Suzanne Kelly, VP, Showrooms for The Robert Allen Group, recently made the bi-annual pilgrimage to High Point Furniture Market. We asked her for the download on new products and industry buzz.

Suzanne Kelly

High Point Furniture Market is a twice-annual mecca for buyers and designers in the home furnishings industry.  Held in High Point, North Carolina since 1909, the High Point Market Authority says they host the largest home furnishings market in the world with estimated attendance of 85,000, which swells this small town of about 100,000 residents to the bursting point.

I always come home with a wealth of insight into design trends and also the latest industry news (as well as a renewed appreciation of the NYC subway system).  Some of the buzz this year concerned magazines, two of which announced a changing of the guard.  House Beautiful toasted Newell Turner, their new editor-in-chief, while Veranda magazine gave a party to welcome Dara Caponigro as their new editor-in-chief.  We’re just glad they are both still in business.

Spirits were higher than several past markets and there was a noticeable sense of optimism.

We were excited to see the new styles being introduced, including a few I’ll share now from the vendors we carry in our 15 Robert Allen | Beacon Hill showrooms across the country:

Who wouldn’t like to come home to a glamorous bedroom like this one by Christopher Guy?

Of course, we were delighted to see Christopher Guy’s fabulous sectional upholstered in “Dahlia Gardens,” one of Larry Laslo’s designs for Robert Allen.

As long as High Point has been a Furniture Market, Kindel has been making fine furniture. Their new Regency Cabinet is a perfect example of the handcrafted, classically-inspired designs that have kept them in business for over 100 years.

This is Kindel’s beautiful new Regency Poster Bed. Like the rest of Kindel’s line, their furniture is all made in the U.S.A.

I loved the detail on these Kindel dining chairs, appropriately named Floral Back Chairs.

Christian Plasman founded Bolier after several decades in the furniture industry. He’s found a sweet spot with their classic forms based on traditional fine furniture.  This distinctive new side table they introduced at High Point is a showpiece.

 
A real chameleon, this elegant console by Bolier will complement a transitional or traditional interior.

The grid detailing distinguishes Bolier’s new coffee table and the scale of this piece makes it versatile as well as beautiful.

Swaim’s accent pieces frequently feature stone or metal, as demonstrated by this striking new nest of tables. This is another company that still makes all their furniture in America.

This majestic dining table by Swaim is a perfect anchor for an elegant dining room.

Known for the perfection of their upholstery, Swaim introduced a new sofa style at High Point.

Hope this gave you a taste of High Point --- every interior designer should experience it at least once!  For more information, see highpointmarket.org. 

The media landscape for today’s designer has changed dramatically over the past decade, even over the past year!  On this subject, Julia Noran and Sophie Donelson of Editoratlarge.com recently presented “Design Revolution” at a meeting of the Long Island chapter of the Interior Design Society held at Robert Allen | Beacon Hill showroom in Woodbury. It was such a big hit that we asked Julia to be this week’s guest blogger.

Julia Noran, founder, editoratlarge.com

If you don’t think you’re “techno-savvy,” this post is for you!  I’m going to share some basic ways designers can use new technologies to grow their business.

Gone are the days when glossy national or regional print magazines are best or only option for designers to showcase your work.  In the new media landscape, it’s important for you to first create a web presence for your brand, and second, publish your work over the internet.

A lot of people throw around the words blog and website and social media, but what does it all mean? A blog is, in short, an online journal. It tends to have one page that can be scrolled down— Habitually Chic is an example. So is All the Best vs. a website, like Shelterpop where it has tabs and menus--navigation.

Nesting Newbies is a new online resource that is a hybrid website magazine with different features and functionality, often including one or more blogs.  All of these sites accept submissions from interior designers. Some, like Lonny and Decor Demon, only publish work that they photograph themselves, while many of the blogs will post single or multiple project images and sometimes designer profiles.

