After studying the event landscape, it can easily appear overwhelming. There are so many details to coordinate and even the smallest slip-up can seriously impact your event, therefore it is important to develop an organized to-do list while planning and manage step by step as you go along. Here are a few helpful hints to consider when planning a successful and stress-free event:
-What is the purpose of your event? You want to make certain that there is a clear goal and vision for each event.
-Who will be attending? Defining your target audience will help you when making decisions throughout the planning process and filter what is and isn’t right for your event.
-How are you getting the word out? Is it invite only? Is it open to the public? If so, you may want to consider using a digital invitation system and social media to help promote.
-Who is running your event? You’ll want to ensure you have the proper staff – proactive, professional and personable.
-What is your budget? You will want to develop a budget early on and make sure you are managing throughout the process, but also leave a small amount set aside for contingencies.
Of course, the team at DESIGNER8* is always here to help plan details throughout the process as well.
As the saying goes, inspiration can come from anywhere. When we’re out and about, reading books or magazines, eating in restaurants or simply surfing the internet.
Our designers at DESIGNER8* can save you hours of time wading through content and help make your next event pop. We curate the most inspirational looks, styles and trends and have the collections to bring these ideas to life.
DESIGNER8* has designed and fabricated some of the most beautiful and inspiring looks over the years for corporate, entertainment and social events. Below are just a few examples of how we’ve paired pieces, colors and fabrics to design some of the most talked about events.
We would love the opportunity to work with you and/or your clients to elevate your look.
Summer wedding season has officially begun! Along with the joys, florals, and love in the air, one must make sure that their wedding has all the essentials to comfortably host guests during the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. DESIGNER8* offers a huge new line of plush velvet seating, gold accent tables, and accessories as well as an amazing selection of bars and back bars. DESIGNER8* has all event planners and brides covered and will help make your special day will be as memorable as the “I Do” itself.
Our amazing Grayson in Steel Blue and Jayson in Navy Blue along with the Alexis Dusty Rose are all show-stopping velvet collections that will have your guests in awe.
We carry an amazing assortment of coffee tables in gold, silver, wicker, wood, white glass – along with beautiful cocktail tables and barstools to match! Cocktail hour helps transition guests from the ceremony to reception and the first impression for the celebration to follow.
Of course, it doesn’t stop there. Couples always want to make sure their guests are well fed and taken care of throughout the event and this starts a stunning bar and exceptional service. We look forward to helping all of our engaged couples bring their wedding dreams to life in the upcoming season!
Regardless of the event or theme, the objective is to make each engagement truly spectacular. DESIGNER8* believes there are three keys to a successful event partnership that will help turn your event vision into reality. The three attributes to look for in a partner:
Working with a knowledgeable designer
Bringing in high quality and high style rentals
Convenient and hassle-free vendors
KNOWLEDEABLE DESIGNERS
Our event designers and event specialists thrive on design and décor. They adore their profession because it is highly creative and work hand in hand with our clients to bring their visions to life. Our team has the unique ability to completely transform a space and create magic with expertise in the areas of event rentals, lightning, scenic props, florals, entertainment and all of the custom details in between.
QUALITY MATERIALS
At DESIGNER8*, we live for creating amazing experiences. Whether it’s a gala, outdoor event or corporate exhibition, our passion is finding the right furniture to fit each and every event. Our extensive inventory of trendsetting furniture, custom scenic props, lighting, and accessories are sure to take your event to the next level. Our collections, ranging from classic to modern, are designed and created specifically for the event industry to bring style and functionality to any event.
CONVENIENT & HASSLE FREE
It is important to find a company that offers great service and competitive pricing. We take pride in our work and it shows in each piece of furniture and with each team member onsite. Our people are clean and polite and our customer service is a cut above the rest. Another important reason for selecting a company like DESIGNER8* is the fact that we don’t just deliver our furniture, but we also place each piece exactly where you want it. And when your event ends, our team is there to strike quickly and efficiently.
The materials and textiles used for event rental furniture are just as important as the design itself. In fact, it was the celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright that believed in the synergistic power of design: “…Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.”
VELVET
There is nothing hotter than velvet right now! Taking a cue from the fashion world and its’ timeless, must-have fabric, velvet is an incredibly versatile material that adds a soft and plush feeling to sofas, pillows, and so much more. Walk into any home decor store and you’ll find living room sets that are decorated with rich velvet accents in a range of gorgeous colors. We recently introduced a number of beautiful velvet collections, pillows, and ottomans in a variety of amazing shades.
WOOD AND NATURAL LOOKS
For interior designer Jennie Aden, inspiration comes from her favorite materials—organic textiles she finds close to home in Stockholm, Sweden. When creating a natural look for your next event, let us help you compile a custom assortment of styles from reclaimed wood to natural fabrics to stylish accents.
