There are years that you live through. And years that change you.
2025 was a year of a second kind for Magnolias on Silk. Not a year of spectacular breakthroughs, but a year of fundamental changes. A year in which we didn't grow much, but in which we grew up.
In this annual review of event design, we would like to share what is happening behind the visible projects on Instagram has taken place: What decisions were made. Which processes were reorganised. What challenges were faced. And why we now look at our work with more clarity than ever before.
It is an honest look behind the scenes of our family business, which we run with heart and soul - not glossed over, not staged, but just as it was.
The decision: From Marcell's part-time job to full commitment
Magnolias on Silk had grown organically over the years. Irka was already fully involved in the company, living the design, development and vision. Marcell was working in a technical job at the same time - full-time, with management responsibility and everything that goes with it. And at the same time tried to help build the company. In the evenings. At the weekend. In every free minute.
The further Magnolias on Silk developed, the clearer it became: A studio for upmarket event design with this level of quality needs full attention. It was no longer just about beautiful things. It was about responsibility, about processes, about strategic decisions - and about the question of whether Magnolias on Silk should really be taken seriously: as a company, as a creative space, as a brand with a future.
At the end of 2024, this tension became unbearable. The company was growing, but the structures were not keeping pace. Decisions were postponed because there was no time. Quality problems arose because there was no overview.
So at the beginning of 2025, a decision was made that had been put off for a long time: Marcell did not look for a new job to provide financial security. He was now fully dedicated to MoS. Without a safety net. He went "all-in" as they say in poker.
This decision was not a euphoric leap into the unknown. It was the result of a long, sober examination of reality: a company that is to survive in the long term needs stability. And this is not achieved by just looking at it from time to time.
The decision did not bring immediate ease. But it brought something more valuable: clarity about responsibility - and the first step in a year that was to change many things.
All-in or responsibility in the engine room
Going all-in didn't just mean mentally giving up a potential job and financial security. It meant facing up to the full entrepreneurial reality - with everything that entails.
As Magnolias on Silk grew, something became very clear at the end of 2024: not everyone in the company was able to follow this path. The speed, the uncertainties and the changes that come with a reorientation require an inner willingness to constantly reorient oneself. We have realised that development not only brings opportunities, but also friction. That change triggers uncertainty. And that leadership sometimes means making uncomfortable decisions - not out of harshness, but out of responsibility.
Compromises may provide short-term relief. But they are rarely a viable solution. Especially not when a company is realigning itself and needs clarity. This is also part of being an entrepreneur: recognising when it is time to make decisions that may not please everyone, but will serve the company in the long term.
During this phase, it became clear what leadership really means: not to please everyone, but to make decisions that support the big picture - even if they are uncomfortable.
What followed was painful: employees had to leave. Not because they were bad, but because the company was at a point where it needed clarity instead of compromise.
This decision triggered doubts: about our own leadership ability, about the right direction. But it was necessary - for the future viability of our company.
Marcell does not have a traditional business background and does not have a design degree. His approach was always more intuitive, more human. However, what he brought with him from many years as a team leader in an international company was leadership experience, an affinity for process optimisation and knowledge of quality management. Over time, he developed an understanding of what leadership essentially means: taking responsibility for yourself. Not looking for mistakes in others first. Asking yourself: What have I contributed? What can I do better? Not putting off uncomfortable decisions. Putting the big picture above the individual - without losing your humanity. Having an attitude without putting yourself above others.
Going all-in meant exactly that: no more dodging. No more delegating what you didn't understand yourself. Instead, it meant getting fully involved - with everything that goes with it.
The operational turning point: tackle it yourself
The real moment of going all-in did not come at the desk. It came where it is loud and error-prone: in the company's engine room.
Marcell took charge of logistics in the decoration hire department. Until then, his tasks at Magnolias on Silk were mainly in the strategic area - accounting, product photography, shop management, marketing. However, he was not yet familiar with the place where errors occur and quality is either secured or lost.
