Sneak Preview of 'Museum of Petals' Dinner by Gloria Wong Design

Earlier this week, we posted a sneak preview of the gorgeous design in the works for the 'Emerald Underworld' welcome party at The Academy. We got such great responses from it that we are going to post a sneak preview of another beautiful party in the works for The Academy.

Named the 'Museum of Petals', the design is guaranteed to 'WOW' our attendees. Let's get into the head of our amazing designer Gloria Wong to see what she is planning.....

From Gloria Wong:

For the ballroom dinner, I knew I wanted to let the venue itself be the main source of inspiration. The St. Regis San Francisco is one of the most exquisitely designed hotels in the Bay Area. The second floor plays host to the modern Gallery Ballroom. I am particularly fond of the wall of petals by the staircase leading up to the ballroom.

I like how the petals look like they’re in mid-motion. I love the movement. They’re just floating freely and quietly in the wind.

When you walk towards the Gallery Ballroom, you’ll notice that the petal motif continues and is manifested in a textured wall that is composed of a tree with falling petals. Inside the ballroom, you’ll find an aubergine-colored carpet featuring blooming branches and beautiful branch-shaped chandeliers hanging from above. Not your typical ballroom!

When I looked at the floorplans for The St. Regis San Francisco, I noticed that the names of all the event spaces were related to art. Impressionist, Modernist, Collections, Muse, Vitrine, and Gallery! So, there was no question in my mind that we should name this event Museum of Petals and showcase petals in an artful manner.

First up was the color palette. The photo above just spelled it out! Plum, eggplant, aubergine, amethyst, charcoal grey, dove grey, magenta, and a touch of silver. Easy peasy!

Next, I dreamt up this grand focal piece. I wanted a large tree in the center of the room with petals dripping down from the 16ft ceiling and puddling in mass on the floor. So, the strings of petals would start off sparse and get heavier as they approached the floor. It would look like the tree was being showered in petals. I wanted the same feeling that the wall of petals evokes. Movement.
Then, because this was called “Museum of Petals”, I knew I had to display actual art pieces that incorporated petals. I had seen sketches from the amazing Lena Baranova and knew that I wanted her to be my artist. I asked her to sketch out eight different sets of branches embellished with three-dimensional petals. Again, I wanted the petals too look like they were in mid-motion. The pieces would be hung above the food stations in the hallway like so…
In addition to art pieces, I had to think of other elements that would lend themselves to the venue. I had to wrap my head around substrates. I wanted cool modern materials that would balance the delicate nature of petals. To me, the second floor of The St. Regis San Francisco definitely called for acrylic, chrome, and white leather. Sleek surfaces in curvy silhouettes. Thank goodness for Blueprint Studios who will be providing all the furniture and many of the props for our event!!! See some of Blueprint Studio’s goodies below!


Another substrate that I thought would go well with the overall look was… ice! How about freezing branches and falling petals in an ice bar?

Or maybe even mini ice sculptures for all the end tables in the different lounge areas?

I needed something else to really drive home the branch/petal/movement message. I knew I wanted this to be a hanging element of some sort. I have seen hanging branches before. And though hanging branches are lovely, I wanted more drama. I thought that a WALL of hanging branches would be more dramatic than a cluster of branches hanging from above eye-level. Ooh, and what if we put rectangular linen lampshades over each piece to balance the organic silhouette of branches! What if we embellished the lamp shades with falling petals! How cool would this wall be if each branch were a functional chandelier that actually lit! This would look like an art installation.

But oh, how reality bites. I was told that the lampshades would wobble and not lay out as evenly as I would want them to. So, there will be no lampshades. Sorry! But, I’m still pushing for a wall of branches!

See how else The Museum of Petals comes to life on March 15, 2010!

Sponsors to this event include Nicole Ha, Blueprint Studios, Enhanced Lighting, St. Regis San Francisco, Peculiar Pair Press