah. So I think for me across all of our facets of business, whether it's a party, whether it's home, I think starting with really good core elements regard if it's a water glass, it's a water glass, but is it the best water glass? I think sort of building your core, let's call it your sort of home capsule collection. Right? Like building those core components that you feel comfortable using when entertaining, I think is vital, right?
Blake:Like having a plate, a water glass, a wine glass that you feel comfortable with but, and I know that sounds so silly to talk about such a decorative outlet, something that actually works in the way that you entertain, right? Like do you have a bartender or do you prefer to pour glasses wine for your friends as they come in? Like really thinking about the ease of hospitality and then working backwards on, okay, what is the right material to make this happen? What is the situation? Working backwards on investing in those really good but simple elements.
Blake:And you typically really don't need as many elements when you invest wisely and have the right stuff in the really good core pieces.
Anne:I love that and I'm a retailer at heart so when you said core capsule, that just hit home for me. So let's stay on that note for a minute. What are some of the components in your core capsule when you entertain?
Blake:So my core capsule is probably a little bit different than most because it is my business. But with that being said, Josh and I here in the city, I love to cook when we're elsewhere in the city. I just typically, we like to do cocktails on the terrace and then we go to New York and let everyone else do the magic, right? That's the way it should go. But every now and then we love to order Chinese on the terrace.
Blake:I know in the second drawer in a cabinet I'm looking at right now, there's eight plates, there's eight napkins, there's silver that's polished ready to go. There's eight little water tumblers that are shorties. Right above that drawer is our cocktail glassware. So I know very easily that I can pull from the third drawer a tray. I can go up to the second drawer of this chest and it's everything I need to take out to the terrace.
Blake:I order Chinese when we're on the sofa out there. It shows up within thirty minutes and we're set. So just sort of ironing out that sort of blueprint for how I'm going to host. And I really do have a cabinet. How many drawers is that?
Blake:It's probably nine. I guess it's Chester drawers. I don't know what the proper name would call it, but it's beautiful. Anyways, it's just sort of stacked full of anything that I need for general entertaining in this apartment. Yeah, but it works.
Anne:And I love that you said it's all in one place. If you have that impromptu guest or somebody just calls, you're not thinking, what am I going to do? You have your go to all there.
Blake:Yeah. Our outdoor dining table accommodates eight. We often will do four. I prefer that just here. It works a little bit better.
Blake:And so I just sort of have it set and ready to go. And then probably now that we're rolling in the spring, I'll probably spend the day and reorganize in there a little bit and change out what I'm gonna doing but it's sort of already set, ready to go, ready to rock. If someone comes over, I open the drawer or if I need to run out the door at the top drawer is literally nothing but little small gifts just to run out the door with but good place to have everything.
Anne:Oh we got to stay on that one and double click on that. So you have these little small gifts because I do believe when you entertain, someone should leave with a little something, something. And I adore that you just said that.
Blake:Charleston is a little bit Charleston's wildly old school. Changing so quickly and it's becoming cooler and cooler every day. But there is sort of this old school notion of you go to a party, you have a hostess gift. You leave a party, you leave it as thirsty. Like you sit down.
Blake:The idea of gifting and hospitality really runs strong in sort of Charleston's narrative of entertaining. So I think obviously I've continued that. But yeah, just it doesn't have to be the most showy item. It can be something really thoughtful and sincere. It can be a small gesture.
Blake:But it is nice to sort of not leave empty handed.
Anne:I agree. And so let's have a little fun. What is one of the little something that you give someone before they leave?
Blake:Well, I have a store, so there's always a fun little thing that like that it changes, right? It's like whatever I have set up. But I think that I there's a really lovely, also another lovely store in Charleston called Crogens and they have a silver rice spoon. I think it is the most beautiful, elegant, simple gift you can take to a cocktail party. No one can ever have too many.
Blake:I mean it's sort of boring in some ways but how useful. So I think it's a great, whether it's silver or silver plate depending on how important the party is, right? But depending on where you're going. It is a really lovely gesture. It's simple, it's quiet, it's small, it travels well.
Blake:You can put it in a carry on wherever you're going. So it works well.
Anne:It's so cute. So let's shift a little gears and move to the next lane, so to speak. You talk about creating this beautiful life and we've already are starting to feel it and how you entertain. But talk to us about how that translates into your home and what does beauty look like through design in someone's home?
Blake:Yeah. For me, I have a very sort of organic, I think right now, and I think maybe we chatted about this previously, but it feels like there's so much inspiration. It's almost there's too much inspiration, which like out there I complain about that. Right. You just see so much of everything that sometimes I find when I'm at my own home that it just feels better to sort of wash away a little bit of that and just sort of sit with what I have and like think about what it is that I truly want to see the space look like versus what I'm being influenced it to look like.
