Twenty intrepid Artsy Girls found their way to an inspired evening hosted by Malene B (bottom row, center) last night. Malene invited our group for its quarterly dinner party after being a cherished member for eight years. Fifteen of us drove through the puddles and rain to get from Fairfield County, CT to Brooklyn, NY. I can’t say for sure, but my hunch is that it may have been a first border crossing for some.

Touring Malene’s hand-crafted and personally supervised renovation was the highlight of the evening. We all removed our shoes and put on slippers to preserve the aqua- and lavendar-stained, wooden floors. We admired the wrought iron railings based on linear patterns created by Malene, the elegantly tiled bathrooms and kitchen and the inspiring office area with lucite bins holding gloriously colored wool samples she uses for her custom rug designs.

In addition to giving us a tour of her brownstone, Malene also regaled us with her plans to exhibit at the upcoming ICFF show (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) at Javits, her magazine coverage including mention of a piece planned for New York Magazine’s May issue and treated us to a sampling of her rug designs on hand.

We left, full of a delicious meal, the joy of being around so many accomplished women, and the inspiration of one woman’s journey shared.