Meet the Novogratz tomorrow at CB2

Tomorrow from 6-8pm, on your way out of the DDB, escape the summer heat and stop into CB2. Bob and Cortney Novogratz, the husband-and-wife design duo behind Sixx Design and stars of Nine By Design (along with their brood of kids)and HGTV's Home by Novogratz, will be on hand to kick-off their collaboration with the playful and affordable retailer.

This wool rug, with its fitting subject, is available now in two sizes.




We hear a handful of other awesome pieces will be in stores come October, so check back. In the meantime, RSVP online here and join the party tomorrow.

Rose Tarlow announces new CEO

Jobst Blachy has just joined Rose Tarlow Melrose House as its CEO. Native mid-westerner Blachy joins the Los Angeles-based company, founded in 1976, with almost twenty years of experience in the home furnishings industry. Most recently he was President of Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman, and VP of Trade Showrooms & Retail Stores. Under his leadership, the company launched the William Yeoward brand to the US market to great acclaim.

Says founder and designer Rose Tarlow, "Jobi has an impressive background in the luxury home furnishings space, and we are thrilled to have him at the helm of this brand. He joins us at a pivotal time in our expansion and we are confident that we will benefit from his tremendous leadership and insight."

Keep your eyes peeled -- there's no doubt you'll see him around the DDB!

DDB Spring Market Buzz: The Fine Art of Bed-Making

If the bed we make is the bed we lie in, why not gain experience in the fine art of bed-making? The Lorin Marsh Spring Market event had the experts on hand teach us everything we needed to know about making an exquisite bed.

Lorin Marsh and New York's Little Elves, designer cleaning and maintenance company, asked three top interior designers to demonstrate their vision for beautiful bed-making. Laura Bohn, Campion Platt and Ronald Bricke gave us their tips and top choices for an irresistible bed.

Campion told the audience what he personally never likes on a bed and what he loves to do before leaving his bedroom for a longer trip.

"I hate squares on beds, because a bed isn't square, it's rectangular," Campion said. "I love king-sized, rectangular pillows that are stacked up together because it adds an extra comfy and luxurious look to a bed. I think pillows are great, too, because they add a fancy and done up look to a bed that isn't high-maintenance to do everyday. For me, something like a coverlet is not an everyday thing."

"What I always try to do before I leave my house for a longer trip is make my bed up really beautifully and more fancy than usual. That way, when I get home from my trip, my bed looks perfect and similar to the hotel beds I'm in during my trip."

Campion made sure to tell us before ending that he is not a 'tucker,' and that just because you may not tuck your sheets in, doesn't mean you're a messy bed-maker. We're grateful for that!

"The designers had such interesting ways of looking at beds and bedding," said a Spring Market-goer. "I loved the way that Laura Bohn explained the differences between sheets and blankets and how simple folding can make a bed not only look more lovely in a room, but actually be more comfortable once you're in it!"

Q&A with ‘Young Traditional’ Ryan Korban

Interior Designer Ryan Korban is one of tradhome's Young Traditional Designers to watch this Spring. He shared his thoughts on all of the things he's looking forward to and what he’s looking to for inspiration.


GDG: What are you looking forward to this Spring?
RK: Believe it or not I tend to lean towards a darker color palette in the springtime. I usually play with light colors during the winter and go richer in spring. I love seeing what Italian brand Dedar does. I am really into to jewel tones right now. Blood red and emerald green are at the top of my Spring must haves. I am always looking forward to what Flair home collection does, as well. I think it's more interesting to see what vintage piece retailers introduce for Spring.





GDG: What should we keep our eyes open for this Spring?
RK: I am always looking to hotels for inspiration — places like the Carlyle and the Cosby to see how they change the ambiance for the Spring season. What scents are being used? What flowers? They are an amazing authority on a new season. I am also looking towards the new fashion collections of designers like Balenciaga.





GDG: Is there anything that you can't wait for this season?
RK: When the weather gets warm I start to go to a lot of shows and concerts. Every spring I try and see something every week. I also get really into flowers. Once the weather hits a certain temperature, I am at the florist weekly. I also turn up the AC and pull out more fur!





GDG: Can you share any fun examples of going stir crazy this Winter?
RK: In the Winter I can’t be left alone for too long or I start to decorate! That's usually the problem with being stuck inside for me!


Stay tuned to GoDesignGo for more of tradhome's top 20 "Hot List" Designers to know what you should keep your eyes open for this Spring.

Q&A with “Young Traditional” Amy D. Morris

Amy D. Morris of Amy D. Morris Interiors is another of tradhome's Young Traditional Designers to watch this Spring. Amy shared her thoughts with us on all of the things she's looking forward to as well as her favorite colors the season.

