The Maison Soirée Philosophy on Personal Gifting
At Maison Soirée, we don’t believe in “nice gifts.”
We believe in the gift — the one that makes someone gasp, laugh, tear up, or fall silent because you somehow found a way to capture their soul in an object.
We approach gifting as an art form — one that requires instinct, curiosity, and emotional fluency. A great gift doesn’t just say thank you, I love you, or I’m sorry. It says I see you. I know you. And no one else could’ve given you this.
Every Maison Soirée creation begins with a conversation, not a catalog. We ask questions — lots of them — because the answers hide in the details: the scent they wore when they fell in love, the song that plays when they can’t sleep, the color that makes them feel most like themselves. Those are our building blocks.
From there, we craft gifts that are equal parts story and surprise — a letter written in a loved one’s handwriting on porcelain, a custom artwork made from fragments of their life, or a reimagined heirloom that bridges generations. Each one is designed to feel effortless, but meticulously considered.
Our rule is simple: nothing should ever feel store-bought — it should feel made for them. The packaging is beautiful, yes, but it’s the meaning inside that does the heavy lifting.
Personal gifting speaks to the heart — it celebrates emotion, memory, and connection. Corporate gifting speaks to relationships — it celebrates gratitude, loyalty, and shared success. Both are grounded in thoughtfulness, storytelling, and the belief that the right gift can create lasting impact.
Maison Soirée gifts don’t just check boxes. They open hearts.
They’re not about things — they’re about people.
Because when you give someone something that could only ever belong to them, you’re not just giving a gift.
You’re giving them a moment they’ll never forget — and that’s where the real luxury lives.
The projects featured here represent just a glimpse into the gifts and experiences our clients have graciously allowed us to share. Many of our most extraordinary commissions remain private out of respect for confidentiality — but we’re always delighted to discuss them in person. After all, the best stories are often the ones told, not shown.
The Family Atlas of Memories
One family came to us searching for a way to thank another family who had become not just friends, but chosen relatives. They wanted a gift that could never be replicated — a legacy object.
We created The Family Atlas of Memories, a leather-bound heirloom book where every “map” charted not countries, but their shared story. Hand-illustrated in old-world cartography style, the atlas featured the villa where they vacationed together, the street where their kids first met, the restaurant where they toasted milestones. Tiny illustrations marked inside jokes — a martini glass for a legendary night, a firework for a July 4th memory.
Hidden within were treasure pockets holding letters, photographs, and keepsakes from both families, making the atlas not just art, but a time capsule.
Presented in a bespoke velvet-lined case, embossed with their names under the title “Where Our Worlds Meet,” it was a tear-filled moment of unveiling — proof that a family’s journey deserves to be mapped with the same reverence as any continent.
Picasso Brought to Life
A client came to us with an unusual but thrilling challenge: her husband adored Picasso’s ceramics, and she wanted to give him a gift that would match that passion in both artistry and originality.
We turned again to Steve Casino, who painstakingly recreated one of Picasso’s ceramics from scratch — down to the smallest detail. Then, in a bold twist, he broke it apart to reveal Picasso himself popping out of it in three-dimensional form.
The result was a true show-stopper. When placed beside the original ceramic, the illusion was so convincing that guests initially thought the priceless piece had been destroyed. The couple had to assure them — no Picassos were harmed in the making of this gift!
Today, it sits proudly next to the original in their home, not only as a jaw-dropping work of art but also as the ultimate conversation piece.
We are incredibly proud of this creation — proof that sometimes the best gifts don’t just honor art, they reimagine
The Sandcastles of Sobriety
Their first date was simple — building sandcastles on the beach. Years later, after weathering life’s storms and navigating the journey of recovery, he wanted to honor his wife — the woman who stood beside him through it all — on their wedding anniversary.
The challenge: how to blend the innocence of that first day with the depth of what they had overcome together. The answer came in the form of art — a custom movable sculpture depicting the two of them building sandcastles inside an open AA Big Book. Each grain of sand and tiny sculpted wave carried meaning: love rebuilt, hope restored, and life reimagined.
When he saw the finished piece, he said, “These two things saved my life — her and the program.”
We were deeply honored to be part of such a profoundly personal creation — a gift that wasn’t just art, but a tangible reminder that redemption, like sandcastles, is made possible by patience, love, and a willingness to rebuild.
