Friday Five with David Monn |

Friday Five with David Monn

May 19, 2017 admin Interior Design 0

New York City’s David Monn is the go-to event planner everyone seeks out when they want to throw something unforgettable. The Pennsylvania-born Monn began his career as an interior design and then landed in the fine jewelry industry prior to the start of his renowned event planning company. And while he’s considered an event planner, he’s clearly more of an event designer when you peruse through his eclectic portfolio, which includes the likes of the Guggenheim Gala honoring architect Frank Gehry, the legendary Met Ball, and state dinners at the White House for the one-and-only former president, Barack Obama. Just last year, he launched his first coffee table book, entitled The Art of Celebrating, which gives you a peek into his celebrated career. Take a look as David Monn shares a few of the things he loves and finds inspirational, in this week’s Friday Five.

Photo by Michael Bodycomb, courtesy of Town&Country

1. Saucer Magnolias at The Frick
Planted in 1939, I always find such reliable beauty in these blossoms that bloom every spring outside of The Frick Collection, which is such a majestic New York institution. To me that’s the official start of the spring season.

2. Food as Art
Photographer David Meredith uses so many different natural elements in his work. I often find that the simplest arrangements for the center of a well composed table are fruits in a monochromatic color scheme. They add texture and depth with their natural shapes and shadows. Simple and unexpected, yet complex in the right setting.

Photo source

3. Natural Light
Light plays such a pivotal role in storytelling and influencing the mood at my events and in my daily life. There is unimaginable power in sunlight, candles, incandescent bulbs, or fire. It can draw you in, or turn you away, make you feel warm and calm, or cold and dark when you find yourself without it. In our very darkest places, if we hold fast to the truth that light exists, our faith in that light will pull us toward it.

Photo by First Thought Films/Zeitgeist Films, courtesy of The New York Times

4. The late Bill Cunningham
An iconic photographer, role model and friend, Bill Cunningham devoted his entire life to the quest for beauty. Everyday he sought and discovered beauty, and invited us to join him on the journey. As times have changed, I have felt the quest for beauty has become less important. Bill’s work is a constant reminder that beauty is all around us. Sometimes you just have to look a little harder to see it.

5. My King Charles, Sammy
He’s my best friend, and from him I learned the meaning of unconditional love.