A San Francisco art director and artist shares his best advice for creating bustling gatherings With three social groups to his name, George McCalman might be one of San Francisco?s most active hosts.
Three conditions led to McCalman?s lively calendar: He wanted to demolish his ?friendship silos,? gather fellow African Americans, and he was rebounding from the end of a long-term relationship.

This all gave rise to what McCalman calls the Dinner Club, the Black Brunch Club, and the Gay Happy Hour, respectively.
The Dinner Club, shown here, was born out of a need to integrate different parts of his life. Of the Black Brunch Club, McCalman says: "I grew tired of being the only black person in the room.? Gay Happy Hour brings friends together for a small pre-party before a night on the town. All this party experience is bound to produce some ideas for successful entertaining. Here now, McCalman shares his thoughts and expertise on hosting, which he does to dazzling effect in his Edwardian apartment (designed along with friend and interior designer Tim Balon as the setting for both the Black Brunch Club and the Dinner Club).

Left: For George McCalman, two tables in the dining room provide maximum flexibility. He can configure them a few ways, and seat up to 25 people. Right: As guests gather for the Dinner Club, the potluck dishes begin to accumulate.

Deconstruct the dining room
When he redesigned the dining room, McCalman decided to put in not...