The Art of You
Trying to top a gift for Alan and Vivien Hassenfeld — a couple with impeccable taste and the ability to buy anything — required at least a year of planning and tremendous creativity. I spent months researching ideas, keeping their shared love of art at the forefront and Alan’s collection of vintage pipes always in mind.
This year I again leaned into art.
A portrait doesn’t just capture a face — it captures a soul. So we asked: what if history’s greatest artists had painted you?
We created The Art of You, a bespoke hardcover book that reimagines one person through the eyes of the world’s most iconic masters — Da Vinci, Raphael, Vermeer, Hokusai, Seurat, Van Gogh, Munch, Matisse, Modigliani, Schiele, Picasso, and Warhol.
Each page transforms the recipient into a new artistic vision — from Renaissance light to pop-art brilliance — creating a breathtaking visual biography that blurs the line between reality and imagination.
A truly one-of-a-kind gift for those who inspire art simply by being who they are.
Alan gave me the greatest compliment:
“a thank you for what Vivien and I truly consider one of the most unique and creative gifts ever..the book other than being one of a kind..is beautiful and brilliant and may be truly the best gift we’ve ever received..thank you so much..with love Alan”
Former Chairman & CEO of Hasbro Inc & Godfather to Samantha Martin
The Song of Us
A song has the power to hold a memory, a feeling, a declaration of love — and play it back forever. One client came to us wanting a gift that went beyond flowers and jewelry, something that could say the words they couldn’t quite find.
We turned to Songfinch, pairing them with a songwriter whose style matched the moment. We provided the stories, the words of meaning, the inside jokes and the memories that mattered most. The result: a one-of-a-kind song, professionally recorded, that became a keepsake more powerful than any object.
We’ve since created these custom songs for birthdays, anniversaries, milestones, and just-because moments — each one a soundtrack to a love story, a family bond, or a lifelong friendship.
Because at Maison Soirée, we believe the most unforgettable gifts aren’t only seen — they’re heard, and replayed for years to come.
The Warhol & Kusama Pop-Up
When a client wanted to gift something unforgettable to a modern art collector — someone who adored both Andy Warhol and Yayoi Kusama — we knew this couldn’t be just another framed print or coffee table book. It had to pop. Literally.
We collaborated with sculptor Steve Casino to create The Warhol & Kusama Pop-Up — a one-of-a-kind kinetic sculpture featuring miniature, hand-painted versions of the two legendary artists. With a gentle twist, the piece winds up and pops open, revealing Warhol holding a Campbell’s soup can as Kusama bursts from behind in a sea of red polka dots.
Part art, part humor, part pure genius — it instantly became a centerpiece in the recipient’s collection.
Because at Maison Soirée, when it comes to gifting, we don’t just think outside the box — we make the box pop open and smile back at you.
The Stained Glass Love Story
During their 12th year of marriage, a couple suffered a painful setback that nearly broke them apart. The husband, desperate to repair what felt irreparable, came to me for a gift that would say what words could not: that not everything broken is lost forever.
I envisioned shattered glass — pieces scattered and sharp, impossible to put back the way they once were. But with a stained-glass artist, we transformed those fragments into something new: a luminous panel spelling out the word LOVE. The fractured edges caught the light, each crack now a vein of color, proof that even damage can become beautiful when pieced together with care.
It was delivered with a simple card that read:
“Even the things that seem shattered beyond repair can be reimagined into something stronger, more beautiful, and everlasting.”
They just celebrated 22 years of marriage. The gift still hangs in their home, a daily reminder that brokenness doesn’t have to be the end of a story — sometimes, it’s the beginning of a masterpiece.
The Rejection Letter Quilt
A client wanted a gift for his best friend , a writer who had endured her share of rejection letters. Instead of letting them gather dust, we turned them into something extraordinary.
We designed The Rejection Letter Quilt — a patchwork wall-hanging stitched from fabric squares printed with snippets of her rejections, intertwined with quotes of encouragement.
One square stood out, boldly embroidered with the words: “Plot Twist: You Win.”
The result was part art piece, part battle armor — a tangible reminder that every “no” is simply a step toward the final, resounding “yes.”
The Symphony of Us
For a milestone anniversary, one family asked us to help them give a gift so unique, so heartfelt, it could never be purchased. We answered with music.
