Midtown Race Club is one of the newest event spaces to arrive on Rhode Island’s most storied waterfront, set directly over Newport Harbor. We recently partnered with the talented teams at Champagne & Confetti – Celebrations by Catalina, The Catered Affair, Petal by Sabrina, The Candle Man and Brian Samuels Photography to capture six distinct looks inside this exclusive, fully customizable Newport gem on the water, with sweeping bridge views and a coastal New England feel through and through.
A New Kind of Newport Backdrop
Housed in a transformed former race club, Midtown Race Club offers a rare, direct-on-the-water setting built for large-scale celebrations – everything from weddings to executive gatherings, boat shows and private events. The venue’s marina accommodates vessels up to 145 feet and is home to a fleet of high-performance M32 racing catamarans, giving planners the option to layer in a true yachting moment for clients who want their event to feel unmistakably Newport.
Our goal with this shoot was simple: prove that a single space can support a full range of design directions, from breezy and coastal to moody and romantic. Inside, the venue has a clean, coastal-industrial New England feel, with large windows that open up to let the harbor air and light pour in. Working with designer Catalina Rojo Ianetta of Celebrations by Catalina, each tablescape was built around its own imagined couple and story, rather than a single color palette.
“I embrace storytelling in all of my designs, so when there’s no couple or client to draw that from, I have the unique opportunity to create my own storyline, and curate a design around that. Each tablescape was based on a season, but beyond that I envisioned a phantom couple who would resonate with each design, and what their north star of inspiration would be.”
-Catalina Rojo Ianetta | Celebrations by Catalina
New England Summer
This tablescape was envisioned as an elegant waterfront luncheon, where a gracious host invites close friends and family to gather dockside beside their yacht. Rather than a traditional coastal palette, the aesthetic was reimagined through a maximalist lens, pairing rich teal with vibrant orange, layered contrasting patterns, and a plush pillow at every chair, balancing elevated style with genuine guest comfort.
GET THE LOOK: Erika Teal Print, Havana Folding Chair, Mandy Fringe Pillow 20″ x 20″, Bliss Dinner Plate 10″, Glass Ocean Oyster Plate 8″ x 5″, Roxbury Flatware Collection, Pinstripe Aqua Blue & White Print Dinner Napkin, Elle Red Wine/Water Glass 16 oz., Elle White Wine Glass 14 oz., Elle Stemless Water Glass 16 oz., Modern Gold Lantern 16″, Modern Gold Lantern 10″, Market Umbrella Ivory
ON THE MENU: The Catered Affair’s Chef Mark paired the look with two coastal, seafood-forward dishes: Butter Poached Maine Lobster, Heirloom Tomato, Corn, Herbs and Chorizo – Maine lobster poached in butter over corn purée and grilled corn segments with blanched heirloom cherry tomatoes and a spinach flan, finished with chorizo and herb oils, and Moonstone Oysters & Point Judith Calamari, Cucumber, Uni, Espelette Pepper and Avocado, featuring local Moonstone oysters and Point Judith calamari with cucumber prepared three ways (foam, pearls, grilled batons), sea urchin, Espelette pepper aioli, and avocado mousse, finished with dulse seaweed.
Winter | Moody Mauve
This winter look draws its romance from an unexpected source: Mercer Mayer’s illustrated Sleeping Beauty. A shimmering gold linen sets a regal foundation, while trailing vines soften the setting with an overgrown elegance. Layered place settings featuring the Rose Ombre Circle Glass Charger beneath the richly patterned Midnight Garden china, creating depth and drama. Vibrant purple Vanda orchids adorn the cutting cake, tieing the fairy-tale inspiration together.
GET THE LOOK: Rectangular Table 8’L x 42″W x 30″H, Luma Gold Print (coming soon), Cachet Chair Velvet Black, Finley Elmwood Black Chair with Cushion, Rose Ombre Circle Glass Charger 13″, Midnight Garden Charger 12″, Midnight Garden Dinner 11″, Black Rim B and B Plate 6.75″, Vanderbilt Black Flatware Collection, Stockholm Tinted Amethyst Glass 15 oz., Stockholm Crystal White Wine Glass 14 oz., Amethyst Shantung Dinner Napkin, Hearst Votive Smoke, Silver Pedestal Cake Stand 14″
ON THE MENU: To match the rich, romantic mood, Chef Mark plated Braised Short Rib, Potato Purée, Mushrooms, Escarole, Bone Marrow, Roquefort and Port Croustade – slow-braised short rib with potato purée, mushrooms, and escarole, finished with roasted bone marrow, herb gremolata, a Roquefort mousse, and a port wine gel croustade.
