Table-Art

Many fine-tuned elements have to be in place to create a memorable event... noteworthy entertainment, savory cuisine, the quintessential invite list with the perfect blend of loved ones and of course, the visual stimulating elements of decor and floral.

The last two elements (decor and floral) are the most striking at the majority of events as humans use eyesight over the other four senses to stimulate their intrigue. With this in mind, and the other known fact that most party goers spend the majority of their time at their designated table is exactly the reason why DesignWorks spends a great deal of time and effort focusing on the design of each Table-scape or as I like to call it Table-Art. (The image below gives an example of how variations in the centerpiece style aid in sculpting the room, while giving the design depth. Photo by: Eric Stephenson Photography.)

DesignWorks takes extra care to sculpt the room by using the table as an opportunity to gain some extra height in the room. While at the table, you want to be sure not to block your view of the guest seated opposite you, but at the same time a little obstacle supporting something grandiose should not be an issue as you are supposed to chat with the guests adjacent to you vs. screaming at the guest opposite you. (Here's an example of how a centerpiece can add height within the room. Photo by: Eric Stephenson Photography.)

At DesignWorks, we have a plethora of custom structures that are designed for the table top, giving height and drama to the room without obscuring the individual opposite you. When designing table-scapes, you should also pay a great deal of attention to the minute details such as the napkin treatment. Budget allowing, make sure to use a napkin with a linen backing. This gives some substance to folding the napkin as well as a distinguished feel when using the napkin. Take care to give the napkin tie some attention too. This is a perfect opportunity for each guest to experience some element that can personally tie (pun intended) the theme to the host. For example, a leather tie tagged with a miniature pine enhances the rustic outdoorsy wedding.
(Centerpiece photo below by: James Christianson.)

Of course florals are incredibly important as well. The appropriate aroma, hue and shape can make or break the intention of your table art, so be sure to put thought into each of these elements. (The below image demonstrates how a floral arrangement can dramatically grab your attention and depict a specific style. In this case, it was a wedding with a Colorado mountain theme. Photo by: James Christianson.)

Tableware, flatware and glassware are all equally an opportunity to express yourself as well as an opportunity to further your design concept. Check out your local rental companies for some more common choices or Google charger plates and rental flatware for some more exotic selections to create your table art. (Images below give some examples of napkins with a napkins treatment paired with a unique charger. Image below with Dragonfly Accent by: James Christianson.)

One last suggestion before you get started with your designs.... Take the opportunity to bring several of these elements in and play around with them, that gives you the chance to visually sample them in a coherent manner sensing textures, hues and fragrance. START DESIGNING!

From Here to There...

...what's the appeal of destination weddings?

Very recently we did our tenth or eleventh destination wedding. We've traveled to Montana, Wyoming and even Hawaii, but the most recent was our first international destination wedding which happened to be in the very warm (actually HOT) glamorous Costa Rica where humidity partnered with 98 degree temperatures making for a very difficult set up for our aging staff; however, big floppy hats and a ton of water breaks made the conditions tolerable.

Working with Aimee Monihan of Tropical Occasions or Mountain Occasions (depending on her current location or the destination of your wedding) was a godsend. She previously resided in the tropical country and had partnerships with many local vendors. However, this was her first attempt to have us design a wedding from Colorado and then transport it across borders.

Costa Rica being a smaller country is extremely concerned about using local products so they tax anything luxurious coming across their border at 100%. So you ask, "what is considered luxurious"? Almost EVERYTHING that could be sold.

Our original plan was to pack everything in a container and ship it, but once we found out about the surprise with taxes we had to rethink everything. I took a quick trip down with Aimee to reconnect with her vendors as well as meet some new ones. We toured around for miles and miles looking at what each vendor had to offer as well as a trip to the coast where the wedding was being held.

We selected appropriate items of interest with pricing and still felt like we needed more to make the impact DesignWorks is used to. After some thought, I designed several large pieces such as the wedding arbor, escort structure, plexi planter boxes and many other items. This process made me a little nervous (actually very nervous) as I had no idea if the local talent could produce up to our standards and quality control.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with most of the vendors. Here’s a tidbit of advice: Be sure to grill your potential vendors and do the research with referrals. It will save you from worrying.

