Wallpaper* and Æsir worldwide salon dinners

We set the bar high when we co-hosted the first of four salon dinners with Æsir Copenhagen, in the spectacular setting of The Parabola (formerly the Commonwealth Institute) in London, so we knew each subsequent dinner had to be equally ambitious. In a production that brought together a cast of designers, music maestros and lighting mavens, and took attention to detail to new heights - from the invitations and personalised menu cards, to specially composed graphic projections and music - we gave a select crowd a taste of our ultimate bash. Armed once again with the culinary inventions of Danish chef Bo Lindegaard, the next trio of dining feats took over the Volkov-Yusupov Palace in Moscow, Temple Court in New York and finally Highcliff Hong Kong.

Taking cues from the themes explored in Æsir's design manifesto, Tænker 001, for the specially-produced menu, lighting and music, each of our four unique salon dinners was the perfect backdrop for the brand to unveil its first telephonic marvel, the &#198+Y - a startling handcrafted handset with a sapphire crystal screen and Dutch-made ceramic casing, designed by Yves Behar.

Round two began on an autumn evening in Moscow. Guests were chauffered in Bentley cars (courtesy of Moscow-based Mercury) to the gates of the Volkov-Yusupov Palace, a startling building first constructed in the 16th century, re-designed over time until the 19th century and recently restored. After admiring Bentley's new Continental and Continental Flying Spur cars in the courtyard, they were ushered inside the usually off-limits palace, whose interiors are an impressive lesson in Russian Baroque style, with carved portals, bronze grilles and ornate chandeliers. Accompanied by string quartet Kvarted Elegans, pre-dinner drinks took place in the Chinese room, where guests sipped on Mumm champagne donated by W* friend and guest Vadim Grigorian of Pernod Ricard, after which dinner was served in the aptly-named Throne room.

A very different architectural venue set the tone for New York's proceedings. Our third salon dinner took place in Temple Court on Beekman Street - the city's earliest surviving 'fireproof' office building of the pre-skyscraper period. Built in the 1880s by architects Silliman & Farnsworth, it has been vacant for a decade and, from the 1940s until recently, the dramatic atrium that played host to Wallpaper* and Æsir was boarded up from view.

Our journey began with reception drinks on the ninth floor, giving guests a direct view down to the bottom of the atrium, where dinner was served on a black gloss and brushed steel, custom-made table by production designer Matthew Gant, flanked by Arper swivel chairs, specially flown in. A unique soundscape, composed by London-based Pitch & Sync, in keeping with themes of Tænker 001, performed by New York-based Jack Quartet, echoed the sentiments of the courses during dinner.

The Hong Kong dinner ended things, quite literally, on a perfect high. We commandeered two penthouses of the soaring Highcliff tower, the highest residential building in Hong Kong, giving guests views right across the city. Drinks were held on the 68th floor in the elegant, Tara Bernerd & Partners-designed Penthouse 68, accompanied by a string quartet from the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. Dinner was served two floors above in Penthouse 70, where graphic projections created by Keep Agency and Tom Hingston transformed the space for each course, immersing the whole dining area with another layer of sensory delight.

The first of four salon dinners, co-hosted by Wallpaper and Æsir Copenhagen, took place in the spectacular setting of The Parabola (the former Commonwealth Institute) in London, soon to be the new home of the Design Museum

Left: Architect David Adjaye and model Ashley Shaw-Scott
Right: Karla Otto Asia managing director Masako Kumakura and Wall Street Journal food critic Bruce Palling

Wallpaper* publishing director Gord Ray and The Business of Fashion founder Imran Amed

Left: Æsir co-founder Mathias Rajani
Right: Sherette Dahlström, designer Tom Dixon and Jean Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

For his London debut, chef Bo Lindegaard (one half of I'm a Kombo, the duo making Denmark the new test bed of culinary invention) devised a six course culinary sensation that echoed themes explored in Æsir's design manifesto, Tænker 001, such as 'romanticism', 'expertise' and 'co-operation'

Left: Æsir co-founder Thomas Møller Jensen
Right: During the dinner, Æsir gave guests a chance to play with the new Æ+Y handsets - the Danish company's first hand-crafted marvels, complete with sapphire crystal screens and Dutch-made ceramic casing, designed by fellow guest Yves Béhar

Keep Agency and Tom Hingston Studio - the practice behind the new Æsir phone's icons and unique typeface, as well as Tænker 001 - devised a series of graphic projections to illuminate the space, also synched to the graphics in the manifesto

Left: Artist Beth Derbyshire
Right: Serpentine Gallery director Julia Peyton-Jones

