Opulent and purist

Illuminated objects and unostentatious design, as well as elaborate decorative elements and baroque forms, have a place at events. The trend is: anything goes.

Is the end of purism nigh? Decoration companies specializing in events business have identified the first signs that the elegant and stark simplicity long preferred by customers is coming to a close. Profuse decoration, curvaceous shapes and sensuous structures are breaking into the world of clear-cut and often somewhat reserved design. Not that the latter is giving ground. The cool lounge atmosphere is still in.
Decoration-makers get their inspiration for the ever-new look from all sorts of occasions. The creative specialists from Cologne-based Balloni, with Sibylle Hartung at the helm, hit on new ideas during a stroll through the woods or at the art fair Art Cologne, for instance. The interesting texture of tree bark may well influence the next deco concept. Given that the company eyes spatial staging and not just decorative details, it can sometimes come up with things that have never been done before. Balloni thinks nothing of covering tables with leather or structured fabrics or creating tables in which a plant furrow has been hollowed out. Moving forward, Hartung sees a movement away from the current purism to a blend of clear-cut structures with sensuously opulent elements. One example: at the 41st Goldene Kamera award ceremony in Berlin with 1,300 guests, the team transformed the Axel Springer Passage into a glamorous gala hall for the glittering dinner party. Chandeliers, soft red velvet and golden ornaments created an extremely attractive contrast to the building's modern architecture.
At Vogelei EventDesign the slogan is: We make a point of atmosphere. "That also implies intensive ‘communication' with the venue to discover its rough edges and little blemishes that either have to be covered up or even placed impressively in the limelight," Markus Vogelei, the company's boss, explains. Trendy, say the deco experts from Gau-Odernheim, is cross-over design consisting of high-tech construction materials in combination with simple natural elements.
"At the moment we're working a lot with light objects, coloured acryl and all sorts of exotic materials, preferably in big formats." Vogelei says Asian and African influences are still evident, given that these motifs are guaranteed to fascinate Europeans.
On behalf of business consultants Accenture, Vogelei developed a seasonably contemporary Christmas production for the Accenture Campus Kronberg throughout the entire building complex. From some 5,000 individual elements the company produced filigree "ice sculptures" which it combined with natural materials, exotic woods, lianas and mangroves in the most exquisite ceramics as well as stainless steel objects and pelts. The "winter wonderlands" created slotted perfectly into the already impressive campus architecture.
The company machArt Eventdesign goes for a completely different approach. As far as the people in Mühlheim are concerned, classical theme decorations are out. In their place come "neutral lounges with a cool ambience", in which the mood is created by variable accessories, logos and colour schemes. "The language of form plays an important part," Sabine Buchholz insists. The company has therefore developed its own furniture series, which it offers in combination with matching table, buffet and room decorations. The team works a lot with illuminated elements such as bars, buffets, glass shelves, occasional tables or light objects.
At this January's Heimtextil in Frankfurt star designer Jamie Drake from America transformed the Festhalle into a huge textile showroom. Messe Frankfurt and the Munich-based agency avantgarde commissioned machArt with the entire outfitting of the bar and lounge areas and with the decoration for the evening events in the Festival Hall: the exhibitor evening for 1,200 guests and the Heimtextil Performance Night with some 500 VIPs.
Clear forms were wanted and a selection of materials for the buffet and table decoration that not only fitted in with the "textile" theme, but could also withstand several days of exhibition traffic. This was implemented with pure white furniture, cube seats, sofas and armchairs, illuminated cubes as occasional tables, and lamps with textile covers. Illuminated bars, white bar stools and standing tables, bar and table decorations with felt, branches of cotton and steel wool caught the eye. Light objects also played an important part in the buffet decoration.
The company Blickfang from Mainz scores points with an in-house tailoring workshop, enabling it to realise very individual orders such as table fleeces instead of standard tablecloths. In the firm's own showroom customers can see what is currently feasible in creative terms and decide which accessories to buy or rent. Thorsten Heyer, who runs the company, says: "The trend is to natural materials in general, such as bamboo, banana sticks, lianas or cactus branches, and everything that "lights up".
Lounges are also in vogue and can be found everywhere: at exhibition stands, galas or events. Heyer continues: "Whereas people used to go in for glamorous, pompous decoration, they are now turning more to uncluttered, modern and clear designs." For instance, elaborate table arrangements with a profusion of flowers are making way for single blooms, floating in glasses with tinted water. "What is more, clients are increasingly looking for overall, harmonious decoration concepts." At the Frankfurt Hotel InterContinental a showroom was developed with the in-house event caterers to give clients an idea of colour, shape and decoration and help them gain an impression in the specially appointed premises of functions or catering events they wish to stage.
The thematic focus in the showroom is on areas with lounge and club atmosphere, alongside classic table decorations for à la carte and buffet concepts. Additionally, the entire stock of tableware and decoration elements is on display so that customers can make their choices and decisions on the spot. The glass front to the roughly 45m2 showroom makes it a real eye-catcher from outside as well. Antje Peters-Reimann

m+a report Nr.6 / 2006 vom 22.09.2006
m+a report vom 22. September 2006