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The weeks leading up to the party are
spent decorating. This year, 15-foot wooden
beams had to be hoisted up into the
apartment from the ground since they
couldn’t make the turns in the stairwell.
They were then fixed to the ceiling and
covered inch to inch with thatch, fish net,
plants and other nautical decorations to
give the illusion of a real Tiki hut.
The original PVC pipes were traded in
for real bamboo to make a canopy over
their dining table, framed by palm leave
curtains and decked out with more tropical
plants and Tiki masks.
A large, white canvas that hangs in the
middle of their living room was covered
with an “Ooga Mooga!” sign and mask,
surrounded by bird-of-paradise flowers.
The canvas, originally intended to be an
art project for Demerath, has now turned
into a centerpiece for their parties, transformed
accordingly for each holiday.
“I’ve been more and more taken with the
party each year we do it,” Demerath said.
“We just keep adding to the collection of
stuff. This was definitely the biggest.”
Demerath usually takes the week off
from work (at Upland in Manhattan, where
he is the head bartender) leading up to
Photos by Adam Demerath