Site Inspection: L.A. Venue lets you Meet in Style
Already rented out city hall? Transformed that aircraft hangar into an impossibly chic event space? Looking for something a bit different?
Perhaps it’s time you took a retreat. Oh, and don’t forget to bring your hair stylist. This new venue, the Institute of Courage, has something for you both.
What, you ask, is the Institute of Courage? Located in the serene hills of Topanga Canyon, just northwest of Los Angeles, the space is the brainchild of Michael O’Rourke, professional “hair artist,” who created the Institute to nurture the personal and professional development of his colleagues.
The venue, of course, is not short on style. It’s a place were the walls are made of burnished Venetian plaster with antique, handmade doors, where the floors are marble, stone and walnut, and where the color bar can produce just the right honeyed highlights for visiting hair stylists one day, and just the right vodka cranberry for your attendees the next.
Most suited to the event planners’ needs are the dining room and the larger Theatre Room.
Located on the second floor, the old-Renaissance-style dining room features a 15-foot-long antique walnut table surrounded by benches with plush velvet cushions. Embraced in velvet drapery, this intimate setting is an ideal space for board meetings or dinners (up to 25 guests). Its top-of-the-line kitchen can accommodate a private chef or the caterer of your choice.
The Theatre Room is the most elegant and detailed area of the Institute. So ornate it might have been plucked from the Vatican, the room can be used for meetings of up to 125 people. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, it offers the ability to play videos and PowerPoint presentations.
With plenty of outdoor space, including a Zen Garden and soothing greenery, the Institute surrounds visitors with tranquility. The garden can be viewed from a Moroccan-style room with sofa seating, adjacent to the Theatre Room.
For more information, visit www.instituteofcourage.com.