Decor Ideas

To add some branding to the Z100 & Coca-Cola All-Access Lounge at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York in December, sponsor Coca-Cola fashioned a chandelier from aluminum bottles.

AFR Event Furnishings' Green Grass line includes sofas, benches, and a bar covered in artificial turf. The pieces make an eye-catching display for outdoor events.

Nuage Designs displayed its new Shabby Chic line of linens and furniture pieces, focused on blush tones and natural finishes.

The WWD Apparel & Retail C.E.O. Summit used the Plaza's grand ballroom as the main space for its general sessions. As a way to fashion a more intimate environment for the gathered industry executives, the organizers reconfigured the layout and constructed a stage along the longer, northern side of the room rather than using the space's existing platform on the west end.

With the setting in the grand ballroom largely unchanged, the organizers looked to switch up the different breakout sessions with unique color schemes and centerpieces. For instance, the design of Monday's breakfast in the Terrace Room employed orange and white hues that extended from the tablecloths and arrangements to the sofas and throw pillows. Additionally, the organizers set up only a handful of traditional round tables, encouraging attendees to network by spreading highboys without chairs throughout the space.

For the Oracle-hosted luncheon on Monday, vases of red anthuriums contrasted with the simple white accents.

To match the neutral color scheme used in the ballroom for the majority of the sessions, the production team topped each table with architectural arrangements of white orchids, transparent candelabra, and teal tablecloths with gold floral appliques.

Working under the direction of Sidney Frank Importing Company, which owns the American Harvest vodka brand, Event Creative designer Meredith Treinen brought an elegantly rustic look to the Ivy Room for the spirit's launch party. Decorative elements included fresh wheat in birch containers, blue hydrangeas in wood boxes, and votive-filled Mason jars.

Lighting cast leafy projections on the walls.

Treinen also brought in sisal carpets, chairs made of distressed wood, and rustic crates as coffee tables. On the white lounge furniture, pillows bore preppy patterns reminiscent of the Tory Burch style.

Topiaries decorated the stage.

Hurricane glasses held candles at the center of each table.

Tory Burch-like patterns also appeared on napkins at the American Cancer Society's April 28 ball, held at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. Rishi Patel of HMR Design Group handled the decor.

The Cat in the Hat theme was apparent throughout the ballroom at the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa on May 19 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities’ annual fund-raiser. Gold Productions used colorful fabrics and lighting to bring the story to life for the 700 attendees.

The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago hosted a glittery, celebrity-packed benefit on April 21. With headliners Sarah Jessica Parker and Harry Connick Jr., the evening had decor with towering paper centerpieces in the shapes of flowers, windmills, and airplanes. Artist and illustrator Jami Darwin Chiang constructed the paper pieces.

The iconic theater hosted its spring benefit gala in New York June 4 with a concert and an after-party underneath a sprawling tent. Marc Wilson of Marc Wilson Design handled decor for the evening, adding an origami chandelier over the central bar.

Wilson's decor also included plush white lounge furniture, hanging chandeliers, and topiaries.

The Museum of Modern Art's annual event took place in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden in New York on May 22. Long, communal tables and lounge-like configurations provided more relaxed seating on the upper level. For centerpieces, designer David Monn incorporated square-shaped topiaries, illuminated by candles that hung from the leaves in glass cylinders.

The weather may have been dreary as guests arrived at Pier 57 on May 1 but this year's Friends of the High Line benefit in New York looked to bring some sunshine indoors. For the dining area, the design crew from Van Wyck & Van Wyck built a "sun"—a disc five feet in diameter and filled with more than 4,000 LEDs—which was suspended on a track running the length of the pier using aircraft cable. A metronomic clock operated the illuminated piece, moving it along this path two inches at a time, while a succession of large mirrored sheets alternately hid and revealed its rays. The result was the illusion of an eclipse that continued for the duration of the night.

The Paintbrush Ball celebrated Marwen's 25th anniversary, or silver birthday, with party hats, confetti, and ubiquitous pops of the metallic hue. To underscore the theme, guests entered the dinner tent through a tunnel of silver balloons from Balloons by Tommy.

"A massive, 'wow' bar display upon entering always makes the first party detail most memorable."

"I can't set a tabletop without a collection of trays. No more placing a vase on a table—now it's personal, collected elements that make the tabletop beautiful, memorable, and thought provoking."