More and more complaints came in: Glasses weren't perfectly clean, tablecloths were missing, cutlery had water stains. So Marcell went to the cleaners and the packing table himself to understand exactly where the mistakes were occurring, how they could be avoided and on the assumption that things would then run more smoothly.
The reality looked different at first: One Friday evening is particularly memorable: The wrong tablecloths had arrived - round instead of square. The event was on Saturday, set-up until 2 pm. No logistician was able to help. They refused a lift. In the end, Marcell himself drove to Berlin on Saturday morning with the right tablecloths in his own car.
Because one thing was certain: what the customer has ordered must also arrive.
The work in the logistics department of a decoration hire company is not very romantic: washing delicate cutlery by hand, polishing each item, packing it in cotton bags. Checking glasses, washing them again, checking them again - until they are spotless. Remove leftover food from plates, sort, dry, wrap, pack pallets.
Marcell himself often stood at the sink and thought: I'm the CEO of this company - and I wash dishes?
But this is exactly where understanding arose: where mistakes occur. What quality feels like. And how to incorporate quality in such a way that it becomes a matter of course. Here it became clear what is important, how we need to adapt processes in order to become even better.
Genuine quality is not created in concepts - but where people are prepared to take responsibility themselves.
The car wash: regaining control over processes
While the operational reality was being rebuilt, another problem crystallised: the table linen. By 2024, we had already rented out so much table linen that you could have wrapped the Eiffel Tower in it - an actual calculated figure, not a metaphor. By 2025, there would be even more. Nevertheless, there were always problems that did not fulfil our requirements.
The external laundry service provider was efficient on paper, but the opposite in practice. Waiting times of one week were standard, two weeks or longer for stubborn stains. There were situations where tablecloths came back after three weeks with a note: „With stains". We still had to pay. Sometimes linen came back as „clean" - with overlooked stains that then ended up with the customer.
The lack of planning was particularly frustrating. When asked whether four champagne-coloured tablecloths with a diameter of 330 cm would be ready next Tuesday, the answer was: „Please don't keep asking us questions like that. If we have to give such information regularly, we won't be able to get to work. The research takes too long. Besides, what is champagne anyway? There's cream, nude, blush - it all looks similar to us."
It was no different for Magnolias on Silk. And certainly not for the customers. By this point at the latest, it was clear that premium standards could not be maintained.
The decision in favour of own machines
After several enquiries and consultation appointments with various providers, the decision was made: our own small laundry with industrial washing machines, exhaust air dryers and a hot ironer wide enough to smooth even our large tablecloths.
The decision had been made. But the realisation took several months. A project plan was drawn up - but once again it became clear that planning and reality are two different things.
One day before delivery, the electrician said that he would not lay the connection for the hot ironer: subject to authorisation, too costly, too much risk. The ironer was without electricity for two months.
As far as washing laundry was concerned, a new learning curve began: developing programmes myself, understanding which stains need to be pre-treated and how, which detergents are useful when, which temperature saves or destroys what.
The customer expects spotless tablecloths. Stains are unacceptable.
So tablecloths were washed three or four times - with different programmes, detergents and pre-treatments. Not out of perfectionism, but out of responsibility.
Despite the new challenges, we have achieved faster wash cycles, better planning and control over the stains.
This car wash was not a technical project. It was an attitude issue: premium does not mean outsourcing everything, but keeping the crucial things in your own hands.
Re-branding & repositioning in event design: focus instead of diversity
While structures were being rebuilt in the engine room, another realisation crystallised: the biggest challenge lay not only in the operational side, but in the clarity of what Magnolias on Silk stands for.
We had grown with every project, every acquisition, every enquiry. And, as with many growing companies, there was a temptation to cover more and more.
But this is precisely where the risk lay.
A conscious decision was made back in 2024: Don't get bogged down. Become specialists.
The table was at the centre from the very beginning. Not as a decorative object, but as the place where people come together, start conversations and celebrate. It is the connecting point of an event.
That's why there was a conscious decision against many things:
no chairs.
no covers.
not floristry - even though we are asked about it time and again.
and not a classic „one-stop shop“ promise.
