The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 71st annual Golden Globe awards took over the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom last night. And barring a small preshow snafu that saw a sprinkler flood a portion of the red carpet, the night proceeded with all of the opulence for which it’s well-known.
With exceptions like HBO’s splashy red-bathed bash, several parties went with subdued, neutral palettes including a masculine and New York loftlike look for Fox; neutral tones and natural greenery for the Weinstein Company; a steel blue- and grey-dominated NBCUniversal bash that took its decor cues from sponsor Chrysler; and cream, gold, and black for AMC—with nary a rainbow hue in sight. Even HBO’s party dialed back the over-the-top looks that might have been a natural choice given its Globes-winning miniseries Behind the Candelabra. The party's designer, Billy Butchkavitz, said he "added a cup of restraint" to Liberace's "over-the-top kitsch." In Style’s party was another exception to the muted-palette prevalence, with designer Thomas Ford choosing magenta, plum, and ice blue details.
Another theme that echoed was a distinctly residential look and feel. Fox’s details included tufted leather seating and books stacked artfully on shelving; AMC’s party got seating groups cozily arranged for optimal viewing; and the Weinsteins’ bash employed Astroturf, patio furniture, and lattice to evoke a garden feel. An additional common theme: the use of patterned panels and screens, which appeared at NBC's and the Weinsteins' parties.
Here's a closer look inside the parties from Golden Globes week, including Bafta L.A.’s tea party, Art of Elysium’s gala, and HBO’s Luxury Lounge.
Producer Best Events had new freedoms this year when it came to the Weinstein Company’s Golden Globes party: The Beverly Hilton recently removed the giant palm trees that have been in the center of the event space every year. This gave the production team an uninterrupted footprint for the first time in the 15-plus years it has hosted the event. Instead of erecting two tents to work around the palms, the event made use of one large 100-foot round tent, cut in half with a 30-foot extension (that created the shape of a D). The party's sponsors included Marie Claire, Fiji Water, Lexus, and Netflix.
Moët & Chandon passed its mini bottles on the red carpet arrivals line.
For the In Style and Warner Brothers party, Thomas Ford of Tom Ford Designs constructed a tent over the Beverly Hilton Hotel fountain and transformed the venue into a space meant to evoke a futuristic galaxy where DJ Michelle Pesce spun for the crowd.
The room was accented by hot and cold contrasts of magenta, plum, and ice blue set against deep blue walls, which were covered in fiber-optic lights.
As the focal point of the room, 3,600 individual squares of multicolored film, connected by 14,400 metal rings, formed what the hosts billed as an “aurora borealis of iridescent color.”
As part of the party, Abel McCallister Designs also constructed a chocolate lounge for Godiva, where a series of sculptural chocolate installations incorporated artistic interpretations of heart images in an homage to romantic film and TV scenes.
For HBO’s party at the hotel’s Circa 55 restaurant and adjoining pool and pool deck, Cindy Tenner worked with designer Billy Butchkavitz to transform the space altogether—including covering the hotel’s iconic pool with a lounge constructed by Special Event Contractors. Overall, the party’s palette was red, camel, and leopard prints and colors. “I always have some heavy inspiration for events like the Golden Globes, but for this year’s design theme, I just wanted to have fun,” Butchkavitz said. He drew ideas from "Diana Vreeland’s love of red and leopard and the over-the-top kitsch of Liberace," he said.
A dramatic 130- by 24-foot wall covered with red and camel damask patterned draperies created a backdrop while also concealing two floors of hotel guest rooms. Chandeliers encased in glass decked the walls.
Large-scale animated projections—a signature feature of the party—from Bart Kresa added movement to the event space.
The “Liberace Lounge” saw the hotel’s poolside Trader Vic’s bar turned into a space befitting the performer portrayed in HBO’s Behind the Candelabra. Liberace stage costumes from the film were on display.
The design of the Fox Golden Globes party was what its producer 15/40 Productions described as “the ultimate New York loft.” Brick- and wood-paneled walls, Chesterfield couches, and oxblood carpeting accentuated with ash-colored wooden flooring decked the space—which hardly resembled a tent.
Patrón and Ultimat sponsored the bars, and Along Came Mary catered dinner, which guests ate at communal tables and other residential-style seating groups.
Arrangements of branches and succulents topped Fox's long tables.
Faux industrial beams added major visual drama to tent ceilings.
Candles decked an open-back bar, which offered a view of the Golden Globes red carpet arrivals line at the Beverly Hilton below.
A programmable water wall bar backdrop rotated through text and patterns for a hypnotizing effect.
Best Events went with a garden feel for the exterior with 5,000 square feet of Astroturf, trees, and wrought-iron patio furniture, and the inside space had the look and feel of an atrium. To underscore the theme, custom lattice pieces hung from the ceiling, flanked by living plants.
SBE Catering provided the food for the Weinsteins' party, where such bites included Jose Andres's molecular gastronomic take on olives from the Bazaar at the SLS.
Chris Benarroch worked with 15/40 to produce what Benarroch described as “a very sleek look this year" that created "a modern yet luxe environment.” To achieve the look, the team used cream Ultrasuede furnishings, smoked mirrors, and gold and black accents that highlighted sponsor logos.
Chandeliers filled black drum shades, and a raw bar was lit from underneath for some added drama.
The look of the NBC party was inspired by its sponsor Chrysler, with the steel blue and grey tones of the automaker's brand dictating the decor in the space, said Mark Yumkas of event producer Angel City Designs.
Patterned panels added visual interest within the space, which progressed from viewing- to after-party and included a performance by up-and-comers Youngblood Hawke.
In celebration of NBC's partnership with Coca-Cola for the upcoming Olympic broadcast, the beverage brand set up a mini museum of Olympic memorabilia.
The Art of Elysium held its seventh annual black-tie gala known as Heaven—the group’s largest annual fund-raiser—on Saturday at the Skirball Cultural Center with sponsorship from Mercedes-Benz. A theme for the night was "resonance," so a decor centerpiece hanging overhead was meant to evoke an elongated speaker.
Guests bid on the event's handcrafted tables, which will be donated to hospitals as surfaces for children to create art.
A liquid caprese was among the dishes on a so-called "living menu," meant to be nutrient-, antioxidant-, and vitamin-rich.
An understated floral look in red and white decked CBS's pre-award fete.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles celebrated the weekend with its annual Bafta Los Angeles Awards Season Tea Party on Saturday at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. Nominees, execs, celebrities, and Bafta members dined on a spread of traditionally British tea and scones. Flowers filled teapots for eye-catching decor.
The Union Jack figured prominently in various details, including mugs and wrapped vases.
HBO and Mediaplacement invited media and celebrity guests for the annual HBO Luxury Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. At the event, Pandora gifted its rings to guests and provided a mini red carpet—complete with a tiny step-and-repeat wall—for hand photo ops. It was a logical complement to the adjacent manicure stations.
In Pandora's suite, the brand made a game out of gifting. Each guest was invited to open a bow-tied drawer and retrieve a card that corresponded to a gift from the fashion jewelry brand.
