Designers chat about creativity and personality in the 21st century

Creative thoughts flourished at the Soho House last week as The Round Table Creative Media Group (Round Table CMG), in partnership with the DDB, presented Design in the 21st Century: A Creative Minds Salon, panel discussion.

The discussion featured industry leaders Alexis Bittar, Jewelry Designer for the likes of Lady Gaga and Michelle Obama, Winka Dubbeldam, Principal of Archi -Tectonics and Interior Designer Thom Filicia.

The panelists tackled questions including, what is design? How is the past important to the present? And how is the design world ever changing?

Here are some highlights from the talk:

According to Thom, design to him is very much about personal expression.

“I see design as a vehicle for us to really express ourselves,” he said. “For me that’s what design is today — bringing really great ideas and inspiring people at every level.”


Moderator and panelists

Winka described design as an extremely elaborate and personal process and she follows her own unique path when designing as an architect.

“I hate style, can’t stand style,” she said. “Just the idea that you have to be put in a box really irritates me.”

With regard to design in the 21st Century, the panelists agreed that it’s not really about the present and the future, but about the past.

“I’m really inspired by the past,” said Alexis. “You must tap into the past to make something modern.”

Although the world of design is ever changing in many aspects, according to Thom it’s mostly about re-inventing the old.

“I do think that there are fresh new interpretations of design but I don’t really see that there are too many brand new ideas,” he said.

The Creative Minds Salon series, put on by Round Table CMG, are meant to cultivate discussion about the latest industry trends, technology and creative ideas.

For more information on the Round Table CMG and the Creative Minds Salon series, visit their website.

What's inspiring you now, Stephen Elrod?

We are HUGE fans of Lee Jofa, the American fabric house founded in 1823. We also adore its VP and creative director, Stephen Elrod, who seems to embody the brand's refined-but-never-stuffy-aesthetic.

We asked Elrod to share a picture with us of something that recently inspired him. Here's what he had to say.

"I took these pictures of the Joseph window display at their shop in Knightsbridge, London. I really loved the unusual assortment of saturated bright and jewel toned colored dresses combined in such a fresh and sophisticated manner."

"I'm always finding something in London that gets my creative juices flowing. I suppose it is the unique mix of tradition juxtaposed with modernity that one finds in London that makes it so special for me. Whether I'm just walking down the street, as in this instance early this summer, or seeing the latest exhibition at the Tate Modern, there is an abundance of beautiful and exciting experiences that infuse my work."

Elrod pulled together this assortment of Lee Jofa fabrics for us.

A new multi-colored velvet stripe and coordinating textures in a range of colors you can see nicely captures the mood of the Joseph window in a palette perfect for our Fall interiors. Thank you, Stephen!

Stop by and see more of the finished product of his inspiration at the DCH (Suite 150), DDB (Suite 234), PDC (Suite B639), DCOTA (Suite C150).

Kravet Asks Alice...

We love the seasonal Kravet Inspired.News newsletter, the most recent of which debuted last week.
The "Ask Alice" column is always a favorite. Written by Alice Guercio, a 15-year Kravet veteran who is Vice President of Product Coordination, the column shares her expertise on specific fabrics. Maybe it was all of the Fashion Week happenings in NYC last week, but we found ourselves thinking of Chinoiserie. Turns out Guercio had already offered this distillation of its rich history, which we wanted to share:

"Recently I attended a meeting in which one of my colleagues told us all about the origin of chinoiserie. As he was telling the story to others in the room, I saw how they were enjoying his animated story of its history and I thought it would make a wonderful column.



The Western fascination with all things Oriental began in the mid 17th century with trade between Europe and China. Imported arts and crafts had an exciting and different beauty from those made in the west, especially Chinese porcelain and lacquer. In the early 18th century, the term “chinoiserie” was used to describe the European fantasy vision of China and the Far East. It is actually a French word for “Chinesery” or “Chinese-esque.”

It is an invented fusion of Asian motifs and European sophistication created by designers and craftsmen in the West. Since they knew little about far-off Asian cultures due to limited exposure, early chinoiserie is characterized by the use of imagery of a China that could only be imagined with pagodas, fabulous birds, monkeys, dragons and figures in exotic costumes. Decorative scenes may show a mythological creature in an oriental landscape, or an elegant lady with a Chinese parasol and Parisian hairstyle. Chinoiserie is often eccentric but most of all it is a fun mixture of fact and fiction of what seemed incredibly exotic to the people of Europe.



