DECOR PLANFLIGHT TR75 · FRI 04 DEC 2026

For Cam · Trevi's 75th

Decorating Nautilus for Flight TR75

Nautilus already looks like a 1972 airport lounge. Don't redecorate it. Give the trip a route, and give each stop one thing guests will remember.

Guests arrive5:30–5:45 PM
Trevi arrives6:00 PM
Room1,500 SQ FT
Decor budget$2,500
The plan in four lines
  1. Route the room. Gate at the alley door, then France, New Orleans and Brazil along one wall, the bar, then the Mahjong Lounge on the way back.
  2. One signature piece per stop: a striped café awning, a fern-hung balcony, a Bonfim wish-ribbon wall, a velvet-rope members' lounge.
  3. Make 6:00 PM the peak. The departure board flips to "Welcome home, Trevi" and everyone waves a second-line handkerchief.
  4. Every guest gets a passport. They collect a stamp at each stop, write Trevi a note in it, and drop it in the mailbox. Those notes go into her keepsake book.

The space

What Nautilus gives us for free

Rum Sugar Lime's 1,500 sq ft private room, with a back-alley entrance at 1039½ S. Virginia. The furniture is mid-century: black shell chairs, walnut slab tables with brass table lamps, and cognac leather sofas. That is the same era as the dress code.

Long brick room with black shell chairs around walnut tables, a leather sofa run and the bar at the far end
The room. Long and open, with the bar at the far end. Stops line the walls and keep the middle open.
Reclaimed wood wall with a teal neon nautilus shell sign above a lounge set
The neon wall. Keep it. Teal matches the invite's sea blue. This is the photo spot.
Cognac leather sofas in front of an olive green painted wall
The olive wall and sofas. Green felt and brass will look at home here. This becomes the Mahjong Lounge.
Baby grand piano and upright bass under teal lighting next to exposed brick
The piano corner. Use it for the toast, the slideshow and an optional live jazz trio.
Bar with stainless front, wood stools and palm-frond pendant lights
The bar. The palm-frond pendants already say Rio. The departure board hangs above the bar, where everyone can see it.
Brick alley at night with wall sconces and a frosted glass door marked 1039 and a half
The alley door. The invite promises lanterns. Twelve battery lanterns light the walk from the sidewalk sign to the door.

Photos: Rum Sugar Lime / Nautilus RSL, for planning only.

Keep

  • Neon nautilus and reclaimed wood wall
  • Shell chairs, walnut tables, lamps
  • Palm pendants, plants, piano

Add

  • A wayfinding story: gate, stops, arrivals
  • Warm color: mustard, burnt orange, ivory
  • A few big pieces, not lots of small clutter

Avoid

  • Balloon walls and plastic table covers
  • Covering the brick
  • Too many colors. Stay inside the invite's palette.

3D plan

Walk the route

Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Tap a red tag to jump to that stop. The dashed line is the flight path. The layout is drawn from venue photos, so confirm the exact positions on your walkthrough.

Itinerary

Six stops, six signature moments

Run of show

The 6:00 PM moment

Decor sets the scene, but the moment people will remember is Trevi walking in. Script it.

  1. 2:30 PMLoad in. Hang the awning, balcony, lanterns and ribbon wall first. They take the longest.
  2. 5:00 PMLanterns on. Sidewalk sign out. Departure board running on the TV.
  3. 5:15 PMThe captain greets guests at the door. Each guest gets a passport and a handkerchief at the gate.
  4. 5:50 PMEveryone gathers between the gate and the bar. Dim the lamps. Shhh.
  5. 6:00 PMThe captain on the mic: "Ladies and gentlemen, Flight TR75 has arrived. Please welcome our first-class passenger." Flip the board. Everyone waves their handkerchief, second-line style.
  6. 6:45 PMToast at the piano. The slideshow plays on the board screen.
  7. 8:45 PMFinal boarding call. Collect the passports from the mailbox for the keepsake book.

Budget

Under $2,500, with a cushion

Prices are estimates from typical November 2026 retail. The plan assumes 70 guests, so scale the passports, handkerchiefs and napkins to your RSVP count. Food, drinks, the venue fee and the optional jazz trio are not included.

Shopping list

Buy, thrift, borrow, make

Amazon links open a search, so pick the best-rated option near the estimate. Thrift first: Savers, Goodwill, Habitat ReStore Reno, Facebook Marketplace and your local Buy Nothing group. Your checkmarks save in this browser only.

Got itItemStopSourceEst.After the party

Next steps

Three weeks to departure

BY FRI 20 NOV

Walk through Nautilus with the venue. Ask the questions on the right. Order everything from Amazon and custom print jobs: the stamps, napkins and banner need the most lead time.

BY FRI 27 NOV

Thrift run for the suitcases, frames, vases, baskets and globes. Photo deadline for the slideshow. Print the passports.

SAT 28 NOV – WED 2 DEC

DIY night: the awning, foam-board tiles, airplane window and wave runner. Load the slideshow and test the departure board on a TV.

THU 3 DEC

Buy flowers, ferns, limes and tropical stems. Charge the lanterns and load the batteries. Pack the car by zone.

FRI 4 DEC

Load in at 2:30 PM. Follow the run of show.

Ask the venue

  1. What can we attach to brick, and how? Command hooks, tape, zip ties to pipes?
  2. Is there a TV or projector with HDMI, and a mic? Can a screen go above the bar?
  3. Can the uplights go warm amber at 6:00 PM and back to teal after?
  4. What time can we load in? Does setup count toward the 6 hours?
  5. How many 6 ft tables can they provide for the food stops, and can we move the furniture?
  6. Can we put the A-frame sign on the Virginia St sidewalk and lanterns in the alley?
  7. Are real candles allowed, or only flameless?
  8. Which caterer, and where do they want the food stops?
Bonus · free Departure board for the venue TV A split-flap board listing all four stops. At 6:00 PM, click it or press space and it flips to "Welcome home, Trevi." It can also play the slideshow schedule. Open the board