Decor

Tired of the all-white leather look? Leslee Bell of Decor & More is creating lounge areas with rental furniture that incorporates textured fabrics such as suede, chenille, herringbone, and wide whale corduroy, along with throw pillows featuring stripes, abstract patterns, and animal prints.

Vintage China Hire offers an eclectic mix of vintage and antique tableware for events of as many as 120 people. Vintage China Hire has also partnered with Loic Gourmet to offer catered afternoon tea packages for a minimum of 12 people.

Contemporary Furniture Rentals has a variety of items ideal for pulling off a rustic look, including barrel stave chandeliers, coffee and cocktail tables made from reclaimed wood, and its new Farmhouse dining chairs (pictured).

In an effort to prevent large staging and exhibit structures from ending up in landfills, Arlington, Virginia-based design firm Beth Singer Design has developed modular staging systems that can be reused, reconfigured, and resized. The portable, lightweight frames are easily customized with a variety of wrinkle-free fabric skins.

Event planning company Well Rehearsed offers its ready-made Streets of San Francisco centerpiece collection for rent or purchase. The 10 reusable designs in the line incorporate some of San Francisco’s most iconic landmarks, imagery, and neighborhoods.

Blueprint Studios rents a variety of modern display furnishings engineered to contain the latest technology, including media towers, coffee tables, and bars fit with LCD displays. The company’s Museo collection also includes its new iPad station that can be branded and customized.

Rental company Archive Rentals has a showroom in San Clemente offering vintage items, handmade furnishings, and antiques for events. The company’s vintage Western- and camp-themed rentals (think reclaimed wood tables, picnic linens, horse tack, canoes, and retro Airstream trailers) are ideal for summer events.

Searching for modern-looking, green-minded centerpieces? Britton Neubacher-Caligure of Tend Living often eschews florals in favor of succulents, air plants, and cacti, to create organic-looking arrangements. Neubacher-Caligure also offers how-to workshops.

Scottsdale-based company BizBox offers solar-powered, portable pop-up buildings that can be used as mobile showrooms, food shops, retail stores, or tradeshow display centers. The sleek units can be purchased or leased, and feature glass walls, display panels, and a wraparound deck, all of which can be set up in about 20 minutes. The newest model features full-glass siding.

The new SculptLamps from Scottsdale-based SculptWare can work as centerpieces or cocktail-table accents. Available to rent in two sizes—14 inch, $45, or 30 inch, $65—the lamps include remote-controlled LEDs that can glow in 13 colors.

Available to rent for events in Arizona starting at $9,000, Just Light That offers pressure-sensitive interactive LED-lit floors in sizes up to 24 by 32 feet that can be synced to music. The floors can also display logos, animated images, scrolling text, or static branding.

Lititz, Pennsylvania-based production and scenic goods company Atomic Design has introduced its modular Buule and Laser panels. The 5-foot-wide fabric panels have zippers so you can customize the length and width of your backdrop. For easy shipping, a 50- by 30-foot drape fits in a 24-inch cardboard box that weighs 70 pounds.

Add a rock ’n’ roll vibe with tabletops from Max King Events that are made to look like acoustic and electric guitars. The tops can be used on 30- or 42-inch stands. The handcrafted tabletops are available in 12 designs. Prices start at $85.

The Little Glass Slipper is a new floral shop in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn, owned by Cary Pereyra, who creates arrangements that offer a dose of aromatherapy. Her creations can include botanicals like echinacea for a weak immune system or mood-boosting lavender for seasonal depression.

Taylor Creative Inc. is now carrying Kartell’s invisible coffee table. A match for Louis Ghost chairs, the sleek Lucite tables rent for $150 each, and there are 16 available. Also new to Taylor’s inventory: Kartell’s invisible dining tables.

The new graffiti-inspired “Tag It” line from AFR Event Furnishings includes items such as leather sofas, chairs, acrylic tables, and ottomans that guests can permanently leave their mark on with Sharpies. The furniture items, which are for sale only, can be displayed in the office post-event.

Atlas Party Rental carries a variety of new brightly colored dishes that can add a splash to tabletops. The eye-catching purple-and-turquoise Luxe charger (pictured) rents for $8.

Little World Design specializes in sculptural, botanical objects and installations. Owners Heather Pando and Manuel Acosta favor long-lasting materials, like branches, seed pods, feathers, moss, stones, linen, and even real butterfly wings.

