Unique Lounges – Perfect For Any Event
January 20th, 2010One of the most popular trends in event design is to incorporate lounge areas into the party. These areas often include plush sofas, comfortable chairs, tables and fun accessories. I love to keep these areas a surprise and to reveal them just before the dancing starts as a way to help the party evolve and to remain exciting for the guests.
One of my favorite vendors for event lounge furniture is CORT Event Furnishings. They have an innovative line of new light up tables called Luna Lighting. The items in this line offer a unique way to add lighting features into usable surfaces within the lounge – so cool!
The events below were created for a wedding at The Milwaukee Art Museum, a wedding at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro and the Best of Milwaukee party for the Shepherd Express.
Contemporary
Milwaukee Art Museum Wedding (Photography by Front Room Photography)
In this lounge design, I used throw pillows from CB2 and Pier 1 Imports to add color and texture to the furniture. Adding a splash of color with pillows can dramatically change the style and feel of a lounge setting.
Classic
Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro (Photography by Artist Group Photography)
I also love to use area rungs, throw blankets and unique accent tables to customize lounge areas. In this case, these special items were borrowed from the client’s home. Eventhough it was outdoors, it truly felt as though you were sitting in their living room!
Club Style
Shepherd Express Best of Milwaukee 2009 (Photography by Matt Schwenke)
This style is definitely one of the most popular trends in event design currently. Guests love the feel of a nightclub environment and the right lounge furniture, lighting and accessories will create that vibe. Add music and – viola – you have a hip and trendy club style lounge!
Wedding Photo Booth With A Twist
January 13th, 2010Photo booths have become a very popular form of entertainment at weddings. It provides a very fun and interactive way for your guests to participate in the event and the photos make a great guest favor for them to remember the celebration.
For a recent wedding, I developed a unique photo booth that has received raving reviews. The wedding was for an employee of Anthropologie and her style was very complementary of their clothing and philosophies. The ceremony was held at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum and the reception at The Delafield Hotel.
David and the Mother of the Bride
The custom photo booth was designed using a beautiful damask patterned wallpaper, antique picture frames and other accessories. The families provided wedding pictures from various generations to display on the wall as a way to personalize the display. Here is the key – we left two open areas on the wall so that guests could pop their heads through as if they were a part of the wall of family photos. It was so much fun!
To add even more excitement, there were accessories (feather boas, hats, etc.) available for guests to use. We printed two copies of each photo – one for the guest and one for the wedding couple. The guests also had an opportunity to write a personal note to the wedding couple and then we compiled everything into a custom scrapbook as a keepsake.
Say “cheese” – this is a definite crowd pleaser!
Butterflies – Oh My!
January 5th, 2010One of the special features at the recent NACE Gala was a couture head table that I designed. The table was reserved by Front Room Photography for 10 special guests. I wanted to create a tablescape that was inspired by the beauty of nature – colorful, full of texture, abundant and unique. The main element that I wanted to incorporate into the design was butterflies.
Couture Head Table - Design by Dynamic Events, David Caruso (Photography by Front Room Photography)
Fluttering above the table are three butterfly mobiles from Roost Home Furnishings. The mobiles were a fantastic element that extended the design from the table top to the ceiling. They are made from photo-etched, silver-plated steel and hang from pre-strung monofilament line. They way that the room lighting and table candle light reflected off of the butterflies was gorgeous!
Butterfly Mobile by Roost Home Furnishings
Each place setting was centered using a Kamani wood charger. Kamani is a sustainable harvested and renewable wood. BBJ Linen made custom napkins using their fabric called Natural Yuma. The napkins were accessorized with river rock and a menu card by Paper Envy. The menu cards were printed on a recycled paper stock and featured a tree bark design. As a special gift for each guest, I asked Patricia O’Brien & Company to create a box set of custom hand-painted cookies that tied in to the nature theme. Each box was topped with a monarch butterfly ornament.
(Photography by Front Room Photography)
Fresh Design was responsible for the fabulous floral decor that streched along the 12′ table. The botanical elements included carnations, spray roses, hydrangea, succulents, orchids and maidenhair ferns. These elements were highlighted with a variety of votive and pillar candles as well as unique birch bark vases. We chose three colors for flowers – orange, purple and white. The design was magnificent!
Floral Decor by Fresh Design (Photography by Front Room Photography)
One last detail that framed the table were rustic chairs designed by La Lune Collection. La Lune Collection is completely handmade in Wisconsin using willow, poplar and cedar and is based our of their furniture factory in the Riverwest neighborhood. The company harvest only fast growing, sustainable and environmentally secure woods, and use non-polluting, water-based finishes in the construction process. Thank you to La Lune Collection for providing these “works of art” for the table!
Rustic Dining Chairs by La Lune Collection (Photography by Front Room Photography)
A fun time was enjoyed by all at the table! Thank you to all of the artisans who collaborated with me on the design.
Joy Vertz, Neil and Cheryl Kiekhofer (Photography by Front Room Photography)
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