Smooth curves: Modular couches
and ottomans by Kehoe Designs
take on a cool-blue mood.
Special-event
furniture has gotten a lot more fun -- and functional --
than the rented bar stools and black couches of parties past.
Today’s creative planners and rental companies are customizing
branded bars, using ottomans and modular furniture to maximize
space, and making the old look new again with dramatic Baroque
touches. “For higher-end events, everyone wants nontraditional
furniture that is hip and comfortable,” notes Sarah Finlayson,
creative manager for event management company Blue Plate
Chicago.
What follows is a closer look at the
hottest trends in event-floor decor.
Styles inspired by the past.
Baroque is making a comeback -- as in curvy chairs a la Marie
Antoinette, dramatic high-back banquettes and slick, black
chandeliers. Chicago-based Kehoe Designs Event+Style (www.kehoedesigns.com), an event design and production
firm, is debuting a Baroque-style line of rental furniture. “It’s
going to be a huge trend in the next two years,” predicts Bridget
Johnson, Kehoe’s creative director.
Ottomans, as seats or tables.
Pieces that perform double-duty can be a planner’s best friend. “I
like ottomans because you can arrange them in so many ways,” says
Finlayson. “I once used snake-skinned ottomans at an event and
arranged them in pods with floating candles in the middle.” We love
this tufted white rectangular version ($350 for a five-day rental)
from Taylor Creative Props (www.taylorcreativeinc.com).
BRANDED BARS
Incorporating the brand name into the decor can be tough: You don’t want to go logo-overboard, but attendees should remember what the event is all about. Internally lit bars (or “light-up bars”) aren’t new, but they offer a perfect place for a logo that’s sure to get a lot of traffic. Kehoe Designs offers a service that will insert any logo, word or even image onto a screen that slides into the bar.
Things that Glo
Taylor Creative Props (
www.taylorcreative
inc.com) debuted a line of light-up bars and accessories last summer and plans to expand into the Las Vegas market this year. The New York City-based company’s exclusive line of GloBalls (pictured), ranging from 16 to 47 inches in diameter, can be used indoors or outdoors.
Flexible furniture. Event venues are
never one-size-fits-all. Modular furniture, which can be rearranged
like a puzzle to make different seating and table combinations,
works with any shaped space. This year, Cort Furniture (www.cortevents.com) will debut the new Oz Sofa (below,
$495), Sectional and Ottoman ($325 each) collection, which can be
reconfigured in hundreds of ways. Dallas-based event planner Steve
Kemble, who calls himself “America’s Sassiest Lifestyle Guru,” says
flexible furniture is hot. “The ‘Oz’ is one of my favorite pieces
on the market now,” he enthuses. “Planners want furnishings that
let them use their imagination.”
Stand-out tables. The buffet
or dining table should be more than a place to plop your dishes.
Why not get creative? Blue Plate Chicago’s Sarah Finlayson likes to
use nontraditional pieces like roadside farm stands set with
flowers, or wooden planks draped with Moroccan silk. For dining,
she loves Kehoe Designs’ water tables (pictured), which are Lucite
and filled with water and rocks. “They look great with sushi,” she
says.
Outdoor elegance. Throwing an
outdoor event doesn’t have to mean you have to rough it in the
style department. New outdoor furniture collections use
higher-quality materials and look like they belong indoors. Taylor
Creative Props’ Chill collection ($800) includes a tepee, a day bed
(pictured) and recliner chaises that were used at music mogul Sean
Combs’ famous Hamptons White Party last summer.