Zen in Greenville, SC

Architect's drawing of Zen

As I have said before, being a wedding planner in Greenville, SC, does have its advantages. A few weeks ago, I got a call from Carrie, the Marketing Director, for a cool new event site opening in January 2009. Carrie invited Richard and me to come tour the new site called Zen and we did just that today.

While still very much a work in progress, we could tell that it will be very cool when it is finished. The 12,000 square foot space is being designed and built by local artist and designer Jeff Renow. The plan, according to Carrie, is to bring to the Greenville area an upscale event space within an artistic, creative surrounding.
The press release states “Zen is an ideal venue, adaptable for business meetings or presentations, intimate dinner parties, art exhibitions, or swanky black-tie affairs. It boasts a state-of-the-art audio, visual and lighting system, and features a 3,000 square foot Japanese-style garden. In addition, it offers a fully equipped commercial kitchen, and gives its clients the flexibility to feature the caterer or chef of their choice.

The space at Zen may be utilized in a number of ways, whether for 15 people or 400 people. Some of the options are shown below.

The Gallery is a sophisticated lounge space featuring a backlit bar, 20 foot high Venetian plaster walls, and contemporary seating. The Studio is a stylish warehouse space flanked by grand windows providing beautiful views of the Japanese garden and patio. The Mezzanine showcases a beautifully appointed conference room and private lounge overlooking the Studio.

Designed with clean, contemporary lines, the atmosphere of Zen is a chic interpretation of east meets west. The architectural goal was to keep the space light and transparent. Sliding glass walls and light-reflective materials such as stainless steel and polished concrete helped to achieve this aesthetic.

Zen is taking reservations this fall for events to be held winter of 2008. A public grand opening will also take place around this time.”

I can’t wait to do an event there.