http://www.davidstarkdesign.com/, http://www.davidstarksketchbook.com/, http://twitter.com/davidstarkinc

David Stark Design and Production, 219 36th Street, 3A, New York, NY (2025)

02/07/2025

Minimalism vs. Maximalism?

When and I started embarking on this table installation, our intentions were to be more minimal. We had not planned on suspending the hands over the table, but we got caught up in the exuberance of options and went for it.

The artist in me has doubts, though. Did we overdue it? Would it have been better if it was less busy, so the eye could concentrate more on the table display? Or is this a good example of “the more the merrier,” and the buzzing swarm of it all is actually what makes the installation more exciting?

We like to push ourselves into unknown territory and have not decided on our end just yet, but what do you think?
Embroidered tablecloth by
📷 by ;

02/06/2025

It’s fun for us to share the BEFORE and the AFTER of the transformations we often produce. Here are six events in six different locations for you to consider — check out the photos of the empty spaces integrated within the snaps of the finished installations to get the full effect.

Those venues are:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5. .nyc
6.
📷 1 & 3 by ; 📷 5-6, 12-14, 16-18, & 20 by ; 📷 8-10 by

02/04/2025

I think a lot about the famous 1949 LIFE Magazine article on Jackson Pollack that showcased the “action painter at work.” When I consider those iconic images by photographer Martha Holmes, they, in fact, may be what inspires me to capture our team of artisans in the throes of making magic. Like those images of Pollack in the act of creation, I love them as much as the finished product.

Swipe ◀️ to see some really talented people doing really great things.
📷 1-3, 8-9, 12, 14-19 by ; 📷 5 & 20 by ; 🎥 4 & 10 by ; All other 📷 by 📱

01/31/2025

Sometimes we get fixated on a material, and we explore using it in different ways. Case in point, we can’t get enough of wide wale corduroy these days; we have been using it a lot as table cloths. The weight is deluxe, and when we get super-detailed, it’s fun to make chair cushions, overlays and undercloths, varying the scale of the “wale,” from low to thick at the same table.

As a kid, I wore cords religiously, and perhaps that’s why I’m so interested in the material now. These were simply knock-a-bout jeans — nothing fancy, but since we love using materials in ways they are not intended for, we are getting a kick out of elevating corduroy to the most elegant of settings.

Swipe ◀️ to see a handful of recent examples.
All 📷 by except for number 5 by

01/30/2025

Was it just a dream?

This special evening began with a stately ceremony, followed by an elegant dinner party at one of the most iconic rooms in NY. Later in the night, guests went down the rabbit hole literally (through the kitchen of The Pool and The Grill!) to find themselves in a hidden boîte, a dream-like state harkening back to NYC nightlife of the 90’s.

When I first arrived in NYC as a young painter out of art school, clubs like Palladium, Roxy, and Limelight were our evening activities. They were large, glamorous affairs that featured theme parties, and on any given night, you could revel alongside a diverse crowd of people including celebrities, club kids, drag queens, ravers, hip hop heads, models, and more. The Queen of the scene was , assembling a wild array of characters to populate these spaces. She curated the talent at our little afterparty too.

Check out these otherworldly images from the incomparable that take you from refined to surreal in the blink of an eye. Swipe ◀️
Planning:
Design and Production:
Ceremony Venue:
Reception Venue: The Pool and The Grill ( )
Afterparty Venue: The Lobster Club ( )
Catering:
Lighting Design:
Lighting Production:
Entertainment and Audio:
Stationary and Calligraphy:
Wedding Cake:
Wedding Photography:
Afterparty DJ:
Afterparty Talent:
📷 by

01/25/2025

It’s a wonderful honor to be included on the Power List, especially amongst such an esteemed group of colleagues. Thank you, DWP Congress for recognizing the work we are doing internationally. It means a lot. 😘
📷 by

01/24/2025

A tale of two libraries:

The first celebration takes place in the transformed, historic Rose Reading Room at the — the annual Library Lions Gala.

The second is an invented library created at the in lower Manhattan for a book lover’s special birthday.

