An Event to Remember: Designing Spectacular Special Occasions (Preview)

U.S. $60.00 Canada $78.00 U.K. £34.99

J err y S i b a l

An Event to Remember

is the founder of New York City–

based Design Fusion. He earned a degree in architecture, taught traditional Chinese brush painting, and worked for floral designer Preston Bailey before opening his own firm with partner Edwin Josue. Sibal’s work has been featured in Bride’s Magazine, Inside Weddings, and Daily Candy.

designing Spectacular Special Occasions

An Event to Remember designing Spectacular Special Occasions

Jerry Sibal is no mere party planner. He’s a world-renowned artist of unforgettable celebrations of every description. Each of Sibal’s projects—whether for a private birthday party or holiday dinner, a lavish wedding or bar/bat mitzvah, a corporate retreat or charity ball—is a distinctive work of art. An Event to Remember presents a portfolio of some of Sibal’s finest and most visionary work—with dramatic photographs that will make you wish you’d been there.

Throughout, Sibal reveals how he coordinates architec-

ture, lighting and audiovisual systems, interior decor, tabletop arrangements, and his trademark floral extravaganzas to create

Jacket photograph © 2009 by Moon Lee

such gloriously spellbinding environments. Venues from all over

Jacket design by Susi Oberhelman

the country are featured, from New York City’s Rainbow Room, to Miami Beach’s Setai Hotel, to Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino,

200 full-color photographs

to outdoor settings such as the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and a

240 pages, 10 x 13”

California hillside with breathtaking Pacific Ocean views.

Hardcover with jacket ISBN 978-1-58479-790-6 US $60.00 CAN $78.00 UK £34.99 Design / Entertaining Rights: World Pub month: October TO PLACE AN ORDER Please call your sales representative or Hachette Book Group USA at (800) 759-0190 or fax (800) 286-9471 TO INQUIRE ABOUT PUBLICITY Please call (212) 229-8823 or fax (212) 366-0809

Stewart, Tabori & Chang An imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 www.stcbooks.com

jerry sibal

Founder of D e s i g n F u s i o n

Foreword by M a r i l y n H o r n e

P rinted in C hina

QN4G2028.tif

QN4G5032.tif

QN4G5036COVER.tif

U.S. $60.00 Canada $78.00 U.K. £34.99

J err y S i b a l

An Event to Remember

is the founder of New York City–

based Design Fusion. He earned a degree in architecture, taught traditional Chinese brush painting, and worked for floral designer Preston Bailey before opening his own firm with partner Edwin Josue. Sibal’s work has been featured in Bride’s Magazine, Inside Weddings, and Daily Candy.

designing Spectacular Special Occasions

An Event to Remember designing Spectacular Special Occasions

Jerry Sibal is no mere party planner. He’s a world-renowned artist of unforgettable celebrations of every description. Each of Sibal’s projects—whether for a private birthday party or holiday dinner, a lavish wedding or bar/bat mitzvah, a corporate retreat or charity ball—is a distinctive work of art. An Event to Remember presents a portfolio of some of Sibal’s finest and most visionary work—with dramatic photographs that will make you wish you’d been there.

Throughout, Sibal reveals how he coordinates architec-

ture, lighting and audiovisual systems, interior decor, tabletop arrangements, and his trademark floral extravaganzas to create

Jacket photograph © 2009 by Moon Lee

such gloriously spellbinding environments. Venues from all over

Jacket design by Susi Oberhelman

the country are featured, from New York City’s Rainbow Room, to Miami Beach’s Setai Hotel, to Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino,

200 full-color photographs

to outdoor settings such as the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and a

240 pages, 10 x 13”

California hillside with breathtaking Pacific Ocean views.

Hardcover with jacket ISBN 978-1-58479-790-6 US $60.00 CAN $78.00 UK £34.99 Design / Entertaining Rights: World Pub month: October TO PLACE AN ORDER Please call your sales representative or Hachette Book Group USA at (800) 759-0190 or fax (800) 286-9471 TO INQUIRE ABOUT PUBLICITY Please call (212) 229-8823 or fax (212) 366-0809

Stewart, Tabori & Chang An imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 www.stcbooks.com

jerry sibal

Founder of D e s i g n F u s i o n

Foreword by M a r i l y n H o r n e

P rinted in C hina

QN4G2028.tif

QN4G5032.tif

QN4G5036COVER.tif

contents

2

an

event

to

remember

foreword

10

introduction

12

weddings social events cultural events corporate events inspirations

120

acknowledgments

238

14

76

150 212

an

event

to

remember

3

contents

2

an

event

to

remember

foreword

10

introduction

12

weddings social events cultural events corporate events inspirations

120

acknowledgments

238

14

76

150 212

an

event

to

remember

3

Wh e n y o u a r e a s f o r t u n a t e a s I a m t o w o r k w i t h couples and families to design the perfect setting for a wedding, you truly appreciate why this is one of the happiest occasions in life. It’s not just about a bride and groom beginning a new life together. It’s about families giving away their babies, and families forming new relationships that can last a lifetime.

