NICK SPANSWICK
EVENTS AND DESIGN
Taking the woodland setting a inspiration, I designed this invitation in the form of a wooden log, with a naive hand-painted floral motif and a fun swivel twist.
Kemer Country Orman Evi, a small grass area surrounded by woodland, was exactly the kind of rustic country atmosphere the bride and groom were looking for.
The bride and groom wanted to keep the place feeling very relaxed and informal, with traditional wooden furniture and natural local greenery for flowers. I seated young guests near the large dance floor, and older guests sat at flower-shaped table formations under hanging light 'gazebos'.
The couple got married under the trees on a stage covered in ferns, logs, moss and candles.
The family own a ceramics firm so I designed plates for each of the courses.
The family own a furniture-production firm so I worked with the family to custom-design and produce all the furniture.
Mixing the chair styles helped create a more informal boho feel.
Older guests sat at flower-shaped table arrangements beneath 'gazebos' of sparkling fairy lights.
Click on photos to open in slideshow
Modern Turkish
welcome party
This Turkish couple based in the US wanted to host their wedding weekend in Istanbul, but for political reasons they felt strongly that it was very important to show their international guests the modern face of Turkey.
For their welcome party at the Four Seasons Bosphorus hotel, they asked us to design a party set-up that hinted at the historical Ottoman past while showing the colour, happiness and fun-loving spirit of all truly patriotic Turks today.
Seen here is a view of the terrace where they would be receiving their guests.
My visual included a solution for making a feature out of the ugly industrial-size umbrellas on the terrace.
To keep costs down, I used the hotel's garden furniture but accessorised with colourful silk 'ikat' Turkish cushions and exquisite hand-painted Turkish ceramics. I was worried the decor would look too stereotypically Ottoman so I kept the decor feeling modern and timeless with simple coconut rugs and mirrored coffee tables.
Our custom modern take on Anatolian 'sini' coffee tables, accompanied by modern copper lanterns set the perfect tone for this welcome party.
A detail of one of our gorgeous Turkish ceramic bowls filled with our flower and fruit arrangements: we used the traditional flowers and fruit of Turkey including carnations, peaches, pomegranates and of course, tulips.
I used the ugly hotel umbrellas as focal points, decorating the inside of the umbrellas with more of the traditional 'ikat' fabric and building custom bars around the base. Hanging mosque-style candle-holders completed the magical effect.
Food stations dressed as Turkish tents were positioned around the space so guests could help themselves to traditional Turkish delicacies and treats throughout the night.
Another detail of the exquisite flower arrangements.