funky ideas

At the Adidas-hosted private event during the N.B.A.'s All-Star Weekend, Night Vision Entertainment incorporated the footwear brand's white-on-white Adidas Superstar shoes into a spiral-like chandelier. To hang the footwear, producers attached suspension cords to laces that were tied around the bottom of the shoes.

In May, the Steppenwolf Gala at the Blackhawk on Halstead in Chicago had modern decor that
incorporated pages of script into decorative elements such as round chandeliers with scrunched up pages of text.

On July 28, the Watermill Center's annual benefit in the Hamptons showcased an abstract chandelier in the dinner tent, a piece created by artists Angelos Tsourapas and Vassilis Zidianakis of Atopos CVC that consisted of plastic recycling bags and pink fabric streamers.

For the 25th anniversary of the Teddy Bear Affair at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Children's Aid Foundation looked to replicate elements of the four seasons. In the spring area, clear umbrellas and glittering beads hung from the ceiling and the sound of falling rain played in the background.

For a speakeasy-inspired wedding, Seattle-based boutique design studio Matthew Parker Events, devised lighting fixtures made of hats from a party supply store, decorative ribbon, corded wire, and filament bulbs.

At the third annual Marfa Film Festival in Texas in 2010, the Café Bustelo filling station—designed by We Came in Peace—was marked by the coffee brand's traditional yellow, aluminum cans and signature heart logo. For lighting, the designers crafted flower-shaped pieces from cans that hung from the ceiling.

For its XO Cafe Noir party in November, Patrón Spirits Company tapped designer Abel McCallister Designs to create four chandeliers, each made of empty liquor bottles and embellished, black lampshades.