Dinner X Design 2017

September 12, 2017

“Dinner by Design brings together internationally celebrated designers and local talent to create three-dimensional dining installations that awe, inspire and delight. These extraordinary dining environments — from the lavish and romantic to the outrageous and whimsical — set the stage for two days of fun and fascination” (source: Dinner x Design, The Social Concierge)

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

With Dinner by Design 2017 fast approaching in a couple of months, I thought I would take a stroll down memory lane and show you the installation we did when we were invited (and thrilled) to participate in last year’s event. Especially wonderful is that pre-selected charities benefit from the event proceeds.

From concept, to planning, sourcing, building and implementation, it was a Herculean task to accomplish over a short couple of months, but we had an amazing experience and lots of fun putting it together along the way!

Charged with packing lots of design and imagination into only a 10’x 10’ space that can accommodate dining for 10, we started with brainstorming a design concept. Ultimately, we decided to blend our love of glamour with our nod to the masculine style we tend to use in our designs. Our concept was called:

TAILORED OPULENCE: TWO WORLDS COLLIDING

“Combining a masculine aesthetic with the playfulness of things sparkly and quintessentially feminine, I was inspired to create a seductive dining experience bathed in these seemingly conflicting styles.

A moody menswear-inspired chevron wall, walnut floors, and crown of ten polished-nickel lanterns asserts the masculine. Strong lines are repeated in the geometry of the lattice screens but with a nod to the opulent in their gold finish.

Feminine touches include a sumptuously extravagant hand-knotted Nepalese silk rug, gold-dipped stemware, and diamond-laden topiaries. Anchoring it all is an over-scale mirror reminiscent of a faceted diamond but framed in black to reinforce the masculine, tailored energy.

Strokes of green in the chairs and plant-scape mediate between these extremes with the soothing color of nature. The result: a luxurious and intimate blend that cocoons you and invites lingering engagement.”

It was time to put our concept to paper to see if it would translate visually into what we had in mind so we produced a sketch and a scaled rendering. Satisfied it did and with our submission embraced enthusiastically by the event organizers, the hard work began. I’ll save you images of the sweaty behind-the-scenes work and late-night sessions fueled by coffee…because it’s not pretty. Let’s skip to the good part: the final installation, prepped and ready to kick off the music-filled and glamorous Cocktail Art evening.