Celebrations and design events go together like milk and cookies, or, in the case of the New York A&D community, gin and tonic. The biggest celebration in New York by and for interior designers each year, which happened last Thursday night, is the IIDANY Color Invasion, a consistently ambitious, ecstatic and over-the-top party with the main goal of bringing our design residents together and pausing our normal routines for a night of imagination, dress-up, dancing, networking and reconnecting with old friends.
This year’s iteration of Color Invasion had a theme of Deco Follies, and it completely lived up to its potential. There were wonderful vignettes of roaring 20s décor; abundant references to Art Deco design and Erte’s creations; and prohibition nostalgia in the form of sculptural pieces or large signage sprinkled throughout, adding a slight hint of naughtiness to the festivities. “Welcome back to the Gilded Age,” declared Brian Bates, sales rep for Geiger Furniture and a member of the Color Invasion committee. Indeed, if one compares what happened socially 100 years ago to what is happening now, we are still experiencing an era of serious social problems masked by a thin gold gilding. The Gilded Age was also an era of rapid economic growth, and the period saw an influx of millions of immigrants. Sound familiar?
This Color Invasion featured a new venue, Center415, with a fantastic location on 5thAvenue in Midtown. It was the first change in setting for Color Invasion in four years, and a welcome one at that. Gone was the huge cavernous space of the Tunnel, located all the way on Manhattan’s West Side and featuring a central layout that was difficult to navigate at best. “We loved the Tunnel,” said Katie Battaglia, member of the IIDA Color Invasion committee and Design Director at NEMO Tile + Stone, “but the challenge of the Tunnel was that it was so long, so it was nice to have a square floor plate for this space.”
This year’s venue featured a sophisticated entrance setting that slowly built the anticipation with a live a piano player as visitors ascended a staircase. The deeper one got into the event, the more the themes surrounded you. Room after room revealed different designs and opportunities to celebrate and participate in this special event, which takes the Color Invasion committee many months to plan but is over in just a matter of hours. “This year, because of the theme,” said Ms. Battaglia, “we also have a speakeasy that features an amazing live band that will be playing sets throughout the night. They are all in period dress for a jazz cabaret theme, which is very exciting.” While I was there, the speakeasy was the most popular part of the event, and added a special air of exclusivity.
Many attendants arrived in costume, even though the event happened a day after Halloween. While costumes were not always integral to past Color Invasion parties, they were certainly popularized by industry veteran Selena Thompson, a fixture in the New York design community who would embrace the spirit of each event’s theme and celebrate it for maximum effect with an outrageous outfit. Sadly, Ms. Thompson passed away in 2013, but for many on the IIDA Color Invasion committee and throughout the New York design community, her spirit lives on and is celebrated on this night.
Other memorable features included a photo booth for visitors, elaborately dressed entertainers mingling with the crowd and lounging around a gilded bathtub and an oversized cocktail glass, a DJ dressed in a fantastic Victor/Victoria outfit and a series of period furniture vignettes that proved to be very Instagram-friendly.
Now in its 16thyear, I have been privileged to witness the humble beginnings of this New York fundraising institution all the way to the powerhouse that it is today. Many people may not realize that Color Invasion was originally conceived as a benefit, not only for the IIDA’s own scholarship program, but also another charity the committee picks outside our industry.
This year, and for the past six years, the Color Invasion committee has selected the Pajama Program to be this year’s outside beneficiary. This organization understands deeply how many children in this country don’t have a stable home life, or a home at all.
“Aside from the pajamas and books we get tonight at the Color Invasion, we love raising awareness for our mission, which is to support every child’s right to a good night and a good day,” said Jamie Dyce, Executive Director of The Pajama Program. “What we have learned after working on this issue for more than 17 years is that it is not just about providing clothing or reading words on a page; these actions become an olive branch between child and adult. The books we share with the children are really a tool to open minds and communication, get people to open up in general,” she said. “Bedtime is one of the most vulnerable times for a child, and we believe the day starts at nighttime, because without a good night’s rest, a child can’t get up in the morning and be ready for whatever life brings them. Our goal is to have all our children be self-actualized, and they can’t do that without being properly rested.”
So much of our design profession comes down to storytelling; each one of us may have ideas we want to share and themes we would like to explore either in our day-to-day work or in outside creative endeavors. Gathering with like-minded individuals, and pooling that creativity and inspiration has the effect of recharging one’s batteries and realizing the potential of what is possible in this community.
Almost all other design industry events feature a speaker or awards ceremony. At the Color Invasion, everyone who attends is the star of the show. The practice of creativity and imagination is at the heart of what happens here every year; in the case of Deco Follies, the past is just as relevant as the present and the future. We are all informing and refining design thinking in our daily lives, and Color Invasion reminds us of that fact.
