A Room with a View

To welcome an exclusive group of 80 international sales executives to the company's 10-Diamond Dinner in Los Angeles, the client asked us to find a venue with a breathtaking view. Guests were staying in the heart of the city at the Marriott LA Live and it turned out that our "room with a view" was right on property at Wolfgang Puck's WP24 on the 24th floor of the adjoining Ritz Carlton hotel.


The evening was one breath-taker after another. Our "gasp" worthy entrance was this showpiece floral incorporating the client's logo. Since this was a "Diamond Dinner" we began by covering a three-by-three-foot form of the logo with green lemon leaf and encrusting it with crystals to resemble diamonds.

We then took dozens of long-stemmed roses and hung them from the ceiling. Conversely, we created a garden of upright long-stemmed roses underneath the logo. At the base of the display we placed more roses in containers covered with green lemon leaf. The final touch was a carpet of silver votive candles and faux diamonds scattered at the base. Guests were compelled to stop at the entrance to admire this design.

It gave them a moment to catch their breath before we would take it away again in the dining area!

As I said at the beginning, the room itself overlooks a beautiful night view of the city. We didn't want guests to lose this as they sat so we created the space in such a way to ensure that every seat had a view.

We began by clearing the space of everything, starting with a blank canvas. Then we began to refill it with elements that, when all was said and done, created a space that actually looked like a special restaurant, open one night only for this group.

The dining room included three 40-inch-wide-by-24-foot-long royal tables, each seating 28 guests. They were covered with an elegant "lily pad" linen design by Wildflower Linen of black-and-white silk with three dimensional black flowers that cascaded across the tables. Placesettings included red glass chargers from BBJ Linen. Down the center, we placed large red roses in square crystal containers and added a warm glow with candles in reflective votive containers and more sparkling faux gems. The room was complete with the addition of Louis XIV clear acrylic ghost chairs from Absolutely Fabulous.



The final touch was the ceiling. We filled it with gorgeous cherry blossom branches attached to overhead chandeliers to create a canopy of light and floral.

We of course, had been holding our own breaths, hoping the client would love the effect we created. And they did! It was so seamless guests thought it was part of the restaurant's decor. In fact, the hotel actually inquired about keeping the ceiling treatment up! Now it was our turn to catch our breath. We were flattered, yet unfortunately had to inform them that the branches and blossoms were live and wouldn't last a week. At least the night lives on in our memories and that of these special attendees!

Event Tease: A Preview of Four Events

What do these four events have in common? They were all part of a multi-day event in Los Angeles that AOO designed and produced for the same client. Apart from that, each one was unique to the venue and objective of each gathering.

Stay tuned for my next three blogs to find out more about the design concepts and details!

Natural elegance.

What until you see the room this setting was in!

Simple beauty ... the best!

GUEST BLOG by Eddie Zaratsian

Work by tic-tock Couture Florals. Photo by Marianne Lozano

We begin with a new series in which I ask industry designers and professionals the simple question: What Inspires You? This week I pose that question to the talented Eddie Zaratsian, creative director of tic-tock Couture Florals in Los Angeles.
David Merrell, Lead designdawg

Eddie Zaratsian...
What Inspires You?
For me, inspiration is drawn from the vast sensory experiences and moments of life. The things I see, smell, feel and do -- from art and architecture to fashion and fiction. It all leads me to self expression. I don't think about it too often, because it is something that I do all the time, but when someone like Dave asks me specifically about inspiration, I'd have to say I turn to magazines focused on interior design, architecture, art and fashion, taking note of what's happening with fabric and texture, color and lighting. I also draw inspiration from the awe-inspiring runways around the world, travel, and new and old films. But I don't even have to stray that far. Sometimes a walk around the city or even the aisles of Home Depot can really jog my inspiration loose!

Of course, no matter how inspired one gets, at the focal point of the process is the client. Whether it's a family, Fortune 500 company or a fashion house, the client's identity is key.

When starting a new project, my advice is:

• Draw your inspiration from who the client is but don't stop there. Anyone can incorporate a corporate logo or a person's initials. When I say "who they are," I mean what are they about? What are their values? What inspires them? Allow what inspires them to inspire you.

Inspired by Coral

At my annual tea party for wedding professionals this year.
Photos by Marianne Lozano

• Research is key! Find out the overall theme and the feel of the event and integrate identity and personality thought color, texture and shape.

Inspired by Fashion

I created this necklace for a shoot for Junebug weddings.
Photo by Apertura Photo

• Consider the budget. What you have to work with financially will largely indicate what you have to work with creatively.

Inspired by Abundance

A photo shoot for Your Wedding Day magazine. A lot of pink!
Photos by Kevin Lubera

• Know your client's priorities and make them yours. Knowing what is most important to your client will always help you when it comes to working with their budget. Is it more important to them to have a specific flower type or color? A particular linen or look?