We commissioned The Symphony of Us, a full orchestral piece composed from interviews, anecdotes, and memories. Each movement told part of their story: a joyful swell to capture summers spent traveling, a delicate piano interlude for quiet traditions, a bold brass crescendo for the milestones they’d conquered together.
The handwritten score was bound into a fine-art book, with calligraphed dedications and notes explaining each movement’s inspiration. The piece was recorded in studio by a live orchestra, then presented in a handcrafted lacquered box with a crystal USB and limited-press vinyl.
When the families gathered for dinner, the symphony debuted — their shared life, set to music. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
Because at Maison Soirée, we don’t just create gifts. We compose legacies
A Season of Her Own: Live Like a Duchess
for the Weekend
When our client wanted to surprise his wife — a devoted lover of Bridgerton, The Crown, and Outlander — with a gift that felt like stepping into another century, Maison Soirée designed an experience unlike any other:
an immersive weekend where she would live as a Duchess.
We found the perfect estate — a private, 17th-century manor complete with rose gardens, grand halls, and sweeping staircases worthy of a royal entrance. From there, every moment was orchestrated to transport her through time.
The Transformation
We began with a private fitting led by period stylists and couture costumers, who designed a custom silk gown inspired by Regency and Georgian fashion. Hand-embroidered gloves, a tiara loaned from a London jeweler, and custom-dyed slippers completed the ensemble. Her “ladies-in-waiting” — professional stylists in full period dress — attended to her every detail.
A portrait artist was commissioned to capture her likeness in oil during the weekend, while a calligrapher prepared her personal “Crest of the House,” gilded in gold leaf and sealed with her initials.
The Setting
The house came alive with a cast of characters — a butler, footmen, and maids trained in the etiquette of the era. A chamber orchestra rehearsed waltzes in the grand ballroom. The scent of jasmine and oakmoss — her custom-blended perfume — perfumed the corridors.
By day, she attended etiquette lessons, tea service, and sketching sessions with an artist flown in from Paris. By evening, she strolled the gardens by lantern light before dressing for The Ball.
The Grand Ball
On the final night, she made her entrance down the marble staircase to the strains of an original waltz composed and named in her honor. Guests in costume joined her for dinner and dancing beneath candlelit chandeliers, as a dance master guided the floor through a series of Regency quadrilles.
Between courses, a poet performed a commissioned sonnet dedicated to “Her Grace of the Evening.”
The Legacy
Before departure, she received a velvet-lined travel trunk containing:
Her gown, gloves, and tiara.
Her portrait in its gilded frame.
A bound Journal of the Season — filled with calligraphed notes, pressed flowers from the estate gardens, and the evening’s “Order of the Ball.”
A crystal vial of her bespoke fragrance.
Engraved inside the trunk:
“Every era adored you.”
How Maison Soirée Did It
We sourced the manor, the stylists, the artists, and the musicians.
We rented the jewels, commissioned the portraits, and rehearsed the orchestra.
We hired the household staff, choreographed the dances, and ensured every detail — from the etiquette coach to the embroidered napkins — reflected the grace of a bygone age.
It wasn’t a weekend away.
It was a world built for her — a love letter written in silk, candlelight, and time.
The Picasso Pull Toy
For a family member who collects Picasso and works in the toy industry, buying an original Picasso wasn’t an option (and frankly, too predictable).
So instead, I commissioned artist Steve Casino to create a pull-along toy featuring two Picasso-style portraits — one on each side.
The result was a playful collision of fine art and childhood nostalgia, hand-crafted and completely one-of-a-kind. It sat proudly beside his actual Picassos — proof that creativity always trumps price tags.
The Heirloom Archive: A Love Letter in Leather
When a husband wanted to honor his wife’s lifelong passion for vintage handbags, we created The Heirloom Archive — a love story told through craftsmanship, history, and art.
We began by sourcing a curated selection of rare vintage handbags, each professionally restored and photographed like a museum piece. The result was a custom leather-bound book documenting her personal archive — every page pairing exquisite imagery with handwritten notes, history, and moments that made each era unforgettable.
The centerpiece: a velvet-lined trunk housing her restored collection, alongside a single reimagined masterpiece — a vintage Hermès Kelly hand-painted with a portrait of her, framed by gilded lettering that read:
“Every era adored you.”
