Textile Turnstile
Linen Color, Texture Choices Proliferate in Designers’ Palettes
by Rachel Globus | Published in April 2006 Focus on Event Rentals
When event producer Randy Fuhrman transformed the Beverly Hills location of fine art auctioneer Christie’s for an elegant party inspired by Rita Hayworth’s gem collection, he aimed to evoke the essence of the actress both boldly – with a red, white and black color scheme – and subtly, with off-center chair sashes. Why? Hayworth often wore gowns slit up the side, Fuhrman points out. “I wanted to recreate that very sexy, slit up the side feeling,” he says.
When it comes to creativity with linens, though, sometimes the absence thereof can be just as striking. When Bob Sendall, owner of All In Good Taste Productions, designed an event for Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum, he brought in long, rectangular wooden tables and accented them only with burnt-orange bengaline runners.
It was both an aesthetic and a practical decision. At the end of the evening, themed “A Party from the Waist Down,” the nearly nude tables were lined up to form a catwalk for models to show off extravagant shoes that had been donated for the occasion.
As the sheer number of fabrics has skyrocketed, planners, designers and producers have access to an increasingly diverse palette. And yet, it seems, no two of them can agree on what’s hot and what’s not.
Nevertheless, today’s innovative event professionals are
constantly aiming to raise the bar on creativity and style, whether they draw their inspiration from a funky window display, an international hotel or, of course, the pages of a magazine.
‘In’ Colors Run the Gamut in ’06
“In terms of colors, my feeling is that the trend is there’s more of a diversity in palettes,” says Nicole Sillapere of San Francisco, Calif.-based Sillapere Events & Environments. While several years ago, planners were obliged to follow the hot colors of the moment, planners today have more leeway when it comes to incorporating their own tastes.
Alan Eingold and Oren Fox agree that earthy tones are in now. Eingold, an owner of Over the Top Party Linens Inc., says dark earthy bronzes, greens and oranges will continue to give planners and clients the look they want. Fox, of A-1 Tablecloth Co., predicts that chocolate brown and sage will be “it-colors.”
Shawn Cramer, sales director of Canadian linen rental company Micki’s, says 2006’s browns and beiges are being paired with either a pink- or turquoise-tone tablecloth, chair wrap or napkin combinations.
French and robin’s egg blues will continue to be popular with browns, says Jo Dermid, CPCE, of BBJ Linen. So many designers pointed to this pairing that it seems safe to say that although it may be played out in one city, it can still be the hot combo in another.
Perhaps inspired by recent red-carpet fashions, grape is another emerging trend, running from light amethyst to rich plums, Dermid adds.
Even black and white will be making a comeback with the increased use of textures, according to Los Angeles-based Wildflower Linens. Some applications include white silk ottomans, heavier and/or thicker fabrics incorporating black-and-white hounds tooth, matte-finished floral prints, and geometrical black and white designs.
Expect the unexpected this year, says Meghan Cunningham, marketing coordinator with linen company Mosaic. “Many clients … are breaking from the tradition of using ‘matchy’ linens and mixing up different textures, patterns and colors to create depth,” she explains.
Planners are also drawing from Moroccan and Indian-inspired color palettes. All In Good Taste’s Sendall says he’s had great success with saffron, golds, shades of orange and rusts, paired with royal blue and accented with marigolds, a popular flower in India.
But Jim Verity, owner of international fine linen and textile accessory supplier beau nappe, says it’s not all about the trend. “I find that it’s more theme-driven. If a company’s colors are a particular shade, they have that be the dominant color,” he says.
Texture Is the New Color
When Los Angeles-based designer Eric Roth was searching for the perfect fabric for an Oscar-night party at The Abbey Food and Bar in Hollywood, Calif., he knew exactly where to go: the Garment District. There he found a patch eyelash fabric that was never intended for a table and yet worked perfectly.
Why? One reason was texture. If you can balance a glass on it, you can use it, say designers. Texture becomes especially important in monochromatic schemes. Jordan Carbotti, production manager with Newport, R.I.-based Perfect Surroundings Inc., plans on using texture rather than color combinations to wow guests at an upcoming event that reinterprets the “Treasure Island” theme. Each of five tents will represent a different jewel with the same color but various textures.
Another style point is softening up that stark modern look. “Everybody is trying to stay cutting-edge with the cool high-tech stuff, but you also really want to be soft too, so the mix is really what’s going to be popular this year,” predicts Carbotti.
Most designers feel that runners will enjoy continued popularity.
“They are a great way to do something different from the norm,” Cunningham says. “Runners can be used on round, rectangular and square tables and look crisp and fresh. When used on a particularly long table, a custom runner can accentuate the drama of such a table.”
Another way to get this sleek, fitted look is with banded tables; rectangular table coverings with inverted decorative pleats; straight, fitted cloths or textured pleated skirts falling straight from a fitted top; or lace inserts or appliqués on fitted cloths, according to BBJ’s Dermid. Sillapere bolts raw fabric to the tables to create a clean look as well as reduce finishing costs.
But perhaps the greatest source of inspiration, beyond all the exciting new colors, textures and combinations, is the never-ending challenge of bringing clients’ visions to life.
“Just let the client’s needs dictate the way it’s going to go,” advises Verity. “Say yes, and then figure out how you’re going to do it after.”
About the author: Rachel Globus
Rachel Globus is the former editor and education director for Event Solutions.