Transforming spaces

I'm deviating from my normal "house" blogging to write about an event I'm involved in this year, and every year for the past eleven years....my children's school auction. Over the course of a few days St. Joseph's Wyckoff gym is transformed into a spectacular venue for Saturday night's Auction and Gala.

Last year's auction theme "There's No Place Like Home" found my co-chair Anne Cunningham and myself wanting to transform the gym into the Emerald City. We enlisted the help of Blue Danube Productions, whose talented team of a/v professionals executed our vision to perfection.  

We added greenery/poppies to the boulders, a yellow brick road for fun and lit the exterior in green

The gym's vestibule was transformed into a field of poppies using green drape, over sized poppies and green lighting

The poppies were absolute "perfection"

40 tables were draped in luscious emerald green linens from Choice Linens and the entire room was draped in shimmering white 20' panels then lit so the room glowed a beautiful emerald green....gorgeous. Our three screens were 20' rounds which continued and fully executed our orb theme.

We added dangling crystals and incorporated our orb theme by adding round lights. Can't you just imagine Glinda popping out of one of these?

We found an artist in Arkansas who hand blew 40 glass orbs from emerald green glass

We nested them in reindeer moss and anchored them in a tin vessel...out of respect for the tin man

Every year there is a special VIP table...this year we played with the good and the evil by using Glinda's crown on one end and the Wicked Witch's hat on the other. We added lots of mercury glass for sparkle and Anne designed a spectacular wand

Anne also designed and created Glinda's beautiful crown 

The tables sparkled

Glinda's crown designed and crafted by Anne

Incorporating our orb theme, local graphic artist Mary Cunningham designed the wine labels, table numbers and other signage for the event

The Dessert Dash was an enormous success

Anne Cunningham and I, decor co-chairs for last year's event

This week finds me at it once again. Our theme is La Ville-Luminere, or City of Light, the Magic of Paris. Ah, crystals, gold gilt, Monet, Chanel, shimmer and champagne - now that is truly C'est Magnifique

Until next time.

la chasse au bonheur