Let it snow

Atent for Rent overcomes snow and a tight fit to enclose a patio for a holiday party.

A client for Atent for Rent Inc., Dedham, Mass., was so happy with an installation at their home for a Thanksgiving gathering that they requested an even bigger set up for a holiday party.

The outdoor entertaining area at the client’s residence includes unique stonework, solid surface counters and other custom features. A 15-by-40-foot clear frame tent was the perfect solution to create a functional outdoor space in winter, but snow during the installation and the party itself posed a challenge.

“The clear fabric becomes stiff and is more difficult to work with in colder temperatures, but the client really desired the clear tent and clear sides and we agreed it complemented the space really well,” says Alisha Candela, event consultant for Atent for Rent. “We had a technician on-site during the event to clear the snow off the roof during the snowstorm. The guests commented on how impressed they were to see the snow falling outside while the event was going on—a winter wonderland for sure.”

In addition to the tent, Atent for Rent provided custom white draping over the interior frame, heaters, perimeter lighting, tables, linens, black barstools at the cocktail tables and fruitwood chiavari chairs at the low rounds.

The installation required seven hours for a four-person crew, which included custom fabrication on-site. And the temperatures and snowfall weren’t even the biggest hurdles that the crew had to overcome.

“The toughest challenge was the tight space and working to fit the tent in with all of the client’s custom stone and granite work,” she says. “We had to take great care to not damage any of the countertops.”

The company fabricated custom sidewall to fit around the stonework and incorporate it into the tent, Candela says.

“We have very experienced crews that over the years have become very good at bringing any vision to light,” she says. “We also do a lot of custom work on-site. For example, on this site we brought our heavy duty sewing machine and customized the sides on-site to be sure the look was right and the size was perfect.”