Blake:So for my home, I really, I buy objects that I love that I've, I'm one of those people, I buy it if I like it or I guess if I can afford it, let's be clear. And then I figure out where it goes after. And I think that's my way of decorating is buying beauty and then you figure out where obviously there's a floor plan. We do real business here. Like we conduct a proper design firm.
Blake:But I think if you see something that you love, you just have to find a home for it. And so hopefully when you walk through my house, it's all objects that I love. And do they go together? I think they do. They do in my brain.
Anne:And that's what matters. Do you find people when they come to your home that they ask you about those certain items and say, tell me the story behind this?
Blake:A ton. Yeah. I mean, I think it's so funny. My partner is from the tech world and a lot of his colleagues. I think they're like, what is all this?
Blake:It's so foreign to them. And I'm like, well, that's a rare blah, blah, blah. But yeah, it's always an interesting conversation piece all throughout.
Anne:Yeah. I love that you said buy something really without thinking about intention sometimes. So buy with emotion and say, I love this because when you get to your house, you'll find its intention.
Blake:It's tricky. Yeah. Even on our design, in our design business, when we're working, we have amazing clients and a lot of them love sort of the interiors that they see in my house or apartment or wherever. And it is tricky because they sort of want that desired look, but that look takes buying spontaneously. It takes years and years and years of collecting and not so much in New York, but definitely back in the days when we were still living in Charleston, it was not uncommon for Josh to come home and something can be the sofa's gone, there's a new sofa, the coffee table's up.
Blake:I'm a little bit of a madman in that way. So I think ever changing, never settle, and a room is never, never finished.
Anne:Yeah. That's so true. It is never finished and it's meant to be lived in. When you think about your event business and then you go to the design business, then to compliment it all, right? It's almost like the grand finale.
Anne:You create Wentworth and you make it accessible to everyone. It's your olive branch to the world. I
Blake:hope, yeah.
Anne:It is. So tell us all about Wentworth. How did you decide to start it?
Blake:Yeah. So Wentworth, I, as a wee little boy, my aunt in Greenville, South Carolina had a store called Vignettes and it was a home store and it sort of, at an early age, I used to love to help her sort of do stuff in the store, doing displays. I love product. I love to shop. When I applied for my first internship out of high school going into college that summer, I went to Charleston a little bit early.
Blake:Think on my original resume to apply for my first internship, one of my hobbies and interests was like shopping. Like there should have been signs, right? Like, but so with Wentworth, I've been in Charleston for so long doing events, building sort of a client base. And those clients were consistently sort of reaching out for this or that. And what I noticed in Charleston at the time is there was a sort of lag of accessibility to really good quality entertaining items, right?
Blake:Like where do you get cocktail napkins? Where do you get tapered candles? Where do you get a beautiful wine bucket? And there's a few stores that definitely cross those categories. But for some reason to me, it wasn't what I would use necessarily or it wasn't altogether.
Blake:Right? And so I thought I should build a space or create this store where people can just come and they basically, the goal would be to able to leave and to host a beautiful party in their home. And that was the sort of starting idea. And obviously it's continued to morph and now we're doing special collaborations and it really is getting more and more into home and hospitality and home. But that was sort of the starting point for Wentworth.
Anne:As a retailer for twenty two years with an attention to detail that may not be on the same level as Blake's, I do pay attention. I can see when others are an example of that detail and by far it is one of the most beautiful sites I've ever seen. There's so many beautiful, beautiful things. I mean, one of the things I was really delighted to see is one of our past guests was Finn Fellows, and I see that you have Kensington Papery. There's nothing better than to wrap a gift, an exquisite paper.
Anne:So thank you Blake for that.
Blake:It's very tricky when you wrap with that paper because the gift better be really, really great. Know, like once we see the package, it better match. Right? It's tricky.
Anne:They have to buy something from Wentworth to put in there and then you don't have to think. So I think that they've checked the boxes right there. I also am so intrigued by the candles that are in porcelain and English pottery. I was delighted to see a furnished room. I love the name of that candle by the way.
Anne:And the Augustine candle. And it's so unique to see the vessel in which the candle is hosted, so to speak.
Blake:The vessel, literally, it sounds like I'm making this up. I'm facing my chest of entertaining and I literally am looking at a table right now with this beautiful, I always I find it quite cheesy when people like burn the candle and then use the vase, but like that's a beautiful vase. So I'm obsessed with quite the collection, and they look great with daffodils right now. But yeah, I love those vessels. It's a really beautiful company.
Blake:It is an incredible gift.
Anne:It is an incredible gift.
Blake:We had an interior designer. I'm blanking on her name. She's out of Chicago, I believe. But she ordered several of those candles and gave them to clients this year. And I like, what a perfect little gift to a client, a furnished room candle, right?
