20 Years of Met Gala Interiors: Raul Ávila's Transformative Designs

Event designer Raul Ávila has been transforming the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Met Gala since 2007, creating increasingly elaborate installations for the annual Costume Institute fundraiser. His first project featured a 20-foot-high gilded birdcage with live peacocks for the "Poiret: King of Fashion" theme. Subsequent highlights include a 25-foot-tall flamingo centerpiece made from 30,000 flowers in 2019, a papal crown of roses in 2018, and a chandelier with aluminum "razor blades" for the punk-themed 2013 gala. In 2024, Ávila and the Vogue special events team turned the Temple of Dendur into an enchanted forest. The 2025 event, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," featured a floating tower of narcissus flowers inspired by artist Cy Gavin. The 2026 Met Gala theme is "Costume Art," scheduled for May 4.