Leadership Pasadena Awards Designers at Tablescape Gala

“Favorite Tablescape” award winners artWORKS and The Monogrammed Home. – Courtesy photo Hosie Thomas Photography

Hundreds of guests, dozens of volunteers, 14 tablescape designers, and not one but two designers took the prize for “Favorite Tablescape” of the night. Yes, Leadership Pasadena’s inaugural tablescape competition, “Setting the Table: The Art of Conversation,” ended in a tie.

Dana Banta and Catie Roheim of The Monogrammed Home and Mikala Rahn along with the students from her artWORKS program designed the two winning tablescapes as voted on by event guests. While the design teams produced distinctly different tablescapes, both underscored the evening’s “conversation” theme and captured the attention of guests and fellow designers alike. Thanks to the generosity of DREAMS Magazine, each designer will be awarded a full-page color ad in the luxury publication. The dual awards were presented by the magazine’s Ty Fischer and Natalie Friberg following a spirited auction and prize drawing hosted by Anthony Guthmiller, the event’s artistic director, and remarks by Leadership Pasadena’s Board Chair Joshua Driskell and Executive Director Cynthia Bengtson.

The Monogrammed Home’s tablescape. – Courtesy photo / Anthony Guthmiller, Debbie Talianko, Peggy Kelley

The Monogrammed Home’s tablescape, in lush summer hues, reflected the company’s penchant for personalization and the personal experience of sharing a table, while the artWORKS display, in moody street tones, brought important social conversations to the table. NOOR’s Sofia ballroom provided the backdrop for the eclectic array of tablescapes from traditional elegance to handcrafted whimsy.

The artWORKS table. – Courtesy photo / Anthony Guthmiller, Debbie Talianko, Peggy Kelley

Anchoring the center of the ballroom was the Jacob Maarse table featuring a massive floral sculpture; other tables incorporating natural elements included Homage Pasadena’s creative use of succulents, We Olive Pasadena’s olive wood display, and the butterfly-accented branches of the Maude Woods Artful Living table. Tech was front and center—literally—on The Party Goddess tablescape which was outfitted with a digital interface; sleek metals also gave the west elm display a cool tech vibe.

Williams Sonoma Pasadena, Timeless Celebrations, and the Talianko Design Group gilded their tables with gleaming gold or silver flatware, sparkling crystal, and elegant, conversation-worthy place settings while tablescapes from borderLESS Design, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and the Women’s City Club of Pasadena reflected social good and historical themes through their settings.

Leadership Pasadena’s online auction continues through Aug. 1 with all proceeds benefitting their Veterans training program.

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