Not because we can't offer these things. But because we are convinced that a colourful general shop does not lead to more quality. Design needs focus. Depth is created where you consciously limit yourself - and take responsibility for every detail.
We don't want to be a company that does everything a little bit. We want to be a company that does something really well. Take table culture seriously instead of treating it as one of many building blocks. Because quality does not grow by expanding at any price, but by focussing on the essentials. Not because it is not possible, but because the energy should be focussed: on tableware, art de la table, textiles, porcelain, glass, cutlery, candlesticks, table decorations. 2025 was the year in which this focus was made visible both externally and internally.
Re-branding as a strategic step
The re-branding was not a cosmetic act. Nor was it primarily about marketing. It was about the question: What is Magnolias on Silk at its core? This should also be reflected in the new logo.
Magnolias on Silk should no longer be perceived as a mere decoration hire company, but as a design studio for tableware at a premium level.
This repositioning had consequences: Turning down enquiries that would previously have been taken for granted. Not expanding product ranges even though there was demand. Asking yourself again and again: Is this serving the vision or just short-term sales?
The three pillars of Magnolias on Silk
Magnolias on Silk is organised into three interlocking divisions and this is now also reflected in our corporate design:
- Decoration hire - the centrepiece: a curated selection of high-quality table and event elements that characterise special occasions - flexible, sustainable and with a pronounced sense of aesthetics.
- Boutique - a selection of beautiful things for the table at home - table linen, art de la table and selected objects that have stood the test of time. Things with attitude, designed for long-term use instead of short-term trends.
- Event Design - is the conceptual discipline of Magnolias on Silk: the development of well thought-out overall ideas that do not focus on individual products, but on atmosphere, attitude and effect.
Visibility through attitude: blog posts & journal
At some point, it became clear that it is not enough to do good work. You have to make it visible - to the right people.
High-quality product photography has always been part of the work. Marcell has always photographed the products himself, with an eye for detail, materials and light. But in 2025 it became clear: beautiful pictures alone are not enough.
It's not about visibility at any price. It's about relevant visibility - for precisely the target group that can read design, that can distinguish between decoration and design, that can sense whether there is an attitude behind the images.
The journal as a visual statement
The blogposts in the Journal became our strongest tool. Not as a marketing measure, but as a visual and content statement.
The contributions show our vision in motion: How we combine colours, how we use materials, how we work with contrasts, lightness and tension. Everything shown there - with the exception of floristry - can be fully realised with the products from our decoration rental and the boutique.
Many people don't lack creativity, but imagination. They know that they want something special - but can't grasp it concretely. The blog posts provide images for feelings and language for ideas.
Table of the month: The successful content format
With the „Table of the Month" concept, we have achieved exactly that: every month we design, stage, photograph and explain a new table. Not superficially, but comprehensibly.
The response was surprising. Of all things, the most colourful, bold and independent table inspirations were read the most: Strawberry decoration with poppy seeds, Colourful & stylish: colourful table decorations for spring, Decorating the table with fruit: stylish inspiration for minimalist maximalism.
These contributions were saved, shared and forwarded.
If our type of design appeals to you: Our Journal shows new table concepts every month. Or become part of our Magnolias and Friends Community - with exclusive benefits and insights that are only available in the newsletter.
The Dior moment: when attitude convinces
And then came the moment in November 2025 that confirmed everything: an enquiry from Dior for a gala dinner to mark the launch of the new "Flower Couture" tableware collection at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg. The project manager sent reference images - not from our online shop or from the product catalogue, but from the blog post by Magnolias on Silk „Colourful & stylish: colourful table decorations for spring". She wanted something from exactly this setting - the cutlery Argento.
Blogposts are not just inspiration. They are a visual argument. They show how people think. They attract customers for whom aesthetics are crucial. They create trust even before the first conversation takes place.
In 2025, our Journal from a „nice-to-have" to a strategic core: making attitudes visible, reaching the right people, occupying a long-term place in people's minds.