This new playful style was popularized when the French court of Louis XV found the curves and whimsy of chinoiserie integrated beautifully with Rococo architectural features. It soon spread throughout Europe and could be found in the interiors and gardens of the royal palaces.

It is fascinating to learn how an interpretation from a world away many centuries ago turned into the exotic, stylish and often peculiar fashion called chinoiserie. I encourage you all to dig deeper into the history because I have only touched the surface; after all, there is only so much information I can put in my little column."

If you have a question about fabric for Alice, email her at askalice@kravet.com and it just may become the subject of a future article!

Shown throughout is Ralph Lauren Home's Chinoiserie Garden that Kravet distributes to the trade.

Stop by Kravet at the DDB (Suite 324), DCH (Suite 150), DCOTA (Suite B-180) and PDC (B624) and pick up your copy.

David Oliver shares colors from Tangiers

We asked David Oliver, color expert and creator of the UK Paint Library and the Stark Paint line. Oliver loves to spend his vacations in Tangiers, Morocco. We asked him to share his snapshots from his summer visit, and tell us which colors in the Stark Paint line are inspired by the palette.



...is Beetlenut:


The Kasbah gate:


....is Snettisham Gold:


This Islamic Pavillion tiled porch:


...is Teal:


These tiles, pillow and vase:


...is Deep Water Green:


Check back tomorrow when we'll finish the trip to Tangiers! Stop by Stark at the DDB, PDC, DCH and DCOTA to choose the colors that capture your own special place.

Studio visit: Suzanne Tucker Home

A few weeks ago, we ventured out to Brooklyn to meet Allison Kettlewell at her studio. The textile designer responsible for the lovely Suzanne Tucker Home fabrics previously worked with Donghia and Zimmer + Rohde. We were eager to hear about the process behind creating a fabric line, designed in Brooklyn, for a San Francisco-based designer. This year happens to be the 25th Anniversary of Tucker & Marks, the firm Suzanne started with her husband that now boasts a staff of 26 people. Here's what Kettlewell had to say.



"I make monthly trips out to the office in San Francisco. Most of our designs start from what Suzanne says she can't find in the market. Suzanne and I have a shared love of antique textiles, hand-stitching and translating the inspiration we gather on travels. I'm really a hunter and gatherer, and Suzanne is so attuned to the details -- like the ground cloth of a print and its quality."



"Truly, if I had to describe what differentiates us, it's that this is really a textile lover's line. No detail has been missed."

[We couldn't get enough of the amazing samples that fill her studio - hanging, folded, and amazingly orderly.]


"Even our plains aren't plain - like Vanessa [pictured below], with very subtle colors that you don't see at first glance, which make them more livable, easier to integrate into a space because they can "absorb" surrounding colors in the room."


"And Gabrielle, I call a weaving miracle. This design [pictured below] came from a tiny sample Suzanne found in Coco Chanel's private atelier."


"It's such a treat designing this line, because before when I worked with big fabric houses, I was always on a budget. But we introduce something when it's right, when the hand feels good and maybe has a tumbled feel, and the color saturation is right. Suzanne isn't conservative, but she's very thoughtful. She chose not to go the license route when she launched her fabrics, which certainly would have been easier."

This cotton-velvet Duma, is a perfect example of a touch-me hand. It was inspired by Suzanne's trip to Africa.



Check back soon when we'll share the rest of our visit - including all about color.

Have a look back at their new introductions from earlier this summer and from this Spring. See the finished product of their collaboration at Thomas Lavin at the PDC and Holland & Sherry at the DDB.

For Kristie Strasen, Blue is Summer

As you know, we've been asking designers how they spent their summers. Today we're checking in with Kristie Strasen of Place Textiles. Here's how she spent her summer—and what's in store for Fall from Place:
"I didn’t take any vacation this summer. But, after 30 years of living in the thick of the crazy activity that is Manhattan, I moved to Brooklyn Heights. I bought an apartment in an 1850 brownstone that overlooks New York Harbor including Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the Staten Island Ferry and the skyscrapers of lower Manhattan. The water of the harbor is now a part of my everyday life and it is endlessly inspiring. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest with a sweeping view of Puget sound and I did not realize how much I loved and missed seeing the water until I moved to Brooklyn Heights.