Both use projections and video mapping in different but equally immersive ways. Swipe ◀️ to compare and contrast these two takes on library settings.
📷 by

01/21/2025

And without warning, I can finally post 20 photos / videos in a carousel! I’ve been waiting with baited breath to do so, so here we go . . .

POV: You play as if you are still a kid. GO!

Swipe ◀️ to see an array of our events where play is central (even in the events that are serious!!! )🧐😉
📷 3 by ; 📷 1, 4, 8, 10, 11, & 13-20 by ; 📷 5-8 by ; 📷 9 by ; 🎥 2 by ; 📷 12 by

01/20/2025

Behind the scenes with our magic-makers . . .

Swipe ◀️ for a glimpse at various event installs. Of course, it’s very hard work, but it’s also a magical Wonderland, and we have such respect for our unstoppable team of artists that create the splendor.
📷 by

01/19/2025

We had our annual holiday party the other night — we always do it in January instead of December, and it was great fun. I stood back with such pride, quietly reflecting on our more than 20 year journey in business as David Stark Design to get to this place. We have built a community (and a family) that works really hard and effectively to create art and magic in service of our clients AND who also truly enjoys spending time together. The team’s joy was definitely on display last Thursday night, and as a business owner, that was incredibly rewarding.

Over drinks, some of us reflected on just how many marriages (and babies!) have been formed at DSI — there have been so many! I also quietly reflected on my personal satisfaction on building a business that has fostered a multigenerational staff. Our beloved Queen , who reigns in our studio, first came into the business at the onset, long before there was a David Stark Design, starting with me and my former business partner under a different company name. When I first met her daughter ._ , she was a baby! In a blink of an eye, Cynthia is now a grownup and an integral part of our operations as our Studio Coordinator!

When I went to art school, my goal was to make cool s**t. That’s all I wanted to do with my life — or so I thought! So many years later, I realize that the joy is absolutely in making art, but the added gift has been in creating a community that has grown TOGETHER and over time. That’s a reward like no other.

Swipe ◀️. Not only are Cynthia and Naty my happiness, but they rule the dance floor too.
📷 by

01/18/2025

Food as art / art as food . . .

Whether that be martini olive-shaped cake pops, a giant pizza box you can climb into as a photo-op, or wooden “food” inspired by the faux grocery toys we played with growing up, we love to let our inner child play.

Swipe ◀️ to see a roundup of recent experiments in culinary exuberance.
📷 1, 2, & 8 by 📱; 📷 3, 4, 6, & 10 by ; 📷 5 by ; 📷 7 courtesy of ; 📷 9 by ;

01/16/2025

Right now, we are in a moment of developing new ideas for scores of projects — the annual Big Benefit in May is one of them. To say it bluntly: it’s REALLY HARD to develop new ideas. There are days that feel completely overwhelming. In those instances, it feels like we are very far from cracking the code, and there are days where we feel like hair circling around the drain — close, but not there just yet. I know it may seem like the ideas just flow out of us with great ease, and sometimes they do, but more often than not, they are hard won battles. While our goal is for no one to see us sweat, the truth is we do. 😓 😉

So, right now we are pushing ourselves to innovate, embracing the uncomfortable space of the unknown; we have been this doing long enough to know that that is where we find gold. And when we look back on images and videos from previous Robin Hood Benefits, we take solace in the knowledge that each and every one of those successful moments emerged from the same tough journey through the unknown.

Stephen Sondheim so eloquently penned in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, “Art isn’t easy.” That whole show hits me hard as I truly feel the metaphors in which Sondheim speaks of his personal toil as an artist.

Swipe ◀️ to see three years of Robin Hood Benefits. They seem easy in retrospect, but they were anything but.
📷 1, 3, 4, 8, & 9 by ; 📷 6 & 7 by ; 🎥 2 & 5 by ; 🎥 10 by📱;

01/15/2025

Various experiments with bread 🥖 🍞 🥯

Swipe ◀️
📷 1 & 2 by ; 📷 3-6 & 9-10 by ; 📷 7 by ; 📷 8 by

01/14/2025

On any given night, something ultra-glamorous is happening in NYC . . .