Holo-Walls offers interactive LED liquid tabletops filled with pressure-sensitive fluids that are designed to fit on 30-inch round cocktail tables. The illuminated, chrome-edged tiles are available to rent from $100 each; matching Liquid Fusion dance-floor tiles are also available, starting at $50 per tile.

The Vintage Table Company offers vintage china, glassware, and flatware sourced from estates, thrift stores, and flea markets, for a completely mismatched tabletop look.

Town and Country Event Rentals now offers the Cielo Blanco 4- by 8-foot dining table, available with custom fabric insets.

California-based La Tavola Fine Linen Rental has opened its first Las Vegas showroom. The company offers 11 linen collections, as well as coordinating pieces, like napkins and seat cushions.

For place settings that tie into the rustic, all-natural trend, rent Swift & Company’s 500 new Capri wood chargers for $7 per piece. Crafted from reclaimed wood and made by hand in the company’s Houston workshop, the chargers’ patinas and distress marks make for a striking tabletop element.

Event rental company Suite 206’s new Savile Row collection—from $55 to $350 for individual pieces—is inspired by the London street famous for its bespoke men’s tailoring shops. The masculine-looking furniture collection includes pieces such as the Wayly chair (pictured) and the tufted Ted settee in gray, silver, and black.

New England Country Rentals is a full-service Boston-based event rental company. The inventory includes bars, lounge furniture, china, flatware, chairs, glassware, and vintage decor items, but the company specializes in rustic custom-made tables, chairs, and benches.

Diffa's four-day event ran alongside the Architectural Digest Home Show. Attendees entered the Diffa section of the trade show floor by walking through a tunnel of exposed lightbulbs that hung overhead.

At Gensler and Herman Miller's vignette, the dining table was surrounded by walls covered in thousands of Hershey's Kisses wrapped in purple foil. Attendees were invited to take one as a symbol of the "many hands it takes to spark positive change."

As part of Diffa's Student Design Initiative, five of New York's top design schools created installations for the showcase, under the direction of industry mentors and within a strict budget. Students from the Pratt Institute, working with mentor Arpad Baksa, used Pegboard, twinkle lights, and individually placed test tubes to create a sparkling rendering of a world map.

Maya Romanoff and the Rockwell Group collaborated with the producers of Kinky Boots to create a dining environment that would celebrate the April 4 opening of the Broadway show. A chandelier of patent leather boots interspersed with red lightbulbs floated above the red tabletop, and the wall panels were designed to resemble laced-up corsets.

As a nod to the walls at the Kinky Boots table, Romanoff stitched corset-like napkin holders.

Many designers had spring on the mind, with several environments dedicated to garden motifs. Rachel Laxer Interiors with Robert Kuo designed an ode to Rococo painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard with a mural of an 18th-century woman falling from a swing and a centerpiece of moody floral arrangements and fresh fruit.

Rachel Laxer Interiors' table settings included moss-covered chargers and—similar to the Kinky Boots table—corseted napkin holders.

The Eric Warner for Aesthete table, hosted by Tracy Reese, also jumped on the spring bandwagon, featuring faux butterflies and lightbulbs hanging from an overhead trellis, as well as a wall displaying patterned fabric panels and a silhouette made entirely out of moss.

Beacon Hill conceived a Midnight Garden vignette, which was hidden behind walls of boxwood shrubs draped in patterned fabric. The moody setting included an arrangement of twinkle lights, moss, orchids, and silk butterflies.

Aerin Lauder designed a table for Kravet that showcased her yet-to-be-released fabric collection for Lee Jofa, covering the table and surrounding walls in a purple damask-patterned linen. The table settings included rattan chargers and bamboo flatware.

Kenneth Cobonpue's table was enclosed inside a sort of wicker birdcage. At the center of the organic wooden table was a mound of moss topped with bowls that held live Betta fish; directly above was a chandelier composed of glass jars holding faux fireflies.

Echo Design’s table celebrated nature by encasing artfully arranged insects, butterflies, and shells inside a clear tabletop. Several of the company’s patterned scarves were backlit on the surrounding walls.

Another trend spotted on the Diffa floor: black-and-white stripes. The Architectural Digest table featured the striking pattern on the china, the surrounding columns, a giant paper lantern, and the table itself. A centerpiece of brightly hued anemones and poppies popped against the stark palette.

The New York School of Interior Design led by Marc Blackwell set up a table that paid tribute to the fight against AIDS with a table runner composed of hundreds of red ribbons.

