The Art of the Party: Design Ideas for Successful Entertaining [Hardcover]

Renny Reynolds (Author), Elaine Louie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1992

In 20 years he has designed more than 2,500 events for some of America's most exacting clients. Now, in this visual banquet of a book, Renny Reynolds shows how to achieve the truly glamorous through the skillful deployment of lighting, color, texture, progression, and scale, using some of his own classic parties as examples. 240 full-color photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

There's more to throwing a fabulous party thatn just guests and great food. Renny Reynolds, a masterful planner who has created celebrations for the world's elite for more than thirty years, reveals some of his trade secrets in The Art of the Party. A well-known professional who has designed more than 2,500 events, Renny knows that "parties should have a sense of largesse and drama--glamour, if you will. A truly glamorous party enlarges your vision of what endless possibilities there are to the simple notion of fun."

In this sumptuous visual banquet, Renny shows would-be hosts how to achieve a truly glamorous party. Through the skillful deployment of lighting, color, texture, progression, and scale, he unveils a number of party designs, from elegant to playful. Ideas for color schemes, lighting strategies, table settings, flower arrangements, and other design ideas are revealed. Whether you are planning an intimate brunch or a grand wedding, The Art of the Party will help you create a breathtaking spectacle that your guests will remember for years.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

N/A --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Studio (August 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670830542
• ISBN-13: 978-0670830541
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,641,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Settings for Glamorous Parties, August 17, 2004

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of the Party (Hardcover)

Renny Reynolds is a true artist who was trained as a landscape architect. His party-design firm has been featured in Bon Appetit and House Beautiful. He has designed more than 2,500 events. Elaine Louie is known for her "Currents" column in the New York Times and Edward Addeo is a New York photographer whose work appears in Vogue, New York Times Magazine and in the book Cherished Objects.

Together, they have created a luxurious feast for the eyes. Not only are there ideas one could only imagine in your most exotic culinary setting dreams, there are a few ideas for intimate parties you could actually reproduce in your own home or outdoors in your favorite setting. Whether you are seeking ideas for an extraordinarily expensive fundraiser or a meeting that speaks of a casual elegance, you will find ideas that will inspire you and encourage you to create a very memorable setting.

Some fabulous party ideas include:

A Night in the Stars - A canopy of lights was created with white Christmas tree lights. The entire scene looks like it is floating out in some magical galaxy. You could probably recreate this on a smaller scale with tiny lights. I adored this idea. Imagine actually attending such a function. A must-see picture!

Down-Home Dinner - Firelight and candles in an eighteenth-century stone house. The idea is comforting and if you have a fireplace, you could recreate this at home.

Beauty and the Beast - ideas for decorating your home for romance.

Summer Poolside Lunch - now this anyone can achieve. Simply pack a picnic lunch and bring vases of flowers and colorful napkins.

The highlight of many of these parties seems to be the candlelight. At least, that was what I noticed the most. Candles around bowls filled with peach flowers, candles in wine glasses or hundreds of votive candles surrounding pools, candles flickering in glass bowls swaying overhead in a tent. I mean, if you love candles, you are going to find unique ideas in this book.

The more expensive ideas include dinners for hundreds of guests. The settings are places like the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan, Lincoln Center, the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and the Four Seasons, Manhattan. One of the most beautiful pictures was taken in the New York Public Library. There is a vast dome over the tables that is glowing in a soft lavender light. The chairs are gold, the tablecloths have a golden/pink sheen to them and towering vases of flowers are overflowing with lavender delphinium, white dendrobium orchids, pink lilies, purple lilacs and spiky golden eremuirus. Apparently the entire area was highly scented with lilac branches and the goal was to make everyone feel like they were actually outside in nature.

Whether you are planning a wedding, intimate brunch, a dinner party or an indoor beach party, you will find ideas that your guests will never forget. A highly memorable book of spectacular party ideas.

~The Rebecca Review

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Art of the Party, July 16, 2005

By 

Brooke K. Lively "ASE30" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of the Party (Hardcover)

Renny Reynolds is a talented designer. I own his first book published in 1992 by Viking Studio Books entitled "The Art of the Party, Design Ideas for Succesful Entertaining". While browsing through Amazon, I discovered a more recent book by Mr. Reynolds published in March 2003 by Gibbs Smith in Salt Lake City. Although the name was similar, the publisher and publication date as listed were different. Upon receiving the "new" book, I was surprised to find the EXACT same book published in 1992 with a new book jacket and fly pages. What a disappointment. The pictures and ideas are dated; if you want up to the minute new ideas, do not order this book. I attended parties in the 90's that used these very themes. Why order the new book when you can have the old one with dated ideas much cheaper.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love at First Sight!, July 25, 2005

By 

Anna Mesbergen "Aspiring Event Planner" (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of the Party (Hardcover)

I love this book! It offers fantastic ideas for making even the simplest party a feast for the eyes. The pictures are so large and colorful. Although many of the events pictured were held in massive spaces, you can easily scale down the decor to your own sized venue. Anyone can use Mr. Reynolds' themes to pack some punch into their party decor: Mexican,Oriental,Beach Party,Birthday, etc. There is enough content in this book to assist you in designing a long remembered celebration. Mr. Reynolds' nine foot tall golden candleabra caught my eye, they were spectacular. Then I purchased another book - by an Australian event designer, and found them used again. She gave him credit for the idea. I know that someday I will find a way to make use of them at a party, possibly in a smaller version. I applaud Renny Reynolds for his artistic acumen...his events are truly ART!