GLASS-TOP PIECES
At this year’s ICFF Editors’ Awards, furniture and home accessories with glass top designs had a major moment. In fact, designer Eny Lee Parker was named “Designer of the Year” for her Ballard table made with hand-thrown terra cotta jugs, which serve as a base for a simple and elegant glass top. DESIGNER8* also has a number of spectacular glass pieces including our Harlow collection, Xavier collection and our ever-popular Diamond Table collection which comes in both gold and silver.
Whether it’s natural and organic materials or classic textiles with enduring style, make the most of form and function with these trending event decor fabrics and styles.
DESIGNER8* is proud to be a woman owned and run business, with a large portion of women working behind the scenes to make this undertaking successful from sales to accounting to operations and design. In honor of Women’s History Month, we would like to celebrate our talented team as well as all of the amazing women who have impacted furniture design over time and our styles today.
Ray-Bernice Alexandra Kaiser Eames (December 15, 1912 – August 21, 1988), was an American artist, designer, and filmmaker. She was responsible for groundbreaking contributions in the field of architecture, furniture design, industrial design, manufacturing and the photographic arts in creative collaboration with her husband Charles Eames. Her husband once noted: “Anything I can do, Ray can do better.”
DESIGNER8* Eames Chair Collection
Florence Marguerite Knoll Bassett was an American architect and furniture designer who studied under Mies van der Rohe and Eliel Saarinen. She created the modern look and feel of America’s postwar corporate office with sleek furniture, artistic textiles, and an uncluttered, free-flowing workplace environment. The company she formed with her husband, Knoll Associates, grew to become the leading innovator of modern interiors and furnishings in the 1950s and 1960s. She was given the production rights to the Barcelona chair by van der Rohe in 1953.
Florence was famously quoted as saying “I needed a piece of furniture, it was not there so I designed it.”
DESIGNER8* Barcelona Collection
Anna Castelli Ferrieri was an Italian architect and industrial designer. She is most known for her influence in the use of plastics as a mainstream design material and her cofounding of Kartell, an Italian contemporary furniture company.
DESIGNER8* Maxwell Collection
And lastly, in honor of women and design in Los Angeles, Greta Magnusson-Grossman. She was a Swedish furniture designer, interior designer, and architect, who was one of the few female designers to gain prominence during the mid-20th century architectural scene in Los Angeles. Her early exposure to European Modernism deeply influenced her later architectural work, seen as a synthesis of European ideals and the culture and lifestyle of Southern California.
As a couple begins planning their wedding, there are a number of options when it comes to the design and décor of your ceremony and reception. Adding lounge furniture is an easy way to enhance your special day and add that extra “wow” factor for you and your guests. By bringing in stylish furniture, you have the opportunity to further customize the look and feel of your venue and create the prefect vibe and atmosphere.
Set the tone of your big day with a ceremony look that brings your personal style to life. This can include everything from casual outdoor lounge seating to more formal style indoor looks. You can then use the cocktail hour to transition into the reception of your dreams. This can range from a soothing outdoor paradise to a sexy, club vibe. Lastly, give your guests a comfortable spot to rest their feet from dancing and recharge during the reception. You can also create a family room style layout with custom vignettes where your guests can connect and indulge in conversation. And don’t forget to add stylish accents including bars, back bars, pillows, rugs, partition walls and decorative chandeliers! DESIGNER8* has an incredible variety of styles and depth of inventory to bring your vision to life for budgets big and small.
Working with the experts at DESIGNER8*, you will have the opportunity to design every aspect of your event without all of the logistical headaches of managing it. More specifically, our team helps with all of the planning pieces including delivery, set up and pick up. You simply let us know where and when the furniture is needed and we take care of the rest!
What are accessories and do you really need them to complete the look of your event? In a word, YES! Accessories are the finishing touch when it comes to the color, texture and shape of your decor. The role they play is an important one. They reflect your style philosophy and pull your other décor selections together to create groupings that make design sense. To fully appreciate the impact accessories can make, let us consider other examples of things that require a “finishing touch”. Can you picture: A cake without icing? A gift without the wrapping? A little black dress without the right jewelry? Of course not! There’s a reason for the phrase ‘the devil is in the details’. At DESIGNER8*, we offer more than just lounge, bars, cocktail tables, we add pillows, lighting, area rugs, florals or ottomans will enhance any lounge setting and take it to the next level.
When starting the design process, it is important to set aside a portion of your budget specifically for these elements. Clients sometimes go all out planning their event and focus on the major pieces early in the process, only to run out of steam (and finances) to fully complete the space. Accounting for accessories from the very beginning will ensure you to stay on track along the way.
Take for example the lounge setting below on the top and the final accessorized layout on the bottom. The added pillows, rugs, florals, lamp and candles pull the entire look together. It makes you feel invited, warm and leaves you with the thought that your host cared enough about you to make you feel welcome.
Looking to create a corporate retreat that colleagues actually want to attend? Here are some helpful hints guaranteed to have you and your guests well taken care of and well prepared for a productive session.
