American Harvest Organic Spirit Launch Party
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.
Photo: AveryHouse
American Harvest Organic Spirit Launch Party
Lighting cast leafy projections on the walls.
Photo: AveryHouse
American Harvest Organic Spirit Launch Party
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.
Photo: AveryHouse
American Cancer Society's Discovery Ball
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.
Ettelson Photography
American Cancer Society's Discovery Ball
Topiaries decorated the stage.
Photo: Ettelson Photography
American Cancer Society's Discovery Ball
Hurricane glasses held candles at the center of each table.
Photo: Ettelson Photography
Seattle-based event designer Matthew Parker (206.218.7969, matthewparkerevents.com) specializes in using paper to create custom, site-specific props and decor, like this paper-airplane installation designed for HeARTbeat, a fund-raiser for the Artfund Associates in June at the EMP Museum in Seattle. Inspired by Boeing, one of the nonprofit’s largest supporters, Parker strung 1,000 paper airplanes crafted from old Artfund newsletters from the venue’s ceiling. “When designing for large spaces on a tight budget, it’s important to think big and in multiples,” Parker said. “I like using paper decor at events because it’s cheap and versatile.” In addition to intricately cut and folded paper, Parker’s installations have also incorporated coffee filters, paper snow cone cups, and cardboard.
Photo: Jena Lacomis Garcia
Liven up in-office celebrations with the Tangram Printable Party Décor set from Melangerie Inc. The PDF file, $12, includes instructions for printing, cutting, and assembling signage, place cards, mobiles, table runners, and more.
Photo: Jen Huang Photography
Zipper 8 Lighting (zipper8lighting.etsy.com) offers pendant lamps, from $65 each, created using pages from novels, sheet music, and phone books.
Photo: Courtesy of Zipper 8 Lighting
Custom paper flower displays, like these designed by Ara Farnam of Rock Paper Scissors Events in New York, can replace pricier fresh flower centerpieces.
Photo: Lauren Gabrielle Photography
Ceci New York’s intricate lasercut paper placemats, $25.95 for four, and place cards, $12.95 for eight, are available in a variety of coordinating patterns and shapes.
Photo: Courtesy of Ceci New York
D. Sharp’s (studiodsharp.com) hand-drawn Letterpress Boomboxes, $12 each, slide open so they can hold small favors.
Photo: Courtesy of D. Sharp
Adorn cocktails and desserts with Sweet Déjà Vu’s (sweet dejavu.etsy.com) edible pieces of rice paper, from $3 for 30, in the shape of snowflakes, flowers, leaves, and more.
Photo: Courtesy of Sweet Déjà Vu
Luna Bazaar’s (800.223.1106, lunabazaar.com) White Pizelle Designer Paper Lantern collection, from $28 each for orders of 12 or more, offers eight lacy design options.
Photo: Courtesy of Luna Bazaar
Floral and event designer Natasha Lisitsa of Waterlily Pond used extra-large paper flowers, two for $19.99, from Mexevents (888.722.4264, mexevents.com) to decorate an entryway at an event in San Francisco.
Photo: Erin Beach Photography
Artist Julene Harrison (madebyjulene.com) creates custom, hand-cut table numbers, from about $50 each, with discounts for orders of 10 or more. Her designs can be modern or intricate, and are easily slipped into acrylic photo frames for display.
Photo: Courtesy of Julene Harrison
The Chanel Flower Screen, available to rent through Ruth Fischl, $700 per panel, can function as a room divider, back-bar display, or arrivals backdrop.
