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EVENT REPORT   02.25.08 11:23 AM PRINT | SEND TO A FRIEND |
Blacked Out
The Interior Design Show marked its 10th year with an all-black party that included theatrical entertainment, dramatic costumes, and lots of flower petals.
Last year’s opening-night party for the Interior Design Show took on an all-white colour scheme. The "Decadence"-themed anniversary party for this year’s I.D.S. proved to be quite the opposite, with black carpets and chandeliers, and performers in black wigs, makeup, and costumes. Creative director Ellen-Ray Hennessy of DareDen Theatre Inc. planned the large-scale event for the second year in a row, calling on her music and theatre connections to pull together a team of unique entertainers to fill the showroom at the Direct Energy Centre on Thursday night.

Hennessy said she wanted guests to be constantly reminded of the party’s theme, so she found an “underbelly of talent” from around the city, including fire performers, burlesque and modern dancers, a man on stilts, and 30 “live statues,” some decked in dresses made entirely of flowers and greenery (provided by the Dutch consulate). Street artist Mike Parsons worked on a 10-foot by 10-foot canvas, which was later purchased by a guest.
CONTINUED >

PHOTO GALLERY

A harpist and a singer performed on a flower-petal-bordered stage at the Interior Design Show's Decadence party. - Photo: BizBash
A harpist and a singer performed on a flower-petal-bordered stage at the Interior Design Show's Decadence party.
Photo: BizBash
Red roses and crystals served as centrepieces on the tables surrounding the Krups Stage. - Photo: BizBash
Red roses and crystals served as centrepieces on the tables surrounding the Krups Stage.
Photo: BizBash
The Dutch consulate contributed this dress made of gerbera daisies. - Photo: BizBash
The Dutch consulate contributed this dress made of gerbera daisies.
Photo: BizBash
House & Home's V.I.P. party included dangling chandeliers with small reflective crystals. - Photo: BizBash
House & Home's V.I.P. party included dangling chandeliers with small reflective crystals.
Photo: BizBash
Rose petals and black etching embellished a lit-up bar made of ice. - Photo: BizBash
Rose petals and black etching embellished a lit-up bar made of ice.
Photo: BizBash
Vert Catering served gnocchi in baked pastry cups. - Photo: BizBash
Vert Catering served gnocchi in baked pastry cups.
Photo: BizBash
A violinist performed at one of the small stages located throughout the show. - Photo: BizBash
A violinist performed at one of the small stages located throughout the show.
Photo: BizBash
   
Interior Design Show "Decadence" Party

Catering Mistura Restaurant
Catering Encore Food With Elegance
Catering Edo Catering
Catering Centerplate Catering
Catering Cantine Restaurant and Bar
Catering All The Best Fine Foods
Catering Vert Catering
Cocktails The Martini Club International Inc.
Dresses Fashion Crimes
Stage Management DareDen Theatre Inc.
Venue Direct Energy Centre
Wigs Mikah Styles

Opera singers, violinists, harpists, and a brass orchestra performed on small stages throughout the venue, wearing more than $30,000 worth of black clothing and jewelry. A team of makeup artists headed by Paul Hui and hairstylists led by Paul Jones provided elaborate black wigs and dramatic makeup. “My inspiration was sloppy couture, Victorian classical, Oscar Wilde,” Hennessy said. “I have a very eclectic imagination, and I’m of the belief that more is better.” The event took five months to plan.

Hennessy used flower petals as her main decorating tool because of the venue's size and the need to avoid upstaging the exhibitor booths, sprinkling rose petals around stages and on the black carpet. A black and rhinestone chandelier and a baby grand piano sat at the entrance, and dramatic bars—including a lit-up ice bar with black etching—attracted attention. Sleek black couches and tables topped with rose and crystal centrepieces provided a lounge area at the Krups Stage.

Eight food stations included smoked salmon and potato salad in crepe cones from Mistura, mushroom and fennel risotto in stemless martini glasses from Encore Food With Elegance, and a selection of Quebec cheeses from All the Best Fine Foods. Steamwhistle and St. Ambroise provided beer and Barefoot Cellars poured wines, but cocktails took centre stage, including the Black Current Collins, a vodka and black-currant-cordial concoction garnished with blackberries. Some guests complained of lineups and glass shortages as the evening progressed.

House & Home Media, the show's main sponsor, held a sectioned-off V.I.P. party with a contrasting white-and-silver colour scheme featuring Philippe Starck Ghost chairs, Lucite cocktail tables, jagged modern florals, and sheer white drapery. Guests had the chance to walk through the DesignLive exhibits, concept rooms created by such celebrity designers as Sarah Richardson and Brian Gluckstein, throughout the evening. The party kicked off the 10th year of the Interior Design Show, which ran through Sunday.

  —Erin Letson
RELATED TOPICS Interior Design Show, Krups, Steamwhistle, St. Ambroise, Barefoot Cellars, House & Home Media, Sarah Richardson, Brian Gluckstein

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Direct Energy Centre
Home of the BizBash.TO Event Style Show since 2005, Direct Energy Centre is the largest event and convention facility in Canada with more than one million square feet of space. Offering extraordinary flexibility, the facility can be subdivided into nine event spaces plus Ricoh Coliseum, and it provides more than 7,000 parking spaces. More >>

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IceFX
A leader in specialty decor within the event industry, IceFX, a division of The Iceman, creates the most innovative dynamic and creative ice sculptures. Its goal is to exceed its clients' expectations with every project.

IceFX can assist in promoting a company, a product, or service that will draw media exposure as well as public attention. More >>

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Instantly capture the fun of your event and unleash your creativity with the Snapshot Photobooth—a fully automated, unique, interactive photobooth experience your guests will love!

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