Get ready Fall Market, these bloggers will be taking over!

Get to know yet another four bloggers, their blogs, their mission and how they make design come to life on the web.

Here we go:

Barbara H. Karpf for DecoratorsBest

For the past twenty years Barbara, NKBA Kitchen Designer, has worked in NYC, The Hamptons, and the entire Metropolitan area. She is in “Who’s Who in Interior Design” and was selected as one of the “Great Designers of the World 2000.” She has also participated in many decorator showhouses, her work has been featured in numerous national publications and she has been a guest lecturer at The Architectural Digest Home Show in NYC.
When surfing the web she noticed a real niche to fill “To the Trade Only” designer fabric and wallpaper was unrepresented online. It was up to her to bring this industry into the 21st Century – thus DecoratorsBest was born.



Raina Kattelson for A Stylist’s Life

Raina was 21 when she started Woojee Wear, designing and manufacturing her own line of hip, European influenced kids clothes. It was sold across the country in boutiques and department stores including Henri Bendel’s.

After a while she felt the lure of the image and decided to take up the life of a stylist-styling fashion, beauty, still life and interiors. This work has brought her commissions as display designer, location scout and interior designer, designing homes as well as several restaurants. When not off on a styling gig Raina can be found with her husband and two daughters in New York's Hudson Valley gardening and renovating old houses.



Marni Elyse Katz for Style Carrot

Marni describes herself as a writer and editor living in Boston, obsessed and affected by the aesthetics of life. She had the chance to work for Rolling Stone Magazine and was an editor at a travel magazine and a woman’s magazine. These days, from the sofa she writes about the (material) stuff that life is made of. Wrap dresses, platform sandals, shimmery lipstick, dewy skin, shiny hair, green weddings, zebra skin rugs, modernist furniture, cavernous closets, emerging artists, bauhaus architecture, japanese gardens, kissing, and fantasies of all types.



Carrie Leskowitz for Carrie’s Design Musings

Having been in the fashion and design business for many years as a stylist, fashion show coordinator, and now the principal of Carrie Leskowitz Interiors, Carrie describes herself as passionate about all forms of design and fascinated by those who create it. She loves the design process and being challenged by design dilemmas. Her motto is: "A dash of drama goes a long way.”

Take a look back at this week’s previous posts to meet other great bloggers: Part I, Part II, Part III, and check back tomorrow for our final blogger round-up as we prep for Fall Market.

For live feeds and updates during Fall Market follow the DDB and our guest bloggers on Twitter:
#ddbmarket @danddbuilding @godesigngo @DecoratorsBest @astylistslife @stylecarrot @cleskowitz

Meet the Blogger: Barbara Karpf Knows Decorators Best (Part 2)

Yesterday, we introduced you to Barbara H. Karpf, founder and president of New York City-based retail fabric and wallpaper company and blog, DecoratorsBest. Barbara is another one of 15 fabulous bloggers participating in the DDB's Bloggers Lounge during Fall Market. She took some time out of her hectic schedule to tell us about her own design style and which showrooms she has her eye on during Fall Market.

GDG: What are a few fundamental elements of your own space?

BK: As an interior designer I consider my style traditional and eclectic. I am also very fabric and color based with my selections and am known for my signature color pairings. My home in particular is warm and colorful and at the same time expresses a timeless, traditional look.

GDG: Were there any trends this summer that you especially loved—or didn't?

BK: The abundance of bright and beautiful colors this summer is something I love to share on our blog and newsletter! Trina Turk’s indoor/outdoor collection with its bold accents is an instant classic. I also love Highland Court’s Marakesh collection and Eileen Kathryn Boyd’s Duralee debut. Overall, I feel that the design world had a very successful summer and most of the styles we saw are fashionable and will also stand the test of time.

GDG: What are you looking forward to seeing during the DDB's Fall Market?

BK: Schumacher has been right on target with geometrics and bold colors, and I am especially looking forward to viewing the new products. Martin Lawrence Bullard’s collection from Schumacher is expected to be a hit! I am also very excited to see the new Phillip Jeffries line of vibrant and colorful natural wallcoverings.

GDG: Can you share some fun facts about yourself?

BK: I am a neophyte golfer, a passionate equestrian, but most of all I am the proud mother of two lovely daughters and the wife of an amazing husband. I enjoy cooking and entertaining in my Southampton home, and I love to travel, ski, and of course, decorate.

I also started DecoratorsBest with a laptop in my living room and today we have a full staff in a midtown office--that’s a fun fact I love to share!

Check back with GoDesignGo to meet more of the DDB's Fall Market Bloggers.

Meet the Blogger: Barbara Karpf Knows Decorators Best (Part 1 of 2)

You won't have to go much farther than the DDB's Bloggers Lounge for your social media fix on design and lifestyle during the upcoming Fall Market. Co-sponsored by GoDesignGo and Editor at Large, 15 bloggers will set up camp at the lounge to cover market events throughout the DDB. We’ve introduced you to a few of them over the past few weeks, and today we’d like you to meet Barbara H. Karpf, founder and president of New York City-based retail fabric and wallpaper company and DecoratorsBest blog.

The DecoratorsBest blog is a favorite among decorators for it’s professional tips, trends and information on everything from designing glamorous homes to selecting the perfect trimmings.

For over 20 years Barbara, an NKBA Kitchen Designer, has worked as an interior designer in the tri-state area. She has participated in many decorator show houses and her work has been featured in national publications.

"I love the research that goes into my blog because it is academically stimulating," said Barbara. "I enjoy learning about the history of design patterns and how they relate to what we use today. Sharing this information on the blog builds both a commercial and intellectual relationship with our clients all over the world!"

DecoratorsBest is an e-commerce site carrying over 200,000 designer fabrics, wallpaper and pillows from top manufacturers at discount prices including Robert Allen, Pierre Frey, Frabricut and several other DDB showrooms.

"Seeing what people respond to helps us [as a company] gauge what our clients are interested in," Barbara said. "Writing a blog keeps me up to date with all the new trends and products, and the exposure to our website has been extraordinary. Sales at DecoratorsBest have never been higher and our readers are who we thank for that."

Stay tuned to GoDesignGo to hear what Barbara loved this summer and which showrooms she can't wait to see during DDB Fall Market.