When someone thinks of sophisticated, creative and ambitious table decorations, a name should be present: Magnolias on Silk.
The baptism of fire: 4,000 kilometres of responsibility
The biggest test of the year was a logistics tour for several weddings in southern Germany and southern France. The challenge: Irka was in India to prepare the new collection for the boutique. Marcell was the only one who could manage this project - and it presented several challenges: He was the father of a school-age daughter. And he had just undergone finger surgery two weeks earlier.
Events are rarely organised around school hours. So Marcell gave his 11-year-old daughter Nisha ten days off from school. She came with us to France. During the long car journeys and free time, they studied and prepared for their upcoming schoolwork, while Taylor Swift's new album provided distraction in the carpool karaoke on the long journeys.
It all started with picking up table decorations from a wedding on Lake Ammersee. We then travelled on to France, spending the night near Dijon, where we cleaned the used glasses and plates in the Airbnb dishwasher. The next day we travelled on to Provence to pick up rental items from another wedding. Then an ambitious photo shoot in the Mas de Chabran with Jenn Hearon from Heritage House Events, Danilo and Sharon and a wonderful team.
After the shoot, we washed glasses and plates again - this time by hand, as there was no dishwasher available at the hotel. The next day, we had to pick up more hire items near Aix-en-Provence and then immediately continue on to St. Tropez to pick up hire items for a luxury wedding at the Chateau de la Messardiere deliver.
This was followed by a short stay in Cannes, photos on the beach and a trip to Grasse. Breathe deeply. Then pick-up in St. Tropez - and return journey to Germany.
In the end, the van had over 4,000 kilometres on the clock. Everything was delivered in full. Everything came back complete. No loss. No damage. No excuses. Those days were physically exhausting, mentally demanding, emotionally dense. But they showed something very clearly:
Magnolias on Silk can take responsibility - even under pressure. Ensuring quality - even under adverse circumstances. This trip was Marcell's baptism of fire and he passed it.
Château de la Messardière, St. Tropez: Ten days, 4,000 kilometres, three weddings, a photo shoot - and an 11-year-old co-pilot who provided distraction on the long journeys.
This baptism of fire was not a sought-after test. But it was passed. It was not to be the last
New Year's Eve in Brixen: When logistics fail
Shortly before the end of the year, on 29 December, it once again became clear what responsibility means in practice. A consignment for a New Year's Eve gala - over 120 kilograms of cutlery for the Forestis Hotel in Bressanone - was not delivered.
The logistics service provider reported: The goods are at the hub in Munich. The reason: between Christmas and New Year's Eve, there are restrictions on lorry journeys through Austria and the goods could not be transported any further.
No cutlery for the New Year's Eve gala in a 5-star hideaway was not an option. The solution? Within an hour, Marcell arranged collection from the logistics hub in Munich and drove to Italy himself.
Load goods in Munich, continue over the Brenner Pass to Brixen. Personal handover at the hotel. Return journey through the night. Back in Germany at 4 o'clock in the morning. 1,250 kilometres. In one night.
Not because it was planned. But because it was necessary.
2025 ended as it had begun: with a willingness to take responsibility and make customers happy - no ifs, ands or buts....
Taking the craft of event design seriously: Collaboration with The Great Wedding
2025 we were able to organise several weddings together with The Great Wedding accompany. In this collaboration, it became clear early on that it is not always enough to fall back on what already exists. Not because the existing stock was not of high enough quality, but because some concepts require something that does not yet exist.
At a wedding in the Auel Castle this is exactly what became apparent. The bride and groom's ideas went beyond what was currently available. Specifically, it was about Ruffled tablecloths - a detail that was essential to the design. These tablecloths were not previously part of our range. And they were not easy to obtain on the market without making compromises.
What followed was not a spontaneous idea, but a conscious decision. If this requirement was to be met, then it had to be met properly. The tablecloths were developed and manufactured from scratch. Design, material selection, patterns, customisation and sewing - all in parallel with ongoing operations. A process that required time, attention and precision craftsmanship.
