After hosting so many home parties, Joe and Margaret wanted to have some fun and do things a little differently. With his big 50th birthday coming up it had to be something unique. They sat down with Deborah and brought a circus themed event to all new heights.

Fun Fact: Their house actually has an integral part in the Barnum and Bailey circus history!

After doing a walk through within the entire house and grounds she decided that it would be great to have the energy start immediately outside with the visuals and entertainment while also helping out with traffic flow. The guests usually enter from the front door but Deborah decided to have them enter from the side leading into a large tent on the back patio.  Her team enhanced the tent with red, white and back satin fabric panels with ambiance lighting with Led lights and cafe globe lights creating the energy from the moment they step inside.

From the tent, guests entered the home to find that each room was created with it’s own style and decor, featuring a fortune teller, concession stand, sweet buffet with novelty candies,  custom glow bars, highboy tables that lit up, and a food menu to match by the amazing culinary team at Boutique Bites. Some of our favorite decor pieces include the chandelier with ribbon streaming from all directions, and the room that hosted the famed fortuneteller.  Joe, his family, and guests had a great time celebrating this Ringmaster’s 50th Birthday!

Recently, Room 1520 hosted the 4th iteration of what’s become one of our favorite events in the industry. Titled “Flower, Flow, Flour, Fresh” the party was both fun & irreverent. That evening, over a hundred couples mixed and mingled with dozens of industry professionals who showcased the very best of all aspects of the wedding industry.

The highlight was of course the nearly a dozen bakeries who were paired with dress-makers, with each station having even more decadent and delicious treats than the last – the most interesting part was having the dresses suspended about the treat stations.

Our role was creating the lounge settings and the atmospheric decor throughout the space – we hung a luxe canopy over the central area in a gold & silver material that matched both the space and the logo for the event. At the very back of the space, we created a beautiful lounge setting with platinum fabric and gold spheres and gold detailing.

Maypole Studios was on hand to take the photos – scroll through and share your thoughts in the comments.

Art of Imagination owner, Deborah, on the far right, with Leah from Room 1520, Debi Lilly and Joshua, of Pure Kitchen Catering. 

Mercury glass was all over – as the light dimmed, it sparkled and glimmered – so very pretty! Below is the lounge setting we created for the event, with the fish-wire suspended gold wire spheres.   

Larkspur was on-hand to showcase their amazing bouquets.   

Bethany, from Maypole Studios, goofing around with Mina Lee of Swan Events, Joshua from Pure Kitchen Catering and June, of Room 1520.Another fun shot – they’re clearly having a blast! Kudos to all the vendors who were a part of event. From the top of our head – here are some of the vendors that participated – be sure to check them out.

Debi Lilly  |  Pure Kitchen  |  Baked  |  St. Germain  |  Room 1520  |  Shutterbooth  |  Maypole Photography  |  Larkspur  | Chicago Earth  |  SpeedPro Chicago

We were recently a part of a posh birthday celebration at Room 1520, subtitled “Faithful, Fit & Fabulous” – the event was thrown in honor of a very special lady who was celebrating her 50th birthday with all her closest friends and family.

For the event, we washed Room 1520 with a beautiful, light shade of green. We used various shades of gold and brown to create accents throughout the space. We even created VIP lounge areas for her guests to mix and mingle – one right next to the photobooth to the left of the stairs by the entry, and another at the far end of the space, next to the band, with a huge swag of fabric overhead and a dozen of hanging crystal votives, which created a big focal point for the entire space. Over the dance floor, we hung an overhead swag in a matching gold shade and projected moving water overhead, which was a big hit with all the guests.

Scroll through the photos & share your thoughts in the comments.

Photobooth: Shutterbooth    

Earlier this year, we were part of the Chez Crown 2013 – the Arie Crown’s Got Talent event at the Aragon Ballroom. The event was a celebration of the Arie Crown Hebrew Day School and we were glad to have been a part of the event.

The famous and historic Aragon ballroom, built in 1926, was originally designed to replicate a Spanish palace courtyard, complete with crystal chandeliers, mosaic tiles, terra-cotta ceilings, balconies and beautiful arches. While the space is most famous for hosting huge concerts of up to 4,500 people, it also plays host to a wide array of events of every size. To accomodate this talent event, we brought in a wide array of light, using some of the tricks we learned from theatrical lighting to welcome the guests and create a stunning setting for the talent portion of the event.

Starts were a theme throughout, an idea we played up on with our light & decor. We used teal and blues matched to the luxe invites sent to each guests and tied it all together in the main ballroom. As part of the event, the restaurant sponsors set up booths in the hallway leading into the main space – in this area we lined the walls with a soft teal color, and projected stars all along the way to match the decor inside the ballroom.

Scroll through the photos below –

Just recently, Art of Imagination hosted 30 guests at our creative offices as we announced the winner for our Bridal Gown Giveaway. The promotion ran for 6 weeks, where we let engaged couples nominate themselves to win a luxurious bridal gown from Jenny Yoo – all they had to do was share their creativity and how imagination is to play a role in their big day.

Dozens of couples entered and we then picked a select few, who had to then gather enough votes to decide who would win what prize. In the end, over 4,500 people voted and we had a clear winner. To announce the winners, we invited the couples and their friends to our office – that night our vendor friends lavished the couples with gifts, while sipping champagne and enjoying sushi and snacks.

It was a lovely evening – scroll through for the photos and stay tuned for photos of the details and decor.

We started the evening off right with a toast of champagne before the couples arrived.

Jenny Yoo was represented with Chicago store manager, Jeanette and her assistant.  

Our top contestants – each had a lively story to go with their submission that stood out from the rest of the entries. They were easy picks and we weren’t surprised they were getting so many votes!

Deborah gets ready to announce the winners by thanking the couples for entering.  

Our second place winner was very happy – her venue will be beautified with a credit towards lighting and decor from Juliet Tan and Art of Imagination.         

Susan from the Left Bank Bridal Finery was on hand to help announce the winner of the prize from her shop. 

Deborah and Jeanette about to announce the grand prize winner. Art of Imagination owner, Deborah with Thalia Spice owner, Vincent.

A big thank you to Maypole Studios for taking the photos.

Room 1520, the stunning, modern and minimal wedding and event venue in the West Loop  launched in exquisite style. For the event we partnered with a number of Chicago’s top wedding vendors to create this luscious, luxurious event where 350+ guests mixed and mingled, enjoying the very first look at this venue.

The event included upscale treats from several catering companies, a premium open bar and even coffee from Intelligentsia. To top it off, a group of aerialists performed for the guests throughout the evening.

Our part included creating the overall light ambiance with dozens of cool-blue and pale lavender light. We also hung dozens of our chandelier crystals over the seating areas. For a stunning centerpiece, we created a suspended sheer fabric canopy with a matching wall of fabric behind it for several curved sofa sectionals.

Since then Room 1520 has taken off – hosting dozens of weddings, even being featured on Style Me Pretty multiple times. And even though these photos are two years old, we still get calls about these photos so we know it’s not just us who’s falled in love with the simple elegance and cool, modern vibe.

Scroll through for the amazing photos by Avery House

Contact Room 1520 about hosting your wedding, corporate event or social gathering today.