DesignSPARKS & Highlights: Washington D.C.

American history is entrenched in our next networker tour stop. Welcome to the Whittemore House which is located in the historical district of Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. For those that may not be familiar with this area, this stunning venue is home to the National Democratic Women’s Club. It is a stately and elegant historical mansion with wooden floors, beautiful columns, and exquisitely detailed crown moldings and woodwork. You can find out more about this lovely space by clicking here. It was the perfect space for AFR to welcome over 125 event professionals to DesignSPARKS D.C.

In a city so rich in history, what better design inspiration could there be for our event than Past Meets Present? This country began with a spark of inspiration and a vision. Likewise, so did our Networker.

Because the venue was much smaller in D.C. than some of our other cities, for our idea sparks, we focused on integrating our new products into the old world setting. These included the Regale Chaise, Phoebe Tables, Hylton Tables, Essentials Charging Station, and our Spectrum and Aria Table Collections. Read on to see how our modern furnishings meshed perfectly with the historical architecture and interior design of the venue.

The Whittemore House features many existing buffets and furnishings that we could not move due to the irreplaceable value and age of some of the pieces. We worked to create a beautiful integration to juxtapose our furnishings within the existing settings.

In the entryway, a Regale Chaise was integrated into the setting creating a photo-op in front of a custom Step and Repeat.

In the next room, we combined old with new by adding in our Winston Sofa with Elan Chairs and Fuchsia Cube Ottomans and Rose Phoebe Table. We finished the setting with brown, rose-patterned pillows for an Old World romantic feel.

In the Main ballroom we created a few highly focused vignettes. A grouping with Red Chandler Chairs was paired with Civic Tables and backed with Boxwood Hedges.

To create a focal point in the center of the main ballroom, we used our white leather Function Collection featuring our new Aria Tables in purple, green, blue and red accented with Phoebe Tables. Each grouping was surrounded by tall cut-out Starburst Walls.

In the back of the room, we used Aspen Pub tables with a mixture of Equino and Ghost Stools for a beautiful combination.

One of our favorite groupings included a Regale Sofa and Chair combined with a Grammercy Love Seat, Gold Leaf Tables and Phoebe Lime Green Table. The ensemble was finished with a grey rug and throw. Overall, it was an interesting use of color combination.

Outside on the brick-laid patio, surrounded by garden plants and flowers from Lady Bird Johnson, we used our Evoke Collection, Parma Bench, and Civic End and Hex Tables integrated with existing hardwood furnishings for a “mix and match” garden setting.

Food was delicious with gourmet caterer, The Purple Onion, providing an amazing tasting menu. Some of our favorite dishes included Braised Short Rib Tasting Spoon with Rosemary Mashed Potatoes garnished with Crispy Potato Strings, Pesto Crusted Scallop Served in a Tasting Spoon and Garnished with Micro Greens and Parmesan Cheese, Mini Apple Dumplings topped with Sugared Almonds and Caramel Sauce, and Mini Red Velvet Ding-Dongs.
Fresh homemade ice cream was served at a nitrogen ice cream bar, which made for a cool visual and delicious element.

A DJ kept the vibe light with music throughout the evening while Booth-O-Rama Photobooth provided silly accessories for guests to have fun with while providing a take-home photo memento of the event.

The winner of the TSE Full Package for the 2015 The Special Event Conference and Trade Show at the end of the night was Melanie Soley, Catering Sales Manager at the Ronald Reagan Building. Congratulations! We’ll see you in sunny Anaheim in January, Melanie!

Old met new — history met future, which mixed and mingled and worked perfectly together. It was fun integrating our contemporary products and making them work in unexpected and interesting ways within the existing style of the space. The evening was truly a successful team effort thanks to our partners and sponsors!

If you have not registered for our Connecticut Networker yet, you can click right here and take care of that! We know you will not want to miss it!

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