An old factory building, celebrated urban street artists and a hundred umbrellas suspended from a ceiling – just another job for Rustic Hire.
Except this one was hundreds of miles away in swinging Lisbon.
At the end of May, six Rustic Hire vans drove to Portsmouth to set sail for Northern Spain. Nteractive Consulting were curating an eclectic festival-style anniversary party for a global software company and needed bars, tables and chairs from the UK to complete the look.
In Lisbon the locals have a saying, “ver tudo cor-de-rosa”, which translates as ‘to see everything in pink’. It’s a way of seeing the world with an unduly cheerful, optimistic view of things. The party Nteractive were throwing was going to fit right into that flush perspective; a celebration of local culture, empowerment and style. Joyful and diverse, offbeat and energetic.
After the twenty four hour ferry crossing our convoy headed down through Spain and onto Lisbon. The load out was a full day, with setup underway while working to refine layout plans with the designers and producer. Our largest European project involved a lot of moving parts. A recce day offered the opportunity to view the vast space and talk through the impressive creative vision before the final list of items was drawn up, constructed and acquired.
So what are the key items to help create that cosmopolitan vibe?
Stall Bars
Our signature bar; beautifully simplistic and endlessly versatile as a traditional bar, serving station or DJ booth.
La Fayette Folding Chairs
A design classic that offers comfort and practicality without compromising on aesthetics.
Indian Folding Chairs
These gloriously weathered metal folders charm with gentle thickset curves.
The main room, featured a large stage in front of a huge graffiti wall – the central bar, made up from 20 of our modular Stall Bars, creating a huge serving hub under a hundred and forty open umbrellas, lit from above and below. Tucked under the staggered trestle tables were our vintage Chicago-imported La Fayette folders, dressed with bespoke cushions in varying brand colours.
The second space hosted our 5m Circle Bar alongside Beach House tables, German Beer tables and colourful Bali chairs that subtly echoed the prismatic patterns of Lisbon’s signature ceramic azulejo tiles.
Circle Bar
The largest bar in our stock, made up of seven curved section. Can be used as smaller bars or combined to create a huge focal point, complete with whisky barrel central station.
Beach House Tables
The pale patina of these tables evokes memories of salty spray against old surf shacks and wonderfully enhance glassware centrepieces.
Bali Chairs
The mismatched textures of our Bali chairs create a striking contrast of delicate metal framed against the chunkier wooden tables.
Seating areas continued outside and up onto the picturesque roof terrace, where revellers could relax on benches beneath the imposing silhouette of the 25 de Abril suspension bridge as it reached imperially across the Tagus River.
As the sun sets behind the industrial strip, LX Factory fills with locals sipping beer as the two thousand party guests dance on through the warm night.
Everything is pink.
Photography David Herm