•

Under such

circumstances, I feel compelled to do everything possible to help create the perfect

weddings

day. In making plans with the mothers of the brides, I strive to be sensitive to their feelings, attentive to what they need, and accommodating to their often quite detailed requests. I’m not exaggerating when I say some mothers start planning their daughters’ weddings from birth.

•

Every wedding is as distinctive and unique

as the couples and families involved. So I begin the design of a wedding by getting to know my clients’ personalities and social backgrounds, their special interests and other concerns, and the program of festivities they wish to hold. Of course, that’s just the start of a carefully orchestrated effort. Before the big day actually arrives, I will shape my design according to such key factors as the season of the year and the hours of the day, the venues where ceremonies and celebrations will occur, the choice of attire, food and beverage, music and other entertainment, and the timing when specific activities must commence.

•

I won’t deny that staging the perfect

wedding requires a substantial effort. But the joy and satisfaction it brings to my clients and to me go beyond description. I become a family friend in the process, going all out to give them beauty that totally surrounds them, sights, sounds, and scents to savor, and memories to cherish forever.

4

an

event

to

remember

an

event

to

remember

5

Wh e n y o u a r e a s f o r t u n a t e a s I a m t o w o r k w i t h couples and families to design the perfect setting for a wedding, you truly appreciate why this is one of the happiest occasions in life. It’s not just about a bride and groom beginning a new life together. It’s about families giving away their babies, and families forming new relationships that can last a lifetime.

•

Under such

circumstances, I feel compelled to do everything possible to help create the perfect

weddings

day. In making plans with the mothers of the brides, I strive to be sensitive to their feelings, attentive to what they need, and accommodating to their often quite detailed requests. I’m not exaggerating when I say some mothers start planning their daughters’ weddings from birth.

•

Every wedding is as distinctive and unique

as the couples and families involved. So I begin the design of a wedding by getting to know my clients’ personalities and social backgrounds, their special interests and other concerns, and the program of festivities they wish to hold. Of course, that’s just the start of a carefully orchestrated effort. Before the big day actually arrives, I will shape my design according to such key factors as the season of the year and the hours of the day, the venues where ceremonies and celebrations will occur, the choice of attire, food and beverage, music and other entertainment, and the timing when specific activities must commence.

•

I won’t deny that staging the perfect

wedding requires a substantial effort. But the joy and satisfaction it brings to my clients and to me go beyond description. I become a family friend in the process, going all out to give them beauty that totally surrounds them, sights, sounds, and scents to savor, and memories to cherish forever.

4

an

event

to

remember

an

event

to

remember

5

A Night at the Museum

Young and old alike, we have all fantasized about exploring a museum after closing hours.

The dream came true for a leading bank’s holiday party in New York’s legendary Metropolitan Museum of Art.

When I saw the grand stairway

of the museum, I was inspired to use the beautiful steps to form the company’s umbrella logo to greet guests and to brand the entire evening’s festivities. It was a big challenge to install hundreds of red votive candles in just half an hour to form the shape.

To solve the problem, I made a pattern from clear acrylic sheets to map the umbrella shape step by step. Since then, this solution has become a precedent for work by Design Fusion.

For the main event in the

Temple of Dendur, I paid homage to the Egyptian architecture, with lofty floral decorations and dramatic lighting that responded to the Temple’s monumental size yet brought the seating area down to human scale. It was important that the materials I used (including papyrus, lotus pods, magnolia branches, and pine needles) complement the Temple rather than obscure it. For the finishing touch, I placed an array of lighted pillar candles in cylindrical glass vases around the perimeter of the pool that flanks the Temple, introducing a reflection on the water and giving an extra glow and timeless serenity to the room.

180

an

event

to

remember

an

event

to

remember

181

A Night at the Museum

Young and old alike, we have all fantasized about exploring a museum after closing hours.

The dream came true for a leading bank’s holiday party in New York’s legendary Metropolitan Museum of Art.

When I saw the grand stairway

of the museum, I was inspired to use the beautiful steps to form the company’s umbrella logo to greet guests and to brand the entire evening’s festivities. It was a big challenge to install hundreds of red votive candles in just half an hour to form the shape.

To solve the problem, I made a pattern from clear acrylic sheets to map the umbrella shape step by step. Since then, this solution has become a precedent for work by Design Fusion.

