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DBD 2009 - HP

Gorgeous, even a little spirtitually peaceful.

DBD 2009 - Razortooth Design

Seriously, can I live somewhere that these walls would fly? I am researching locations that are weatherless and breezeless so these panels can be my only walls. Chances are, that is not in the Carolina's and it surely is not here in New York today. Where have these been all my plaster-walled life?

This dining room was magical but just did not sit up nicely for its photos or close ups: Photographing vibrant colors in that dark building was a mite easier. But I swear to you on my 50th Anniversary copy of Amy Vanderbilt, this was eye catching and glamorous. I hope you suspect that from these photos.

Ghost chairs made this job hellish.

The black stuff (technical term) placed all over actually sparkled but the lights in the room were so dim they did not make anything of the embellishment. I had to get within a foot of the terrier centerpiece to note the material of the black stuff. When I did, I was disappointed it wasn't used to greater effect because it carried light and colors beautifully. It is a shame a light was not directed towards it. The room looks dark because it was. Really, really dark. With clear chairs. A tad frustrating.

The centerpiece was a terrier which looked suspiciously like Mickey, my Mom's snarky Cairn, and the black stuff is loosely made in the shape of flowers.

It had elements of genius.

DBD 2009 Tracy Reese

What can I say here? This really did nothing for me in light of some of the others.





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DBD 2009 - NYDC 200 LEX

This installation was New York the way I normally would not think of it. One gets accustomed to the things they see in places they know well. I don't think twice before moving quickly past streetlights (on the napkins), all manner of trucks around town (on the dinner service), and graffiti (all over). But those elements contribute to our glorious city and this room so perfectly
captured all the things I miss in a day...

But here it all is, presented so that one understands this is a labor of love for cities and that even the blemishes are magnificent.

At first, I really did not get the fruit centerpieces. After I looked at the room for a while, I decided that while a million other objects could have been placed there, they do soften the scene and the colors fit in perfectly. Which is to say, not at all, because it is a vibrant free-for-all.


So, the Hostess will never own the place settings or napkins but someone less trad than I will and in the meantime, they tipped the balance of understanding for the consumer here: Everything rough and gritty about cities, brushed up, refined, and presented in such a way as to create an appreciation of the things we overlook in a day.

Right down to the graffiti'd crown moulding. Look really close, the ceiling is papered end to end in blue prints.
Completely over the top and definitely a masterpiece.

DBD 2009 - New York School of Interior Design

New Years? An engagement party? Broken glass and complete disaster? Could go either way. There were twinkling diamond-like rocks hanging from the ceiling on "invisible" string which created the effect of a diamond chandelier crossing the entire ceiling. "Diamonds" were recklessly tossed all over the table top. Against that peacock blue drape and under those lights, they were in optimum sparkle conditions. The photos do not do justice to the glow in this room.



The shattered-glass wall ties into the place settings which appear destroyed and glued back together. There was something glamorous and broken about it all at once.

DBD 2009 - Mark Blackwell

Certainly Mark Blackwell's sophisticated masculine dining parlor was luxe, beautifully executed, and completely mature. I was just in the mood for something lighter, I guess. But it was fabulous, hits of oranges and boxwood greens to finish struck perfect notes.

DBD 2009 - Kravet, the pink and green lovers

Perfect for a girls party in Palm Beach, Kravet's tribute to a girl-prep was hip and fun. I could see shoppers from Flat of the Hill and Island Outfitters loving all these familiar fabrications used in this way.
Is there anything that winks more at summer fun than a huge white picnic table? It's raining in New York today, and I am totally ready for summer and party in a tent like this one.



The table setting was crowded but pleasing in the exhibit-sense: Glittering, gold, of varied heights and textures.


Caged cupcakes: Fun. Only, the vibrant colors of the tent made me wish the cupcakes had been more vibrant as well, like those memorably featured in Lily Pulitzer's book in hot pink, lime, and golf greens.
On the whole, a really cheerful beach dream.