Hidden drawers revealed small, intimate details — white gloves, her favorite fragrance, and a plaque engraved:
“You collect beauty. I just collect you.”
Because at Maison Soirée, we don’t give gifts.
We create love stories you can hold.
The Covid Chronicles Book
During the height of Covid, one woman found her sanity in humor, chronicling the absurdities of lockdown life in a weekly email she called The Covid Chronicles. Every week her family waited eagerly for her updates — her sarcastic observations, her day-to-day routines, her witty take on life when the world felt upside down.
When her 50th birthday approached, her brother came to me with a brilliant idea: turn those emails into something permanent. We curated every installment, designed a full layout, added photos and illustrations, and transformed her words into a beautifully bound book.
He presented it to her on her milestone birthday — and the reaction was so overwhelming that the entire family received copies. What began as a coping mechanism became a keepsake, a humorous and heartfelt time capsule of an emotionally trying year.
Sometimes the best gifts aren’t things at all — they’re the memories, preserved and reimagined, that remind us of our resilience.
The Home Portrait Storybook
When a client wanted to honor the story of where their family had been — not just who they were — we created The Home Portrait Storybook.
Each page featured a hand-painted watercolor of the homes that shaped their lives: the first tiny apartment, the childhood backyard, the forever home where everyone still gathers. Beneath each painting, handwritten captions shared family memories — laughter, chaos, milestones, and moments that defined them.
Bound in linen and wrapped in sentiment, this book became more than a gift — it became an illustrated memoir of family roots and the places that built them.
Each page includes a “soundbite” — QR codes linking to voice notes describing memories from that home.
Because at Maison Soirée, we believe every home tells a story — and some are worth painting.
The Potato Head Russian Dolls
As the former CEO of Hasbro, Alan Hassenfeld’s favorite character was, unsurprisingly, Mr. Potato Head. So when it came time to create a Christmas gift worthy of the man behind one of the world’s most iconic toys, I knew it had to be whimsical, unexpected, and deeply personal.
My research revealed something delightful — not only were there Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, but an entire forgotten cast of produce pals from the original line: Pete the Pepper, Katie the Carrot, and Cooky the Cucumber, to name a few.
With the help of artist Steve Casino, we brought them all back to life in the most imaginative way: a custom set of Russian nesting dolls. Each layer revealed another classic character — a nostalgic nod to toy history and Alan’s lifelong legacy of play.
The final result? A conversation piece, a collector’s treasure, and a perfectly “Alan” mix of humor, heritage, and heart.
Proof that even a potato can be reimagined into art — when it’s done with love, laughter, and a little history.
The Party Blueprint
A client’s best friend was the ultimate host — the kind of person who threw themed dinners and turned ordinary nights into legendary memories. For her birthday, she wanted to create something that celebrated her gift for gatherings.
We commissioned The Party Blueprint: a framed piece of art styled like an architect’s sketch, complete with diagrams of champagne towers, table layouts, and witty annotations like “Confetti cannon here.”
To accompany it, we designed a deck of Maison Soirée Party Prompt Cards — cheeky conversation starters and outrageous dares that instantly livened any room.
It was a gift that didn’t just decorate her walls — it fueled her next unforgettable soirée.
Every Cork Tells a Story
A client came to us searching for a hostess gift that would feel both personal and timeless. Instead of another bottle of wine, we created Every Cork Tells a Story — a glass keepsake box designed to collect corks from each celebration.
Etched on the front with the words “Every Cork Tells a Story,” the box transforms the simple act of opening a bottle into a memory worth saving. Over time, it becomes a living scrapbook of dinners, parties, and milestones, each cork carrying its own moment in history.
Stylish enough to display on any bar cart or countertop, it’s both décor and storytelling piece — proof that some of the best memories are uncorked one glass at a time.
The Book Nook Escape
A husband approached us with a special request for his wife — a voracious reader who always dreamed of traveling but rarely made time for herself. He wanted her to have a way to escape without leaving home.
We created a custom “book nook” — a miniature diorama that slid into her bookshelf. It was styled as her dream hideaway: a Parisian café complete with tiny tables, golden streetlamps, and rows of books along the walls. Hidden inside was her favorite quote, engraved on the café’s back wall.
It became her favorite piece on the shelf — proof that the best adventures begin between the covers.