SPACE
The first thing to consider is the space and the kind of vibe you are looking to create. Is this a small and intimate executive style conversation or a larger, more casual gathering? Depending on the crowd and the content, you will want to find a space that both fits physically as well as mentally. For example, if you are hosting a small team of industry leaders, you may want to opt for something a bit more private and even a bit more luxurious like a hotel suite or country club wine room. On the other hand, if you are looking to take folks out of their comforts zone, you may want to go with something unexpected and funky like a loft or rooftop patio. But not to worry, our DESIGNER8* team can help with venue recommendations and layouts.
SEATING
Furniture choices also play a large part on the style and success of an off-site. some groups need to be seated in a traditional table and chair arrangement to focus. Other teams, however, may be more inspired by causal and communal seating like oversized highboys with stools or lounge seating with comfy options like bean bags and chaises. and of course, the style and color of these choices also plays a role in creating the overall atmosphere. Bringing in bright colors can create a fun and free environment that may yield more creative conversations and communication. DESIGNER8* has an incredible depth of inventory across a number of seating styles and our designers can work with you to create the perfect mix for each and every event.
SNACKS
Never underestimate the power of food! How and when you feed your guests, will have a lot to do with overall energy level and productivity. Think through your agenda and plan your food and beverage accordingly. Regardless of start time, we always recommend having something out and available for guests upon arrival. This can be anything from an elaborate buffet or sit-down meal to a cute coffee cart with custom drinks and pastries. And it’s important to keep guest tummies satisfied throughout the day. Think about having snacks served between meals and/or munchies available on tables about the space. Morning refreshments can range from fruit smoothies and protein bars to self-serve cereal bars with all of the toppings. Afternoon events often include lunch or dinner, but don’t have to be eaten from a box or around a table. Think ahead – is there an outside able you can use at the venue with casual seating? Is there a local taco guy or burger cart you can bring in for an hour? Keeping lunch more flexible, allows for more spontaneous synergies and allows guests a comfortable setting to unwind and connect. It also gives busy folks a few minutes to check their emails without feeling like they are being rude at a more formal table setting. Afternoon snacks are equally important when planning long sessions – what is going to keep the team on their toes? A treat cart with salty and sweet goodies? And ice cream truck? Also, a fun opportunity to bring in energy boosters like Red Bull’s and protein bars.
STIMULATION
You’ll also want to think through the content for the day and what will be the best way for guests to consume it. Is this a crowd that will appreciate large monitors? Is this a scrappy crew that prefers stickies and large post it pads? Or something in between? Take the group and agenda into consideration when making these decisions as well as the length of time for the session. The longer it is, the better it is to keep things interesting and mix media where possible. You can also work with venues to create unique breakout spaces for team exercises. Cabanas, beachside blankets, rooftops, fire pits, wine rooms, and a variety of other options may be available.
SURPRISES
And lastly, try to keep a few fun surprises up your sleeve! Maybe you kick off the day with a meditation session? Maybe you bring in a masseuse for short chair massages in the afternoon? Maybe a tequila tasting? Keeping your guests minds and moods in mind will help you design the perfect day and maximize productivity!
The red carpet is the standard, but what if pink is your favorite color? We think that you should be able to get a pink carpet if you want. That’s why our “red carpet” rentals come in any color, size or shape that you want. It’s your event, and we can make it the red carpet event of your dreams.
It goes beyond just changing the color of the carpet. We have the products to customize your arrival area to match the look, feel and theme of your event. Should your theme be Hollywood glamour, we can provide the podiums and partitions for your guests to feel like celebrities. You may envision your event as avant-garde, with non-traditional elements. We have elegant furniture options and carpet colors to create your vision. Looking for clean, modern lines in your décor to serve as a backdrop to art? We have the entryway and the furniture to let the art be the star of the show.
If you can dream it, designer8* will find a way to bring it to life. We use customized Step & Repeat elements to enrich the venue. What is a Step & Repeat element? It’s a backdrop used for publicity which has a printed pattern of repeated brand logos and emblems. You’ve seen them in the background of celebrity photographs at galas, parties and award shows. We can also use 3D lettering, large “bus shelters”, and other forms of brand promotion for your sponsors. If you’re looking for natural customizations options, we can integrate include trees, topiaries, flowers, and floral walls into your décor.
A key part of setting the mood is lighting. The color, pattern, intensity, and direction of light will add to, or subtract from the mood you’re developing. Think about it: the bright blue-white lighting of a hospital would diminish the dinner ambiance of a restaurant. Furthermore, lighting from the wrong angle creates unnecessary dark spots and shadows that can cause serious injury. That’s why it’s so important to have the correct lighting in the event. It can set or ruin the mood, and it protects you from liability. designer8* can provide the uplights, color washes, custom gobos, and decorative fixtures that your venue needs.
Red carpet, pink carpet, black carpet; whatever color you choose, know that your entrance sets the expectations of your guests. The correct use of oversized objects, décor, lighting and messaging in your gala event will enhance your guests’ experience. designer8* can provide solutions to match your party’s theme. Go ahead, check out our selection.
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