GDG: What are you looking forward to this Spring?

AM: Gabriath and Paul’s new spring collection and Jim Thompson No. 9 fabrics. Some fun prints that we tend to lean toward are China Seas, Celerie Kemble and Amy Karyan — I am anxious to see what prints they will introduce this spring! My favorite showroom in Atlanta is R Hughes, so they're another showroom I'm looking forward to seeing this Spring!

GDG: What should we keep our eyes open for this Spring?

AM: Definitely keep your eye out for pops of color and bold prints. Just a little bit of color can add so much personality to a room. My favorite color is purple because it's so happy! I'm thinking we'll see a lot of it this Spring.

GDG: Is there anything that you can't wait for this season?

AM: I am looking forward to weekends at the lake with friends and family.

GDG: Can you share any fun examples of going stir crazy this Winter?

AM: Well, I don’t know if you heard that entire city of Atlanta shut down for a week due to a couple inches of snow, but that is enough to drive a person crazy. I could not leave my house for an entire week!

Stay tuned to GoDesignGo for more of what you should keep your eyes open for this Spring from tradhome's top 20 "Hot List" designers.

Q&A with “Young Traditional” Erika Powell of Urban Grace Interiors

As we continue our interviews with trad home's 20 Young Traditionals to watch, Erika Powell and partner Allison Smith of Urban Grace Interiors had some fabulous things for us to look for this Spring.

GDG: What collections or designers are you really looking forward to seeing this Spring?

EP+AS: We can't wait for Charlotte Moss's new book and Thibaut's new collection. What draws us to companies like Thibaut and Schumacher is that they are true to their original, traditional aesthetic foundation, yet aren't afraid to push the envelope to reach a broader spectrum. We most recently worked both Thibaut's Avalon collection and Schumacher's Studio Bon collection into our designs and we loved them both!

GDG: What are some of the first things you're planning on doing once the weather is warmer?

EP+AS: Starting our gardens and being outside! We are blessed to live in such a beautiful area in Florida and it's nice to be able to enjoy it!

GDG: Can you share any fun examples of going stir crazy this Winter even though you're in Florida?

EP+AS: Being that we are in Florida, we don't get any snow and aren't stuck inside as much so our "stir crazy" periods don't last very long! However this Winter when we got stuck in a rut, we would watch funny videos on YouTube. The Miss Teen South Carolina is still our favorite!

Erika (born an identical twin) was born in Norfolk, Virginia but was raised in various parts of the United States. She sees life in details, and her oft-changing hometowns are now reflected in her design style. Erika completed her formal training in New York working for Victoria Hagan at Scalamandre. She started Urban Grace Interiors in 2005 in Florida and has completed residential and commercial projects across the country.

Erika's style is both modern and classic, an ideal "just-right" mix of old and new that is forever timeless. Reluctant to define herself by one certain look or place, one thread runs common throughout all her projects: impeccable attention to details, especially the architectural details of each space. Her obsession over the finest-tuned details shines though in every completed project.

Stay posted to GoDesignGo for more from tradhome’s hot list designers on the many things their excited about this Spring.

Design Philosophy of Laura Michaelides

How would you define your design philosophy?

For me, design is an all-encompassing, continuous opportunity to delight in the visual world; to learn from its riches and to reflect what I’ve gleaned from the work that I do. Every day I try to share that delight with the clients I have the opportunity to work with, and try to make each design project a pathway to learning and discovery for us both. It’s a time for my clients to learn to express who they are through their environment; for me it’s a time to learn about my clients, and to try to find the best way to help them express their sensibilities, past history, and aspirations.

Because I enjoy the visual world so much, I am able to see virtue in many different styles, and feel comfortable with both modern and traditional design vocabularies. I find that I am less interested in doing rooms in one style, and am most excited by being able to mix traditional and contemporary elements so that they complement each other. At the moment, this seems like the most modern idea.

Some design is never out of date…..

Some design is never out of date…..new students at NYSID are just starting to learn the basics of the Greek and Roman classical orders. They really get caught up in the idea of recognizing Ionic and Corinthian columns, caryatids and gargoyles, on the buildings they walk by and never looked at closely before.

How many of us are too busy to stop and look carefully at what’s around us? In New York or anywhere else, notwithstanding the bad design we gripe about, there’s plenty to admire if we take the time for a closer look.

The Metropolitan Museum isn’t looking its best these days, with all the restoration going on. Same for the Public Library. But landmarks like these, Grand Central Station and others remind us just how beautiful historicist design and architecture are, even in this 21^st-century-modern world.

