Today Judy, Britt, Katerina, Hilaire, and I had a Design Throw-Down for one of our clients. Working together, we threw down all of our ideas and came up with three great color stories in a soft, yet sophisticated palette.
Check it out!
Room 1: teals & warm neutrals
Room 2: greens and browns
Room 3: grays and warm neutrals
-Robert
Rob, Katerina, Lauren and I attended an exciting preview party at the new West Elm store in Durham last night. We, along with numerous other excited party goers had a marvelous time experiencing their products L-I-V-E rather than just drooling over the catalog. A DJ was spinning tunes and we noshed on food and local drinks while selecting our must have home items!
Above- their living green wall we’re obsessing over, and the gorgeous invitation to the event printed on wood veneer.
Above- A few favorite items from the store.
Go check out the new Bull City store for yourself!
What West Elm products can you not live without?
I’m a huge fan of their Parsons desks and consoles- I have one in my room and the lacquered finish still looks new! -Brittany
If you have stopped by the office or called this week, perhaps you noticed everyone is beaming or overjoyed- reason? -Hilaire is tieing the knot this weekend.
The rest of the Design Lines team is super excited for her and cannot wait for the big day!
image: 1. OldNew Again Etsy
Exciting things are happening at Design Lines and we are pleased to kick-off our monthly “Designer Sale” and the launch of our online blog advertising campaign.
Designer Sale
For the designer sale we are selling 5 items each month – The type of product ranges from show house one-of-a kinds to hand-picked designer favorites. All are at significant savings and can be yours immediately! Take a look.
Look for the “Sale” tab on the right hand side of the blog, this will take you directly to our e-commerce site. So shop around and perhaps you don’t see anything this month, come back in April – we will have 5 new items to share.
Blog Advertising
Our blog grew 92% in visits last year and in 2012 we expect to see the blog continue to reach a bigger audience. Our readers are design enthusiasts, our very own clients, industry partners and design professionals themselves. If you think this is something your company would be interested in doing, let’s have coffee to discuss. For more information on advertising email advertising@designlinesltd.com or click here.
We need your votes for the Hickory Chair Furniture Company’s Centennial Design Challenge! Entries receive $10,000 worth of Hickory Chair product or the opportunity for Hickory Chair to make your own entry.
Rob has entered his design of a The Gothic Chair. The chair has an elaborate cut-out back inspired by English Gothic Architecture, which can be used as a dining chair or hall chair. Made of Mahogany with an upholstered seat and brass tack detailing, this chair would be equally suited to a traditional or contemporary setting.
So, go to Hickory Chair’s Facebok page and vote for Rob’s entry! You can vote for as many people as you want so be on the lookout for more entries from our firm. We will let you know when the submit their entry!
images: DLL
Next stop on the Blogfest agenda – touring the Kravet and Lee Jofa offices in NYC and boy was it fun!! I now have a deeper understanding of how they work and their departments within the company.
(Above left) Jennifer Powell of Kravet striking a pose at her desk. The space is so organized and clean! I wonder how they do it ?! (Above right) Various fabrics displayed for the marketing department.
(Above) Design concepts for several Kravet showrooms across the country and Canada.
(Above) The Kravet hallways. Look at all that storage, my I wish our fabric filing at Design Lines looked this good!
Fabrics, fabrics, fabrics, and more fabrics!
(Above) The CAD Room where staff members work on fabric coloring. It is a must, to have big printers.
(Above) Kravet also does custom fabric requests for various projects. The one above, is for Disney.
(Above) Lilly Pultizer fabrics by Lee Jofa. I love all the pop of color. Did you know, within every Lilly pattern you will find her name? Oftentimes, it is hidden but you can see in the lower left picture.
While technology plays an important part in fabric coloring today, sometimes matching fabric color by paint is the best way to go. (illustrated above lower right.)
(Above left) A Lee Jofa employee who has been with the company for over 40 years – he was so passionate about all the fabrics and was extremely knowledgeable.
(Above) Trends and inspiriation boards inside Lee Jofa.
Thank you for the tour!