A cute touch at Michael Amini's Old Hollywood-themed table: film canisters serving as chargers.

Titled "Dinner in the Boudoir de Madame," the installation created by Charlene Bank Keogh, Adeline Olmer, and Blane Charles was designed to look like the apartment of an eccentric socialite. Housed inside the base of one of the Lucite coffee tables were several pairs of red high heels.

Federico Delrosso for Corinthian Capital Group built a dining room inside a fabricated rooftop-style water tower. New York City rooftop views were projected onto the walls inside.

Resembling a canopy bed, Croscill's table was covered in a bright pink quilted tablecloth and surrounded by clear Chiavari chairs.

David Stark returned to create an installation for paint company Benjamin Moore. The entire room—from the floor to the chandeliers—was painted in a kaleidoscope of colors, and on the back wall, an LED screen looped a video montage of Stark's team designing the space from start to finish.

Orange was popular color choice this year. Marc Blackwell painted an entire wall in the hue, covering it with an eclectic collection of china. Nearby, a giant tree-stump table displayed a oversize drum shade lamp as a centerpiece, surrounded by orange and white tulips. A charming touch: porcelain birds at each place setting made chirping noises.

Vern Yip also went for orange with his design for Fabricut, which included an oversize, damask-patterned drum shade chandelier and a centerpiece composed of fabric flowers.

The table Frette designed for The New York Times was housed inside a black-and-white striped cabana. With rustic wood accents, fresh oranges, and arrangements of olive tree branches, the tabletop had a Tuscan countryside vibe.

The design from New York University students mentored by David Rockwell and Barry Richards was dubbed "Desconstructed Closet"; the table, chairs, and backdrop were all made using wire hangers.

Interior design firm EDG's offering was a collapsible, portable dining unit, designed to be used as a pop-up restaurant or alongside food trucks. The chandeliers were made from plastic straws, and the table centerpieces included frosted Mason jars holding votive candles.

At the Ralph Lauren Home table, vases filled with fluffy white ranunculuses echoed the oversize white paper lanterns glowing overhead. A slate waterfall backdrop flanked by palm tree trunks completed the tranquil scene.

Flexform & Dror's tribute to water conservation included chalkboard walls that had water factoids scrawled across them; at the center was a moving projection of a waterfall.

The table by Rottet Studio and Morgans Hotel Group displayed leather walls, exposed lightbulbs, and dishware that resembled curled-up book pages.

Working with Jes Gordon, students from the Fashion Institute of Technology composed a black, white, and gold look. Overhead, black-and-white portraits hung from a circular, glowing chandelier.

At Patrón's area, the walls were draped in sheer chiffon, and hanging tequila bottles held flickering votives.

Stefan Steilish composed an installation of individual tables separated by Lucite dividers. The idea behind the design was that people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS can feel isolated, but once that person looks beyond, he or she realizes that others are facing the same fears, and connection is possible.

A DJ booth was made of hundreds of stacked Solo cups and framed with columns that evoked a classic fraternity house. Custom graphics of college pennants decorated the dance floor.

Graduates could enjoy root beer from a keg at the bar, which was custom-made with milk crates and topped with a wood slab that guests could sign with Sharpies.

Dorm-style furniture included milk crates upholstered with plaid cushions.The back walls were made of T-shirts with printed sayings and were decked with other frat-house-style props.

Strings of lights with red Solo cup lampshades hung from the ceiling.

On the rear wall, hundreds of red and blue Solo cups were arranged to spell out "Congrats."

Summerland vintage patio furniture in buttercup, including two-seat glider, $44.50, armchair, $23.50, and side table, $13.50, available throughout Southern California from Town & Country Event Rentals

Oak cocktail table, $145, from the Zak Collection, available in the New York metro area through Classic Party Rentals

Edison end table, $39.50, available throughout Southern California from Town & Country Event Rentals

Imperial bench, Kings dining table, and Majesty throne, prices upon request, available throughout California, Arizona, and Las Vegas from Lounge Appeal

Vintage sofa, $395, available in South Florida from Ronen Rental

Beechwood table and stools, prices upon request, available throughout California, Arizona, and Las Vegas from Lounge Appeal

Elio chair, price upon request, available nationwide from AFR Event Furnishings

Butler side table, $150, and Studio bench in green, $175, available throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic from Taylor Creative Inc.