Photo: Courtesy of Ruth Rischl
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.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
One of the more ambitious installations was the two-story tree house that Evette Rios designed for hayneedle.com. Constructed by John Zukowski of C&C Design Construction Group, large tree trunks functioned as steps leading up to the table. An alcove with a hammock and a grass-covered floor was tucked underneath the structure.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Led by Isabel and Ruben Toledo, New York University students put together a table with a shabby-chic theme.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
The focus of Domus Design Collection’s installation for The New York Times was a giant, living wall of textured greenery. Also cool: a Waterford Crystal chandelier intertwined with an umbrella hung above the table.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Alexa Stevenson styled an ambitious table for the New York Design Center titled "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?" Nine of N.Y.D.C.’s Access to Design designers imagined cheeky place settings for their dream (deceased) dinner party guests, including Coco Chanel, Elizabeth Taylor, and Steve Jobs. Imagined to be set in a glamorous, haunted mansion, the macabre centerpiece included moss, succulents, and a skull inside a glass cloche.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Eric Warner's table for Aesthete Ltd. had a subtle equestrian theme. LED tea lights and globe lights hung from stirrups and horse bits, and horse motifs appeared on the plates and the art hanging from the walls.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
Many of the tables this year opted against traditional floral centerpieces. David Stark's whimsical installation for sponsor Benjamin Moore, based on the brand’s new Color Stories paint collection, played off the slogan “A whole new chapter in paint color technology is being written.” The library-inspired setting featured a table made from actual books, with handcrafted pop-up books serving as a centerpiece.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
DESIGNLUSH's setting was an homage to 1970s fashion designer Paco Rabanne. Housed inside a golden pool cabana, the focal point of the look was a two-tiered, rectangular gold paillette chandelier commissioned from Le Lebow, the Paris firm that made the paillettes for Rabanne's mini dresses. The table displayed wine bottles coated in real gold using a process adapted from industrial use.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
Jes Gordon created a fun, fluorescent look using a variety of recycled materials, including milk-crate shelving, vintage toys, neon ribbons, and painted books. Gordon invited attendees to write wishes for those affected by AIDS on strips of neon paper, which she attached to a towering centerpiece crafted from wire hangers with paper clips.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
Goil Amornvivat, Thomas Morbitzer, and Tietz-Baccon created intricate C.N.C.-cut walls depicting spaceships, unicorns, trains, pirate ships, dragons, and more. Cloud-shaped benches surrounded a multidimensional clear-top table displaying a tiny town of mirrored houses holding LED candles.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
The ubiquitous QR code took center stage at the Input Creative Studio table. The illuminated tabletop was cut to resemble a QR code, with neon Lucite towers growing out of the center. Recyclable takeaway containers—a commentary on the temporary nature of digital society—took the place of traditional place settings.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
Students from the New York School of Interior Design (working with design mentor Clodagh) used rope to create a dramatic setting. In lieu of any type of centerpiece, a chandelier of Lucite and filament bulbs was reflected in a mirror running down the table's center.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
Stephanie Goto also skipped a centerpiece, instead creating what she called a "chan-dine-lier." Designed to feel like dining inside of a chandelier, the quirky table was encircled by fluorescent PVC strips. Inside, a circular bench surrounding the table was interrupted every few feet with a 2-D cut-out of a seated person.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Patterned Fabrics
Several tables incorporated patterned fabrics. Marimekko's "Color Therapy" exhibition balanced the company's colorful patterned fabrics with plain white chairs and plates.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Patterned Fabrics
Jonathan Adler's design for Kravet featured his yet-to-be-released new fabric collection. The upholstered chair "walls" formed vase cut-outs when pushed together, referencing the centerpiece of various ceramic and porcelain vases on the fabric-covered table.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Patterned Fabrics
Echodesign's space had a modern tribal feel, with a feather chandelier, printed fabric panels, and a patterned table runner that extended down to the floor.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Patterned Fabrics
The Tilton Fenwick table was an explosion of floral patterns. The Christian LaCroix-inspired look sat atop a platform hand-painted to match the tablecloth. Clear Chiavari chairs were chosen so as not to compete with the pattern.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Neutral Palettes
Several of the tables had organic, neutral palettes. Ralph Lauren Executive Vice President and CRO Alfredo Pares (who received the inaugural David Rockwell Diffa Service Award this year) hosted an natural-looking table designed by Mark Cunningham Inc. A woven Kwangho Lee lighting fixture dripped into a metal bowl filled with oversize leaves.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Neutral Palettes
A burlap-wrapped filament bulb fixture lighted Marc Blackwell's bar-height table for La Crema. Moss centerpieces inside glass cloches completed the rustic yet elegant look.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Neutral Palettes
Ralph Lauren went with a cozy, ski-chalet-inspired look. Centerpieces of snowberries and wrought iron lanterns created a runner down the center of the rustic wood table. Other striking details included a faux fireplace, Pendleton-inspired bench cushions, and an antler chandelier.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Neutral Palettes
For the first time, Diffa expanded beyond dining installations to feature a custom bar and lounge area, sponsored by EFFEN Vodka and designed by the brand’s designer partner, Richard Chai. The modern space showcased a sculptural blonde wood bar inspired by the circular shape of the EFFEN bottle.
