Flashy furniture

LED technology combines furniture, lighting and decor into one chic and efficient product.

Illuminated furniture may recall the days of “Disco Inferno,” but the evolution of LED technology has turned on a lighted event furniture trend with applications well beyond a “Saturday Night Fever” theme party.

“We have created a glow within tents simply by using our lighted decor,” says Meg Holderman of So Cool Events Inc., Miami, Fla. “It is soft lighting that sets the mood for any event whether it’s a black-tie social soiree or a fun and lively corporate function or gala.”

Kevin Dana, director of marketing and product development for CORT Furnishings , says that the company’s new Luna Lighting collection of tables, pedestals and lighted columns is a cost-effective way to combine lighting and furniture.

“It doesn’t require electricity or plugs, it’s LED lighting so it’s not a fire hazard, and it’s modular and easily set up and dismantled,” he says. “The fully functional Luna bar is on wheels and can be configured in either circular or rectangular configurations based on the floor plan.”

The technology even allows furniture to become part of the arc of an event, Holderman says.

“We have often been asked to change the color of the room on cue, turn the lights on or off, or even illuminate only one table on cue to highlight an award winner or a bride and groom,” she says. “It’s a great way to quiet a crowd and get everyone’s attention.”

Customizable LED furniture such as the CORT collection can also help tented event planners meet another common client demand: branding with graphics, logos or lettering.

“The photo text application is easily mounted on the front of the bars, sides of the pedestals and columns or on the tops of tables,” Dana says.