So -  my summer has been influenced by blue – the color of the water – the color of the sky. My few weekends out of the city have taken me to places heavily influenced by their relationship to the water – in Maine [pictured below] and in the Hamptons. And when my Brooklyn bedroom came together, it did so as a strong reflection of my love of blue. Things I have collected over the years – some beautiful blue bowls; a magnificent Inuit print of an giant blue-tailed owl; an old indigo-dyed bedcover and two exquisite bowls a friend made for me – all some manner of blue and all coming together for the first time in one room!

In October, Place has a yummy new collection coming out – produced from lamb’s wool and linen. The collection is called River Aire and is named for the river in northern England where the fabrics are woven and where the water comes  from to finish the fabrics."

"The River Aire Collection has a classic blue color called “North Sea” which is a deep, moody blue. I LOVE it! I have always loved blue and I will definitely explore different permutations of it in future Place collections but right now I am very excited about the River Aire Collection and its take on blue."

See the new assortment for yourself at the David Sutherland showrooms at the PDC (Suite B182), DCOTA (Suite C-450) and at Pollock at the DDB (Floor 17). Here's a look back at some of the Moon collection we shared this Spring (http://godesigngo.com/new-product-showcase/textiles-with-a-sense-of-place/).

Alexandra Champalimaud for Holland & Sherry

What better way to kick off a fabulous new collection, especially in the summer, than with a terrific party? Especially an outdoor affair to debut an outdoor fabric collection. That's exactly how interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud and Holland and Sherry celebrated their collaboration on the Portugese native's Comptoirs collection. If you didn't get an invite, see what you missed with ElleDecor's great story.

This bespoke suit, made from one of the new introductions, also showcases the company's origins (and continued talent) as bespoke clothiers.


It's refreshing to see some playful patterns in an indoor/outdoor collection, which have been tending towards basic neutrals, in our humble opinion...Stop by and see the complete line at the DDB (Suite 1402).

Images courtesy of BFA via ElleDecor

Discover Jan Showers' collection

We love Jan Showers! The Dallas-based decorator has a way with designing classically elegant and glamorous products ranging from furniture to lighting. She has a retail and trade showroom in Dallas, but her own designs are also sold as the Jan Showers Collection, available through showrooms across the country.


The Rebecca demilune console features a hand-tooled Greek key pattern on its leather surface


Her Venetian glass lighting has a cult-following, no doubt thanks to the vibrant colors

In addition to her work as a prominent interior decorator, she's also the author of Glamorous Rooms.



An avid traveler, Showers also regularly publishes a blog called Jan's Notebook, which shares some of her favorite finds from her travels, new additions to her product collection, inspiration about town and even family snapshots. Add it to your bookmarks! Her most recent edition shares a look at the Dallas showroom for those who aren't in proximity to it. Here's a look.


The Hadley sofa from her collection in a rich, neutral vignette


This setting features a mix of vintage finds and her own lighting designs

Be sure to stop by and see some of her collection at A. Rudin at the DDB (Suite 1200) and David Sutherland at the DCOTA (Suite C-450), PDC (Suite B182) and DCH (Suite 170).

Summer shopping with Darren Henault

Last week we introduced you to Darren Henault, whose extraordinary talent for creating luxurious, livable spaces has won him awards, accolades, and the attention of the most important design publications in the world. His clients include celebrities, business leaders, and the social elite. For Henault, “living beautifully is about editing and figuring out what positive changes to make that will affect how you feel about your home and, ultimately, yourself.” Epitomized in this home in Millbrook:


And this New York living room, seen in New York Spaces:

We spent an afternoon with him on the hunt around the DDB looking for his favorite finds for summer. Here's what he loves, and why.


-"This Diana églomise chest of drawers from Jean de Merry is a great find. A gorgeous Old World technique on a clean and very usable piece of furniture:

-"The Windsor étagère from Frederick P. Victoria & Son is gorgeous. As it's custom, you can lacquer it, distress it, whatever you like. Again something old made new:

-"The textured linens and silks from Nancy Corzine are beautiful. They're formal but crisp and light enough to live with in the summer."
-"New bedding from Leron! Change the room from Winter to Spring just by having the folks there whip up something light and airy:


-"Have I mentioned my new rug collection at Holland & Sherry? How about using my designs and making them in cotton or linen? They're happy to oblige."

