Dinner Party Space Paper

Joshua Boone

Environmental Design II

For my dinner party I like open spaces.  I picture the setting in an open airy environment like an atrium or a conservatory.  Inside I picture Turkish or Moroccan tiles for the flooring.  Within the space I imagine it being an oasis, a kind of escape from the metropolis surrounding it.  I want it to have an arched glass ceiling with touches of painted glass here and there.  Some curved glass curtain walls as well as some stone or tiled walls.  To keep the sunlight at bay I want lots of trees, plants, shrubs flowers, vines and herbs growing within this peaceful space.  The vegetation will be kept very green friendly and organic.  I picture a tall ceiling that has the ability to open and close so that birds can come and go freely and their chirping can be heard faintly throughout the space.  For my space, I love color, but my plants and flowers will construct a canvas for the background of color arrangements.  The fact that the space will be made of glass will help protect and support t the plant life during the changes of the seasons.  I imagine all sorts of pleasant fragrant smells entering the air like lavender, lilies and orange blossom.  I picture a peaceful fountain within the space that hold golden koi fish in the basin.  There will be walkways with benches and nooks throughout.  The main feature will be an open space where I will hold dinner parties.  The space will be perfect for these parties because nature is something everyone can appreciate and relate to on some level.  For the dinner party it will start around evening dusk so that the natural sunlight will be soft colorful and warm.  Candles and softly lit solar lamp posts will supply more light as it gets dark.  The social gathering can be people from different cultural backgrounds.  As an activity I can hold a gathering of flowers and herbs before the dinner.  Giving everyone a chance to pick a flower for the centerpiece or an herb they would like to be prepared in one of their courses of dinner.  The dinner will be prepared by a chef.  The sideboard near the dining space will have multipurpose.  For this dinner it will serve as a place to gather the flowers to be arranged and a place for the herbs to be collected for the chef.  During the time of the meal to be prepared there will be a cocktail hour where a variety of wine and beverages will be passed for the guests.  They will have a chance to stroll through the space and chat throughout the gardens.  I love music and I feel music helps set a mood for an atmosphere.  For this social gathering I picture some classical soft music for the background faintly being heard so it doesn’t overwhelm.  Or even a light performance of some instrumentalists and pianist.  When dinner time comes the food will be served at a round table set for around 10 people.  The centerpiece will be carefully orchestrated and chairs will be lightly cushioned and be rather upright so that everyone will be seen clearly for conversation.  The place settings will be carefully chosen to appeal to the guests.  There will be a water glass as well as both a red and white wine glass.  Throughout the courses wine will be offered to pair with the meal.  Each unused item will be properly removed or replaced by a server.  Each course will be something small with worldly influences that will be geared to please each guest that RSVP’d.  With dessert coffee or hot teas will be offered.