Anne:Right.
Blake:Nail on the head.
Anne:Yeah, nail on the head for sure. Gorgeous. But there's so many other elements. Do you want to tease the listeners with some of your favorites?
Blake:Yeah, I mean we have obviously the store is a mix of new and old. So we, some of my favorite entrees are typically antiques and I think that's really sort of what adds the special sauce to what we do. But some of the newer things that I love, we're rolling out, there's an incredible ceramicist named Zachary Zimmerman, who is one of the most talented individuals on the planet. And he is young and eager and excited and he's doing some of the most beautiful work. But he's creating these espalier lamps that we're rolling out this spring.
Blake:We're doing six different trees of espalier. They're all in sort of blanc de chine porcelain and then with a beautiful sort of silk shade. That's sort of a new hot object that I'm loving. When you see these things, they're absolutely incredible. Can't wait.
Blake:I think they're gonna come out later this April.
Anne:Oh gosh.
Blake:They'll get inside as well. But he's so, so talented and just the way that he like the detail that he puts into the tiniest little objects are pretty incredible. We've been working on that from rolling those lamps out. I'm always laughing. I'm like, is it sculpture?
Blake:Is it a lamp? Or is it both? But to me, it really is just a piece of sculpture. It's incredibly beautiful. So I can't wait for those to come out.
Anne:Love that. Any others? Yeah.
Blake:Yeah. We this it's like all porcelain type stuff. It's so funny. I think a great gift that's always easy to grab in our store are these beautiful Mello Grano pomegranates. They're from Santa Maria Novella.
Blake:It literally is the scent of my home. I have them tucked around all over the place. I personally hate diffusers. I hate those little wooden sticks. They just, not for me.
Blake:But so this is like a chic way of having a diffuser and you really do smell it when it comes in. So I put them in every outer room. I love them. And so that's one of my favorite objects in the store. Trying to think what else do I love?
Blake:We have this whole curiosity case of not necessarily curiosities, but things that you need for the home that sometimes would maybe be at a hardware store of its quality. Sometimes it would be, I don't even, but the things that are sort of hard to find. We created this case and so it's like it's pie weights where it's beads to clean a vase where you can't get a brush down the throat. It's the most random white ring remover for your furniture. Really amazing furniture polish.
Blake:Small batch made that's really great for fine furniture. I don't know. It's sort of our little case of that type of randomness, but I absolutely love it. It's one of the fun things that people really enjoy in the store. I think it's a little bit of a people typically buy things they don't need when they see that case.
Anne:First of all, love the name, Curiosities, and of course I would. But yes, I saw that and I was thinking, oh my gosh, that's fabulous.
Blake:We're always looking for new fun things to have in there. And it's always like, it was that fun moment. Was like, my God, don't need, I so need this. I didn't realize I needed this, you know.
Anne:Well, I think part of the art of living beautifully is the discovery that goes along with it. Cause you never rest. You're always on a quest. It just brings to life that art of discovery and unexpected. And I'm still obsessed with the simple, simple little candle.
Anne:That's my little obsession from your side because I have not seen any candle like that. And I think it's just gorgeous.
Blake:The beautiful silhouette.
Anne:Yeah. Totally.
Blake:I wish you could smell it.
Anne:Well, I'm going to make it to shift gears a little bit and connect with your classic soul. Favorite style icon is past or present?
Blake:Oh, past would definitely be Billy Baldwin. And I mean, it's like at my soul of who I am, not who I am, who I want to be. Right? Like I just love how handsome, but yet I loved his interiors. I love Bill Blass's apartment in the city that's cooling.
Blake:There's certain rooms that just sort of like burn into your brain. And so I always think of those classic Billy Baldwin rooms. Think that beautiful Bill Blass apartment. Those would be my go to. I love the work of Stephen Gambrel who doesn't.
Blake:I think Jeffrey Bill Huber probably has the most beautiful eye for color. Like I think he probably taught Jesus how to create color or something. Like he's brilliant with his use of color. And I love his pillows. So I I find stuff I typically attracted to handsome design, but I love when people really hone in on little small nuances.
Anne:I do too.
Blake:I think Jeffrey's stuff, his upholstery is so beautiful the way that he thinks about how every little detail's finished.
Anne:He has a wonderful book too with design tips and that has become a little bible for me. I really have appreciated that about him.
Blake:I'm gonna mess this up. I forget there. I think he has one book that's just based on color. I may have that wrong, But it is I've constantly, every time we're working on a new project, I just sort of flip back through and like, okay, what not necessarily to copy, but just inspire, right? Like how did he go about it?
Blake:Or where did he start? Wildly Tense.
Anne:For sure. I love that you mentioned him in particularly. So tell me favorite item in your closet.
