Paradise Found

Last night I was lucky enough to attend the Horticultural Society of New York's annual Spring Gala with my great friend and colleague Colin Baer of Colin Baer Events. Colin was one of 20 decorators invited to design a dinner table for the event based on the theme "This Side of Paradise." (What a brilliant way to save money in the budget while at the same time enjoying the talents of the best florists and decorators in the city!)

Colin asked me to work with him on his dinner table, which I was flattered and thrilled to do. Colin is so talented and I knew he would create something spectacular and original, so of course I wanted to be a part of it! The concept for our table was a modern urban paradise. We knew most of the designers would interpret "paradise" in the more expected ways, such as a tropical or island feeling, so Colin was smart enough to take it in another direction. We were picturing a super-chic roof deck dinner party with lots of lush green plants, so Colin created a four foot tall vertical garden with lady slipper orchids, flamingo flowers, succulents, ferns and a variety of mosses. And wow, did it turn out gorgeous!

I worked with Colin to select and style the various tabletop items - furniture, linens, china, glassware, and so on. From Party Rentals we chose a gorgeous gray silk dupioni fitted tablecloth, modern glass chargers and plates, sleek mother-of-pearl flatware, black and white striped napkins (to echo a sun umbrella or window awning), and a variety of deep purple accents to pick up the petals of the orchids. I love how it all turned out!

Meanwhile, there were some other fabulous tables on display, like this poppy-inspired one from the The Designers' Co-Op. Talk about eye candy! The huge flowers were all hand-made from gauze that was custom-dyed and molded...

Ooh, and this Asian fantasy from Bardin Palomo... check out those chair covers!

Bloom-filled vases paired with glossy black tablecloth, from David Beahm Design...

and a garden extravaganza from Flowers, Sticks and Stones...

What a fun night it was. Hopefully, I will have more photos to share in the future... it really was something to see. And to Colin, thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of event, and kudos for a job spectacularly well done!

All images via Biz Bash (except #2 and #3, via Colin Baer)