Round About, price upon request, available nationwide from FWR Rental Haus

Monroe slipper chair, $150; Chateau velvet banquette, $350; Ivory Emperor chair, $125; and Chevron pillows, $20 each, available nationwide from Suite 206

Ella table with oak top, $195, available in South Florida from Ronen Rental

Sofa, from $315, available nationwide from Modern Inflatables

D’Rose sofa in fuschia, $625, available in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami from Luxe Event Rentals

Kristalo table, $250, available throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic from Taylor Creative Inc.

Walnut stools, $85 each, available throughout South Florida from Lavish Event Rentals

Madame Butterfly sofa in green, $625, available in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami from Luxe Event Rentals

Mariner dining table, $200, and Bellini chairs, $18 each, available throughout South Florida from Lavish Event Rentals

True Blue sofa, price upon request, available nationwide from FWR Rental Haus

Carre banquet, $495, and Industrial Revo café table, $240, available throughout Southern California from FormDecor

Corset lounge chair, $298, available throughout Southern California from FormDecor

Madeline chair, $145, available nationwide from Designer8 Event Furniture Rental

Napoleon dining table and armchairs, price upon request, available nationwide from CORT Event Furnishings

Arctic 5 Snow Leopard chair, price upon request, available nationwide from Lounge22 powered by CORT Event Furnishings

Oval Savoya table, $175, available worldwide from Blueprint Studios

Moda dining chair, $22, available worldwide from Blueprint Studios

Lego love seat, $295, available worldwide from Blueprint Studios

Ashbury table, price upon request, available nationwide from AFR Event Furnishings

At this year's TED, the world-famous conference known for its 18-minute talks, Target hosted a social space called "A Mind for Design," which had seating inspired by brain waves. The reactive space changed colors as guests interacted with it, and it had a live Twitter stream that showcased real-time Tweets from conference attendees.

TED content was simulcast in Palm Springs at the event known as TEDActive. Held at La Quinta Resort and Club, the conference let attendees watch content from the comfort of so-called "Ted Beds."

Multiple venues around the property for simulcast viewing included an array of seating groups, including more traditional chairs and desks and armchairs—and even beanbags. Steelcase provides much of the furniture for the TED conferences.

The edgy conference, which focuses on creativity and commerce, had its first run at Montreal's New City Gas building last May. Communal seating areas let guests perch on swings hanging from an arty canopy. Around the space, couches flanked with lamp-lit end tables lent a cozy, residential atmosphere.

In the courtyard, Adirondack chairs topped with umbrellas presented a laid-back area for networking and breakout sessions.

Guests sat on haystacks covered with bright orange blankets and chevron-patterned pillows at a Belvedere-sponsored party during the 2012 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado. Though the pictured seating configuration is more suited to causal dining, haystacks in rows or in the round could make for fun  conference seating during the warmer months.

Based in California, Shelter Co supplies luxury tents—and can coordinate planning details—for corporate meetings and retreats. The European-style tents can be filled with couches, tables, and decorative rooms to create intimate gathering spaces.

As part of Brooklyn’s Northside Festival in June, whiskey brand Jameson hosted the Black Barrel Lounge, where guests could enjoy music from indie artists and get the chance to experience a demonstration by Master Cooper (aka barrel maker) Ger Buckley. Accordingly, the space was decorated with chandeliers made from deconstructed flame-charred Jameson Black barrels.

In June, jewelry company Stella & Dot teamed up with liquor brand Midori to host a happy hour event on the rooftop of the London West Hollywood. Small shelves were built into the press wall in order to display emerald green accessories from the line alongside the green-colored booze.

In June, Skyy Vodka hosted Skyy and Sea, the official opening event to New York’s Governors Ball Music Festival, aboard the Hornblower Infinity yacht. The nautical theme was reflected in the event’s step-and-repeat: White shelves held bottles of vodka and branded lifesavers.

Also at the Skyy and Sea event, guests could spin a prize wheel to win items like a hat, a bikini, or sunglasses. The pointers on the wheel were made from empty Skyy bottles.

Dubbed the Dramatically Different Party, skincare brand Clinique's June 18 bash at New York’s 620 Loft & Garden celebrated its iconic moisturizer. As guests entered, they encountered a hallway lined with more than 4,000 bottles of the 45-year-old lotion.

In honor of Barbie’s 50th anniversary, Mattel created a real-life version of the doll’s Malibu Dream House where repeating rows of the iconic toy formed an eye-catching wall.