Swipe ◀️ to see a roundup of some of our favorite NYC nights.
📷 1, 5-7, & 9 by ; 📷 2 by ; 📷 3, 4, & 8 by ; 📷 10 courtesy of the Whitney Museum

01/13/2025

When I took my niece to the on Saturday, we stumbled upon a small exhibition of Philip Guston paintings that stopped me in my tracks. While I trained to be a painter, I have not picked up a paint brush to create a picture in about 25 years. And rarely does it even occur to me to do so because the installation work we do for events is like painting; we just use different tools. At David Stark Design, we make dimensional, experiential “pictures” that people inhabit rather than flat ones that sit on a wall. 😉

On Saturday, though, I had the impulse to want to paint with a brush again. Why? These Guston works were not dissimilar to things we think about all the time in our work: Using everyday materials to convey meaning, embedding metaphor in iconography, embracing the idea that humor and seriousness co-exist, and owning that excellent craftsmanship matters.
If Guston’s paintings were not so finely crafted, they would be cartoons. Instead, his images are infused with emotion, grappling with personal issues of mortality, vulnerability, prejudice, evil, and human nature.

Seemingly simple, the paintings are so complex and luxuriate in their craft. When I was painting with brushes, I only could hope to achieve the tension that Guston achieved. As an event designer and as an organization, we hope to walk that line too. We constantly think about how to make something look simple even though we know it’s anything but, but it also needs to look luscious at the same time.

I want to thank The Met for a brilliant day of thought provoking inspiration. Days later, I’m still thinking about what I experienced on Saturday. This is a great example of why museums matter.

Swipe ◀️ to see images of the Guston paintings from the exhibition, and if you are in NYC, go check them out in person. That’s much better than experiencing them on Instagram.
📷 by 📱

01/12/2025

Yesterday I took my niece Mady to the . She’s in from Boston visiting for the weekend, and it was her very first time at the museum. She has a new found love for Vincent Van Gogh, and the day prior, we sought out “Starry Night” at to great success. So yesterday, we went to see all the glorious Van Gogh paintings at The Met, and they have stunning examples of his work.

While there, we stopped in to see several other shows including the Afrofuturism Period Room. It has been open for a while now, but I always enjoy it, especially the work of potter , who is highlighted in the room and who we also featured in AT THE ARTISAN’S TABLE, the book we collaborated on with designer .

Swipe ◀️ to see images from our “Royalty” chapter as well as from the period room at The Met. You can see some of the same tableware in the period room that is featured in our book, which makes me proud to no end.

You can also purchase the book at — Mady found it there and was blown away by that! There is also a link in our bio for easy access. 😉
📷 1-7 by ; 📷 8-10 by 📱

01/10/2025

Something sweet . . .

Swipe ◀️
📷 1 & 8 by ; 📷 2, 5, 7, & 10 by ; 📷 4 & 6 by ; 📷 3 by 📱 ; 📷 9 by

01/08/2025

The other day, we posted about being part of the team, helping to launch and then later commemorate the iconic Missoni for Target collection. After posting, though, my mind went to another legendary designer who also created a fabulous limited-time only collection with Target last spring — 13 years after Rosita Missoni and Target WOW-ed the world with theirs. The DVF x Target collection was a huge affair, too, with fashion and accessories for women and girls as well as a broad array of homegoods. People went nuts for it.

Target created a pop-up retail experience at in NYC, and the people came from far and wide to snap up wrap dresses, bedding, and so much more. The broad array of floral patterns in the spring collection inspired us to situate the collection within an actual floral fantasy where huge installations — hills of flowering forsythia branches, beds floating in a sea of tulips, and pitchers pouring cups of blooms, to name a few, held hands with the product to create an eye-popping world.

It’s really nice to think about Rosita Missoni and Diane von Furstenberg in the same breath, two women who have created such iconic worlds with their own fearless points of view. They have taught us much about originality and steadfast vision, which truly inspires us as artists, and it was an honor to be part of the Target teams, inventing these special moments for such legendary game changers.

Swipe ◀️ to see more from launch experience.
📷 by

David Stark Design and Production