Last week I was lucky enough to be one of nine top interior designers from the New York Design Center‘s Access to Design to design place settings for dream dinner guests at DIFFA ‘s annual Dining by Design.
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Although there were some spectacular tables, I must say ours was by far the most interesting! We hosted such unforgettable figures as Steve Jobs, Coco Chanel, Michael Jackson, and my personal guests Freddie Mercury and Emilio Pucci.
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My fashion icon Emilio Pucci sat on a lucite chair from Couture Showrooms. The dinnerware was from Puiforcat and glassware was provided by Saint-Louis. One of Pucci’s original sketches rested atop my own Pucci scarf which served as a chic place mat. Before Pucci got into fashion, he was an Olympic skier and started his career designing ski attire. (who knew?)
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Known for his flamboyant style, Freddie Mercury often wore regal attire on stage, performing in a cape and crown. This crown, generously granted us by Laserow Antiques, sat on a gilded plate from Hermes. A Flash Gordon charm (for you youngsters, Queen did the original soundtrack for the Flash movie in 1980) wrapped gilded glassware from Saint-Louis.
Freddie dedicated his first album to his cat, stating, “This album is dedicated to my cat Jerry – also Tom, Oscar and Tiffany, and all the cat lovers across the universe – screw everybody else!”
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In tribute, a furry feline perched on the arm of a chair from Profiles with a union jack pillow from Jonathan Adler paying homage to Freddie’s British heritage.
The highlight was the dinner gala Monday night honoring Alfredo Parades of Ralph Lauren. We dined at the table we created, and danced until late in the evening. Guests included design stars and celebrities such as David Rockwell, Jonathan Adler, Simon Doonan, Vincent Wolf, and even Lauren Bush Lauren.
Who would your dream dinner guest be?
