Event Design Inspiration: 17 Modern Ways to Interpret a Nature Theme

The Watermill Center’s 2014 benefit in New York had a series of fairy tale-inspired art installations. As the centerpiece of the entrance, Annick Lavallée-Benny's "N.U.A.G.E.S." was an imposing fixture constructed from wood, chicken wire, cotton batting, polyfill, and fishing line. The conception of clouds was inspired by the magical flying carpets that are featured throughout the tales of the benefit's "One Thousand Nights and One Night: Sleeping Nights of Sheherazade" theme.

Held in early May, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Mission Creek Gala was designed by Gillian Valentine with the goal of highlighting four distinct habitats of the country: the Santa Barbara channel, the coastal wetlands, the oak woodlands, and the California wildflowers on Figueroa Mountain. Designers used decor from the museum to create the different components. The coastal habitat had an elegant under-the-sea theme, with light, silver tableware and small tide pools filled with starfish, shells, and other ocean-inspired elements.

The Santa Barbara channel area of the Mission Creek Gala also incorporated ocean elements, with large shells used as floral vases. Hogue & Co handled the evening’s floral design.

Hogue & Co also designed lush florals for the woodland area of the gala. Hanging branches, lanterns and candles, and deep brown tablecloths added to the woodsy vibe.

Also in the woodland area, Gillian Valentine used green napkins and table runners, greenery and branch centerpieces, and butterfly decor to complete the look.

The 21st edition of the Knot Gala—held in New York in October and designed by Dallas-based Emily Clarke Events—took on a dark woodlands fantasy theme inspired by Shakespeare. Unique touches included floral statue entertainers from Scarlett Entertainment who greeted attendees at the entrance and posed for photos.

For the Television Academy's Governors Ball in 2016, which took place after the Emmys in Los Angeles, Sequoia Productions created a “Nature’s Elegance” theme. Centerpieces by LA Premiere alternated between low birch-wrapped looks and towering, colorful designs rising more than three feet tall off tabletops in trumpet-style vases; overall, the look included more than 50,000 hydrangeas, 80,000 roses, and 20,000 succulents. Fabrics were done in neutral, earth-inspired tones, and sequin mesh, metallic silks, and floral sequin organzas added an element of glamour.

The same year, HBO’s annual post-Emmys party had a water theme. Designer Billy Butchkavitz used a color palette with seven shades of blue, and a 105-foot-long water lounge flowed from the dining pavilion to the formal entrance of the event space. Rippling water-patterned custom carpet covered the party space, and centerpieces were hand-blown glass pedestal bowls with floating dinnerplate dahlias, creating the look of a tabletop water garden.

For New York Fashion Week in 2013, Nike erected a three-day installation to celebrate the launch of its Nike Free Hyperfeel running shoe. Produced by Aramique Krauthamer, the black-on-black temporary structure featured a tactile labyrinth comprising barefoot experiences that amplified nature. Three distinct physical spaces made up the labyrinth, which replicated common running surfaces like stone, sand, and grass.

For a vendor showcase in Los Angeles in March 2016, Patina Catering used elements like flowers, moss, and branches to bring to life a “living garden” theme. Champagne chilled in bowls reminiscent of birds' nests, made from foraged organic materials.

At luxury watchmaking convention Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, held in Geneva, Switzerland in 2014, IWC Schaffhausen chose a water theme. Aiming to celebrate its Aquatimer collection, the trade show booth was meant to evoke the feeling of diving into a wave. Replica hammerhead sharks hung from the ceiling, surrounding a central chandelier comprising 2,400 individually strung Plexi "bubbles" that hung nearly 30 feet down. Two cross projectors cast deep sea images both vertically and horizontally onto two large curved screens, while a circular bar in the middle of the space housed an information desk and a bar that served cocktails and even caviar.

For the City of Hope Spirit of Life gala, held in Los Angeles in November 2016, Namevents created a stage that resembled the moon's pocked surface and used fiber-optic panels in the roof of the tent to resemble stars. The sides of the tent were also draped black, and the carpeting was black as well so that the focus remained on the stage.

The New Yorkers for Children gala in fall 2012 had a "light the way" theme, inspired by the nonprofit's mission to improve the lives of young people. David Stark handled the decor, embellishing a photo backdrop of a forest scene with white birch trees, lush greenery, and a path lit by lanterns.

At another Billy Butchkavitz-designed HBO Emmys party, held in Los Angeles in 2015, real fire was a decorative element: 24-foot-long reflecting ponds showcased multiple flaming sculptures. A 27-foot-high flame sculpture on a rotating platform was the party’s centerpiece, and ombré-patterned custom carpet covered 50,000 square feet underfoot. The event's 25-foot-high decorative perimeter walls were covered with flowing draperies embellished with iridescent paillette sequins and punctuated by 25-foot-high red lacquer columns.

The Allie Awards, held in Atlanta in March 2016, had an “Xperience the Elements” played out in three themed environments that channeled earth, water, and fire. Your Event Solutions created a 16-foot-long table with a built-in water feature.

In 2013, the Emmy Awards’ Governors Ball in Los Angeles had an imaginative enchanted forest theme, produced and designed by Sequoia Productions. Decor included stylized trees and an expansive canopy of futuristic faux foliage hanging overhead. Each of the 400 tables had its own distinctive look with a dramatic flower arrangement from La Premier that included silver manzanita branches, calla lilies, roses, and orchids.

The first edition of Refinery29’s 29Rooms, held in New York in 2015, had a cloud-inspired space called "Sound in the Clouds." The room invited guests to pop their heads inside physical clouds and listen to music curated by Saint Heron, the movement under Solange's label, Saint Records.