At the Root of It: A Tree Grows on Brownstone Street

Great design begins with the seed of an idea. And that seed can plant itself anywhere, anytime. It’s up to us as designers and event professionals to collect these seeds and sow them at the right time for the right event. Just like any garden, it’s all about having the right conditions.

When I decided to create a fantastical garden for a May event, the seed had been planted in my mind in January. That was when I attended The Special Event Convention and Tradeshow in New Orleans. I was there as a speaker, but I always take time to visit the tradeshow to see what’s new. As I walked the floor, nothing caught my eye until…

There it was! A whimsical, fantastical tree in colors so bright it appeared to have popped out of a Dr. Seuss book. I was instantly taken with it. I learned that it was made by Pink Inc., a company that creates many unique products but the one I had my eye on was called the “Money Tree.” It could be made in any color combination I wanted. Perfect. I filed it away for future use.

Months later, as we began planning for L.A. Screenings, an annual event at Warner Bros., I knew that the tree was the basis for the look I wanted--something enchanted and animated.

I began to formulate a color scheme that would transform Brownstone Street. Raspberry pink, kiwi green and tiger lily orange were it! They were bright and screamed spring.

THE LOOK GROWS

After the trees had been ordered, we began the search for lounge furniture in the same color palette. I wanted the pieces to be modern and simple. The desired vibe was whimsical and playful. We found the furniture then added ottomans around the trunks of the trees and finished the look with pillows. The abstract flowers popped against the solid colors of the furniture.

The finishing touch was the cocktail and end tables. I loved the playful curvature of the legs and the all-white enamel look.

I’ve never used white chiavari chairs before at any event except a wedding but in this case they were perfect.

When it came to the centerpieces, I had also found a seed of inspiration at The Special Event – cake pops. They are like lollipops, only made with cake. We found a bake shop that covered circles of cake in fondant dyed to match our color scheme. The pops were placed on extra-long sticks so they could be “planted” in terra cotta pots. The “soil” was confetti we found in our colors.

But what to do about the sun? Because the trees were such a statement, I didn’t want umbrellas, but we needed shade. To achieve this, our Warner Bros. scenic arts department created a brightly colored, sixties-style ceiling treatment made from 10-foot-wide, 50-foot-long panels of sail cloth that were rigged to the buildings on either side of the street. As the light hit the cloth, everything was suddenly a beautiful shade of pink. Everyone looked fabulous!

CHALLENGES
Yes, a garden needs plenty of air and water to grow, but these elements are the last thing an outdoor event needs! The day we were installing, we were hit with 30-mile-per-hour winds. When I had first seen the trees they were indoors. Now, outside, they were top-heavy, and the wind was making the trees unstable. We pulled riggers and grips who were working on the final night L.A. Screenings Gala (see August 11 blog post for more on that event), and they secured them with airline cable to the ceiling treatment cables. Now, Mother Nature could bring on 40-mph winds and we’d be OK!

But she didn’t. She brought rain instead! On the morning of the event, a completely unseasonal and unexpected rain storm hit. Our crew grabbed everything and took it inside the brownstone facades. Happily, it passed by and all we had to do was flip the cushions on the furniture.

What does this tell us? That even in a world of fantasy, event professionals never really escape the concrete and very real challenges and creative solutions that make our days so exciting!