As many of you know, this year’s Pantone of the Year has been announced and it is Greenery. I am not particularly an advocate for designing around a color theme, as many know, however being that green is my favorite color, I think it’s worth talking about fresh ways to incorporate it into your wedding or event should you share my passion. Green is after all symbolic of growth, life, the environment and new beginnings, so in many ways, this vibrant hue is particularly topical and relevant … so why not embrace and celebrate it!
Incorporating a bold color in any event, never bodes well with over-saturation … the key is to give a nod to a color as that way its not obvious that you are designing with it. So yes – this means I want you to think beyond an all-green candy bar.
ATTIRE: Let’s adopt a little P.O.C (pop of color) in your accessories or maybe infuse it with a great pair of emerald heels. If either of those are too much green for you, perhaps just a whisper is enough via a luxe leaf green nail polish. Don’t be afraid to take ownership of your look and freestyle a bit – a statement pop may be just what makes your look memorable and gives it a bit of a runway flair.
BAR: Your bar is likely where the majority of your guests will congregate throughout the evening so give them something chic to talk about. A splash of green behind your bar might be just the place to give life to the whole room – this can successfully be done with a simple draping of a rich textile like a forrest green velvet or you might want to be more adventurous with a patterned backwall. This doesn’t have to be more complicated than a flat finished with a luxe wall paper – Robert Crowder and Anthropologie both have some fun and easy to incorporate patterns or if you are feeling bold, go with the nostalgic tropical leaf pattern, renown for its use at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
If you don’t plan to do a back bar, make the bar itself your color pop. Amanda Allen Designs made this fabulous malachite bar, which I am crazy about … Form Decor also has a beautiful version of this for rent.
LOUNGES: For your lounges, consider a luxe green sofa to take center stage. This can be paired with neutrals and/or metallics, creating a stunning and eye-catching spot to chill.
DINING: If you are using long tables for your event, source a simple metallic chair and then cap each end with a little life – imagine how stunning these green chairs would be at the ends of a long table draped in creamy white tweed, set with gold chairs (which you can rent anywhere … i.e. Chameleon Chair Rentals has gold fanfare chairs which would be beautiful in this scene). I may actually create this at my next dinner party – good talk.
BOTANICALS: Consider using botanicals instead of florals or importing trees to bring in nature’s favorite green Pantone, bringing the outdoors in. This is not only a great use of greenery but it also creates amazing drama.
I personally love installing built pepper trees at my events as the size is totally customizable. For this wedding (pictured below) that we produced at Vibiana, we used hedges for back bars, pine trees behind the band and 25-ft tall built pepper trees to fill the vast high ceiling in the space. As for centerpieces, it was all about finding a variety of shapely clear vessels in which we housed only mono-specimen botanicals and good old tap water. Clean, simple and stunning.
Green can be brought in via the the vessels as well – I loved what the AgenC team did when they paired up with Geary’s for this luncheon table setting featuring their stunning collectibles.
However you choose to do green, don’t over do it but also don’t be afraid to take risks … and know that you are working with my favorite color so make me proud. Happy designing!
Xo
KB