Judith Gura

D&D FALL MARKET October 6 & 7, 2010

Consuming Passions. In art, architecture, design... lifestyle. Consumer's choices in the industry of luxury comes from a variety of inspirations and origins. Trace the trends and learn how to read your clientís passions with our keynotes' media insight. View the new fall introductions in our open houses and showroom programs. Fall Market at the D&D will show you all you need to participate and prosper.

For a Full Schedule of Events and Programs visit www.DDBuilding.com

It's All About Style

IT'S ALL ABOUT STYLE

By Elayne Stuart

I'm often asked what style do I have in my home.  My personal taste is

Contemporary.

Having said that it's important to point out that it's not so much about

what period furniture or decor I have, but, rather what you, the client,

likes.  I've designed the interiors for client homes and offices ranging

from Art Deco looks to Country French to ultra Modern. I've done everything

from revamping one room that needed "redecorating" to working with

Architectural Plans for a New Home.  Whether I'm working on a Beach cottage

on a Caribbean Island, a condo in an Urban Setting, a large home with lots

of gardens, an office interior, or something completely different....it's

all about creating a partnership between the client and me; creating

interior spaces that are beautiful to the eye and functional for the users.

It's all about what's YOUR style.



Elayne Stuart

esdesign@cox.net

www.stuartleffdesign.com

Ornament: A Crime No More

In 1908, Adolph Loos’ historic and controversial  essay, “Ornament and Crime “  asserted that “The evolution of culture is synonymous with the removal of ornament from objects of daily use.” Since ornament was a reflection of the society in which it was created, he believed that it was no longer relevant in a civilized, industrialized world --”We have outgrown ornament” – where it not only represented useless labor and expense, but also caused objects to quickly fall out of fashion. Although Loos didn’t deny the emotional and visual appeal of ornament,  his comments  were seized by modernists to support the total rejection of decoration – in architecture, furnishings, and even –for the most part –textiles. The striking simplicity of International Style buildings and interiors won critical acclaim, but many found it less than comfortable to live in spaces that were often perceived as cold and unwelcoming … a drawback that helped to bring on the proclaimed “death of modernism” in the 1970s, and the short-lived Postmodern movement which sought to return human appeal, and historic references, to design.  As the 20^th century drew to a close, pattern wended its way back into fabrics, flooring and wallcoverings --but with new textures, unusual printing techniques, mixed-media weaves, and experimental textiles that were inconceivable or technologically impossible even a decade earlier.  So in the new century, ornament is once more relevant to our culture, though in incarnations that would surprise Loos – and of which he would most likely have approved.

Pictured: Edgy Modular Fabric Tiles by innovators Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Kravdrat

From NYSID's Judith Gura

We Want to Hear from You!

We are so excited to introduce the redesign of godesigngo.com!

Let us know what you think.

What are your favorite videos?

What designers do you want to have a dialog with?

Where do you shop? What showroom products do you want to see more of?

What trends are you seeing when you shop the market? Let us know.

Give us a shout, leave comments and engage in the conversation on godesigngo.

Jamie Drake Kicks off Our Design Council Interviews

Ever innovative with color and shape, New York- based interior designer Jamie Drake has worked on projects ranging from Gracie Mansion to Madonna's pad. His interiors are fun, and his client's often have wonderful art collections to inspire his color palette. We caught up with him recently, in between matching paint swatches:

How would you define your design philosophy?  The creation of sophisticated, intelligent, witty spaces is my goal. I like rooms that have a sense of surprise, that put a sly smile on your face. Rooms that are chic and knowing.

What are your favorite D and D resources? Pick a favorite child??? Sophie's Choice??? A very difficult question, but a few are Lorin Marsh, Bergamo, Richard Schultz, Holly Hunt, Clarence House, Stark, PFM, Schumacher.

What is the next trend or style you see emerging? Color palettes are staying bright and fresh, but becoming lighter and more pastel. A lot of pattern, or zero pattern: extremes. Rare and unusual materials: semi-precious stones, onyx and agate: warm tone metals (bronze, gold) replace cool tones (nickel, chrome). Bold but simple lines.

What is your favorite color combination? Another Sophie's Choice question!!! As a lover of all colors, impossible to answer, but we recently presented a scheme of champagne accented with  topaz and emerald that especially sang to me.

Being based in NYC, what inspires you about your environment? The streets of the greatest city in the world, and its citizens are endlessly inspiring. Whether barrelling up Madison Avenue or strolling the Chelsea arts district, inspiration leaps out at me.