Next, we’ll give you some more eye candy with our visit to the New York Design Center. See you tomorrow. Continue reading
Next stop on the agenda – May Studios on Long Island. The Blogfest 2011 crew was spoiled with a once-in-a-lifetime treat! Lee Jofa celebrated the launch of their new “Heritage Collection” by having 6 iconic interior designers design vignettes using fabrics from the collection. This party was hosted by Traditional Home.
Suzanne Kasler, David Easton, Diamond Baratta Design, Eric Cohler, Suzanne Rheinstein, and Thomas O’Brien were all in attendance. These designers were all gracious and autographed our very own “Inspired Styles” book published by Assouline.
(Above left) Thomas O’Brien’s vignette and (Above right) Hilaire with Thomas O’Brien
(Above) The Rosebank Print and vignette designed by Diamond Baratta Design.
(Above lef) Jennifer Powell of Kravet speaks with Eric Cohler about his vignette while (above left) is a glimpse of David Easton signing books for fellow attendees of the event.
Tomorrow we’ll have a review of the Ace Hotel, plus more on the events at Blogfest including a kickin cool tour of Kravet and Lee Jofa’s headquarters in Manhattan.
Stay tuned!
images: 1. Mayo Studios & the rest are personal
After a day of battling the fog I finally arrived in NYC for day two of Blogfest 2011. Blogfest attendees received an up close look at the new Lilly Pulitzer home furnishings line with a preview and picnic in the Lee Jofa showroom.
(Above) Hilaire with Susan from Bridget Bear Designs & Faith of Faith Sheridan Design Group, Inc. inside the Lee Jofa Showroom.
I can’t get over the blues! I love the blue checkered pattern on the walls and all the pop of orange.
Growing up in the interior design industry, I have always heard of Barbara Barry and seen her breathtaking designs – but I never thought I would have the opportunity to hear her speak let alone meet her.
(Above- left) Mrs. Kravet & Scott Kravet speaking with Barbara Barry after her presentation. (Above – right) Jennifer interviewing Barbara inside the Kravet Showroom.
Barbara Barry introduced her new line of Kravet fabrics called “Indochine,” and we even tasted Barbara’s new delicious tea from Tea Leaves called “Citrine.” My it was quite the event!
Thank you Barbara, for your gracious spirit. You are a true inspiration!
Tomorrow, we recap our visit to Long Island with Lee Jofa’s Heritage Collection and my do I have a treat for you!
Today, Judy and I are headed to Light Fair International 2011. We are excited to see the latest in lighting technology on display from companies around the world. Tomorrow, we will take advantage of the seminars at the fair, where we will learn about topics ranging from the newest LED fixtures to how the human eye percieves color.
We know that what we learn in the next two days will help us to better serve our clients, and we are looking forward to sharing highlights with you! So stay tuned!
Robert
Interior designers from all across the country and the extraordinary people who work at Lee Industries pose for a picture.
Not originally from North Carolina, I still marvel at the fact that beautiful furniture is made right here within the state of North Carolina. Touring the factory was like watching an intricate machine operate, we were able to see each process happening whether that was by hand or with a human operating a machine. Let’s begin with some of the highlights!
First, bolts of fabric arrive at the factory and are tagged to their respective furniture frame.
Next, the fabric is rolled out and inspected, prepared for cutting and sewing.
The patterns are then cut out of the fabric using a computer aided program. The strips you see on the table are being used to create a welt cord.
We closely observed the sewing department as they sew different pieces together.
Below:A top-stitch is created on leather.
Special details like a hidden zipper pocket and jumbo contrast top-stitching make each piece unique.
Lee Industries president Norman Coley (middle) observes a hardwood frame and nylon webbing.
Above: A master upholster begins tying down the metal springs with 8 way hand tied knots, a mark of good quality.
Below: An upholster finishes an ottoman with covered buttons.
Have you ever heard the phrase “spitting tacks?” This experienced upholster (above in green) holds his hammer to his mouth to show us a tried and true quick method.
Below: A gorgeous Chesterfield sofa.
Above: A covered welt cord will be applied to finish the edges on this pretty sofa with exposed wood.
After the factory tour Norman explained to us Lee Industries green practices, you can read all about their eco-friendly company culture here. We really enjoyed our experience at Lee Academy and feel great about all the knowledge we acquired while at the factory.
