REES' Cloud Dancer Wins People's Choice at Design Appetit 2026

Each year, Focus on Home’s Design Appetit in Oklahoma City brings together the best of the design, architecture and culinary communities for a cause that goes beyond art and ambiance. The event, celebrating its 10^th anniversary with the theme “In Full Spectrum: The Color of Home,” invited creative teams to explore color as a storytelling device. The concept allowed wide interpretation and creative expression. Each Design Appetit team had a 20’ x 20’ footprint and 20 hours to transform their space into an immersive dining experience.

REES designed Cloud Dancer, a monochromatic vignette in a bold and unexpected starting point: white. Despite its reputation for being the absence of color, white is actually the presence of every color in the spectrum. The concept draws its name from Cloud Dancer, the 2026 Pantone Color of the Year. Rather than filling the space with vibrant hues, designers color-drenched the structure in white accented with bold black outlines. The vignette received the People’s Choice Award!

Cloud Dancer

REES designers worked with Peck Commercial Construction to create a space that blends traditional forms with a playful, illustrated style. The design came to life through several handcrafted details:

Hand-Drawn Ornamentation

REES designers outlined architectural elements throughout the space by hand, adding texture and depth to the all-white environment. The outlines created the feeling of stepping inside a blank coloring page.

Custom-Built Furnishings

Peck Commercial Construction created the banquette and dining table, along with architectural features including the front façade, pilasters and arched back wall.

Black-and-White Tablescape

Place settings followed the same illustrated approach, with white dishes, black outlines and a hand-drawn table runner.

Intricate Menus

Custom menus were laser cut and designed to blend seamlessly into the tablescape.

Vignette Details

A Series of Events Benefiting Focus on Home

Design Appetit kicked off with a cocktail party on October 21, offering an exclusive first look at the installations. The following day included a daytime stroll to explore the different vignettes, followed by a gala featuring a multicourse meal prepared tableside by culinary partner Josh Valentine. The black-and-white menu featured goat cheese mousse, caviar with crispy potato, poached scallop with cauliflower, roasted Wagyu with black garlic and vanilla panna cotta with black sesame.

Focus on Home works closely with social service agencies to deliver personalized furniture packages that transform empty living spaces into warm, inviting homes. By providing essential furnishings, the organization creates a sense of stability, dignity and comfort for families transitioning out of homelessness or other challenging situations.

Through the combined efforts of talented designers, architects, local businesses and community members, Design Appetit continues to be both a creative showcase and a meaningful source of support for the resources that help turn houses into homes.

Special Thanks to Our Design Appetit Partners!

Chef Josh Valentine
Peck Commercial Construction
Shaw Contract
Gill Reprographics, Inc.

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