Ideas

Instead of hosting a show at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents in 2011, Lacoste hosted a dinner for 40 at its Fifth Avenue store. The Manhattan space was under construction, so the apparel brand dressed it up with a stained and varnished plywood table under the exposed ceilings and wires, and marked chairs simply with numbers instead of place cards.

Marquee letters spelled out "cheers" at the welcome reception.

This year's event marked the brand's 35th anniversary, and elements of the decor nodded to the milestone.

Flowers from Shawna Yamamoto decorated tabletop centerpieces that marked the anniversary.

A yellow-brick-road-style entrance, lined with greenery, led guests to the space where the Emerald City ball was held.

The Emerald City ball had an Oz theme, with decor pieces in the form of oversize green gems hanging overhead.

Metallics and plants complemented the Oz theme.

An all-red assortment of desserts recalled the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.

Metallic table linens and Chameleon chairs added sparkle to the opulent look of the Emerald City ball fund-raiser.

An ice sculpture added to the Emerald City ball's sense of whimsy.

The closing gala was meant to evoke a modern look, nodding to the company's future.

An unusual arching centerpiece decorated a tabletop at the closing gala.

Towering centerpieces made a dramatic impact at the closing gala.

Oversize numerals served as decor in celebration of the big anniversary.

A photo station at the Bonus award winners' reception teased the event's red carpet theme. Calligraphy Katrina and Maison du Papier handled the calligraphy.

At the Bonus award winners' reception, a clean white logo decorated hedging.

At the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS' Dining by Design benefit in New York in 2012, David Stark's installation for Benjamin Moore used real books and hand-made pop-up books to highlight the concept behind the brand's slogan: “A whole new chapter in paint color technology is being written.”

"I love creating a unique place for guests to congregate and enjoy one another, so I thought, why not create a massive floral carpet that would serve both as a beautiful focal point and a gathering area? I designed a 'carpet' and filled it with hundreds of beautiful blooms and then covered it with Plexiglas. The result was a statement piece that allowed guests to dance on air." —Preston Bailey

"One of my favorite things is to take an ordinary space and turn it in to something completely unexpected. The Atlanta Hyatt, which was hosting an elite group of local and national corporate event planners, wanted to serve them dinner in one of the hotel kitchens. To make the space pop, we built floor-to-ceiling chalkboard walls on which we personalized each guest’s apron, laid wall-to-wall carpeting, and, my personal favorite, created one-of-a-kind hanging chandeliers out of plastic flatware. It was a complete transformation from boring to bold." —Steve Bales

Lucite chairs, candles, and sleek white linens dressed the 150-foot tables at the Joffrey Ballet gala in Chicago in 2010.

The 2006 Screen Actors Guild awards gala in Los Angeles had a striking but simple look from event designer Stanlee Gatti, with bunches of upside-down calla lillies hanging overhead. White furnishings were arranged in lounge-like formations.