The top design trends for event and meeting furnishings in 2019 will blend personalization, textured accents, playful colors and engaging tech. Event planners should continue to mix creative and classic while embracing customized designs to stay on-brand and on-trend for their clients this year.
Event decor and design trends to include in your 2019 program include: wireless technology, color palettes that can speak to the energy of any event, luxe materials and fabrics, and an emphasis on personalization that will take your events to the next level.
TECHNOLOGY The world is wireless, so why isn’t your event? CORT Events’ new Wireless Charging Table is an easy and attractive way to offer wireless charging using the Qi system for Android and Apple products. The table features a wireless charging pad, allowing guests to simply place their device on top for a quick and convenient charge while they network or engage with other guests. The white accent table can be styled into any modern design and incorporates AC, USB and wireless charging capabilities into the furniture design.
COLOR Gray is the dominate neutral for fabric in seating, but blues are growing in prominence, which work well with on-trend grays and emerging brownish hues. We’re also seeing a shift toward warmer color tones. These trends play well with popular color stories in 2019: warm earth tones, reminiscent of the '70s, and more vibrant colors, such as rich cranberry reds, pinks and salmon tones. These colors bring life and vitality to designs, without losing the sense of calm.
Pantone’s color of the year, Living Coral, provides a fun punch of on-trend color to weave into events all year long. This shade is a great complement to the tropical modern motifs that are trending in furnishings and design.
Whether you’re using CORT’s new blue fabric Montreal seating or the white canvas of the Baja collection, Living Coral accents and CORT’s Flamingo or Tropical Pillow collections provide a chic-yet-playful complement to Palm Beach Modern-event stylings.
DESIGN This year, event design is all about personalization. Creating unique, personalized event experiences that speak to your client’s brand story will keep attendees excited throughout the year.
Whether it’s a graphic on a bar or a customized ottoman cover or pillow, clients want decor that reflects their individual inspiration and aesthetic. CORT Events offers an array of products suitable for personalization, including tables, bars, chairs, ottomans, room dividers and lighting. The Luna Lighting collection features acrylic columns, pedestals and tables that are easily customized and lend a vibrant glow to complement any design.
Available in alternating current (AC) or battery options, Luna columns can be incorporated into any event space. CORT Events offers personalization services that include design assistance and customized products, delivered ready for use.
Event decor and designs continue to reflect a sense of luxury and glamour. Art deco-inspired furnishings incorporate design details such as channel stitching, curved edges, lush fabrics and soft, colorful hues. Textured fabrics and velvets are prominent and lend balance to the metallic bronzes and marbles present on surfaces. Danish modern silhouettes take center stage on soft seating and are updated with rounded edges and surprising finishes, such as black metal frames.
Faux wood and marble laminates continue to dominate surface textures, and the modern industrial chic furnishings--like CORT’s new brown Wentworth chair with a black swivel metal base--represent this trend toward rich brown colors mixed with hard black surfaces for a balanced design aesthetic.
Mixing black metals with wood and brown pieces is a fresh take on the rustic trends of the past few years. Mix in marble, velvet, and bronze metallic furnishings for an eclectic design that references art deco, Danish Modern, and rustic trends.
For an elevated look that won’t overwhelm existing aesthetics, add faux fur. “Long mohair and Mongolian faux fur accents are a fabulous way to dress up your designs this year. They look fabulous and heighten the design for a luxury feel,” says America’s Sassiest Lifestyle Guru, Steve Kemble. “CORT’s new Mongolian Fur pillows are a perfect way to infuse your design with this look.”
In order to fully engage, event decor design needs to feel personal. Creating spaces and events that both entice and entertain in 2019 means playing with combinations of colors and textures that foster comfort and connection, and incorporating elements that make your client’s event feel unique.
Kevin Dana is executive director of marketing and product development at CORT Events. To learn more about CORT’s exhibit and event rental collections, visit www.cortevents.com.
