Table Top

Resource Furniture's table by interior designer Marie Aiello was an immersive, under-the-sea experience. A 7-and-a-half-foot-tall NanoLumens LED screen wrapped around the space, displaying high-resolution videos of people swimming in the ocean. A mix of air plants, pincushion proteas, and cockscomb ran down the center of the table, and a Torde Boontje LED Blossom chandelier hung from above.

Several tables incorporated patterned fabrics. Marimekko's "Color Therapy" exhibition balanced the company's colorful patterned fabrics with plain white chairs and plates.

Another trend was settings that took inspiration from the home. Ethan Allen went for a preppy Florida-vacation-home look with a grassy carpet, feathered flamingos, and a centerpiece of hot pink tulips.

A centerpiece of red flowers popped against the black-and-white palette of the table, which was set with lacy white plates and glossy black wine glasses.

Small, silver buckets of popcorn were overturned on each plate.

"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."

"Decor must tell a story—it isn't just about pretty anymore. French Wine Tasting Dinner? Toile linen, French lavender plants, crusty baguettes wrapped in parchment and twine ... check."

"I am wild about [hosting events in] small, intimate dining rooms in restaurants. Table 52's second-floor 'attic' is mecca in Chicago."

The Daffodil Ball turned the historic Windsor Station in Montreal into an Alice in Wonderland-inspired gala on April 26. To honor the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s classic story, the 19th annual Canadian Cancer Society fund-raiser brought a surreal and upscale version of the tale to life. The design for the dining room included five different table styles, seven linen combinations, three types of chairs, and four colors of chair cushions.

Another exotic, faraway-land theme graced the Alliance Francaise de Chicago benefit. Dubbed “Le Bal Magique du Maroc,” the May 12 gala at the Four Seasons Hotel was inspired by a Moroccan garden, and scent was important in bringing the vibe to life. For dinner tables in the ballroom, Kim Merlin of KKM Designs grouped Moroccan tea glasses, floating white roses, candles, lanterns, and bowls filled with fruits such as figs, oranges, and mangos added to the look and the aroma.

Relais & Chateaux hosted its Grand Chefs 2012 event, “Springtime in New York,” at Gotham Hall in New York on April 18. The centerpiece for each table was tall cherry blossoms with hanging candles. The votive candles were washed with a bronze gilt finish that cut the glare of the candles that often ruin this type of setup.

Gobos of flourish designs commonly found on historical Italian documents and books adorned the walls.

Jack Lucky designed two centerpieces for the dining tables, alternating between larger bouquets of light blue, coral, blue pink, and soft green flowers on two-foot gold pedestals, and shorter boxed arrangements of the same flowers.

DC Rental provided a mix of white, blush, and gold linens for the dinner tables to complement the soft pinks, corals, and light blues—all colors traditionally found in the architecture and paintings of Florence, Rome, and Venice—in the flower arrangements.

Pinspots highlighted the tall centerpieces on the tables in the room adjoining the main hall.

Electronic candles were suspended above the head table on glass shelves to complement the soft gold and yellow up-lights throughout the ballroom.

The venue projected gobos of cobblestone shapes onto the floor to recreate the ambiance of Italian streets and sidewalks.

The chef at Restaurant Associates worked with the head chef at the Italian Embassy to design the menu, which began with grappa-compressed melon with prosciutto and black pepper pecorino.

For dessert, the chefs created a red wine chocolate mousse accompanied by pistachio biscotti.

For Ruinart Champagne's afternoon tea and auction at the London in Los Angeles in October 2011, event planner Jes Gordon modernized high tea with white linens topped with khaki runners trimmed in bright, neon borders. Ping-pong paddles served as auction paddles.

Homemade sorbet from JPO Concepts, made with an herbal tea blend featuring hibiscus, rose, apple, and elderberries, offers a refreshing ending to a summertime tea party.

La Tavola Fine Linen Rental hosted its new collection release party at the Lombardi House in Los Angeles in April. There, the linen company joined with decor and design partners Found Vintage Rentals, Casa de Perrin, and Louloudi Design, which created the florals that complemented a dramatic ombre look at a long table.