Sunday, December 11, 2011

Christmas at the Vanderbilt Museum-Part II

We're opening the velvet rope & inviting you in for a glamourous evening at the legendary 
"El Morocco"...

As I mentioned in my last post, Mom and I volunteered to decorate a room at the Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport for Christmas.  As with any design project, we had our challenges.  The biggest was the sheer lack of well, anything, in the room.  No furniture whatsoever with no budget for decorating whatsoever.   Not $1. What we did have, was a sprawling waterview of Northport Harbor, some wonderful old iron sconces and light fixtures and a great theme of the El Morocco nightclub.  



The iron "sconces"  were actually once used as flag holders that flanked the beautiful iron door between them.  We filled the candelabra sections with oversized white tapers and placed flameless votives in the flag holders below.  Sprays of dried palms & silver and blue bulbs adorned with blue and white bows made them festive....
The El Morocco was noted for its celebrity clientele and its navy blue and white zebra stripe upholstered banquettes.
We built the navy blue zebra stripe banquette similar to the ones the El Morocco was so famous for.
We also built these palm trees -they're over 8' tall! 
The sign was also hand-painted.

Garlands with dried palm fronds, blue poinsettia and silver ornaments.
White & Blue tree...
We made tree ornaments with old black & white photos of celebs at El Morocco. 



The blue and white lanterns were in this room and worked
so well with the theme.




If you get a chance, stop by the Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport and take a tour.  The museum is a wonderful piece of Long Island's history and they're in need of financial support.  If you have friends or family visiting for the holidays its a great idea to take them for a visit.