Meet the designer: Darren Henault

We asked NYC designer Darren Henault to reveal some of his must-see showrooms at the DDB. Henault, one of the multitude of talented professionals available through the DDB's Designer Referral Program, is known for his luxurious and yet liveable environments, as seen in the bedroom of this NYC townhouse:


-Christopher Hyland. He's got the most gorgeous jacquards and lampas' I have ever seen. If you want super high quality, Old World weaving techniques, this is where to find it. Being a textile fan, it's love love love.
-Chesneys. We're currently installing a beautiful marble mantel into a home upstate New York. Chesney’s has got everything and if they don't, they will make it. They have done a very good job of offering very traditional profiles in a modern way by varying the stone selections.
-David Sutherland. They have got beautiful seating based on Louis XVI furniture. I'm tired of all of the distressed finishes that are ubiquitous and poorly done. They're doing furniture in a waxed, unfinished quality that is more beautiful.
-Farrow & Ball. Finally I can get their gorgeous colors in wallpapers as well.
-Fortuny.  Even before I visited the printing facility in Venice I was hooked.  Now I'm addicted.
-Gracie. We're using their papers in clean monochromatic tones, taking the tried and true and making it fresh and crisp.  The ever-lovely Jennifer Gracie is so nice to work with besides.
-Holland & Sherry. The ability they have to turn anything we come up with into the most exquisitely executed embroidery is unbelievable. I'm, of course, loving their new ever expanding rug collection which includes my own designs, including China Gate [pictured below].

-Jerry Pair & Associates. More and more clients who like traditional are asking for cleaner lines.  The Madeline Stuart collection is perfect and fits to a T.
-John Rosselli. If you are looking for a masterful mix of furniture, Bunny Williams and John Rosselli have done all the work for you.
-Pindler & Pindler. Wonderfully cheerful fabrics. If you're on a budget, you're going to find all of the same basic solids and textures here as everywhere else but for half the price.

Check back soon when we'll share what caught Henault's attention for summer on an afternoon of shopping at the DDB.

Specialists of Design: Alex Matamoros Takes Us to Art Wynwood (Part 2 of 3)

Yesterday, Design Center of the Americas’ director of design services and design professionals, Alex Matamoros, shared his recent experience at Art Wynwood, Miami's recent International Contemporary Art Fair. Here's more from Alex about what he loved most during his day at the fair.

By Alex Matamoros

It's hard to pick favorites out of a sea of amazing art, but eventually it was clear that several certainly stood out from the crowd. Augusto Esquivel's Now Contemporary Art Gallery is the first on my list! This amazing artist was born in Argentina, and he arranges simple buttons and monofilaments into amazing sculptures.

Augusto has said, "I realize how insignificant and small a simple sewing button can be as it lays in my grandmother’s sewing box, but at the same time how unique and precious it can become as part of a work of art. Like an atom in a molecule, each button serves and shapes the whole. I hold the button to my ear and it whispers to me, ‘I want to be...'"

Michael Eastman's Barry Friedman Ltd. is another on my list. One of the collections on display from Michael was his series of pictures of Cuba. I love the look of the old mansions after 50-plus years of little to no maintenance. The rich and famous used to live in these homes, and now they are occupied by multiple families.

Michael is one of the world's leading contemporary photographic artists, and he happens to be a self-taught photographer who spent four decades documenting interiors and facades in cities as diverse as Havana, Paris, Rome, and New Orleans, producing large-scale photographs unified by their visual precision, monumentality, and painterly use of color. He is most recognized for his explorations of architectural form and the textures of decay, which create mysterious narratives about time and place—but I love him for all of it!

Specialists of Design: Alex Matamoros Takes Us to Art Wynwood (Part 1 of 3)

We recently introduced you to Alex Matamoros, DCOTA's director of design services and design professionals. Now that we have gotten to know him, he's telling us about Art Wynwood, Miami's recent International Contemporary Art Fair.

By Alex Matamoros

Recently, I had the wonderful chance to attend the Art Wynwood International Contemporary Art Fair in Miami. My friend Martha Enzler, a ceramic artist, was visiting from Minnesota, and upon learning about the art fair, she decided to come for a visit and join me in attending. I couldn't be gladder that we did!

Art Wynwood is a new fair whose timing could not be better. The international fair had one of the highest tourist and snowbird weekends of the year, along with the Miami International Boat show and the Coconut Grove’s Art Festival to help grab more interest.