Ever innovative with color and shape, New York- based interior designer Jamie Drake has worked on projects ranging from Gracie Mansion to Madonna's pad. His interiors are fun, and his client's often have wonderful art collections to inspire his color palette. We caught up with him recently, in between matching paint swatches:

How would you define your design philosophy?  The creation of sophisticated, intelligent, witty spaces is my goal. I like rooms that have a sense of surprise, that put a sly smile on your face. Rooms that are chic and knowing.

What are your favorite D and D resources? Pick a favorite child??? Sophie's Choice??? A very difficult question, but a few are Lorin Marsh, Bergamo, Richard Schultz, Holly Hunt, Clarence House, Stark, PFM, Schumacher.

What is the next trend or style you see emerging? Color palettes are staying bright and fresh, but becoming lighter and more pastel. A lot of pattern, or zero pattern: extremes. Rare and unusual materials: semi-precious stones, onyx and agate: warm tone metals (bronze, gold) replace cool tones (nickel, chrome). Bold but simple lines.

What is your favorite color combination? Another Sophie's Choice question!!! As a lover of all colors, impossible to answer, but we recently presented a scheme of champagne accented with  topaz and emerald that especially sang to me.

Being based in NYC, what inspires you about your environment? The streets of the greatest city in the world, and its citizens are endlessly inspiring. Whether barrelling up Madison Avenue or strolling the Chelsea arts district, inspiration leaps out at me.

Artinfo Visits Art LA at the PDC

Buzz is helping spread the word for the just opened Art LA in Los Angeles. Artinfo, the art news and events site shared their perspective on the show. If you are in LA, check it out.  Below is an excerpt:

LOS ANGELES—Despite its mammoth proportions and glittering facade that reflects sunlight as if made out of water, the Pacific Design Center (a.k.a. the “Blue Whale”) in the middle of Los Angeles has long remained under the radar of Angelino art collectors. All that changed this year with the inaugural production of Art Los Angeles Contemporary (ALAC), a new cutting-edge expo that debuted over the weekend as a 50,000-square-foot melting pot for 55 blue-chip and emerging galleries from Los Angeles and around the globe. Organized by Fair Grounds Associates' Tim Fleming, director of the fair and a former director of ART LA and photo Miami, ALAC stood apart from last month's bigger Los Angeles Art Show as a juried event with a selection committee composed of taste-making L.A galleries 1301 PE, David Kordansky Gallery, Peres Projects, andSusanne Vielmetter.



With the most affordable admission cost of any of the season's L.A. fairs at $16.00, ALAC attracted 9,000 attendees and collectors from the United States and abroad, as well as celebrities like Anthony Kiedis, Neil Patrick Harris, and Drew Barrymore. Hip galleries ranging from New York's Lisa Cooley and Gavin Brown's Enterprise to London's Museum 52 and Guadalajara's Charro Negro Galeria occupied booths in a grid enclosed by gloor-to-ceiling glass partitions, giving collectors an appealing sensation of viewing the art through storefront windows.



Attendees strolling the fair could not miss John Miller’s room of fiercely shining sculptures at Patrick Painter, where the imitation gold-leaf coating the works added a chintzy luster to the work's humble materials of plaster, cloth, and Styrofoam. Michael Briggs, the gallery's director, said interest in Miller’s work in the booth signaled a “pickup in the higher end as well as the lower end" — appropriately enough for an artist whose work is both valuable and a critique of commercial value. "Obviously it’s not like the boom times again in 2006 or 2007, but it’s pretty steady," Briggs said. "There are serious collectors and they are still buying serious art.” Over at Honor Fraser's booth, which was showing work by the rising New York-based artist Robert Lazzarini, gallery director Michelle Pobar agreed. “$10-30,000 is a great price range right now," he said. "People are really responding to that range of work.”



Closing sales were still being finalized this week and galleries remained tight-lipped about profits, but artists known to have sold at the fair include Miller; Sage Vaughn at Kim Light; Erin Shireff at Lisa Cooley; and Kerry Tribe, Pae White, and John Reynolds at 1301 PE(which sold upwards of $100,000 worth of work, according to Fleming). New York's I-20 gallery also sold two large "video engines" by artist Peter Sarkisian, each in the $100,000 range. New York-based artist Lisi Raskin also generated buzz with her collaged work inspired by nuclear missile sites at The Company's booth. According to artist Annie Wharton, who founded the Los Angeles gallery with curator Anat Ebgi in 2008, collectors were drawn to the way Raskin's art engaged with “the notion of the handmade, taking paper and re-working into very elaborate pieces."



Director Tim Fleming believes the Pacific Design Center's proximity to neighboring galleries and the Culver City Art Walk helped make the inaugural fair a success by reinforcing the art's connection to the urban fabric of the city.



