The Décor by Charrisse Min Alliegro From crepe paper streamers and clusters of balloons to towering crystal vases overflowing with roses, the décor certainly sets a mood for a party. Sometimes the flowers and decorations take center stage - the majestic Christmas tree at a holiday party, for example - while at other times, they act as subtle punctuation marks - twig serving trays garnished with pansies, as another example. You can put together a great look without spending a lot of money. Let's start with the basics. For an instant brightener, nothing beats flowers. Sure, you can visit just about grocery store these days and pick up a bunch of assorted blossoms. But before you plunk down your dollars, though, keep the following elements of floral design in mind: Color - use all one color for impact, or tie in the colors of your company's logo or product. Texture - spiky, prehistoric looking protea have quite a distinctive look (and send quite a different message) than, say, demure daisies Size - arrangements designed to take up space and viewed from a distance (e.g., placed on pedestals on either side of a stage) should necessarily be larger and grander than arrangements used as accents (e.g., in a ladies room or on a cocktail table) Shape - a lush, "English garden"-type arrangement in a weathered urn and a graceful, asymmetrical ikebana arrangement in a lacquered rectangular box may both be 18" tall, but their configurations - and styles - are completely different Proportion - a low, round arrangement may be the perfect centerpiece on an intimate table seating 8 in a corporate dining room. That same arrangement, if placed at the 30 of the same sized tables in a cavernous white tent, would virtually disappear; in order to prevent the tent from appearing empty, the arrangements should be tall. Just make sure they are above seated eye level so as not to impede guests' conversation at the table. If you're willing to think beyond flowers, there is literally a world of inspiration out there since just about any item can be used as decoration. The key is to arrange the items in a well thought-out manner, since a random-looking display of unorthodox objects runs the risk of looking like an accident (or a garage sale). Given that caveat, consider using the following items to decorate your party: Food - imagine minimalist pyramids of lemons and limes at a contemporary art museum opening, enormous glass beakers filled with silver Hershey's kisses or all red M&M's for a New Year's Eve bash, or rustic wooden bowls lined with moss and piled with eggs at a country brunch Props - why not flank a post-prandial espresso bar with a chalkboard on which you've written the evening's specialty drinks? Or, group masses of mercury balls in silverplated Revere bowls, surrounded by an assortment of silver candlesticks; use tiny treasure chests filled with fake silver coins as placecard holders. Theme - does your company's tagline or name conjure up the concept of clarity? Then why not throw a party in a clear-top tent, dine on glass plates, sit at plexiglass tables lit from below, and suspend a blizzard of crystal prisms and spheres at different lengths from the ceiling? Fabric - instead of using fancy tableware and glassware, consider using very simple, unadorned tableware set off by opulent tablecloths. For example, use shimmery, slubby dupioni silk for the tablecloths, napkins and seat cushions, with each table in a different jewel tone such as amethyst, sapphire, ruby and topaz. For a huge bang for your buck, consider using special lighting effects. Pinspots (small, focused track lights) serve a dual purpose of dramatically highlighting table centerpieces, posters, etc. while simultaneously distracting guests' attention from unsightly areas (boring walls, ugly carpeting, etc.) since they allow you to turn down the general ambient lighting in the room. Soft, colored washes of light can set a festive mood almost subconsciously. Laser-cut stencils or "gobos" placed over a focused beam of light lets you project designs (your company logo, perhaps, or a rotating image of bare branches) onto a dance floor. Craving an open-air party under the stars . in the dead of winter? You can get your twinkling stars minus the frigid wind and temperatures if you drape your ballroom ceiling and walls with fiberoptic curtains. Lighting can literally transform a bare, boring space into a magical oasis, and it makes the most of your flower arrangements by putting them into dramatic relief against a darker background. Hopefully, these suggestions have sparked your imagination. Just remember that it's a better idea to spend your budget on a few significant items that will be noticed by your guests rather than dilute it with many small, scattered and altogether wimpy arrangements. Happy decorating! back to ideas