2019 IIDA NY Color Invasion: Sweet Dreams

IIDA NY Chapter President Annie Lee getting prepared for this year’s Color Invasion. Photo: Johnny Wolf

One of the wonderful things about the design community in and around NYC is witnessing everyone’s innate ability to adapt and flex to the needs of the moment. This year especially has called for a certain amount of shape-shifting for individuals and companies alike in order to stay relevant and aware in this land of continual change; and it is especiallyevident when we gather at events like the Color Invasion, put on by the IIDA NY Chapter. The annual event, the biggest of its kind, took place at Center 415on 5thAvenue last Thursday. There were more than 1,500 guests, most of which arrived in costume.

The theme for this year’s event was Sweet Dreams, inspired by the notion that dreams bring our subconscious to life. Continuing a yearly tradition of highlighting the line between dreams and nightmares, this extravagant gala actually has a heart of gold.

Color Invasion co-chairs Steven South from IA and Brian Bates from Geiger

As in previous years, IIDA NY is partnering with the Pajama Program, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to delivering warm pajamas and books to at-risk children. All Color Invasion attendees are encouraged to donate unopened pajamas and new books for children, both before and during the event.  VIDs (Very Important Donors) that brought two items or contributed to the pop-up shop got exclusive access to the VID room in the back of Color Invasion. Early donations by IIDA NY Benefactors to the Pajama Program have doubled since last year due to an extended donation period.

: Very Important Donors to the Pajama Program at this year’s Color Invasion. Photo: Johnny Wolf

This year’s theme of bedtime comfort was inspired by the work of the Pajama Program and their mission of making sure young children get a good night’s sleep. Pajama Program understands deeply how many children in this country don’t have a stable home life, or a home at all. To these children – often abandoned, neglected, living in shelters or temporary housing – Pajama Program pledges an unwavering commitment to the inherent right of every one of them to have a loving bedtime and restful good night as the start of a positive, empowering day when they wake up the next morning.

Dreamcatchers Rebecca Dorris Steiger from Gensler and Ginger Gilden from IA. Photo: Johnny Wolf

Partygoers and the design glitterati began their Color Invasion experience this year by getting prepared for the event at the Beauty Bar. Sponsored by Mercer Hamilton, this station recreates an experience of a sleepover party.  Everyone was encouraged to get ‘glowed up’ with lashes, braids, eye gems, and airbrush tattoos. Once set to look their best, intrepid guests make their way to the Bed Sheet Maze, sponsored byCarnegie Textiles. Reminiscent of childhood bed sheet forts, the maze was also the surprise home of a boogie man, who was known to appear at the most unexpected time. The bedtime stories section of the event brought back memories of my experience in Sleep No More, the experiential theater event in Chelsea.

Making your way though the constricted corridors of the sheet maze and the Andy Warholinspired silver inflatable Pillow Room, the childhood time machine is almost fully complete. Next stop is the Library Bar, where guests appear to have shrunk to a fraction of their size. Finally, looking good and feeling good, it is possible to survey the large room and see the wealth of other partygoing options available.

I headed over to the Pillow Fightsection, sponsored by Innovative/Hat andBEDS by TiiPii. Always dear to my heart, this pillow fight section had two accommodations for a covered lounge respite, in addition to a generous supply of pillows to whack away at your loved ones.

Always Instagram friendly, the Color Invasion’s SmileBooth, sponsored byWB Wood, invited guests to climb on top of the mattresses and pose like the Princess and the Pea for the perfect sharable photo opportunity.

Shay Lam from TPG Architecture in the VID room. Photo: Johnny Wolf

The golden glitter encrusted Sandman DJ, sponsored by Milliken, wove hypnotic beats together and inspired guests to dance the night away under a giant illuminated inflatable moon, which was flanked by two very well stocked bars sponsored by Arperand Clarus.

Color Invasion Beauty Bar. Photo: Peter Carey

In the back of Color Invasion, things got interesting. Evoking a sleepless night, the movie theater, concession stand and bar area was the backdrop for an ongoing loop of well-curated dream sequences from classic B&W films, along with a strong cocktail. I started thinking the possibilities were beginning to look endless, when I stepped inside the cloud room, sponsored by Humanscale. I had never seen a dancer visually interpreting a cloud through movement before – and it was both magical and exactly like what I thought it would look like.

Color Invasion guests. Photo: Johnny Wolf

Beyond the cloud room was the donor area, awash with black light, live music and glowing psychedelic colors. Very Important Donors were invited into this exclusive access room, sponsored by Urban Office,Infinium,andSvend Nielsen. Access to this room required at least two pairs of pajamas or book donations to Pajama Program.

The flow of Center 415 is much better than previous spaces where Color Invasion has happened. The ground floor and early entrance experience of this space, in addition to the many spaces in the back allows for a much more layered experience of the room, and of the people attending Color Invasion.

This event, like the others before it, sets the tone for the rest of the events throughout the year. Color Invasion consistently knocks it out of the park, and this year was no exception. Congratulations to all involved!

Did any of this just happen? Photo: Peter Carey