Surprise Winter Birthday Soiree

With only a few weeks' notice, we were invited to create a glimmering holiday-inspired SURPRISE birthday celebration at one of New York's most storied restaurants. The guest of honor's favorite spot is the famed Four Seasons restaurant in NYC so we used some of the best qualities of the space to design a sparkling winter dinner party.

The "water table" escort display that I originally designed for Lauren and Nick was a natural fit for this party since the miniature pool surrounded by lush white flowers echoed the large, beautiful pool that stands as the centerpiece of the Four Seasons restaurant. 

The private dining room at the restaurant is defined partially by its large and dramatic Pop Art pieces. To counter that and create a warm and serene environment, elegant lighting was crucial. We washed the room in amber light and then used a candlelight colored pattern wash over the entire space to create a sparkly effect.

We mixed round and rectangular tables throughout the room to help the guest of honor and the host re-imagine a space that they had been to dozens and dozens of times. This is the best way to make a familiar space feel new again.

Simple white floral landscapes mixed with mercury glass finial trees integrated a nod to the holiday season with a simple festive design that was not overly feminine for the male guest of honor.

The host loved the antique silver chargers that the Four Seasons provides - they were the base of the silver and gold palette that we used for the entire event. Silver and gold was mixed throughout including the use of silver chairs and gold cushions and gold napkins with silver crystal napkin bands. 

Thank you to Judith Rae for these beautiful photos!