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As the sun descended on the L.A. skyline on Thursday, a night of celebration was just beginning at the Chateau Marmont. AD editor in chief Amy Astley and AD100 designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard welcomed some 34 guests—designers, friends, and colleagues among them—for an intimate evening toasting the designer’s new collection for The Shade Store.
Upon arriving at the penthouse suite, guests followed a black-and-white checkered tile hallway to the terrace for cocktail hour. From a patio overlooking Sunset Boulevard—which, at the golden hour, lived up to its name—AD market director Madeline O’Malley caught up with designer Erin Fetherston over hors d’oeuvres, while AD West Coast editor Mayer Rus and designers Brett Woods and Joseph Dangaran, of Woods and Dangaran, shared laughs at a cocktail table nearby. Meanwhile, designer Jane Hallworth showed RuPaul her design for actress Kirsten Dunst’s home in a nearby November issue of AD, and designers Peti Lau and Mandy Cheng reconnected over glasses of champagne.
Not long after, attention turned to the dinner table, where floral designer and fellow dinner guest Jeff Leatham had created a lovely tablescape, thoughtfully integrating the fêted collection. Fuschia bouquets and green hydrangeas lined the center of the table atop a runner made from the collection’s Nomad Stripe fabric. Polished black flatware and napkins made from the collection’s Chinoiserie-printed design accompanied a single blossom at each place setting.
Under a striped awning draped with string lights, guests took their seats at the dinner table. Conversations hushed as Astley stood to share a few welcoming words, congratulating Bullard on the beautiful new collection and recognizing The Shade Store for its 75th anniversary this year. Michael Crotty, chief marketing officer at The Shade Store, followed with praise for the partnership with Bullard and a grinning toast to the special night out.
Following the first course, Bullard stood to add a few words. He sent thanks to many at the table and offered a brief insight into the inspiration behind the six new designs, which are exclusively available for drapery, Roman shades, and cornices at The Shade Store. And though the collection’s muses may have been found globally, the celebratory evening in the designer’s hometown of West Hollywood was an absolute delight. Or, in Bullard’s exact words, “a Jeff Leatham pink-flower-covered cloud nine.”