Inspired by Luxury

A look I designed that is literally dripping in luxury elements such as pearls and crystal!

Know your team. Every creative team is composed of individuals who each contribute integral elements and have their own set of strengths. One person's idea always inspires something in another, setting the creative machine in motion. At tic-tock we use worksheets for our team to create notes and sketches. Then we get together and talk them out.

Inspired by People!

I love this hat I designed for Marley Marcher, The Party Goddess, to wear to my annual tea party. This is a great example of knowing the personality of the person for whom you are designing.

Above all else, be fearless! Don't hesitate to try something new. In fact, probably the best advice I could ever give is this: seek out new things to try and set your sights on achieving the impossible! And I'm not just saying this. Recently I achieved one of my dreams -- to create a line for retail. I got the chance this year with Restoration Hardware.

Inspired by New Ventures!

In June I launched Eddie Zaratsian Custom Florals and Lifestyle in conjunction with the grand opening of Restoration Hardware's Beverly Hills concept store. The studio features arrangements for in-store purchase or home delivery.

About Eddie Zaratsian

More than 20 years ago, Eddie Zaratsian discovered his passion for floral design and enrolled with the Phil Rulloda School. There, Phil recognized Eddie's talent and encouraged him to join the American Institute of Floral Design (AIFD) where he became one of their youngest inductees.
Time spent in Europe taking in art, architecture, history and elegance gave Eddie a larger perspective of design and how it relates to flowers. He returned to the United States and began pushing creative boundaries as
Creative Director of tic-tock. His A-list clientele grew fast and he began working with the world's most renowned celebrity wedding planners including Mindy Weiss, Marcy Blum and David Tutera; has designed for private events at Chanel, the Emmy's Governor's Ball, the launch of the Oprah Winfrey Network and has been featured on countless television shows, including an appearance as a contestant on LOGO TV's The Arrangement. Most recently, he's launched an in-store line with the Beverly Hills Restoration Hardware store called Eddie Zaratsian Custom Florals and Lifestyle.

Sweet Charity

One of the best things about being in this industry is that we have the ability to give back to our communities through the design and production of charitable events. I know sometimes requests can be overwhelming but I've found it helpful to choose just a few that are near and dear to me and leave it at that. I am a big believer of paying it forward and have found several charities to support that contribute good energy to the world.


The Center for Hope and Healing is one of those. A non-profit center, it provides affordable or free counseling to those in need. It's a great organization. I'm proud to be on its Board of Directors and do what I can. So every year I open up my home to their annual fund-raising event then design and produce it. The in-kind donation really allows them to make the money they need to support their work.

The entrance. I like to design in a little "flavor" right from the beginning.
Even though people just pass through it, it sets the tone.
This was simple -- a Persian rug, great lanterns, silk lamps and a little bit of sheer fabric.

This year I decided to theme the event Bohemian Nights. It's one of my favorite themes. You can pretty much pull anything you own into it and make it look Bohemian which is why it's affectionately known around AOO Events as the "everything and the kitchen sink" theme! And by its nature, it lends itself to a comfortable and casual atmosphere, nice on a hot summer night. Even in a semi-business setting like this, comfortable and casual is all the more pleasant for guests.

The stage. It's important to create a center point. Even though the party is casual, you still want to deliver a brief message to the guests from the charity. Plus, in this case, we had a performance by a well-known mezzo-soprano and a quintet of strings. The Moroccan arch is hand painted in gold and the colorful fabric helped break up the white walls.

Another view of the stage.

Use any combination of linens, colored candles and pillows for a Bohemian theme. Half of the items in this photo are pieces from my house. The colorful embellishments are easy to add, and at practically no cost!

An eclectic mix of furniture. Rattan goes well, but anything you can cover with a colorful throw will do. In this case, we used a patchwork quilt.

Details! The gold pattern under the glass of the table is the same one we used on the stage. Mosaic glass, which you can buy inexpensively everywhere, is such an easy thing to cluster on tables. The more eclectic the better.

Wildflower Linen donated the linens.

Flowers also get the Bohemian treatment! All colors and types can be mixed. This is a combination of dahlias in different colors mixed with hydrangea, orchids and lysianthus.

And of course, the silent auction, a necessary evil for charity events! For this event, some of the coolest auction items came from connections that all of us have. Many weekend get-aways are available free-of-charge to charities and they are usually the first thing to be bid on. But the biggest prize this year was the beach cruiser!

Guest we did such a good job of creating a laid-back Bohemian atmosphere that guests were inspired to add a little relaxed fun into their lives!

Speaking of relaxation, I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. See you back here next week with all-new events and Guest Bloggers!!