Typically, centerpieces and tabletops are a chance for event and floral designers to create eye-catching displays of lush flowers and greenery. For a change of pace, events designers can think outside the flower box, forgoing blooms for more unconventional materials—without sacrificing elegance. From ice sculptures and candles to wishbones and eggs, here's a look at memorable, flower-free centerpieces used at recent galas, dinners, and festivals throughout the United States and Canada.
For the Luminato Festival, held in June 2016 in Toronto, guests were able to explore the Hearn Generating Station power plant, which is normally closed to the public. Inspired by the venue’s minimalist decor and clean lines, Luminato had Toronto architecture firm Partisans custom-design tall, glowing centerpieces for its opening gala.
Photo: Che Rosales
David Stark and his team designed the sixth annual Brooklyn Museum's Artists Ball, which took place in April 2016 at the New York museum. Inspired by Constantin Brancusi’s sculptures, particularly the “Endless Column,” Stark transformed the space with towering totems made from stacked rolls of household and industrial paper goods. They rose from the dining tables in varying heights, up to a soaring 21 feet.
Photo: Susie Montagna
Hunger-relief organization Food Bank for New York City celebrated its annual Can Do Awards Dinner in April 2018 at Cipriani Wall Street. The star-studded gala, which saw performances from Salt-N-Pepa and Kid Capri, had simple yet sleek centerpieces designed by Swoop that evoked the city’s skyline.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Food Bank for New York City
For the National Geographic Society’s June 2013 anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C., Syzygy Events International used custom glacier ice sculptures as on-theme centerpieces.
Photo: Robert Isacson
To celebrate the public opening of the Broad in Los Angeles in September 2015, event producer Ben Bourgeois was inspired by the art museum’s unique design. Laser-cut paper foldouts as tabletop centerpieces represented the architecture of Grand Avenue and surrounding buildings downtown, including Disney Hall and the new Broad. LED lights illuminated the representations of the buildings so they appeared to glow from within.
Photo: Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging
At Diffa Chicago’s Dining by Design in November 2013, the Coalesse table, designed by Gensler, had subtle twinkle lights and a wishbone pattern swirling on its walls. The table's centerpiece was a dense arrangement of wishbones, laid over a row of softly glowing electric candles.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
The Robin Hood Foundation celebrated its 30th anniversary May 2018 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. The benefit, which had a “Lights of New York” theme, had three-sided mini marquee centerpieces that offered messages of gratitude and celebrated the organization's anniversary. David Stark Design and Production designed the event.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
At Diffa Chicago’s Dining by Design in November 2015, Wolf Gordon by the Gettys Group’s table had a "fireplace" that was actually made of illuminated water vapor.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
The Catalina Island Conservancy celebrated its 22nd annual ball in April 2017 at the Avalon Casino Ballroom. The 500-attendee event had a “Taking Flight” theme, which documented the conservancy’s work to monitor the Southern California island’s seabirds. Centerpieces were made from tall twig-like wires, which had a table number on top in the shape of a bird wing. The conservancy designed the event and the centerpieces in-house.
Photo: Shana Cassidy Photography
In January 2016, the Walrus Foundation hosted its annual gala at the Fermenting Cellar in Toronto. The event paid homage to the Canadian city, and the skyline appeared in imagery at the bar, on the walls, and more. Tabletops were decked with miniature renderings of the Toronto skyline, created in paper by artist Kalpna Patel.
Photo: Tom Sandler
Held in May 2018, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Mission Creek Gala was designed by Gillian Valentine with the goal of highlighting four distinct habitats of the California city, including the coastal wetlands. The coastal habitat had an elegant under-the-sea theme, with light, silver tableware and centerpieces of small tide pools filled with starfish, shells, and other ocean-inspired elements.
Photo: Barron Spafford
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Butterfly Ball, held in Chicago in May 2013, had a farm-like atmosphere. Playing off the event's “Savour Nature” theme, which highlighted the new exhibition “Food: The Nature of Eating,” Event Creative brought in vegetable-centric decor. Tables were decked with miniature gardens potted with tomatoes, colorful peppers, asparagus, and kale; around the centerpieces, fairy lights in miniature Mason jars added to the elegant yard-party vibe.
Photo: Steve Becker/beckermedia.com
At an October 2016 dinner for Culture Lab Detroit, designer David Stark took inspiration from Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen's Cosmopolitan Chicken Project, a multimedia examination of chicken breeding. More than 80 dozen eggs in open egg cartons formed a simple but effective centerpiece for the 55-seat table. After the party, the eggs were donated to the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm.
Photo: Susie Montagna
The Art Institute of Chicago's Snap Gala in October 2013 benefited the Photography Gala Fund and took on, appropriately, a photography theme. INDO handled the decor, which included centerpieces made of glowing, vintage slides.
Photo: Julia Stotz
At a film benefit honoring Quentin Tarantino, held in December 2012 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the museum’s in-house event department adopted a monochromatic, masculine look. A mix of round and rectangular clear Lucite tables formed the dinner setup in the atrium. The sleek look was matched by clear chargers and ghost chairs; clusters of pillar candles replaced flowers as centerpieces.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
