decor

The Washington National Opera returned to the residence of the Italian ambassador, known as Villa Firenze, for its annual ball April 6. The home's façade and driveway were lit with a patterned projection.

A Coupa Software conference at San Francisco's Westin St. Francis Hotel April 8 to 10 proved that lunch and breakfast service can be quick and efficient but still leave an impression on guests. Vendor-passed breakfast selections included compressed watermelon salad in cones, deviled eggs with bacon and smoked paprika, mini quiches, danishes, plus "super food" bubble smoothies in flavors such as pomegranate and honeydew.

The Museum of Contemporary Art gala took place in Los Angeles on April 20. More than 650 gala guests were seated at Italian trattoria-style tables covered in red-and-white checked tablecloths with Chianti bottle drip candles.

Alliance Bakery created an eye-catching confection for the artist's birthday bash April 12, an affair that was presented by Hennessy Black and held at Lacuna Artist Lofts in Chicago. Weighing about 30 pounds, the red velvet cake with cream-cheese frosting was inspired by Andy Warhol's famous soup-can paintings.

Michelle Durpetti Events celebrated its fifth anniversary April 11 with a "Fierce, Fabulous, and Five" bash at Chicago's Loft 644. An ornate dessert spread from Sugar Chic Designs held sweet treats from Lillycakes & Desserts. Lady apples drizzled in homemade caramel were displayed on a cake stand.

Royal Ontario Museum's "Ancient Prom" took place on April 6 in Toronto. Event organizers worked with sponsors to develop activations that tied into the theme. Ceramic Glaze offered nail art that used patterns from the museum's ancient collections.

To encourage tourism, British Airways and VisitBritain built a pop-up in New York—housed in 15,000 square feet of space inside SoHo's 82 Mercer—showcasing the current and past cultures of England, Scotland, and Wales. Held March 23 and 24, the promotion had a bar with a paper chandelier overhead. The chandelier featured cocktail recipes that guests could take home, as well as vintage photos of Great Britain and pages from British literature.

To launch a new collaboration between Adidas and British industrial designer Tom Dixon, the brand hosted a factory-style installation at the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan during MOST at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile from April 9 to 14. Design Research Studio, Dixon's firm, set the Adidas installation in a reconstructed 19th-century train station within the museum. Because the new line offers travel bags, designers placed the bags on the ground near the train. Overhead, a revolving rack held sportswear and apparel pieces from the collection.

TEDMed, a medical technology and healthcare event, took a different approach to food service for its annual conference dinner at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on April 17. Working with U.K.-based Gastrophonic and Occasions Caterers, it created a culinary experience that tied all the senses together. Each of the four food flights had its own theme that combined various small bites with a signature drink, musical score, and lighting scheme designed by Gastrophonic. One flight offered pomelo, green papaya, watermelon, and radish. The citrus flavors tied in with a jasmine tea margarita passed as guests arrived.

For a recent press event in Los Angeles, Paul Frank brought Starring Fragrances for a station that offered custom scents as takeaways for guests, based on their personal preferences.

Event Creative designer Meredith Treinen brought an East Coast look to the Ivy Room for the spirit's launch party in Chicago last summer. 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.

Susan Gage Caterers prepared a watermelon radish and citrus salad as the first course for the Atlantic Media Welcome Dinner on Friday night at the home of C.E.O. David Bradley. The menu also included seared sea bass with a bell pepper coulis, ginger basmati rice with pistachios, and julienne snow peas.

Time and People set up an adult lemonade stand serving specialty versions of favorite springtime cocktails at their joint Friday-night party at the St. Regis hotel. The names of the cocktails had a political theme: the tequila-based "Primary Punch" and a vodka-based drink called the "Delegate."

At The New Yorker's cocktail party, passed hors d'oeuvres from the W Washington D.C. included spicy ginger tuna with avocado, served on trays featuring former covers of the magazine.

Design Cuisine Caterers served a mix of savory and sweet brunch foods at the annual Garden Brunch on Saturday afternoon hosted by Tammy Haddad, Sally and Mark Ein, BizBash's David Adler, and others. Breakfast items included chilaquiles breakfast mugs of tortilla, pulled chicken, refried beans, monterey jack cheese, salsa, and sliced jalapeño.

Garden Brunch guests could choose from three types of tomato juice and a variety of vodkas and garnishes at a make-your-own Bloody Mary bar, sponsored by the Distilled Spirits Council.

A dessert buffet included treats such as white chocolate rocky road squares (pictured), peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich cookies, packaged brownies from Dog Tag Bakery, and banana tartlets.

Occasions Caterers served comfort foods at CNN's Political Hangover brunch. Mini chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, and sliders lined Pop Art-inspired buffet stations from Design Foundry.

Occasions staffers dressed like hot dog vendors wandered throug the party at Long View Gallery with mini hot dogs and traditional toppings of relish, mustard, and ketchup.

Occasions also catered MSNBC's after-party at the United States Institute of Peace. There were multiple flights of food for the buffets as well as fixed and roaming specialty stations. One of the roaming stations featured traditional and sweet potato french fries with a variety of toppings including chili, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, truffle oil, onion, and cheese curds.

There was also a fixed fries station serving guests to better accommodate the demand.

A chef created caricature pancakes of presidential candidates, as well as President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, at a specialty station. An overhead camera gave guests a view of the action.

The first wave of savory passed hors d'oeuvres included asparagus and gruyere beignets.

Occasions also passed espresso-crusted smoked beef carpaccio served on individual forks with a spicy herb salad as part of the early menu.

Around midnight, Occasions switched the menu from dinner to breakfast foods, serving mini huevos rancheros (pictured), french toast trios, and steak-and-egg burritos with havarti cheese.

The final wave of the menu began around 1 a.m. with dessert options including a trio of floats: root beer, egg cream, and Boston cooler.

For the poolside party, the Breakers constructed an elaborate ice sculpture featuring an array of encased fish and seafood.

Chicago-based Balloons by Tommy creates a wide range of balloon decor installations, including centerpieces, arches, bouquets, sculptures, and more. For a wedding at Ovation in July, the company designed a floating wall of balloons in various sizes. Pricing ranges from $250 to $20,000, depending on the style and size of the installations.

Kim Crawford Wines launched its new rosé the Beverly Hills Hotel, where the vibe was summery and sophisticated.