"I'm making this into a happening party—with decadence," event producer Michael Venedicto of XM Style explained at BMG's post-Grammy awards party at Gotham Hall. His definition of decadence: bright lights, big stars and bondage-inspired decor, plus heavy-duty dance music and Urbani caviar and truffles (Annisa chef Anita Lo created the menu).
The party was anchored around a retro-style lounge in the venue's main hall, which was decorated with enormous projection screens that displayed moving BMG logos and graphics while Bentley Meeker doused the space with red and sienna light. Venedicto (a California-based designer who brought along his West Coast staff) used mismatched red and black chairs, ranging from egg-shaped leather swivel seats to straight-backed Lucite chairs. The downstairs rooms had what Venedicto called a "Victorian-meets-bondage" S&M theme, with curved black leather sofas, mirrored cocktail tables and photo blowups of men and women in bondage gear. Fun dessert food stations were filled with cookies.
About 3,000 invites went out for the party—the venue's capacity is 1,200—and guests included music biz power players like Clive Davis and a mix of new and old faces, including Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, Avril Lavigne and Kelly Osbourne.
—Jill Musguire
The party was anchored around a retro-style lounge in the venue's main hall, which was decorated with enormous projection screens that displayed moving BMG logos and graphics while Bentley Meeker doused the space with red and sienna light. Venedicto (a California-based designer who brought along his West Coast staff) used mismatched red and black chairs, ranging from egg-shaped leather swivel seats to straight-backed Lucite chairs. The downstairs rooms had what Venedicto called a "Victorian-meets-bondage" S&M theme, with curved black leather sofas, mirrored cocktail tables and photo blowups of men and women in bondage gear. Fun dessert food stations were filled with cookies.
About 3,000 invites went out for the party—the venue's capacity is 1,200—and guests included music biz power players like Clive Davis and a mix of new and old faces, including Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, Avril Lavigne and Kelly Osbourne.
—Jill Musguire
BMG's post-Grammy awards party at Gotham Hall got hot when Bentley Meeker doused the entire space with red lights and XM Style placed enormous projection screens displaying moving BMG logos in the venue's main hall.
Event producer Michael Venedicto filled the downstairs rooms with what he called a "Victorian-meets-bondage" S&M look with large photo blowups, curved black leather sofas and red leather seats.
Dessert food stations offered fruit tarts and cookies surrounded by wheatgrass and flowers.
Venedicto created a retro-style lounge with distinct seating areas using mismatched red and black chairs, ranging from egg-shaped leather swivel seats to straight-backed Lucite chairs and leather couches.