Photo: Marion Curtis/Star Pix
Diffa Trend: Residential Design
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.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Residential Design
Roger Thomas's setting for Maya Romanoff had the feel of a fancy dining room in a penthouse apartment. The organic centerpiece—a mound of moss dotted with mushrooms, quartz, and orchids—contrasted with the luxe gold place settings.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Residential Design
Interior designer Libby Langdon's table for Liebherr showcased a chandelier made from wine bottles and filament bulbs. A lush centerpiece of greenery, succulents, and moss completed the homey style.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Residential Design
Arpad Baksa Architect recreated a New York City apartment rooftop party that included faux pigeons and hanging glass globes filled with viburnum.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
At the 2012 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, presenting sponsor Belvedere offered refreshing beverages made with their Lemon Tea vodka, including the Lemon Tea Classic Punch, a drink that featured sherbet, black tea, and a mint sprig garnish.
Photo: Aubree Dallas for Belvedere Vodka
At Barbra Streisand's recent fund-raiser for the Cedars-Sinai Women's Heart Center in Malibu, guests helped themselves to a raw fruit and veggie bar. In place of a tablecloth, organizers used a quilt to match the vintage-inspired aesthetic of the event.
Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages
Nothing says summer like fresh seafood. At the Power Ball in Toronto, V.I.P. guests helped themselves to shrimp and freshly shucked oysters at a chilled seafood bar provided by Petite Thuet.
Photo: Josh Fee for BizBash
Petite Thuet also served a colorful dish of seafood paella at the Power Ball.
Photo: Josh Fee for BizBash
A garden-inspired dish featuring seasonal vegetables by Great Performances in New York can stand in for a traditional floral centerpiece.
Photo: Courtesy of GreatPerformances
En Ville Event Design & Catering in Toronto created a picnic-themed display of fruit, bread, and cheese for a summer event.
Photo: Courtesy of en Ville Event Design & Catering
For Heineken's Inspire Tour in 2010, the food was adapted to the New York market with items like Reuben sandwiches, Chinese dumplings, hot dogs, and falafels served from street carts.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
Guests at Stella McCartney's 2011 spring preview were treated to shaved ice by People's Pops in New York.
Photo: Andrew H. Walker/WireImage for Stella McCartney
At Stella McCartney's Resort 2013 collection preview, waitstaff passed citrus-infused cocktails in Mason jars.
Photo: Jim Shi
Also at Stella McCartney's Resort 2013 collection preview, dessert stands offered sweets from Coolhaus and Pie Corps (pictured). At the latter, guests could also pick up prepackaged jars of fruit cobbler.
Photo: Jim Shi
McCartney's carnival-themed presentation also had a mac 'n' cheese station. Guests could grab a mini serving wrapped in a spinach cone from a Ferris-wheel stand, or opt for a full cup that could be topped with veggie bacon bits, truffle oil, jalapeños, scallions, or sriracha sauce.
Photo: Jim Shi
For the grand opening of the Miami Airport Convention Center in Miami earlier this year, the venue's catering team created an edible garden using toasted pumpernickel crumbs as "dirt" with spears of baby carrots, asparagus spears, and zucchini, as well as baby tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella "flowers."
Photo: Harvey Bilt
At this year's Luminescence gala in Chicago, passed canapes included cured salmon lollipops, displayed on beds of wheatgrass.
Photo: Courtesy of John G. Shedd Aquarium
As part of Colgate's White Beauty Bar event in Los Angeles, Skintimate treated attendees to a self-serve sorbet station.
Photo: Glenn Lipton
Boston-based event design firm LoLo Event Design recommends setting up self-service bars at summer events. The display includes premixed drinks in large Mason jars, along with fresh herbs and seasonal flowers.
Photo: Studio Vitri
For a fun spin on a summer favorite, LoLo Event Design has caterers serve passed bite-size ice cream cones and ice cream sandwiches.
Photo: Bliss Celebration for the Charles Hotel
At this year's Tony Awards gala in New York, guests could serve themselves cups of YoArt's frozen yogurt. There were 80 different toppings, including fresh fruit and gummi candies.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
Tabú nightclub at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is offering several Fourth of July-inspired cocktails this summer. The White Night (pictured) is a sweet and savory blend of Malibu rum, Frangelico, Rumplemintz, and cream strained and served over ice, then garnished with raspberries and blueberries.
