The former Aarons Office Products at 445 Broadway is a big old barn of a place with a concrete floor, exposed brick walls and a vaulted ceiling so high that you have to strain your eyes just to see it.
In other words, the perfect location for Design After Dark.
Spots that haven’t been used a zillion times before help make this benefit for the Denver Art Museum’s Department of Architecture, Design and Graphics a blast. Design After Dark appeals to a younger crowd that enjoys checking out places that may not have the amenities of, say, a four-star hotel ballroom but an allure that includes architectural elements or historical significance.
“Fentress Architects owns the building, and since an exhibit of their airport designs is opening this summer at the museum, we felt this was a logical spot to hold Design After Dark,” said associate curator Darrin Alfred. “We painted the walls white and sealed the vaulted ceiling and were good to go.”
Megan Hudacky, founder of the interior architecture firm cky design, chaired the eighth Design After Dark with Craig Rouse, owner of R Design. It was a sell-out with 800 guests and net proceeds of $30,000.
The theme was “bespoke,” which means custom made. In the beginning, bespoke was a word specific to the fashion industry; today it applies to things ranging from computer software and luxury automobiles to firearms and jewelry.
In addition to enjoying food from Gourmet Fine Catering and Cuppycakes of Cherry Creek, deejay music and a silent auction, guests could also bid on several dozen bespoke objects made for the occasion by local artists, architects, graphic artists and jewelry designers.
A panel of judges — DAM president Cathey Finlon; 5280 magazine fashion editor Georgia Benjou and Luxe magazine’s founding publisher, Dana Meacham — awarded prizes as whimsical as the objects themselves. Most Liberated went to Brittany Gould’s “Virga”; “Ponti Panorama” from open studio architecture received Most Tailored; and Cosmic Thread’s “Ponti Panorama” won for Most Embellished.
Attendees included Connie Mesko from event co-sponsor Benjamin Moore paints; Dr. Dean Prina; Excelsior Youth Center board member Lois Paul with her Saturday morning yoga buddy Craig Crescas of Microsoft; gallery owner Bobbi Walker; Kirk Brown and Jill Wiltse; interior designer Sandy Reichborn-Kjennerud and her husband, Svein; Nancy and Dr. Les Lockspeiser; Realtors Janet Kritzer and Judy Fahrenkrog; Matt Keeney, director of account services for AOR; and Dan Jones, manager of Nordstrom Cherry Creek with his partner, psychologist Greg Miller.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@ ; also, and @GetItWrite on Twitter