DBD 2009 - Jesgordon/ Properfun

Wasn't this installation just full of young exuberance? It stopped you in your tracks with bright-lights-big-city feeling and a noteworthy lack of self-consciousness. It was happy and contagious.

The young designers here are two sweet peaches, you would adore them. I could easily see this at a roof party in LA... at the top of The Standard, maybe.



Belt buckles! Given my profession, I love apparel references. One of my favorite place settings of all time involved a white ribbon attached with a large black mannish hook and bar in a room full of clubby men's references. This is equally as bright an idea: A tort belt buckle over wide grosgrain. Just fun and reminds us there is no craft that can not contribute if we think creatively.



I hope these girls do well in their endeavors. They were bright and enthusiastic. The design world could use more of them.

DBD 2009 Jerry Sibal

Right, so, huge butterflies at the corners of a illuminated stage. And then ghost chairs and tables. And as you can see from the photos, the "ghost" concept makes photography predictably difficult...

DBD 2009 - Gourmet: Madness, mayhem, and tea

At the bottom of the rabbit hole there is a mad hatter who just pitches a million china and porcelain patterns everywhere until there is no where left to sit, barely a way to think, and a visual onslaught so demanding the mind just spins around and falls down, down, down.

It was hard to miss the point: Madness, mayhem, and, oh, cup of tea? The settings, which were everywhere and nowhere all at once were a wild mismatch of nearly every stunningly beautiful pattern on the planet which ever deigned to make a teapot or cup. The colors were overwhelming but cheerful and alluring. I wanted to look away because it was such an obvious train wreck but I could not stop wondering how they captured the thing so thoroughly, nor why they wanted to.

I understand the appeal of Alice in Wonderland. Conceptually nothing could be more dream-like, as open to interpretation, or bursting with insanely brilliant possibilities. But it has a downside, which is that it is a story about madness. Some will feel one, some the other, precious dangerous few can reach both. I dove right into the patterns but it was not long before claustrphobia overtook me and I wanted to tidy the whole thing and slap that stupid rabbits' snout.

Honestly, looking at this table made me feel crazy inside. I just wanted to get away from it.
And so, it achieved its goal, did it not? Alice realized finally she was the only one at the tea party who was sane and wanted to jet. Much like the Hostess who refuses to deal with chaos.


I tell you, it was maddening this obtuse concept. Looking at these pictures rattles me anew.

DBD 2009 - Eric Warner

This is another Hostess favorite from the event: Eric Warner's Audubon and woodsy nod is a sleek tribute to the outdoors and our winged friends.

It is clean and dirty at the same time: Everything is white and light, clean fabrics and textures and equally as clean lines. Then the moss sod came under the Hostess' microscope: Ah, not on your life would that hit my table with nothing under it. It is no different than a picnic on the ground, if one thinks of it that way, but I am just not bringing it in to the house if it is not on a tray. But I adored it in the exhibit sense.

Sculpted mushrooms were a wonderful thought and the stark white color against the moss was perfect. Any flower used in place would not be as well conceived as this, I thought. The candle holders allowed a perfect warm illumination.

Both the thin leggy bird used as centerpiece (which still allows for conversation per the Hostess' first rule of centerpiece design) and the long, lean print upon the wall are drop dead gorgeous. They sync up the visual effect: Drawing the eye ever upward. For small dining rooms with a low ceiling this trick is invaluable.

On the whole, the room was contemplative and cerebral, one of few installations that knew so well the expectations of the human eye and how best to take advantage of our Creator's design talents in turn. Never mind the woodsy stuff which was itself glorious, the room was a masterpiece of heights and lights.

I get it; the place setting. I just wish the birds had not been so black in color. They were perhaps the only disappointment in this room. I wondered where the black came from because it did not flow.

I am shamelessly coveting these green horn utensils. Where have these been all my life?

