Although it was chilly outside, the mood was warm and spring-like inside the Mandarin Oriental in New York City last Monday where supporters of the New York Botanical Garden gathered for the annual Orchid Dinner sponsored by Veranda magazine.

Susanna Salk, David Scott, Sherrill Canet and Doug Roach

Danielle Rollins and Clinton Smith

Alison Spear and Phillip Gorrivan

Kevin Sharkey and Martha Stewart

The dinner featured 25 tables settings designed by New York’s leading architects, interior designers and horticulture experts based on the theme, “Key West Contemporary.”

Designers included Carlos Aparico, Baccarat, Laura Blanco, Bowman & Dahl Floral and Event Design, Sherrill Canet, Cullman & Kravis, Marc Charbonnet, David Easton, David M. Handy Events, Stephen Elrod for Brunschwig & Fils, FlowerSchool New York, Mauro Gomes for MagnaFlora Design Events, Phillip Gorrivan, Carolyn Gregg and Steven De La Torre, Meredith Hutchison, Hilary Pereira, Danielle Rollins, David Salvatore, Shawn Henderson, Alison Spear, Stephen Sills Associates, Thomas Burak Interiors, Michael Devine, Roric Tobin for Geoffrey Bradfield Inc., Trish O’Sullivan and Aamir Khandwala for Robert Couturier.

Design by Shawn Henderson

“When I heard what this year’s theme was, I immediately thought of Paul Rudolph and the Florida homes he did,” said Henderson. “I thought it was the perfect inspiration for this centerpiece. I think that the structure within a structure was super successful. I love how grand in scale the centerpiece was—yet you could see right through, which is important for a centerpiece. Plus, we were able to create a beautiful dialogue with the centerpiece by using the Calvin Klein tableware, stemware and flatware.”

Design by Aamir Khandwala

“My design started with a circle,” said Khandwala. “I thought to myself, ‘We always think of a centerpiece [sitting] on a table but why not think of a hanging centerpiece?’ I wanted something suspended from the very beginning. It developed first from an umbrella of flowers, to then a simple circular shape, and finally a ring that is entirely covered with flowers.”

Design by Cullman & Kravis

“The secret element was ‘dressing’ the chairs in the shutters and painting them coral, in this way adding a whimsical touch to our table,” said Cullman. “All the elements on the table related to each other: with a profusion of colorful orchids, a vibrant palette of coral, turquoise and lime green, beach umbrella, towels and shutters. As we always say, god is in the details!”

All proceeds from the Orchid Dinner underwrite the development of the Garden’s orchid research collection, which helps maintain the highest horticultural standards of orchid conservation. Over the weekend, the Garden opened its annual Orchid Show, which will remain open through April 20 and it features the same Key West theme.