Photo: Johnny Mancuso/onefive4.com
At Barbra Streisand's fund-raiser for the Cedars-Sinai Women's Heart Center in Malibu, colorful floral arrangements in wooden vases played off the outdoor setting.
Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages
For the dinner, held inside Streisand's home, the summery atmosphere featured neutral tones and fresh-picked centerpieces.
Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages
California-based rental company Archive Rentals offers a large collection of authentic vintage Western and camping-themed items, including reclaimed barn-wood tables, camping trailers, Airstream trailers and canoes.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
The centerpieces at Diffa's Garden gala in Chicago this year included candelabras wrapped in greenery and white flowers surrounded by Mason jars holding tealights.
Photo: Nicholas Foli
For the Central Park Conservancy's annual "Taste of Summer" event in New York, designer Marc Wilson punched up the all-white furnishings with drapes and throw pillows in bright pink, green, and yellow hues.
Photo: Peter Peck Field
The V.I.P. area of Toronto's Power Ball was styled with rustic elements for an English-picnic look. Designers used loading palettes as banquet seating and cocktail tables.
Photo: Josh Fee for BizBash
Markus Daly Ryan produced Univision's Deportes launch in New York, where picnic tables formed the bulk of the seating and found lumber was turned into cocktail tables for a neighborhood-block-party feel.
Photo: Brian Ach/AP Images for Univision
At Stella McCartney's Resort 2013 presentation, a large cart overflowing with roses and peonies stood near the entrance to the venue. As guests left, they were given small bouquets or single stems as festive gifts.
Photo: Jim Shi
At Glossed & Found's Meredith Wendell luncheon in Chicago, A Perfect Event placed giant, colorful pool inflatables throughout the venue to set the tone for the pool party theme.
Photo: Trevar Evett/Fig Media
For the picnic-inspired Absolut Orient Apple launch party in New York last summer, organizers covered the floor of the indoor venue with sod, and brought in live trees and wooden barrels filled with thousands of apples.
Photo: Gustavo Campos
At a Belvedere-sponsored event during the 2012 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, guests sat on haystacks covered with bright orange blankets and chevron-patterned pillows.
Photo: Aubree Dallas for Belvedere Vodka
Chevron-patterned linens were also used on cocktails tables, and sunflower bouquets served as centerpieces.
Photo: Aubree Dallas for Belvedere Vodka
This year's Adam Smith Awards gala, which took place in Washington, D.C., had a red-white-and-blue theme.
Photo: Nick Khazal
LoLo Event Design offers hand-painted handkerchiefs that can serve as table numbers at a garden event. Geraniums in a terra cotta pot have a more casual feel than an elaborate formal centerpiece.
Photo: Studio Vitri
LoLo Event Design also creates message-in-a-bottle place cards for beach-inspired events.
Photo: Kjeld Mahoney Photography
At Sears' and Kmart's 2012 collection press preview, the design team brought in foliage, benches, and six live canaries. The birds chirped from freestanding cages placed around the product vignettes.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
For an indoor summer-themed gathering, Swank producers used beach balls to create playful "chandeliers." Tables were covered in summery yellow and orange linens.
Photo: Courtesy of Swank Productions
At Glossed & Found's book launch party designed by A Perfect Event, guests took home summer cocktail recipes provided by Grand Marnier.
Photo: Courtesy of Debi Lilly
Megavision Arts created 2-D and 3-D wall projections as a nod to the pool theme at a party to celebrate newly renovated Los Angeles venue Nic's Beverly Hills.
Photo: David Corwin
The recent Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows 100th anniversary bash kicked off with a performance by the Aqualillies, a troupe of water-ballerinas.
Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Essie
At the Seersucker Ride and Social in Washington, D.C., guests enjoyed music from a 1920s jazz band. As a nod to the theme, participants dressed in seersucker and Jazz Age fashions.
Photo: Courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
Guests also played lawn games like croquet at the Seersucker Ride and Social.
Photo: Courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
At last year's Stella McCartney spring preview, guests played ping-pong at a table set up outside.
Photo: Andrew H. Walker/WireImage for Stella McCartney
Zen Arts in Southern California offers an array of entertainment that can take place in or around a pool, including their transparent spheres that hold performers and float on water.
Photo: Josh Reiss
At the Power Ball in Toronto, guests took a ride on wooden swings in the main party area.
