The brief
A second birthday at a villa, with guests of every age in the house — toddlers, older cousins, grandparents. At two, the birthday child is not going to run a programme, and the sun is not negotiable, so we built the whole thing indoors on the tiled floor where everyone could sit down.
What we built
A racing pit against the living-room wall: a red board with <i>Daniil Birthday</i> in cut orange and yellow letters, the prancing-horse shield, chequered flags, a curving road, gears, and a <i>PIT STOP</i> sign. A red racing car built out into the room at floor height with a helmet resting on it, red and charcoal plinths, and a standing white <i>2</i> packed with balloons. The garland ran red, yellow, black and white with chequered foil through it.
How the day went
Two entertainers took it — one in a red racing suit, one in a rainbow tulle skirt — and they pitched it at the smallest guest in the room. A polka-dot parachute went up and down over their heads, which at two is the whole afternoon. Then remote-control cars along the terrace, with the fathers flat on the floor driving them. And then the Lightning McQueen piñata, taller than the birthday boy, which somebody had to kneel down and swing with him.
What the parents got
Air conditioning, shade, and a set that looks like a Ferrari garage in the photographs rather than a living room. Older cousins occupied, grandparents seated, and a two-year-old who was never once overwhelmed.
