On Tuesday, Barneys threw a blow-out by the bay! The arbiters of style and taste pulled out all the stops for the much-anticipated event. Following five years of planning, the upscale retailer hosted a grand opening that drew the city’s social and design elite. Jeffrey Hutchison & Associates are responsible for the stunning redo of the former FAO Schwarz store. The exterior of the landmark building was refurbished as part of the project, and has been finished in tone-on-tone coloration to accentuate the historic details of the facade. The complete transformation inside mixed artisan-crafted details with elements of modern refinement, boasting features that included a grand staircase composed of stone and wood, with an intricate railing of bronze and gold-toned decorative metal grills. The nearly 700 guests were given full access to all six floors of the approximately 60,000-square-foot store for an hour of champagne and shopping followed by a lavish buffet dinner, dessert, and a Disco Inferno-themed after party held underneath two transparent plastic tents in the heart of Union Square. Danielle Steel and her girls hosted the event to benefit the Nick Traina Foundation.

The original Lansburgh & Joseph building redesignd by Jeffrey Hutchison & Associates

Jonathan Adler and creative director of Barneys Simon Doonan.

Howard Socol, CEO, and president of Barneys New York and
Fashion designer,Derek Lam

Our Host, author Danielle Steele

Stylish synergy, fashion innovator and Creative Director for Anne Klein, Isabel Toledo and her husband, artist Ruben Toledo

Phil Bronfman, Vanessa Getty and Friend

The Traina sisters, Vanessa and Samantha looking haute in vintage YSL

The beautiful new interior of Barneys San Francisco

The Design Calendar girls can’t be everywhere at once, so in our quest to keep up up to speed on all of the cool design happenings, we would like to thank our guest blogger: Luis Fernandez, project designer for Jeffrey Hutchison & Associates and photos by Drew Altizer