HPA was one of 11 teams asked to design a dining environment for the GE Monogram Dinner by Design, an annual fundraiser for Casey House and the Design Exchange, which hosted the event in the historic Trading Floor. We were especially pleased to support this cause, as HPA is designing Casey House’s expansion, which will start construction in a couple of months. We are also currently constructing a new showroom for GE, the event sponsor.
Our team, comprised of Alan Wong, Jeff Strauss, Sacha Marthinez, Paloma Pontarini, Steve Kang, and Ventz Pavlov, was given an intriguing design direction from HPA Founding Partner Siamak Hariri: design a crescent-shaped table to seat 20 people, and incorporate the Casey House heart logo in the theme. Inspired by Casey House’s compassionate, supportive care, we collaborated with felt artist and founder of FELT Studio, Kathryn Walter, to create a dining vignette that imparts warmth and comfort. Natural materials are assembled with a human touch, creating an uplifting experience that engages all the senses.
A canopy of 150 solid brass waterjet-cut folded hearts provided ever-moving heart shadows on the surfaces below and also created dazzling golden reflections all over the room. The 35 foot long curved table was covered in hand-stitched felt panels, referencing memory quilts. Recessed up-lighting was built into the table top. The Rosenthal dinnerware, irregular in shape, had bronze accents and was paired with glassware designed by Walter Gropius. Hans Wegner Elbow chairs in walnut, natural saddle leather placemats, burlap napkins and a cowhide rug continued the warm, natural theme. Half a tonne of porcelain tile was laid on the floor to provide a light background. To complete the “room,” the back wall was panelled with felt, and over 600 handmade heart-shaped flowers littered the wall and dining table.
To help raise even more funds for the events, we sold the brass hearts to the public at $100 apiece.
Our vignette was extremely well-received, and had excellent company with the ten other imaginative designs. Dinner by Design is open to the public between now and January 25th see below for more links and details.