Experiential dining took center stage in events in 2023 – in 2024 it is going to be even BIGGER!

Guests are looking for more restaurant style seating when it comes to events and this is where banquette seating, our favorite new trend enters.

Banquette style seating allows for a more cozy, intimate and upscale dining experience at large scale events. Wow your guests by incorporating our new banquettes – August, Sunset Round Banquette and Arlo Banquettes into your seating designs.

Corporate Holiday Party Using Banquette Seating

When designing this holiday party for our clients, their goal was for it to be relaxed and fun event, but still stunning. The venue was a whiskey distillery that had lots of furniture in the space, but it would not work to get the extra seating we needed for our clients needs.

We decided we were going to take out all the existing furniture on the venues main level and bring in a mix of round and banquet tables paired with our August Modular Banquette Sofa and Black Bentwood Chairs. This gave our client the extra seating this cocktail reception needed, but also made their employees feel like they stepped into a swanky club in SOHO.

With minimal table decor we allowed the copper whiskey drums and floral chandeliers to really set the scene. As the party raged on throughout the night on the second level of the venue we continued to find guests coming down to enjoy a drink and conversation on the banquettes.

Images by Tiffany Kokal Photography

How to Make an Impact with Banquette Seating

Banquette style seating will wow your guests and create an upscale atmosphere to your event. Here are four ways to incorporate this style of seating into your next event.

• Use banquette or taller sofas at your cocktail hour with small bistro tables and chair across for relaxed comfortable seating for your guests
• Partner banquettes with dining chairs for your reception seating to give that mixed seating look at a table
• Connect a row of back to back banquettes running down the center of your event space with statement floral between the back of the banquettes or a ground floral arrangement
• Bring in curved banquettes to the outside of your reception space to give dimension into the space

Images by A Good Affair (left), Jose Villa (right), Jaimee Morse (below)

We can guarantee you will be seeing a lot more banquette style seating in 2024 and years to come as event designers challenge the way you see events being produced.