Photo: Josh Fee for BizBash
At Sunglass Hut's summer block party in Miami, family-friendly games included corn hole, bocce ball, ping-pong, and hopscotch.
Photo: WorldRedEye.com
For Yahoo's Genome relaunch party in New York, organizers brought in a trio of synchronized swimmers from Gotham Synchro to swim in the venue's indoor pool. The water dancers sported alien-inspired body suits as a nod to the event's futuristic theme.
Photo: Sean T. Smith
Dubbed "Hannah Mermaid," model Hannah Fraser is available for corporate events, and specializes in underwater "aquabatics" and open-water diving.
Photo: Jaime Gianopoulos
At this year's Casa de Don Julio event in New York, the outdoor terrace was decorated with Mexican-inspired decor, with barrels and wooden benches used for guest seating and cocktail tables.
Photo: Marion Curtis/startraksphoto.com
For a recent pool party, the team at Swank Productions kept the decor streamlined, with a mostly white color palette, mirrored furnishings, and plenty of sheer draping.
Photo: Courtesy of Swank Productions
Susan Kelly of Three Sisters Custom Flowers & Events in San Francisco is working mini fruits into her fall arrangements. For a recent event, she used seckel pears, tiny purple grapes, and mini mandarins in the centerpieces. "I love using local fruits and vegetables in arrangements, and we have a bounty here in Northern California always available at our fabulous San Francisco Flower Market," she said. "Fall brings mini apples, pomegranates, persimmons, figs, and olives. Many are still on the branch with their foliage and look very dramatic."
Photos: Teresa Halton (Kelly), Courtesy of Susan Kelly (flowers)
Yumiko Fletcher from Hana Floral Design in Mystic, Connecticut, is mixing all kinds of orange flowers with seasonal accents this fall. "Orange pincushion proteas mixed with orange dahlias and peach garden roses are some great combinations, along with succulents and air plants, which are still very popular," she said. "Take out the pincushions, succulents, and air plants, and instead add in some millet, hay, and berries, and you've got a really soft fall palette that's playing off the color of the year."
Photos: Courtesy of Yumiko Fletcher
For a recent event, Erin Wochos Hornstein of Plum Sage Flowers in Denver created an earthy, elegant arrangement for a guest book and escort card display. "It was in a mercury glass pedestal vase, and mercury continues to be very popular this fall and winter as a container choice," Wochos Hornstein said. The arrangement held unusual materials, including dusty miller foliage, opaque dried moneytree branch, pheasant and ostrich feathers, curly willow, a bolsa wood bloom, a dried lotus pod, a copper cymbidium orchid, and a white larkspur bloom. "Feathers have been and will continue to be popular, but dried or wood blooms are becoming a beautiful new aesthetic for arrangements," she said. "I lined the edge of the vase with moss for an earthy feel."
Photos: Courtesy of Erin Wochos Hornstein
Jeffrey Foster of Event Creative in Chicago added fiber optics to arrangements of baby's breath at the Adler Planetarium's Celestial Ball on September 8. The tiny lights gave the flowers an appropriately "ethereal glow," Foster said. He'll also be using fiber optics at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's upcoming Symphony Ball—a mockup for the event is shown here, and the final arrangements will have flowers around the bases. "The Symphony Ball's theme is 'Seize the Night,' which made me think of lights," he said.
Photos: Courtesy of Event Creative
Mike Hines of Chicago's Mike Hines Signature is "excited to be working with grasses and birch" this season. He also just received a shipment of Dutch hydrangea, and is working with moss, driftwood, and other types of wood.
Photos: Courtesy of Mike Hines
Surrounded by camellia trees, the promenade area was redone as a garden space, reminiscent of Jean Cocteau's classic La Belle et la Bête. The room highlighted Chanel's fine jewelry collection alongside flowers that shone with diamonds.
Photo: Billy Farrell/BFAnyc.com
GBK Golden Globes Gift Suite
GBK hosted a lounge including gifts and services on Friday and Saturday at the L’Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Photo: Courtesy of GBK
Suspended mirrors were strategically placed behind the groves of trees at dinner to magnify their presence. Van Wyck brought in redbud and sycamore trees ranging in height, from 12 to 14 feet tall, and an array of rich colors, like burgundy, plum, and blood red.
Photo: Caleb Ferguson for BizBash