Blake:Favorite item in my closet. I had this new little blue suede bomber from Brunello. She's fun and I probably transparently wearing her a little too much. Or
Anne:buy another.
Blake:But this fake spring, it is quite comfortable to be wrapped up in a jacket right now. I know. So she's been actively used.
Anne:Oh my gosh. Love that. And it doesn't it feel great out too? The sun is out. New York must feel fabulous right now.
Anne:It's just starting to peak.
Blake:Well, wish I could say that. It is starting to peak and our terrace is starting to bloom and if you walk down by the river, all the cherry blossoms are going wild, but she's still chilly today.
Anne:Yeah. It's cold. Yeah, not fun, but we're getting there. We're getting out of the mud season, as I would call it. So a brand you're admiring lately.
Blake:A brand that I'm admiring lately. There's quite a few. There's this brand that I can't quite figure out what's going on and I sort of love that about it. It's called Fern. It is a scent And I think I'm just intrigued by how they are rolling out.
Blake:Right? I've yet to smell it. So I may we may have to go back and edit this in a few weeks. I don't know. I think nowadays it's so interesting.
Blake:It feels like a brand before you really know it. Right? Like we see these beautiful videos and photography. We get all this sort of feeds from it. So right now that's what I'm leaning into and I sort of it has my interest.
Anne:Well, know, it's interesting. I'm so delighted you said that because I think sometimes you may not always love the product. Not that you're saying you don't because you don't know yet, right? But you can love their storytelling. And I think that brings admiration right there.
Blake:Now, the sad part of that is when you love the story, you love the packaging and then the product is like, womp womp.
Anne:It's like meeting your hero and being disappointed. They say be careful when you do that.
Blake:Liz who is really a right hand to me and part of the Wentworth team, she has her entire office is probably of the ones that didn't make it. And sometimes we will find this incredible beautiful packaging and then I really feel strongly like it has to be beautiful, but it has to be great. Like it can't just be one or the other. And so we do have a sort of a graveyard over there of some things that didn't make the cut, but they're wildly beautiful.
Anne:Yeah. And they might be somebody else's beauty. Somebody else might be loving them and you're just like, Oh, good for you.
Blake:Good for you. That's not for me.
Anne:Yeah. It's like shoes, right? I might love them, but not feel good in them. Sometimes that is my one exception to the rule.
Blake:Oh, will you wear?
Anne:I will, if it's a beautiful shoe.
Blake:You're willing to do the work.
Anne:I'm willing to do the work if it's for a really impactful event. Now, if it's not, no, no, we're not going to waste our time on that. If it makes the outfit, I'm sorry. I have to I I suck it up. You gotta do it.
Anne:Alright.
Blake:Speedy is pain.
Anne:That is right. Favorite hotel that you retreat to?
Blake:Oh, this is tricky. We work with so many hotels on the event side of the business. I would say right now, I really I'm not going give a specific hotel, there's an incredible collection of properties from Roca Forte hotels. And last year I had the really wonderful experience of trying out a few of their properties. And I think consistently across the board, they are really lovely properties.
Blake:It's family owned. The staff there, it's more, not only are they wildly beautiful and they're always incredible locations, but they really do from a service standpoint care about the customers that come there. I would say any of the Roccafortes right now that are popping off, I love. There's an incredible proper, a chateau called Espolon that's quite lovely, that is incredible, that I think for like if you're doing a small wedding for around people, it is my like hands down, it is a one stop shop. It is incredible.
Blake:Your guests can stay on most of your guests can stay on property. It's not quite a hotel, but it's really beautiful venue and a lot of the family could stay there on property at the time of the event.
Anne:Which I love to. I do hope you get to retreat to some of those beautiful hotels. It's lovely that you shared that. And also it's lovely that you shared all of your beautiful tips with the listeners. It was just such a delight, such a wonderful way to celebrate spring, to celebrate it with you.
Anne:So thank you.
Blake:So fun. Thanks, Anne. This has been a blast.
Anne:Yeah, same here. And you know what? I continue to look forward to all of the beautiful inspirations you give us and listeners take a little peek at Wentworth. It's just gorgeous. There's no other way to say it.
Anne:And Blake, I hope you enjoy the rest of your spring. Thanks for coming and joining us.
Blake:Cheers.
Anne:Cheers.
Blake:Take care.
Anne:Take care.
Anne:Thank you for listening to this episode of Classic and Curious. You can follow Gregory Blake Sam's events on Instagram at Gregory Blake Sam's events. Be sure to check out Wentworth on Instagram at Wentworth by GBS. If you enjoyed this conversation, we'd be so grateful if you subscribe and share it with someone else who might enjoy it as well. Looking forward to our next time together.
Anne:Tata for now.