When a Venue has "Good Bones"

Only a few elements were added to this lounge area to help tie the look together
and customize it for our client.

When working with a venue that already has good "bone structure," we don't need to always reinvent the wheel. A good event designer (like a good make-up artist) should be able to do a lot by enhancing the site's natural beauty.

As I’ve said often in this blog, with so many fabulous hotels and venues available to us these days (and believe me, there was a time when there wasn't), our role as event designers becomes more subtle and much more about the details than about creating a huge statement. In some ways it requires more finesse on our part to strategically integrate our client's brand and objectives.

The Ivy Hotel in San Diego is one of these venues.

I mean, just look at this view! I took these photos during setup so they don't do it justice. But trust me, as the sun goes down and the lights go on in the city, it's just stunning.

And we utilized what was already there by adding a few touches.

Here you can see how the details can make a difference. Custom pillow cases were made to cover accent pillows tying the event together.

The lampshades were covered in a similar fabric.

And even the votive candles were wrapped in the same fabric ribbon fabric. It doesn’t need to be about flowers!

But now that I've mentioned flowers – green cymbidium orchids really popped against the black-and-white linen.