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Style for Hire

When it came to style and comfort, rented exhibit furniture used to rival Motel 6 furnishings. In fact, oblong tables covered with chipped laminate and plastic armchairs with blue-fabric cushions were de rigueur back in the day. But thankfully, those days are long gone. Instead, today's rental furniture is not only functional and fashion forward, but also sleek and sophisticated. To prove just how far rental furniture has come, here are six examples that are far more clever creations than ratty rentals. By Linda Armstrong

PHOTO: Padgett and Co. Inc.

Banking on Banquettes
Exhibitor: 2K Games Inc.
Show: Electronic Entertainment Expo
Supplier: FormDecor Inc., La Mirada, CA, 310-558-2582, www.formdecor.com

Do you think you can't rent the look of an upscale restaurant? Well think again. Paired with a faux, red-brick enclosure, several Carre Banquettes in upholstered faux-leather vinyl were combined to create this realistic ensemble. All 2K Games Inc. needed was a few nibbles to complete the scene.

Beautiful and Bookish
Exhibitor: Delphi Productions Inc. (Group Delphi)
Show: EXHIBITORLIVE
Supplier: Cort Exhibit House Furnishings, Las Vegas, 855-663-2678, www.cortexhibithouse.com

To complement its charming book-related exhibit theme at EXHIBITORLIVE, Delphi Productions Inc. opted for these regal chairs. Groupings of a silver Barbados Table and three Napoleon Arm Chairs created intimate conversation areas for attendees and staffers to talk shop.

PHOTO: Public Address Messebau GmbH

C Worthy
Exhibitor: Public Address Messebau GmbH
Show: EuroShop
Supplier: Kopfstand Mobiliar, Kirchheim-Heimstetten, Germany, 49-89-90-380-27, www.kopfstand-mobiliar.de

When your exhibit walls comprise wheeled orange suitcases, your seating needs to extend this curiosity-piquing flair. Featuring a steel base, neoprene covers, and a one-of-a-kind "C" shape, these Innovation C chairs from Kopfstand Mobiliar delivered in spades.

Diversity Training
Exhibitor: American Furniture Rentals (AFR)
Show: EXHIBITORLIVE
Supplier: AFR Trade Show Furnishings, Pennsauken NJ, 888-237-7368, www.afrtradeshow.com

This eclectic grouping did double duty as both aisle-side eye candy and a couldn't-miss product display for AFR Trade Show Furnishings. Promoting a handful of the company's myriad rental offerings, the arrangement mixed colors, textures, and styles to create a cohesive whole.

Fun and Functional
Exhibitor: Slim Furniture LLC
Show: EXHIBITORLIVE
Supplier: Slim Furniture LLC, Cincinnati, 330-391-7546, www.slimfurniture.com

This contemporary modular furniture offered a one-two punch of functionality. Stylish green and white microfiber cushions gave attendees a comfy seat. Plus, since the furniture breaks down into flat pieces, it gave the exhibitor minimal shipping and drayage costs to boot.

PHOTO: Padgett and Co. Inc.

Family Friendly
Exhibitor: Crown Media Holdings Inc.
Show: The Cable Show
Supplier: Freddie Georges Production Group, La Palma, CA, 714-367-9260, www.freddiegeorges.com

Owned by Crown Media Holdings Inc., the Hallmark Channel is built solely around family-friendly programming. Thus, this comfortable couch and four chic side chairs clearly said "home sweet home" without a single embroidered pillow to do the talking.