Following the Clues of Design

 

A designer doesn't always get clues about which direction to take the look of an event. Such was the case when a client came to me to do a dinner-slash-business meeting in honor of a guest. The only design directive I had to go on was that the honoree was born and raised in the fifties and sixties ... both of which just so happen to be great decades in design! 

  

I love mid-century architecture and the design of that time period also fits well with the California vibe. This event was going to be at an iconic Southern California destination -- the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. It all came together as I was in Tampa for The Special Event convention and I came across the Dazian's mid-century modern panels. I knew what I wanted to do; now I just had to take another look at the ballroom itself. 


There, the first thing I saw was the carpet. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I will always consider the room first, then the wishes of my client. From that, I come up with the design.

As I said, the stage design was inspired by Dazian’s New Wave Walls. They have a lot of designs, but we chose this repeated retro look and added it to either side of a central stage facade. I did this in order to have a place where the company's logo could be displayed in front of the speaker’s podium for the camera shot, but also allow a center stage reveal from which speakers and entertainment could enter and exit the stage.

 

 

My color palette ran right from the carpet to the walls, giving the room a cohesive feeling. The room's Erte Deco lamps helped anchor the stage. One of the things I like to do is mix Deco pieces with mid-century modern looks. It's the basis for many great hotel interiors that inspire me such as the SLS in Beverly Hills and the Riviera in Palm Springs.

 

BBJ Linen has added a lot of new products to its tabletop collection, such as this gold leaf charger. I used it on top of iridescent Atlantis linen from Wildflower.

 

It charger went really well with the look of the dining tabletop and the Honeydew taffeta napkin tied back into the initial look of the reception cocktail tables shown above.

We added the silver Fanfare chair from Chameleon Chair to complete the look. Whenever space is tight, as it was with this event, I encourage a client to spring a little more on a chair like this. Even though the room was packed to capacity, it still looked open and spacious due to the open metal back pattern. Plus the chair actually does take up less space than a hotel chair.

You can see that when it comes to getting a clue about design direction, your best source of information will be your own eyes. Inspiration is everywhere so keep them wide open!