Once everything was in motion, deposits had been paid to vendors, flights had been arranged and production began, Aimee flew back down to check on the progress of the work, sending images back to me. I have to be honest, I had a sigh of relief and felt much more confident in their product and actually began to get real excited.

I flew five of DesignWorks staff down, mostly florists, myself and Trudy to set up this massive event; trusting the local vendors to take care of the drape and lighting. With approximately 60 event professionals setting this up for two days, it still ran down to the wire getting it wrapped up. I am always surprised how long perfection takes to complete.

The bride, a Texas social light, and the groom a NASCAR driver had an incredible romantic evening filled with aromatic florals, rocking music, family and friends. Photographer Jose Villa and videographer Joel Serrato captured the entire event from start to finish and is also the reason I can't show any of the images at this time, as they have submitted the event into a very influential magazine. Stay tuned for the incredible spread.

So back to my original question. What is the appeal of a destination wedding? From a designers point of view it's difficult, stressful, unpredictable; but, from a bride and grooms perspective it's romantic, exotic, exclusive and most importantly a step out of the traditional box. It builds an exponential hopefulness, unanticipated excitement for their guests where, when it's all over, they can relax and enjoy themselves.

Just don't forget to include us when you're planning yours!

Urban Chic Wedding Design

Modern. Classic. Glamour. When these three elements combine, you get a unique look that many have described as “Urban Chic”. This past weekend, DesignWorks partnered with Frosted Pink Weddings and Swank Stems to participate in the Unveiled Bridal Show hosted by the Four Seasons in Denver and Couture Consulting by Chenell. The theme for our booth? Urban Chic.

To create a look that captured all three elements: modern, classic and glamour, DesignWorks combined crisp white furniture pieces, detailed with classic lines, with glamorous crystal beads and accents of silver. Placed within the foyer for the cocktails hour was DesignWorks’s grand white metal gazebo structure dripping with crystal drops and delicate floral enhancements. This structure creates a romantic haven for a bride and groom as they say their vows. Contemporary Centipede furniture groupings meandered their way throughout the setting, giving attendees to the bridal show ample opportunities to sit and take in the beautiful scenery.

For the guest tables, DesignWorks displayed two options. The first table design featured a contemporary oval table surrounded by round white ottomans. Classic silver candelabras added a definitive touch as they rose from the table supporting vibrant flower arrangements adding a dramatic splash of color. (Flower arrangements provided by Swank Stems.)

The second table design focused on an intimate silver table capped with an antiqued mercury glass round. A silver pendant chandelier dripping with crystals was suspended over the table for a glamorous touch. Modern yet classic Victoria chairs surrounded the table design as vibrant flower arrangements added an urban splash of color.

Throughout this design, dramatic fabric swags and draping created the perfect backdrop for this charming Urban Chic wedding design.

Thank you Four Seasons Hotel in Denver and Couture Consulting by Chenell for hosting this event, and thank you Kelly Karli of Frosted Pink Weddings for allowing DesignWorks to partner with you. A big thank you to Studio JK Photography for the beautiful photos!! We look forward to creating memorable weddings with you all in the future.

Engage 2011: The Luxury Wedding Business Summit

“Engage” is more than a quote from Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise (Patrick Stewart), or a wedding term devoted to the process of becoming engaged; in this instance, it is a networking event by invitation only, conveniently located at the Ritz Carlton in the Grand Cayman Islands for 2011.

This nomadic event was produced by Kathryn Arce and Rebecca Grinnals, whose 20 years shared experience in the wedding and honeymoon industry, made this event unique bursting with the extensive knowledge this team has learned over the years. Kathryn and Rebecca began as Wedding Event Managers for Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, whose branding strategies has built Disney into a nearly $100 million dollar per year business. Combined, these two logistic mavericks, form Engaging Concepts, and create a magnetic team that attracts the wedding industry’s key personalities.

This symposium, my first, (I was often referred to as a virgin engager) was unlike any other I’ve attended before. Sure, it had its share of motivational speakers, array of events and signed books, but what I found really amazing was how intimate this conference actually was.