Economically, it was not the easiest way. But it was the logical one.
Because this is exactly what we mean by premium: being prepared to go the extra mile when a concept requires it.
These tablecloths were not an add-on, but an integral part of the design. It was therefore important to produce them ourselves - in terms of craftsmanship, design and organisation.
This collaboration with The Great Wedding is exemplary of many things that have characterised 2025: the willingness not to simplify work, but to deepen it. Making decisions based on quality rather than convenience. And the understanding that real quality is often created where more is invested than initially seems necessary.
Taking craftsmanship seriously. Do not delegate design. Picking up customers where their vision begins - not where the portfolio ends.
Shootings & international collaboration in event design
2025 was also a year in which our work became increasingly visible in curated contexts. For us, shoots and engagements are not just marketing formats for beautiful photos, but spaces for creative design, experimentation and growth - places where new table collections are created and where we hone our approach in dialogue with other creatives.
Here are our creative highlights for 2025:
Provence, France
A recurring component was the Reference Masterclass in France. 2025 was probably the most challenging masterclass to date. Two high-end locations, two independent event concepts, an evening gala. As part of the Reference Family, we developed new table concepts together, tested and rejected combinations, realised them photographically and networked internationally. You can find out more and take a look behind the scenes in the article:
Photo credits: Christophe Serrano
Atlantic coast, France
In spring 2025, the new orangery in the Château Belle Epoque opened - an important step for the hotel, which wants to establish itself as a destination wedding location in the south of France. For this strategic moment, they brought us on board as their partner for the table decorations. An opening is a positioning. It not only shows a space, but a promise: What level is possible here? Which partners does the hotel work with? And how is quality defined? Together with photographer Fabrice Joubert we created tableware that communicates exactly that - elegance without ostentation, sophistication without overload. A language that international wedding planners and venues understand and appreciate.
Photo credits: Fabrice Joubert
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
A project with the Czech city of Karlovy Vary took us to the city's most beautiful and renowned locations twice in 2025 and showed us how beautiful and diverse Europe is, even away from the well-known wedding regions. Kristyna Milska Weddings together with a talented team, has achieved something incredible here.
At the invitation of Světlana Uldrichová from Boutique Weddings We then travelled to the beautiful city of Prague.
We are looking forward to the upcoming joint projects next year.
Vienna, Austria
For us, international collaborations like these are more than just project work: they are the space in which we can play to our strengths - multilingualism, experience in an international context and a shared understanding of design beyond local markets and trends.
Bremen: Charity event for Ikatu
The charity event in Bremen was a completely different context: A fundraising event to support Ikatu, a football school organised with the support of the Florian Wellmann Foundation and Nelson Valdez in Paraguay.
We were happy to support the Ikatu project because it shares values that are also important to Magnolias on Silk: Taking craftsmanship seriously, thinking long-term and making quality accessible.
Valdez, former professional footballer at Werder Bremen, current coach of the second team and national hero of Paraguay, is involved in this project to promote educational opportunities in his home country.
Magnolias on Silk provided the table decorations for the event. For the floral design, we brought in the team Josa Floral Storytelling was on board - it was their magnificent floral decorations that made our table decoration unfold its full magic.
This is where our work should support, not dominate. Create a framework that expresses appreciation without pushing itself to the fore - and at the same time serve a project that has significance far beyond the evening.
All of these projects had one thing in common: they were part of a continuous learning process. They offered opportunities for networking, broadened our horizons and strengthened our visibility in a supra-regional context. Not through loudness - but through presence, reliability and the willingness to take design seriously.
Partnerships & catalogue: How trust grows
Partnerships
With increasing clarity about their own position, the nature of the relationships also changed in 2025. It was less about individual projects - and more about trust in the longer term.
Partnerships with grand hotels and luxury labels follow different rules than traditional customer relationships. They are not created through quick decisions, trends or volume. They are created through reliability, continuity and the ability to fit into existing structures without losing one's own attitude.
