Blogfest 2012: Insights from the Industry's Best

It was year #2 for Blogfest and while the format stayed the same, the attendees and content were fresh. Panels, parties and tours were all packed into three full days planned and hosted by Kravet Inc.

On the second day of the conference, there were many great panels held at Hearst Tower as well as in the D&D Building with editors of several major design publications. There was such great information shared at these panels we wanted to share some of the more insightful tidbits and tips we picked up from the editors and interior designers on them.

At left, the team behind the Veranda panel: publisher Jennnifer Bruno, interior designer Darryl Carter, editor-in-chief Dara Caponigro and interior designer Timothy Whealon. On the right, just one of loads of laughs shared between designer Alexa Hampton and Traditional Home editor-in-chief Ann Maine.
Images courtesy of Blogfest2012.

Veranda: Editor-in-Chief Dara Caponigro with Darryl Carter and Timothy Whealon, interior designers

• Veranda Magazine targets a reader that isn’t trendy, she’s arrived and has incredible buying power. They focus on showing homes across the country.
• American designers have an “I can be anything” attitude when it comes to style. The mix old and new, high and low. They know stylish lives aren’t just about decorating; they are about lifestyle. No one mixes like Americans do.
• Darryl Carter decorated a family house with a neutral color palette which is not generally thought of as kid friendly. The ways to navigate decorating with light colors in a family house are to use materials that are durable (like faux leathers).
• Designers need to work on their own spaces in order to get attention from editors. Create an amazing home of your own to serve as your best calling card to get noticed by editors of major design publications.
• Timothy Whealon likes color that doesn’t shout at you and the creation of airy interiors. Darryl Carter believes in keeping a muted palate that is calm, demure and lasting.
• Clients think they know more than they do due to the plethora of information available online and in print. Clients are empowered by wealth of info but might not know what to do with it.
• Darryl Carter & Timothy Whealon agree: full transparency with clients is an important part of establishing trust and working with clients.

A Timothy Whealon-designed dining room in the May 2012 Veranda magazine of which Timothy says, "I aim for a clean, fresh classicism that has the openness of an Agnes Martin painting." Images via Timothy Whealon/Veranda.

 

At left, the cover of the January/February 2011 Veranda in which this Darryl Carter-designed Austin, TX home was featured (center). Images via Darryl Carter/Veranda. At right, the cover of his book, The New Traditional. Image by Gordon Beall Photography and courtesy of Clarkson Potter.

Traditional Home: Editor in Chief Ann Maine with interior designer Alexa Hampton

• The word "traditional" can be evocative of time at home, family and a person's individual traditions.
• There is a change afoot (in design world). Something anthropological in the way we live, not just technology. We cook and don’t have staff like women of 50 years ago.
• There are "no trends in color, everybody has a happy place for color."
• “I like when there is a practical reason behind a rule. Rules are made to be broken and broad, sweeping statements should be broken! I like it when there is a practical reason for rules but each space needs to be looked at on its own.”- AH
• “Only work with people with whom you see eye to eye. The best collaborations come from great people you like to work with.” - AH
• “Traditional design is evocative of time spent at home with family. Traditional design is an amorphous term we can invest in our home with what we like.” - AH
• Create tension in a room; play with contrast. Don’t be too heavy.
• Use blogs to scout for images and share with clients/decorator.

Left: Designer Alexa Hampton, head of Mark Hampton, LLC. Image by Andrew French via Architectural Digest. Center and Right: Detail of Alexa's contribution to the 2012 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse. Images by and courtesy of Patrick J Hamilton.

Some great information shared by some of the power players in the industry. Be sure to pick up the latest editions of these magazines to see these designers’ work up close and personal.