Anonymous said...

Hi-
I recently had to plan an event and chairs are a big thing to me. Most venues have the classic, rusty folding chairs. I searched hi and low for cool chairs but the event was not fancy and those were the only chairs I could find. Some time could you blog about how chairs can make or break the event. Maybe some different types of chairs and which are appropriate for which. Also, maybe ways to decorate the chair if you have to use the venue provided chair.

Thanks!

thanks anonymous. ive been in a blog rut and i appreciate you snapping me back. lets talk about chairs and how, for real, they can make or break it. i wish venues would understand when designing or redesigning, how important a neutral chair is. but even then, neutral may not be what you're looking for. they can certainly make a statement as you will see below. chairs are not like the walls, they do not fade away. they are pushed in to your beautiful tablescape and stick out like 8-10 sore thumbs.

so what can you do? here are some options.

chair covers

if your venue has ugly banquet chairs, there are a few chair cover options. keep in mind that the type of chair cover is determined by the type of chair. if the venue has square back chairs vs. rounded back, your options for chair covers will change.

stretch chair covers

fit rounded back banquet chairs, come in tons of cool colors and instantly update the look into sleek and contemporary. a sash, band or runner can be tied around it for a super couture look. if your venue already has the round back chairs, and they are ugly (always are), get these.

oh, they also have really funky zebra ones out there...but they stretch onto chivaris (see below) so that means chair rental + chair cover rental. better to do as accent, like for cocktails, then on every chair.

bag-style chair cover (photo example below)

another chair cover option is the bag-style. it's sometimes sloppy and less fitted, but it can be drapey and elegant if done right. it typically comes in a satin vs. a matte spandex (like the stretch above) and therefore translates to more elegant affairs. the good thing about them is that they are quite versatile in that they fit many different styles of chairs and can be a good, quick fix for an obscenely ugly chair. they come in less colors than the stretch, usually black, white, ivory and navy satins.

rented chairs

if chair covers are not your thing and you know

you want to bring in your own chairs, there are a lot of options.

chivari chair

the most popular is probably the chivari. the father of the bride loves to tell me how uncomfortable they are, but they sure look good. locally, i can get them in white, black, mahogany, silver, pink and gold and usually with a coordinating chair pad. a lot of times a sash is woven through the spindles.

folding chair

other chair options are folding (white, black, bamboo, wood). these i typically use for outdoor events, for instance a wedding ceremony.

the bamboo are nice at casual outdoor events like a bbq or luncheon. please do not use a metal folding chair (a la the vfw) when nice folding chairs that fit your decor are readily available.

acrylic chair

another cool option is the acrylic chair which is part of the anti-decor trend. it follows the line or profile of an old world chair with the rounded back but with a "clear" update. i like how it blends in and lets other decor shine but also makes a statement in its own right. that and they are surprisingly comfortable.

here is an example of the same room, with different chairs. one client chose to keep the existing chairs and use complementary decor whereas another group chose to cover the existing chairs. as you can see, you get two very different looks.

i hope this helps, anonymous.

regards,

lindsay piram

event planner & producer