There were 50 galleries participating, with art by 500 artists from 13 countries, including Argentina, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, the Netherlands, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The fair featured photography, sculpture, art videos, conceptual art, urban street art, and more.

Miami has evolved culturally in the past few years. Besides Art Basel, the largest art show in the region, Florida has all types of design shows, installations, museums, gallery walks, and more throughout the year. I’m so excited about the direction the art scene is heading today!

Stay tuned tomorrow to hear the many favorites Alex picked throughout Art Wynwood to share.

Specialists of Design: Kate Bergeron Shares Her Holiday List of Decorating Do's (Part 2)

Yesterday, Design Professional at the Design & Decoration Building Kate Bergeron began sharing her top list of worthy ways to liven up your holiday decor, host your guests hospitably and celebrate the New Year in style. Here's more from Kate about how to host the holidays with flare.

By Kate Bergeron

Contrary to what some of your friends may have told you, not wanting to vacuum up pine needles into the New Year does not make you a bad person. It's perfectly okay to go with a fake tree, or to clump a big bunch of tasteful sticks and berries up and put them in vase on the floor (see above), if that’s all your teeny tiny, super fabulous New York City apartment allows.

Poinsettias are always an elegant touch (but be warned, they might be poisonous to your cats).

I'm going to go ahead and say it: believe every word Martha Stewart says (when it comes to crafty holiday ideas)! Here are two of my favorites: lights in a vase (my grandmother used to put shiny red bulbs and a strand of lights in a deep crystal bowl every year in her foyer), and do-it-yourself snow globes.

Don't be apprehensive to begin a few new traditions—in fact, make a point to! But of course, make sure they work well with the old traditions, too.

If applicable, have a "kid's table." I'm all for the idea of all being together as much as possible, but adults can benefit from some "adult time," and kids will truly enjoy this time with their cousins that they may only get to see twice a year.

And arguably the best advice I can give: see The Nutcracker for the 11th time, just because it feels good. Happy Holidays!

You can contact Kate for more ideas on where to go in the DDB for your decorating and hosting needs. Stay tuned to GoDesignGo for more from the Cohen Design Centers' Design Professionals in the New Year.

Specialists of Design: Kate Bergeron Shares Her Holiday List of Decorating Do's (Part 1 of 2)

DDB Design Professional Kate Bergeron last shared her love of design with us in the form of spectacular lighting ideas. Kate's love for design shines through in her blog Kate's House of Happy and given the holiday season, Kate is sharing with us her list of  perfect ways to decorate, host and celebrate the new year.

By Kate Bergeron

Most of us love the holidays but, let's face it, this time of year can be difficult when hosting a holiday gathering, decorating your home, setting the table or plans with your out-of-town friends. A lot can go wrong but if you plan it right, and let yourself relax a little, a sturdy list to help you remember what is always okay to do during the holidays will put you on the fast track to a wonderful Winter of holidays and fun.

When hosting friends and loved ones over the holidays, setting the dining table can either be the simplest part of your to-do list, or the last, uncrossed bullet point that you can't stop dreading. Get fancy! Pull out your great grandmother's sterling silver flatware that is otherwise reserved only for special occasions—the holidays are one of them!

Your home need not only be decked out in colors of green and red—there are plenty of other, more compatible and complimenting colors to choose from that look far more elegant and will feel even more festive. Incorporate gold into your decor—red and gold or green and gold are striking colors when put together and the flash that golden colors can add will only increase your spectacular space. If you're not into any of it, ditch the red, green and gold and use a neutral palate with splashes of a rich, earthy cranberry!

For another decorating idea, do as J. Robert Scott does and douse your dining room in red! Unless you REALLY like to paint, this look can easily be achieved by opting for all red accessories, from linens to candlesticks. J. Robert Scott also takes the cake with seasonal red berries, used in the lobby display window at the DDB.

Every year, my mom likes to scout and hand pick these every year with her friend Susan (yeah, that might have been them on the side of the highway).  But if it's the city sidewalks you encounter on your way home, almost all bodegas sell them in big bunches (albeit a little more expensive than the free ones in the Connecticut bushes, but lovely all the same). Lay them in the center of your dining room table, organically strewn about, or in a vase beside your bathroom sink—the more berries, the better.

Stay tuned to GoDesignGo for more from Kate when she shares more on how to handle decorating for the holidays.