One example of this is our collaboration with the Grandhotel Heiligendamm, which began in 2025. We are still at the beginning - joint planning, initial coordination, getting to know each other. But this is precisely what such partnerships are all about: not quick results, but respect, sensitivity and an understanding of how a building works.
Trust grows where there is reliable delivery, precise work and dialogue on an equal footing. 2026 will show how these and other partnerships develop.
The new catalogue as a reference work
At the same time, the launch of the new Catalogue 2026 another important step in November. Here we show what characterises our work: a curated selection, fine details and a clear design signature.
As a design studio that defines events through mood, colour worlds and finely composed concepts, we make our experience from many premium events tangible in this catalogue. This catalogue is not a classic sales tool, but a reference work - a curated compilation of our complete rental stock: over 1500 products, over 160 pages, 5 new collections and a look at the trends in event design. It is not aimed at private end customers, but at business customers who want to understand how tableware is designed, constructed and realised in a timeless way.
The catalogue helps to start conversations before they begin. It creates a common language for planners, locations and clients. And it provides certainty about what is possible, how to work and what Magnolias on Silk stands for.
Trust does not grow through promises. It grows through continuity.
Outlook 2026
After the intensive years of development, 2026 is not about accelerating further. It's about becoming more aware.
The past few years have been characterised by growth, decisions and the establishment of sustainable structures. This foundation is to be consolidated in 2026 - out of responsibility towards the company, its customers and its own attitude.
A new home for Magnolias on Silk
2026 will be a year of important decisions for Magnolias on Silk - first and foremost the question of our future location. Not because we want to become „bigger" as a company, but because we want to be closer and more approachable: closer to our customers, closer to the people with whom we organise celebrations and special moments together.
In our day-to-day work, we realise time and again how valuable personal interaction, short distances and a genuine presence are.
The fact that our customers are based all over Europe makes this decision complex. We are currently examining various scenarios in terms of brand fit, economic viability and long-term goals. This is probably one of the most far-reaching decisions in the history of Magnolias on Silk, and one that we do not take lightly. And it is a decision that will shape how and where the company will be at home and therefore where we will work and live in the future.
White Glove Service - responsibility that takes the pressure off
In 2025, we realised that many planners don't just want beautiful rental items, but someone who thinks along with them. Someone who gets involved at an early stage, anticipates processes and ensures that everything runs smoothly on site. In our collaboration with planners and customers, we are increasingly seeing ever more complex processes, ever higher expectations - and the desire for tangible relief.
In 2026, we want to be White Glove Service Expand exactly that: Get involved in projects earlier. Document processes even more precisely. Not just bearing responsibility, but actively shaping it. In this way, we take responsibility where it really relieves the burden: from careful preparation and precise logistics to calm, stylish staging on site. Every element - from the fine porcelain plate to the precisely folded linen napkin - is in the right place at the right time. Well thought-out, coordinated and with a keen sense of occasion, space and mood.
Why not leave the decorating to those who know it one hundred per cent?
New paths in design
For Magnolias on Silk, 2026 also marks a phase of deliberate creative immersion. Irka will complete her final thesis in the field of colour design - and thus conclude a path that has shaped her work for years: developing design not only from feeling, but from a deep understanding of colour, material and effect.
At the same time, this work is giving rise to a new home collection for our Boutique. A collection that is closely linked to this process and carries it forward: handcrafted, consciously composed, timelessly conceived. Blockprint stands for closeness to the material, for the knowledge of colour and pigment, for the appreciation of craftsmanship - and for the acceptance of small irregularities as part of a living aesthetic.
This collection is just the beginning. The creative dialogue that finds visible expression here will also flow into future projects - into new products, into individual designs and into the way we think about rooms, tables and atmospheres.
Photo credits: Christophe Serrano
We don't know what 2026 will bring. But we do know that we are ready - for the challenges, the encounters and the projects that lie ahead. We are looking forward to everything that comes. And if you want to be part of it - even more so.
Credits:
Text & Concept: Marcell Hüttner
Photography: Marcell Hüttner, Fabrice Joubert, Christophe Serrano, Irka Fürle