Capping this seminar at 250 attendees made me feel more engaged. Each day had designed, among the activities, time for networking, which typically is not inherent in my DNA, but at this event, seemed to come naturally by the third day and final night gala.

This forum, a backdrop primarily for planners, designers, photographers and a scattering of unique companies (Kelly Kiefer 303-956-1376 who celebrates life through high art by creating unique art pieces celebrating distinctive occasions, and Julianne Smith www.thegartergirl.com The Garter Girl that designs one-of-a-kind garters) encourages relationships among peers.

One of the highpoints of the symposium was the dine-arounds, where guest speakers randomly entertained attendees at intimate dinners for nearly one-on-one interaction as well as a three hour Catamaran Cruise that led us to the middle of the ocean on a giant sandbar. The journey was as intriguing as the destination and an activity of swimming with stingrays made for a memorable experience.

After attending this symposium, I’d have to say that I am looking forward to attending the next conference this time in Las Vegas. I implore you to add this conference to your scheduled portfolio of symposiums as it encourages you to develop engaging partnerships with fellow colleagues on a personal level, creating partnerships that are quintessential in building your event empire.

Here’s a link to the Engage 2012 Website: http://engage12.com/

To inspire you further, here’s a few of the industry celebrities that attended the conference this year:

Randy Fenoli of TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress

David Behm, Event Designer

Bryan Rafanelli, Event Designer

Carley Roney, Co-Founder and Editor in Chief of The Knot

Darcy Miller, Senior Vice President and Wedding Editorial Director of Martha Stewart

Color and Events

Colorfull Events

Color is such an unobtrusive, simplistic, and ambivalent word yet its power has such impact creating fear, uncertainty, anxiety and excitement.

In the 60’s, color created psychedelic prisms and tie-dye, during the early 70’s, it was race riots and a divide between black and white. The 80’s brought us Color Blocking, and in the 90’s it was the same color balanced by different weights - kelly green, avocado, sage and lime, and in the new millennium it created a homeland security threat level system.

For me, color can make me feel cheerful (canary yellow) or angry (ruby red), it grabs my attention (hot Pink and lime), or calms me down (Pastel blue) makes a room appear larger (mother of pearl) or cozy (mocha cappuccino), rejuvenates my spirit (aquamarine) or keeps me feeling safe (mossy green). Color creates an ambiance of royalty or a youthful celebration.

Within special events, color should be used with deliberation and precision; bright to catch the eye, red to express love, pink to express sweetness. Don’t be afraid to experiment; trial and error is the key to success. To master color is to master the color-wheel, in the design world there are a plethora of schemes; however, the three most commonly used schemes are Complementary, (colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel), Analogous, (colors that are next to each other on the color wheel) and Triadic, (colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel). The images below clarify each of the schemes.


If for some reason you are intimidated or confused by the color wheel… go to nature. Mother Nature, that is. She has designed the most amazing palettes. Look closely at your spring flowers, often each individual flower has a multitude of color combinations. A pansy, for example, could have a golden rod center with brilliant rings of violet to aromatically become a complimentary scheme. This caterpillar and surroundings, with shades of green and accent of yellow, is a crawling example of Analogous. The image of a lone scuba diver framed against a beep ocean blue background, with contrasting radiant shades of mauve and luminous persimmon in the foreground, breathes life into a triadic scheme.


Now that you’re familiar with color, and with constructing fundamental color palettes, how do you bring that knowledge into Events? Yes, it is scary, but don’t be alarmed. Simply find a connection that works for your event. Some color discoveries can be simple ones - such as red for a strawberry festival. Or you can jazz up this same simple idea by playing off of an Analogous scheme by adding adjacent colors on the color wheel so the final color scheme becomes garnet red, fuchsia, and blushful pink, much more tangy and potentially exciting than plain red.