DBD 2009 Doc Domus

Two things about this installation are great for future inspiration: First, I never would have placed long-stemmed flowers lazily in a shallow bowl. As I reviewed the pictures however, it seems refreshing and considerate to the calla lily which never looks as regal when cut short.
Secondly, though it is not easy to make out since the walls were navy blue, they were of rubberized basket weave. Selfishly, I wished they had selected the slightest tonalities of this color to make it more obvious in photography.

Beautiful and serene.

DBD Part 5 - Cotton

Can you imagine the work that went into this pillow wall?

Meant to create a lush comforting setting of greige cotton piece goods, this dining alcove was over the top and simple all at once. Even the tabletop settings were cut from cotton fabric; notice how everything but the centerpiece is flat as it is only fabric fashioned into plates and utensils. Huge bowls of newly picked cotton in varied sizes served as the centerpiece.

DBD Part 4 - Christopher Coleman and Angel Sanchez for Profiles

This dining room was clean and crisp, two things the Hostess loves in any scenario.

Graphic and artistic, it appeals to a closet minimalist who still goes in for bold color.

Did the place settings measure up to the decor, though? There are so many wonderful chargers and settings these days, it seemed this could have been more visually exciting. Also, though I understand that they were probably intended to balance out the tabletop, I am not a fan of darkly colored stemware.

DBD 2009 Part 3 - Campion Platt

The salad course will be moss, and for dinner, moon rocks! Delish! I giggled to myself upon further inspection of Campion Platt's richly hued and textured room. No doubt sophisticated though I had some trouble gathering what the inspiration might have been and it seemed not the most creative of the installations. The end result was a well balanced scene though I craved no individual part of the dining area or table top for my own. It is only my taste but it was more a shrug than a swoon.

DBD 2009 Part 2 - Alphaworks

This chic installation looks like a tear sheet straight out of Elle decor. It seemed approachable and achievable while maintaining a sleek edginess not the result of the standard palates of blacks, greys, whites, and neutrals often employed to reach such an end. I looked at it for a good while because it was a home-inspired concept, not the dreamscapes in the other dining rooms. I appreciated the way it brushed gently up against the dining rooms in all our homes and nodded to it.


The placesettings seemed trimmed in hammered metal tipped with dripping copper. More edgy than my taste but a novel curiousity nonetheless.

Dining by Design Table Installations Part 1 - Jose Cazzarola

Pier 94 in New York hosts both the Architectural Digest Home Design Show this week as well as the Dining By Design fundraising dinner for DIFFA (Design Industry Foundation Fighting AIDS). Yesterday I was lucky enough to be able to photograph the tables early when there was barely soul around.

I will review them in sets over the next few days as there are so many details to discuss and I am culling down more than 200 photos of these extraordinary dining installations set for dinner tonight. It was a wonderland of creative dining inspiration and I did not want Blushing readers to miss a high note. Some were not available for feeling and touching and I have guessed at the materials. Designers from the show reading are encouraged to correct and enlighten in the Comments area below their respective posts as most were not on hand to discuss inspiration or product orgin at the time I was viewing. Should you be in New York this weekend, the tables will be be available for viewing today as well.

The installation below was my absolute favorite, Midsummer Night's Dream, possibly. It is the work of absurdly talented Jose Cazzarola for Celebrate Flowers. It is worth a visit to their website both to see their amazing event design work as well as the ongoing sneak peeks at Jennifer Lopez's spa and Marc Anthony's office which are ammong the firm's ongoing projects.

The wooded glen mural behind is hand painted and surrounds the towering brightly hued mushroom canopy which seems to be painted fabric-covered sculpted foam. The underside is of shirred and pleated tonal fabrics. Glowing lights twinkle from the underside of the caps and finally the canopy was lit from ground up. It was otherworldly.

The tops of the toad stools are painted faux turf above more shaped mushroom stem bases. Chivari chairs were embellished with vines, moss, and leaves. The ground is of large bark mulch edged in live moss.

Below is the mushroom canopy. A twinkling butterfly visits this inspired paradise.

Can you see why Celebrate is the choice of many luxe party throwers and celebrities? I wish I was having dinner in this little oasis.