Flexible, versatile and
provocative, color can be a powerful yet surprisingly
inexpensive decorative tool. Flood a stage with hues of blue, and
it becomes a dramatic focal point for an awards banquet. Bowls of
lush red roses atop satiny red linens, framed against a backdrop of
soft red lights, can turn a frumpy beige ballroom into an elegant
lounge area.
A good rule of thumb heard over and over from expert color
coordinators: “The softer the color, the more luminiferous its
transformation capabilities,” says Darryl Murchison, owner of
Houston-based Darryl Murchison Design
LLC (
www.darrylmurchisondesign.com).
For an especially dramatic effect, Caroline Horst, senior event
designer for Baltimore-based Fandango Productions Inc. (
www.fandango-events.com), suggests using multiple
tones of the same color. “Not long ago we did a Tangerine Dream
event. We lit the room in several shades of orange and had giant
orange-colored daisies as decor,” she notes.
Combining colors also is a good idea, but only if they
complement each other, says Horst. She suggests pairing blue with
orange, or green with purple. “It really depends on the event, but
in general, if you use too many colors it can get busy and ugly,”
she warns.
When picking a color, Murchison suggests concentrating on what
the event is trying to achieve, rather than the immediate
surroundings. “The color of the walls or the carpets doesn’t
matter,” says Murchison. “It’s better to pick a color from the
linens you select, and then work from there to pull the whole color
theme together.”
Still stumped for a colorful idea? Pull from the palette of the
company’s corporate logo.