Santa Monica Event Space — Theatrical Velvet Program
This project is a conceptual design study created to explore custom window treatment solutions, fabric applications, motorization systems, and architectural integration. Images are illustrative renderings and do not represent a completed installation.
Event Space Drapery with Stage-Track Operation — a design project in Santa Monica, CA. The studio's specification practice in design intent, fabric, hardware, fullness, and installation, written from Olga's perspective.
A 6,000-square-foot event space requiring rapid reconfiguration between full open, half-room divide, and full perimeter wrap for projection events. Inherent FR was a fire-marshal precondition.
Heavyweight inherent-FR velvet on a stage-grade traverse system. Three perimeter runs and one center divide, all on commercial carriers rated for theatrical use. Operator-controlled from a rear control station.
Inherent FR cotton velvet, 28 oz./yd., in a deep stone gray that reads as neutral background for any event lighting palette. Mass is the spec driver — heavier velvet holds plumb and reads as theatrical, not commercial.
Stage-grade ADC-rated traverse track, motor-assisted on the center divide, manual on the perimeter runs. Roller carriers rated for theatrical service life.
Fullness at 100% gathered (effectively 200% panel fullness) for stage-velvet appearance. Engineered to fold flat against structural columns when stowed. Center divide installed on a reinforced steel beam coordinated with the structural engineer during buildout.
The venue can reconfigure between four scene presets in under five minutes. The drapery is the room's primary architectural element. My recommendation for event venues: always over-engineer the hardware. The drapery will outlast every other finish in the room if the hardware is rated for theatrical use.
- Event space
- Theatrical velvet
- Stage track
- NFPA 701
- Reconfigurable