What else can you ask for when your loyalties are to food, art and design?

corea sotropaAnything goes when the designer is also the client! And it’s that no-holds-barred creativity that makes Dinner by Design such a must-see event year after year.Designers are already in full planning mode for the Calgary designer tablescape showcase running June 2 and 3 at the ACAD gallery (Vancouver will get its turn come September)—including design firm Corea Sotropa who has taken Mexican painter Frida Khalo as its latest muse.”It isn’t super literal, but if anyone knows anything about Frida Kahlo, the references are hard to miss,” says principal designer Reena Sotropa, whose freshly leaked DxD inspiration board (see above!) is full of bright colour pops, flowers and Mexican-style tiles and textiles.The Corea Sotropa team says we’ll also also see multiple light fixtures over a dining setup that includes an off-beat mix of mismatched chairs.Last year, the firm went with a “Marie-Antoinette Does Safari” theme (image below), also perfectly in-tune with its glam reputation. “We used a really fun Nina Campbell wallpaper that we would have totally used in someone’s home, but in this case we combined it with black lacquered walls,” explains Sotropa.”These really over-the-top combinations and details would have been a pretty tough sell in someone’s average dining room.”(But that’s why we love DxD!)

The Details:

Where: ACAD gallery, 1407 14 Ave. NW, CalgaryWhen: June 2 and 3Tickets: $75; purchase your tickets here.DXD2015-coreaDXD2015-corea2