Dream Job

"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

"We were influenced by our surroundings. We let the decor of Blue Hill at Stone Barns rule our aesthetic, letting nature dictate the design. The hand-hammered copper urn visually grounded the design." —David Beahm

"I find out what will be trending and available to the public around the time of my event—and then I avoid it." —Billy Butchkavitz

"The beauty of this design was the bold use of color, which complemented the essence of Picasso’s art without focusing on a specific piece of his work. It allowed guests to step into his world of color." —Jeffry Roick

"We designed a sunset dinner to showcase the New Museum’s Sky Room venue. Top-tier clients mingled in a space designed to convey the experience of watching the summer sunset from a field of foxtail millet." —Garin Baura

"We designed and built the Kino Bar as an homage to Montreal native Kino Guerin, a master furniture builder and sculptor who bends rigid woods to get beautiful, graceful flow and movement." —Michelle Gubitosa

"We were inspired by the beauty of Boston’s Harbor Islands at sunset, bringing the outside inside in a glass-enclosed tent surrounded by water." —Bryan Rafanelli

"The inspiration was a formal French garden, which originated from the French dances performed that evening. To make the vast space seem cozier we floated panels of lattice with wisteria and smilax over the dinner tables. " —DeJuan Stroud

"We designed sheer white fabric cubes floating low over each table. This produced both an impressive vision and gave an intimacy to the enormous tent. We accented them with summery yet minimal branch projections in a blue-green shade, providing detail and a coolness to the warm evening." —Bill Heffernan

At a baby shower created by Chicago-based Christina Janda Design & Events, guests took home a vintage cup and saucer filled with big blooming flowers.

Rose gold and copper are the metallics of choice in tabletop decor, says Laurie Arons of Laurie Arons Special Events in San Francisco.

An elderflower champagne cocktail with an edible flower garnish in crystal coupe glasses, accompanied by a large crystal punch bowl on a vintage gold bar cart, was presented at the Toast the Trends event hosted by the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago and bridal company Elaya Vaughn by Kate Pankoke in September.

Guests enjoyed dainty versions of a ­wedding cake created by the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago’s executive pastry chef, Scott Gerken, and his team for the Toast the Trends event.

“Modern geometric metallics are exploding in social event decor right now,” says event planner and stylist Ginger Dockery of Gingerwood Creative in Washington. “We’re seeing this motif as a popular way for couples to incorporate an on-trend element into classic celebrations. These are especially being shown in combination with soft elements to contrast the hard lines.”

“I thought the root system of the haworthia (pictured, right) looked dramatic, especially because the succulent itself has a harder texture, so it was important to show both sides,” says Matthew Schechter, event and creative director of Interior Foliage Design in Long Island City, New York.

Instead of over-the-top decor, New York-based event designer Jes Gordon used subtle silver trophies as vases for a sports-theme bar mitzvah.

"M&M's is an official sponsor of the Super Bowl, so we wanted to celebrate by creating an event that encompassed the glamorous side of chocolate. We wanted to create a luxurious yet fashion-forward speakeasy environment, which we felt was certainly befitting to the New Orleans-focused evening." —Jes Gordon

"I admire Picasso because his entire life was devoted to the creative process. I am presently going through my own blue period. Combining that with his guitar made for what I thought was a great theme for a museum party." —Stanlee Gatti

"We used a theme of minerals and semiprecious stone, with Brazilian agates and geode images for the walls and tables, anthracite leather banquettes, and garnet-colored carpet. It took seven people four days to hang all the gold mirrored chain for the ceiling installation." —Thomas Ford

"It was an honor to feel trusted and believed in by Carole Segal, who set the standard of retail design, not to mention the thrill of working with original pieces from the very beginning of Crate & Barrel." —Tom Kehoe

"The use of bamboo dipped in 18-karat gold with thousands of purple orchids imported from the Netherlands spilling out from crevices drilled into the bamboo all made for one explosive visual." —Marc Hall

"We always want to create unexpected moments for guests. We accentuated the industrial elevator entrance with a massive installation. Guests rode the elevator to the party, and later it transformed into a bar, which surprised guests after dinner." —Jung Lee

"The client asked for an interactive space where guests could use the Note II to do fun things like order a drink, share music, or design a T-shirt, device cover, or dessert. We designed four individual pod-like stations showing off each capability. We had one week to design, fabricate, and install the custom pieces." —Tony Schubert

"This corporate dinner needed to merge two very different companies: the lavish aspect of Moët Hennessey and the modern, urban edge of Wallpaper magazine. We played with contrast and scale by creating a floating garden overhead while the actual surface of the table was merely a strict double row of square glass votive candles." —Lewis Miller

"Geller Events turned to us to create a barn-style setting in a tent. We designed a dance floor area with a peaked ceiling using fabric and reclaimed wood beams. A drop-ceiling arbor over the dining area was covered with foliage and accented with wooden lanterns. Hand-painted hardwood floors helped set the stage of permanence for this temporary structure." —Edgardo Zamora

“We wanted to bring the Reidel brand to life organically with this centerpiece chandelier of 125 champagne flutes, each filled with a tinted resin and a ‘foam’ of micro glass beads.” —Andrew Stevens

An arrangement in a glass planter was made with four ingredients—Picasso lilies, lavender scabiosa, and Blue Thistle in a curly willow wrap. “I really dig this because you don’t need to be blinded by 100 flowers to make an impression,” Schechter says.