Lisi Raskin, Container. Collaged paper, archival adhesive, graphite, acrylic paint, 28 x 22 in.

Courtesy the Company from Artinfo

History Lessons: NYSID's Judith Gura on Classical Design

Some styles are hard to identify – but it’s easy to spot Neoclassical design in furniture, fabrics or accessories  --- the ornament gives it away. Fluted columns or pilasters, carved swags or rosettes and graceful grotesque motifs are among the most familiar features of styles that take inspiration from the ancient world. Starting in the Renaissance (when Raphael famously adorned Vatican interiors with decorations inspired by those in Emperor Nero’s Domus Aurea) and continuing through history, designers have been entranced with these beautiful elements.  French Louis XVI rooms, interiors by England’s Robert Adam, and countless others reinterpreted them, though in very different ways. And designers today can still find inspiration in classical design.

Say Hello to Michael Giordano, Our Wallpaper Hanging Guru

There are a lot of things one should be aware of when hiring and working with  a wallpaper hanger. Be aware of what the costs are and what can go wrong. Greetings, I am Michael Giordano, wallpaper hanger for about three and a half decades, and I will be doing a series on wallpaper hanging, and mishaps to avoid with  tips and advice.  Watching trends come and go in the wonderful world of paperhanging, and I am always finding new ways to improve my skills.

Let’s get to it. The first thing you need to do is pick an installer.  You definitely want a knowledgeable one. So where do you find a reputable, trustworthy installer? The National guild of professional paperhangers is a good place to start; showrooms will also have a few tips that can help. Ask lots of questions, and if you get a recommendation from a reliable source, you can start heading in the right direction.

The material is one of the most important things to pay attention to, and we, the paperhanger, need to educate you, the decorator/designer.  Whether your in the business a while or just starting out, some things are doable, and some things are just not possible!  I know you  think we are magicians, but we do the best we can.  Some seams DO  show depending on the material you are using, but we will get into that another time. Materials are  an investment,  whether it costs $20.00 a yard or $500.00 a yard,  since it adds up in the end. But as you know, this a worthwhile expense . One of the best ways to keep cost down is getting the proper measurements of the space you are doing and the specifics of the paper or fabric.  Showroom salespeople help you as much as they can, but it is essential to confer with your paper hangers so no detail is overlooked.  Remember, you have windows, doors, and closets, so ask  an installer for estimates since they are often free.  Get your measurements and your pricing all at once.  On the job site, ask your installer what prep you might need--some papers require wall liners,   recommended for a reason.  Educate yourself to ask for the directions on the material or wall covering you are choosing, read it at lunch, on the train, or in the cab, and gain the knowledge to save time and money. don’t cut corners or someone will pay.

If you have any questions or your installer needs to ask a question I work with many of your favorite showrooms I am here for you, just ask and I will lead you in the right direction!

Best In Show  Wallpaper from Osborne and Little

Architect and Designer Barry Goralnick Tells Us What Color Combos He Loves Now

Barry Goralnick's extensive new collection of  hand knotted and Tibetan carpets for Stark is color and pattern filled. Goralnick, a graduate of Harvard Graduate School of Design, finds inspiration in the graphic patterns and textures found in decorative objects of the  30s, 40s and 50s.  When it comes to color, he shared with us what he is loving at the moment.  "The color gray. All shades, dove, pearl, charcoal, pewter. Gray combined with amethyst or lime." His Chinese Boxes rug reflects this inspiration and brings it to market.

DCOTA'S DesignHouse is Now Open Take a Look!

DesignHouse, the model penthouse of 14 rooms, ranging from grand entrance foyer, to kitchen, family room, wine cellar, balcony terrace, and master bedroom suite, has been created within the DCOTA building.  The nine thousand square foot show house highlights the newest and premier product available in the marketplace, as seen through the eyes of the industries most creative minds.

Photos by Troy Campbell Photography

Doing It Right: 21st Century Style Discussion

Furniture designer Dakota Jackson, architect Alexander Gorlin and interior designer Thad Hayes got together this past fall at the D and D Building to talk about Doing it Right: 21st Century Style.  These leaders in their fields  spoke about their work, and what modernism means to them. Listen in to hear what they had to say on style and it's evolution.

Pantone Announces the Color of the Year: Turquoise

Drumroll please..the color of  2010 is turquoise. It reminds us of a tropical getaway and has a transporting, soothing quality. Follow your bliss and work the color into your next projects. Whether it is the paint on the walls, or trim on a fabric, the color can add punch to any room.

Pictured: Brunschwig & Fils Chevron Bar Silk