Inspiration

Lucite chairs, candles, and sleek white linens dressed the 150-foot tables at the Joffrey Ballet gala in Chicago in 2010.

For his September show in New York at Spring Studios entitled “Beauty,” Jason Wu went simple and stark with the all-white venue. Produced by Bureau Betak, the space featured simple white bench seating and a floor-to-ceiling backdrop that mimicked a deconstructed boudoir mirror—with detached molding that created a mirage-like effect.

The 2006 Screen Actors Guild awards gala in Los Angeles had a striking but simple look from event designer Stanlee Gatti, with bunches of upside-down calla lillies hanging overhead. White furnishings were arranged in lounge-like formations.

At this year's Dining by Design, the annual fund-raising event hosted by Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, Smartwater's space aimed to reflect the brand's natural water purification process, which is mirrored after rain clouds. The fluffy fixtures lit up like a storm above the simple table setting. The event took place at New York's Pier 92 in March.

A joint event between Variety and British Airways in 2013 took place at a Los Angeles mansion, and black-and-white decor took on a residential feel. To celebrate the heritage of British Airways, the Union Jack appeared on black-and-white pillows at a seating group that surrounded a modern fire pit.

At a Saucony-hosted event in Boston in 2011, an art exhibit around the perimeter of the space incorporated the brand's sneakers and minimalist art.

In 2012, Yahoo marked the relaunch of Genome, a brand previously known as Interclick, with a minimalist affair in New York. To create a modern aesthetic inside a SoHo townhouse, the producers employed a mix of clean lines and white furnishings. For entertainment, the organizers brought in synchronized swimmers dressed to look like aliens.

At a 2013 brunch for L'Oréal, designer and producer Joe Moller added subtle branding to the setup on the Viceroy Miami's outdoor terrace, adding L'Oréal lettering to the backs of chairs and using shallow gold vases filled with products as tabletop centerpieces.

The Women's Wear Daily Beauty Summit in 2013 had a sleek, all-white design from Shiraz Events. Guests sat in clear Miro chairs at communal tables topped with white linens and simple birch vases holding cobble moss balls.

To cap off New York Fashion Week in 2010, Calvin Klein hosted a party with seating vignettes of minimalist, low-slung white sofas and ottomans around fireplaces.

At a product launch for watch brand Q&Q in New York, guests were encouraged to take photos against a modern backdrop. Guests who posed for snaps received a coin that would allow them to receive a free watch from a giant gumball machine.

To launch its newest A8 model at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2010, Audi created a 45,000-square-foot temporary structure. EventStar worked with Audi, German architecture firm the Design Company, and Miami event management firm Siinc Agency to design the pavilion.

At a dinner to mark new gallery openings at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011, Heffernan Morgan bathed webbed scrims in golden light to cast spiderweblike patterns throughout the modern dinner space.

At a benefit for New York's High Line in 2011, fresh vegetables provided by Bite were displayed on a simple buffet spread.

Monochrome weddings are getting an updated twist lately, as seen in the table and setup by Edge Floral Event Designers. Think understated—even rustic—furnishings that allow details like flowers and wallpaper to pop without looking overdone.

The rustic look has moved into the realm of total refinement, as seen in the setup from Simply Chic Events, which came complete with reclaimed wood and an Edison-style bulb chandelier.

The ever-chic black-and-white motif gets new energy with the help of dramatic metallic accents. At the setup by Events in the City, a gold sparkle wall and gold glitter flatware add festivity to an otherwise preppy look.

If the ombré trend extends to wedding confections, why not to corporate events too? The good-luck cake from TipsyCake at Poladora launch party blended from white to green.

Mexican themes lend themselves to such whimsy and colorfulness. The table from A Perfect Event shows off a well-executed, conversation-starting example.

Flowers are no longer strictly contained by vessels. Sofitel Los Angeles let blooms trail from an oversize arrangement—a similar look to the Recording Academy's Bollywood-inspired after-party for the Grammys.

Planners may already have seen this theme evolve: chandeliers, chandeliers, chandeliers. At the Wedding Salon showcase Premiere Party Rents hung one from a wedding canopy. For corporate events, the ceiling treatments can be hung from tent ceilings, above food stations, or over an arrivals carpet.

Illuminated chandeliers are eye-catching additions to weddings and corporate events alike. The floral and crystal chandelier installed by Karla Conceptual Event Experiences and lit by Frost Florida, packed a punch in purple.

Live musical acts are borrowing inspiration from the evocative 1920s period. Costumed entertainers took the stage at a collaboration between the New York Botanical Garden and Stephen Starr Events.

Caplan Miller Events utilized the pit lane of the Circuit of the Americas racetrack and several on-site garages for the bar mitzvah. A logo with a checkered flag and the teen’s name appeared throughout the space.

Table decor featured red, black, and gray hues, as well as mini race cars and vibrant floral arrangements by David Kurio Designs.

A two-seat sports car adorned with the racetrack logo was parked at the party.

Each garage was decorated as a different F1 location—Monaco, India, Shanghai, and Italy—with custom cabanas and international menu items, like vegetable samosas with tomato chutney, steak frites, and steamed dumplings, from Kurant Events.

Caplan Miller Events worked with Cedar Park, Texas-based Townsley Designs to create a lounge area that included customized pillows and sleek, masculine furniture.

Guests could do a lap or two around the track in souped-up go karts.

Arcade-style video games provided entertainment for the teenage guests.

Iconic Ferrari logos flanked the entrance way to one of the on-site garages.

The Patrons' Dinner for the San Francisco Symphony's Opening Night Gala was fully designed and furnished by Blueprint Studios.

The San Francisco Symphony's Opening Night Gala for the 2014 season was a lavish affair that encompassed multiple venues, and was designed by Blueprint Studios.

Blueprint Studios transformed San Francisco Pier #48 into an elegant series of lounge and dine settings for a large nonprofit gala.

Blueprint Studios re-created San Francisco's Fort Mason into a turn-of-the-20th-century vintage garden pavilion.

Blueprint Studios enveloped Illuminated Luna Tables with custom prints to suit a firefly-themed dinner and gala at the California Academy of Sciences.

Blueprint Studios enveloped Illuminated Luna Tables with custom prints to enhance a Springtime-themed dinner.

Blueprint Studios printed custom chandeliers and painted matching bars for a black & white themed holiday party.

Blueprint Studios enveloped Illuminated Luna Tables with custom prints to suit a black & white themed holiday party.