designed for you.
designed for you.
There’s nothing like a beautiful fall California evening in San Diego for our networker at the new state-of-the-art, San Diego Central Public Library. With beautiful views overlooking Petco Park, the venue was perfect for the event community to see the new space, enjoy an up close and personal sneak peek of our new collections, find design inspiration and enjoy some amazing food and beverages by some of the city’s finest caterers. If you haven’t seen this amazing new venue, you can take a peek here. It’s an architectural masterpiece.
Live Topiary Greeters welcomed guests to the 9th floor of the venue and directed them to registration. Guests could mingle and have a drink as the sun dropped on the horizon. The Terrace featured our Broadway and Grass Collections, branded Glow Bars and Waterfalls all accented with beautiful orange floral accents.
Moving into the Art Gallery, guests enjoyed the new 2014 Preview Collections including the Chandler, Parma, Provence, Regale and the new Phoebe Table Collection. A Potato Martini Bar featured a choice of Yukon Gold Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, and Braised Short Ribs served in a martini glass with choice of toppings and Miniature Apple Cake Shots for a sweet finish. Amazing!
The overall theme for the evening was designed around storybooks and fairy tales. What better way is there to bring the books off the shelf and bring them to life?
Around the corner in the Woods Family Sunset View Terrace, our first design vignette brought to life the Secret Garden with a stunning canopy floral design, featuring our Chateau Collection and Elan chairs. The design and floral were over the top lovely thanks to Raphael’s Event Works. The area also featured a bar with specialty cocktails. We personally loved the Chocolate Vodka Berry Martini, but there was something to tempt every palate and served from our dark wood Umber Bars. We also sampled the Chinese 5-Spice Duck Confit with Citrus-hoisin Glaze Macadamia-Curry Crumble and the Red and Golden Beet salad with Orange, Arugula, White Balsamic Vinaigrette and Shaved Radish along with the Mini Carrot Bundt Cakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling, which were all mouth watering delicious.
Moving further into the main event in the dedicated Shiley Special Event Space, the area featured three design galleries. The first, Fifty Shades of Grey, “When Anastasia Comes To Dinner” was brought to life with a scarlet red canopy featuring our Hayden Tables topped with red satin and rose petals and finished with a beautiful live model in a grey satin dress. At each end, a beautiful place setting. On the back wall of the gallery, our dark wood Umber back bars were filled with flickering candle accents, glassware and floral embellishments. It was a unique setting that had every one “a buzz.”
Food in this area was Fig and Gorgonzola Pasta, Purses Duck Confit and Bacon & Jam and Stone Fruit Crostinis. Strawberry-Balsamic Martinis with Basil Foam specialty drinks rounded out the decadent food and drinks.
The San Diego State University Design students, Nathalie Moberg, Paulina Gustafsson, Alisa Stansbury and Christine Stevenson, brought Alice In Wonderland to life. Set against a backdrop, the design featured our Asbury Table along with a mixed chair collection comprised of the Marteen, Ghost and Sophistication chairs intermixed with a Grass and Orange Regency Cubed Ottomans. The table scape was off kilter and embellished with whimsical settings from the book and a three-tiered silver dish filled with delicious teacakes and fresh floral.
Next door, The Wizard of Oz and a full cast of costumed characters brought Oz to life and showcased our Crystal Collection, and curved Continental Benches.
Scattered throughout the main room, small vignettes of mixed groupings were set. We used Hour Glass Pub Tables, Jumangi Chairs, Essentials Turning Bed, Tetrad Tables and Regency Cubes to create the look and allow guests to experience our furnishings while they networked and enjoyed themselves.
Moving out onto the Epstein Bay View Terrace, AFR’s, Kristen Spooner, designed a wedding styling with a focal point created from our Essentials Banquette topped with floral and accents. Around the base, Regency Cubed Ottomans and Rose Tables were placed and topped with floral and candles. Overhead, a beautiful white chandler accented with fabric draping along with break up pattern lighting created a lovely ambience. Another grouping featured the Sophistication Love Seats with Zanzibar tables. Guests could grab a drink from the bar created from our Crystal Bar Surrounds or relax for a moment in one of our Plaza Chairs. Rugs and accent pillows in different fabrics provided lovely teal color pops and contrasted with the cool steel and concrete architecture of the area.
Congratulations to Doyle Borden, owner of Doyle Borden Event Style, who won the drawing for The Special Event Conference package provided by our National Sponsor Partner, The Special Event! Pack your bags for Nashville, Doyle! We’ll see you there!
The venue was stunning and the designs innovative and inspiring. It was a fairytale evening brought to life through the eyes of designers.
Our tour could never be as successful as it is without the support of our local and national sponsors. A heart felt thanks for your dedication and commitment to making our Networkers an evening that was enjoyed by all.
Please make sure to join in the conversation, view additional pictures on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using #afrTOUR.
We’re off to Baltimore. We look forward to seeing you there! If you haven’t RSVP’d yet for the event in your area, there is no time like the present to do it!
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