Presenter George Lamb

David Adjaye, Wallpaper* Editor-in-Chief Tony Chambers and Yves Béhar

Model David Gandy and Ashley Shaw-Scott

Architect John Pawson

The courtyard of Volkov-Yusupov chambers, the venue for the second of our four salon dinners, is an imposing palace that dates back to the 16th century, and has been linked to the famous and formidable likes of Rasputin, Ivan the Terrible and a very young Alexander Pushkin

The rarely-seen interior of the palace is an impressive lesson in Russian baroque style, with its carved portals, bronze grilles and ornate chandeliers

Dinner was served in the magnificent Throne room

Restaurateur Stepan Mikhalkov with his wife, model Elizaveta Mikhalkova, and Pernod Ricard Director of Creativity and Luxury Vadim Grigorian

Left: Designer, Olya Feshina
Right: Traditional ornamentation on the walls of the palace

The palace underwent a period of extensive restoration between 2004 and 2008

Gallerist Aidan Salakhova

Stepan Mikhalkov

Dinner in the Throne room

Left: The evening was watched over by imposing portraits of historical figures
Right: Oxana Virko

Vadim Dymov, founder of one of Russia's leading bookstore chains

Chef Bo Lindegaard devises a poached langoustine dish

Gallerist Gary Tatintsian

Central Partnership films president Mark Lolo and his wife Ida Lolo

For the 'romanticism' course, guests were given a pipette of reduced malt syrup, a tube of lemon purée and a shaker of aromatic herb salt to creat and garnish the oxtail base to their personal taste

During the evening, Tony Chambers welcomed guests with a speech; music came courtesy of string quartet Kvartet Elegans

Mark and Ida Lolo, Condé Nast Russia president Karina Dobrotvorskaya, Vadim Grigorian, Parlan publishing house owner Evgeni Zmievets, Oxsana Virko and Mark Garber

The atrium of Temple Court on Beekman Street - New York's earliest surviving 'fireproof' office building of the pre-skyscraper period. Built in the 1880s by architects Silliman & Farnsworth, it has been vacant for a decade. From the 1940s until recently, the atrium was boarded up from view

Pre-dinner drinks were held on the 9th floor, beneath the fully restored glass and iron ceiling. Each floor of the tower is lined with ornate cast iron railings

James Truman, Sunny Bates & Associates founder Sunny Bates, and New York hotelier Andre Balazs

Tony Chambers, art director David Lipman and photographer Philip-Lorca diCorcia

Wallpaper* fashion director Sébastien Clivaz,  Wallpaper* US and Brazil editor-at-large Scott Mitchem

Architect Gaetano Pesce

Left: Stylist Sabrina Marshall
Right: OK Go lead singer Damian Kulash, Ambra Medda of Ambra Medda Office and designer Yves Béhar

Left: Black Dog films executive producer Coleen Haynes
Right: Digital artist and founder of Box post production house, Pascal Dangin

US Vogue columnist Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis

Chef Bo Lindegaard explains his inventive culinary concepts

Sabrina Marshall and creative strategist Georgia Wright

Damian Kulash and Barneys New York creative director Dennis Freedman

Concert pianist Daniel Gortler with architect Charles Renfro

Tony Chambers proposes a toast

Guests sitting comfortably on their Arper Duna swivel chairs

An aerial view of the dramatic black gloss and brushed steel custom-made table by production designer Matthew Gant - specially flown in from London

Our salon dinners finished, quite literally, on a perfect high in Hong Kong. We commandeered two penthouses in the Highcliff tower, the city's tallest residential building

Located on floors 68 and 70, the penthouses gave guests spectacular views over Hong Kong

Pre-dinner drinks were held in the Tara Bernerd-designed Penthouse 68

Jay Parmanand and his wife, art advisor and writer Diana d'Arenberg

Left: Journalist Yoko Choy with designer Yves Béhar
Right: Dee Poon and Justin Hui

Graphic designer Stanley Wong and artist Tsang Kin-Wah

Noelle Lu, Ronald Lu & Partners vice chairman Bryant Lu, Sevva-owner Bonnie Gokson and Kevin Chau of Franck Muller watches

Lane Crawford creative director Ross Urwin, Vinay Melwani and Tony Chambers

Reina Chau, hair stylist Kim Robinson and publisher Lina Ross Mohindar

Jay Parmanand, Diana d'Arenberg and Tsang Kin-Wah

The string quartet from the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong performed during pre-dinner drinks

JIA Hotels owner Yenn Wong, FT Luxury and special projects director (Asia) Claire Melwani, gallerist Mandy d'Abo and designer Andre Fu

Jonathan and Joyce Hui

Left: A personalised menu card
Right: Muuto pots were presented to each guest for the ‘Making' course, in which they were invited to plant onion seeds to replace those eaten

Dinner was served two floors up in Penthouse 70

Bo Lindegaard at work

The finale of the Wallpaper and Æsir dinners