Michael Bargo

A Luxe Sushi Supper

Michael Bargo’s home is more than just his abode. The interior designer, stylist, and furniture dealer’s apartment doubles as both a gallery and showroom and as the backdrop for an array of gatherings both professional and personal.

“I don’t cook, but I entertain a lot,” says the seasoned host. Instead of toiling in the kitchen, Bargo prefers to focus his energies on setting the ambiance and keeping the drinks flowing. For his intimate dinner with friends, Bargo ordered in a low maintenance feast. On the menu? “A lot of different sashimi, rolls, and edamame,” Bargo says, adding that his philosophy is to “keep it simple.”

Still, this wasn’t your standard takeout affair: cardboard boxes and standard issue bamboo were swapped for silver trays and lacquered-silver chopsticks, sculptural candelabras from Christofle’s Vertigo collection mingled with an assortment of painterly ceramic plates and wabi-sabi napkins. To further elevate the meal, Bargo mixed up a batch of sake-tinis and a pot of Japanese tea.

Bargo drew inspiration for his casually chic dinner from glamorous Asian dining. The refinement of Bargo’s service, which included pieces of Gallia and Fjerdingstad, was tempered by an unfussy, modern ambiance of informality. To encourage a sense of laidback comfort, Bargo prefers to skip a traditional dining room scenario: “I set it up on my coffee table and we sat around on my floor, which was nice.