For the main event in the

Temple of Dendur, I paid homage to the Egyptian architecture, with lofty floral decorations and dramatic lighting that responded to the Temple’s monumental size yet brought the seating area down to human scale. It was important that the materials I used (including papyrus, lotus pods, magnolia branches, and pine needles) complement the Temple rather than obscure it. For the finishing touch, I placed an array of lighted pillar candles in cylindrical glass vases around the perimeter of the pool that flanks the Temple, introducing a reflection on the water and giving an extra glow and timeless serenity to the room.

180

an

event

to

remember

an

event

to

remember

181

U.S. $60.00 Canada $78.00 U.K. £34.99

J err y S i b a l

An Event to Remember

is the founder of New York City–

based Design Fusion. He earned a degree in architecture, taught traditional Chinese brush painting, and worked for floral designer Preston Bailey before opening his own firm with partner Edwin Josue. Sibal’s work has been featured in Bride’s Magazine, Inside Weddings, and Daily Candy.

designing Spectacular Special Occasions

An Event to Remember designing Spectacular Special Occasions

Jerry Sibal is no mere party planner. He’s a world-renowned artist of unforgettable celebrations of every description. Each of Sibal’s projects—whether for a private birthday party or holiday dinner, a lavish wedding or bar/bat mitzvah, a corporate retreat or charity ball—is a distinctive work of art. An Event to Remember presents a portfolio of some of Sibal’s finest and most visionary work—with dramatic photographs that will make you wish you’d been there.

Throughout, Sibal reveals how he coordinates architec-

ture, lighting and audiovisual systems, interior decor, tabletop arrangements, and his trademark floral extravaganzas to create

Jacket photograph © 2009 by Moon Lee

such gloriously spellbinding environments. Venues from all over

Jacket design by Susi Oberhelman

the country are featured, from New York City’s Rainbow Room, to Miami Beach’s Setai Hotel, to Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino,

200 full-color photographs

to outdoor settings such as the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and a

240 pages, 10 x 13”

California hillside with breathtaking Pacific Ocean views.

Hardcover with jacket ISBN 978-1-58479-790-6 US $60.00 CAN $78.00 UK £34.99 Design / Entertaining Rights: World Pub month: October TO PLACE AN ORDER Please call your sales representative or Hachette Book Group USA at (800) 759-0190 or fax (800) 286-9471 TO INQUIRE ABOUT PUBLICITY Please call (212) 229-8823 or fax (212) 366-0809

Stewart, Tabori & Chang An imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 www.stcbooks.com

jerry sibal

Founder of D e s i g n F u s i o n

Foreword by M a r i l y n H o r n e

P rinted in C hina

QN4G2028.tif

QN4G5032.tif

QN4G5036COVER.tif

U.S. $60.00 Canada $78.00 U.K. £34.99

J err y S i b a l

An Event to Remember

is the founder of New York City–

based Design Fusion. He earned a degree in architecture, taught traditional Chinese brush painting, and worked for floral designer Preston Bailey before opening his own firm with partner Edwin Josue. Sibal’s work has been featured in Bride’s Magazine, Inside Weddings, and Daily Candy.

designing Spectacular Special Occasions

An Event to Remember designing Spectacular Special Occasions

Jerry Sibal is no mere party planner. He’s a world-renowned artist of unforgettable celebrations of every description. Each of Sibal’s projects—whether for a private birthday party or holiday dinner, a lavish wedding or bar/bat mitzvah, a corporate retreat or charity ball—is a distinctive work of art. An Event to Remember presents a portfolio of some of Sibal’s finest and most visionary work—with dramatic photographs that will make you wish you’d been there.

Throughout, Sibal reveals how he coordinates architec-

ture, lighting and audiovisual systems, interior decor, tabletop arrangements, and his trademark floral extravaganzas to create

Jacket photograph © 2009 by Moon Lee

such gloriously spellbinding environments. Venues from all over

Jacket design by Susi Oberhelman

the country are featured, from New York City’s Rainbow Room, to Miami Beach’s Setai Hotel, to Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino,

200 full-color photographs

to outdoor settings such as the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and a

240 pages, 10 x 13”

California hillside with breathtaking Pacific Ocean views.

Hardcover with jacket ISBN 978-1-58479-790-6 US $60.00 CAN $78.00 UK £34.99 Design / Entertaining Rights: World Pub month: October TO PLACE AN ORDER Please call your sales representative or Hachette Book Group USA at (800) 759-0190 or fax (800) 286-9471 TO INQUIRE ABOUT PUBLICITY Please call (212) 229-8823 or fax (212) 366-0809

Stewart, Tabori & Chang An imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 www.stcbooks.com

jerry sibal

Founder of D e s i g n F u s i o n

Foreword by M a r i l y n H o r n e

P rinted in C hina

QN4G2028.tif

QN4G5032.tif

QN4G5036COVER.tif