PANAMA-born, New York-based Preston Bailey has made a career out of transforming everyday spaces into true showplaces for his elegant events and unique floral designs.
Having created fabulous fetes for everyone from Oprah Winfrey and Michael Douglas to George Soros and the Trump family, Bailey has become a leading authority on aesthetics and style.
Recently, Bailey embarked on one of his most monumental endeavors yet — first-of-their-kind permanent floral installations at the Wynn Las Vegas. Created in collaboration with owner Steve Wynn himself, Bailey’s pieces use color and flowers to whimsically evoke a horse-filled carousel and hot-air balloon.
As he settles into a new year, Bailey spoke to NYP Home about design, travel and the unsung value of basic potted plants.
My favorite go-to store of great event items is Crate & Barrel — which is a place I find incredibly useful. I love how they merchandise their products and make them so easy to find. They’re great for events of any size .
You have to hit guests with something interesting from the moment they walk into a party to create a sense of arrival. One easy way is to offer them something great — say a beautiful tray of chocolates and a glass of champagne. This sets the tone for the rest of the event to come.
Candles are one of the easiest — and most affordable — design elements to give life to an event. How simple is it to go and buy 50 or 100 votive candles to illuminate your home? The effect is both elegant and long-lasting.
My favorite design-based website is Design Within Reach. I’m a big fan not only of the types of products they feature, but how they present them. They really know how to show useful items with a twist. I recently picked up some great cork planters and elegant little vases.
I find the newish St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort to be one of the best-designed hotels anywhere. I love how the rooms are laid out and the fact that they all face the water. The elevators are unique in that each serves just a few specific rooms and I am crazy about the gym.
Plants are an easy way to bring color into your home during the dark days of winter. I like flowering plants such as amaryllis bulbs or Paperwhites — a type of daffodil. Azaleas are also great because they need minimal light, but easily bloom over and over again.
Throughout my career, I’ve always been inspired by the work of interior designer Vicente Wolf. Not only is he a friend, but he actually suggested I get into flowers in the first place. I think he’s fantastic at mixing different culture and influences into a single project. I am also a big fan of the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi for his ability to transmit a sense of nature into all of his buildings.
I love working with flowers because of their ability to both alter and set the tone of a room. My business is based on the ability to bring the outside inside — to bring nature into a room. Flowers help you do that.
When working on a limited budget, simple, potted and flowering plants are always a great option. And I mean the kind you buy at a supermarket, such as Whole Foods. Not only can they be beautiful, but they can easily last for two or three months.
My ultimate fantasy job would be to design a state dinner at the White House. I, of course, would never ask — but it would be my ultimate dream.
The most beautiful place for giving a major event has to be the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For me, nothing beats the Temple of Dendur for its sense of art and history.