Spring | Just Peachy
GET THE LOOK: Serpentine Quarter Round Table 30’L x 60″W x 30″H, Rosalina Print Linen, Alexander White Oak Chair with Cushion, Chatham Charger 12”, Brighton Blush Dinner Plate 10.75″, Rochelle Flatware Collection, Apricot Nu Weave Dinner Napkin, Silver Napkin Ring Oval, Era Blush Red Wine Glass 16 oz., Era Blush White Wine Glass 12 oz., Nick and Nora Cocktail Glass 5.5 oz., Scalloped Tasting Dish 4″ Sand, Silver Champagne Bucket, Glass Salt Cellar, Mint Julep Cup 8 oz., Cylinder Glass Vase
Inspired by the historic brick facades of downtown Newport, visible just beyond the table, this al fresco spring look explores texture, craftsmanship, and seasonal transition. A palette of blush and terracotta echoes weathered masonry in bloom, while softly draped embroidered linens lend effortless elegance. Catalina layered in unexpected details, including silver champagne buckets and mint julep cups reimagined as sculptural design elements, adding polish and personality to a fresh, editorial take on spring entertaining.
ON THE MENU: The spring look was paired with King Salmon “Mi Cuit,” Spring Peas, Radish, and Young Potatoes – gently cooked king salmon with English pea purée, sugar snap peas, and cooked and shaved radish, finished with baby Yukon gold potatoes, aphelia cress, and edible flowers. Chef Mark prepared the salmon delicately to match the season’s light, green freshness.
Fall | Overgrowth
For fall, Catalina skipped the expected pumpkins-and-plaid palette in favor of what she calls an elevated “chic swamp”, with a tongue-in-cheek nod to Shrek. Sage velvet linens wrap the table in rich texture, while vibrant, color-drenched florals emerge from sculptural mounds of moss and tealights mimic fireflies, giving the sense that the landscape itself is reclaiming the table. The result is immersive, theatrical, and undeniably luxurious.
GET THE LOOK: Sage Velvet Linen, Thonet Chair, Raja Charger 12.25″, Marie Fern Dinner Plate 10.5″, Raja Lunch Plate 9″, THE ONE Crystal Red Wine Tasting Glass 19.5 oz., THE ONE Crystal White Wine Tasting Glass 15.5 oz., Eliza Moss Goblet 10 oz., Bamboo Olive Green Flatware Collection, Grass Shantung Dinner Napkin, Recycled Glass Napkin Ring Smoke, Gold Candlestick 10″, Country Dining Table 48″ Round
ON THE MENU: Rounding out the fall table, Chef Mark plated Herb Roasted Sea Bass, Caramelized Apple, Pumpkin, Brussels Sprouts, and Cranberry – herb-crusted, roasted sea bass with a caramelized apple purée and cranberry fluid gel, served with charred pumpkin, blanched Brussels sprout leaves, and Tuscan kale, echoing the look’s shift toward orchard and harvest flavors.
Look 5 | Wedding Suite Vignette
GET THE LOOK: Waverly Communal Table, Walsh Cane Back Resin Bar Stool, Straw Rectangular Basket Trays, Ceramic Cake Stand 14″ Round
Look 6 | Outdoor Vignette
A relaxed lounge setup finished with black lanterns, campanula blooms, and a blue-and-white palette – the kind of easy, al fresco lounge space that keeps guests lingering before the main event.
GET THE LOOK: Windsor Bar 6′ Single Panel, Windsor Pedestal Cocktail Table, Playa Sofa, Playa Armchair, Chevron Blue Pillow 24″ x 16″, Black Hampton Lanternns, Belvedere Print Linen, Tinware Pitcher, Cylinder Glass Vase
The Story Behind the Tables and the Menu
For Catalina, every one of these tablescapes started with a story rather than a swatch. Rather than leaning on expected seasonal motifs, she pulled inspiration from architecture, literature, and landscapes to build four distinct, character-driven worlds, reflecting the event industry’s shift toward narrative-driven design, where celebrations are built around a story instead of a single color palette or theme.
The looks also lean into elevated maximalism – layered textures, rich color, and mixed patterns that feel curated rather than overdone, along with the rise of editorial styling in luxury events, where draped linens replace tailored tablecloths and sculptural florals create movement instead of symmetrical centerpieces. And throughout, there’s a playful embrace of unexpected luxury: familiar objects, like a champagne bucket doubling as a floral vessel, reimagined in fresh ways.
The menu, developed by The Catered Affair’s Chef Mark, followed a similar philosophy: building each dish around the sea and the seasons rather than a fixed set of ingredients. A few culinary trends surface naturally across the courses – hyper-local, provenance-driven sourcing (Maine lobster, Moonstone oysters, Point Judith calamari, all named by origin); textural multiplicity from a single ingredient, like cucumber served as foam, pearls, and grilled batons; a continued interest in whole-animal, high-yield cuts like bone marrow and braised short rib; and a sea-to-table minimalism paired with French technique, letting proteins like the salmon mi cuit and butter-poached lobster lead without heavy sauce work.
If you’re an event planner with a client dreaming of a Newport celebration, Midtown Race Club is well worth a look. Its direct waterfront setting and flexible layout mean it can support a seated dinner, a lounge-forward cocktail reception, or a full black-tie gala with equal ease.
A special thanks to the amazing teams at Celebrations by Catalina, Midtown Race Club, The Catered Affair (and Chef Mark, for the beautiful menu), Petal by Sabrina, and Brian Samuels Photography, who collaborated with us to bring this vision to life.