What’s Intriguing to me is the formation of International societies forecasting (or maybe setting) color trends for years to come. The premise behind these groups in my opinion is to coordinate and forecast annual color pallets for textiles, art, design and fashion to name a few; By doing so, industries at large have a fairer market presence. For example, if the International Color Marketing Group (CMG) forecasts deep cranberry and camel as the HOT color chemistry for 2010, and every auto maker used this pallet in their autos except for Chrysler who choose pomegranate spice and dessert wheat. Chrysler has the potential to be the trend setter and completely cash in when they corner the market, but more realistically will become the pariah and be on the fashion don’t list. It becomes safer and more marketable to align with the safe forecasted color pallet.

Coordinating pallets across all industries allow carpets to harmonize with drapes to synchronize with glass tiles to complement wall paints which encouraged the purchase of a Haute Couture garment that inspired a theme for a special event. Whatever your event passion may be, choose to embrace the power of color(full) events. You will never be disappointed and will always find something interesting that will make the occasion extra ‘Special’ for your clientele.

A Baccarat Level of Style for Your Event

The lifeline of any business is the consistent drive to improve customer service, enhance creativity and develop new product. Design Works is no different in this category; we consistently implement training programs (often taught by David and myself) for our employees, captains and managers. It’s a daunting task at times, but creates a Las Vegas type payoff.

We encourage our creative staff to think outside of the box and then collect their thoughts to fit within our clientele’s budgets. With a creative staff of ten, a windfall of ideas gets tossed, generating a jackpot of results.

New product risk is always a gamble, so this year, I rolled the dice and thought double-down and I am proud to offer two new lines of product for rental to augment your networking lounge motif. The first is our GloTec Luminary Line designed around multiple elements brought to life with lighting.

These essentials include square white plexi cabaret tables, floating pool orbs, luminary cube ottomans, crescent benches and matching crescent cabaret tables. The crescent benches can have complementing cushions produced to customize your event. We also have several styles of illuminated bars to complete the look.

Our second new line Modern Royalty includes ornate white Victorian styled lounge furniture and comes in William Love Seats, Grace Kelly Chaise Lounges, Kathryn Coffee Tables, large Ludwig Chairs, and smaller Victoria Chairs, all very unique to Denver and ideal for weddings or that extra sassy eclectic event. *Please note: Modern Royalty Furniture is only available in white.

The Modern Royalty Furniture Line arrived in Denver the 1^st of September. The GloTec Luminary Line will be available mid to late September.

Let us extend your limit with these intriguing sculptural pieces as you give your guests a chance to experience the lifestyle of a high roller. Ante up!

Higher Ground

When thinking of the phrase “higher ground”, what comes to mind?

In Japan, I’m sure it conjures up communities outrunning tsunamis and traversing up hills, trees and stairways to safety; or maybe, higher ground is a photographer seeking a better vantage point for that perfect perspective.

For me, “higher ground” is not only a Stevie Wonder song that gave me a great tempo to my work outs, but it’s also encouraging words from my mother when dealing with ethical situations. I remember her always saying take the higher ground; show them you’re better than they are…. And it was that advice that has laid the foundation for the way David and I do business.

In our day to day business, we come across epic situations where we have the opportunity to choose a positive bright trail or be tempted by a narrow shady alleyway. For example, a terminated employee chose to pilfer and plagiarize our design concepts and proposals on her exit and take them with her to a competing company. She, in this case, chose the narrow shady alleyway while the venue recognized the proposal from an earlier event we had designed and chose the bright trail by informing us of the design theft.

This ex-employee had the opportunity to create her own wedding and be her own designer but chose to take the lower ground and ride the coattails of others. If this scenario had happened with a photographer and his image, there would be a greater likelihood of being prosecuted. I think the difference here is that thieves think they can get away with the plagiarism of design concepts as the probability of them being caught is much less, or maybe they don’t think of it as theft. I’m confident our ex-employee did know it as theft.

There is an overabundance of examples of morality gone badly, but there are limits to the reactions available. The simplest is to plead to their honorable side, and if that doesn’t work, shame them by sharing the info with others. The positive twist to this circumstance… Design Works won the bid.

Ethics are the grounds for many destroyed partnerships as well as many successful relationships. Ethics can make your business bloom or wither…. Make your choice.

My motto as coined by Stevie Wonder reminds us all to “Keep on trying, till we reach the highest ground.”