Before you're able to reach out to the online community, it's best to establish a web presence for yourself or your firm. This can be as simple as creating a Facebook page. You can see ours above. You don't need to publish your date or birth or pics of your kids--you can use Facebook as a business tool to post project images in albums and then, you can "friend" editors, magazines, and potential clients. Some designers use Facebook as a pseudo blog, by posting interesting finds and inspiring images for their friends.  For another example, check out Robert Allen's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robert-Allen/95399870259.

Another way to promote your firm is through Twitter. While your company website or Facebook page is a great place for images and information to live, Twitter can help you shout it out to a larger audience. When you write a Tweet, it is posted on the homepage/newsfeed to your friends, fans and followers. Twitter sends bite-sized bits of information such as a comment or a link to an article or image. Your followers can also subscribe to receive an RSS of your tweets —which means they get can find them in a bookmark or have them sent via email.

Just remember, the idea of exclusivity still exists in the new media landscape. Part of what this means is that if you have a great story to share, don’t post it on Facebook or your website if you have hopes of getting it published in a reputable publication.

Unfortunately, times are tough for magazines and many are short on staff, which means designers and publicists have to work extra hard to grab their attention. With this in mind I founded a website called The Editor at Large, which makes it easier for designers to reach editors—and vice versa!

Like match.com, Editoratlarge.com allows designers and manufacturers to create a profile page using an online submission form, uploading up to 50 photos with the click of one button. If one of our Editoratlarge.com Contributing Editors approves the project, you pay a one-time fee and the project will go live in the database, and be emailed to your selections from approximately 100 different publications. If a publication is interested in a submission, they will contact you directly via email.

Here’s an example of what an editor sees in the projects database. We’ve had many great successes to date with regional, national, international and online publications, and we’ve been pleased with the level of participation in the community.  Editoratlarge.com offers resources such as a daily design newsfeed; a calendar of design events; an interior design job board; and Editor TV—design industry event coverage.  If you want to know more, please visit Editoratlarge.com

Hope you’ve found this brief overview helpful.  There is great opportunity in the new media landscape --- make it work for you and your business!

Renowned interior designer William “Bill” W. Stubbs, whose home is Houston, has done it all.  Named to Architectural Digest’s “Top 100” designers and architects in the world, Bill’s successful book, “I Hate Red, You’re Fired!” has now been eclipsed by the TV series he hosts, “Moment of Luxury.”   The first 26 episodes have aired on public television stations across the country, and he is currently taping his third season.

A former Sunday School teacher born in Gonzales, Texas, Bill has gained international acclaim as a result of his great talent, hard work and his sunny, upbeat approach to life.  Bill’s series shows viewers different ways to incorporate beauty and luxury into everyday life as he shares some of his favorite inspirations in cities around the world. We asked Bill to tell us about some of these sources and how they have inspired the interiors he has designed.

(Photo by Jack Opatrany)
Bill Stubbs, President, William W. Stubbs & Associates and TV show host, "Moment of Luxury"

(Photo by Robin Marriott)
Here I am taping the first episode of my series at the largest flea market in the world, the Marche aux Puces de saint-Quen.  I‘ve found endless inspiration here over the years to incorporate into my own townhouse in Houston.  When I’m in Paris, I always stay at the Saint James Hotel, a former turn-of-the-century mansion with impeccable service. I loved the bathroom there so much that I recreated its feel in my own home.

(Photo by Bruce Bennett)
Originally the plan for the master bedroom in my townhouse included a canopy bed, but that changed when I spotted this big, unusual country French bed with massive barley-twist posts at a shop in Paris.  It had an old mirror on the headboard, which I had replaced with ecru upholstery.  All fabrics are Robert Allen.

I’m admiring a classic old-fashioned Lincoln Towncar in this photo, taken while filming in Southern California.  In this episode, called “Pyne House Organic and Easy Entertaining,” I take a ride in a 1940s Lincoln Continental and revisit a design project I began in Season One, a family home with an eclectic organic garden.

(Photo by Rob Muir)
In this guest suite, I re-created the feeling of the owners’ favorite London hotel, The Stafford.  The Louis XVI Trumeau above the fireplace features an oval painting on canvas. The oil painting beside the bed is The Ballerina by Peter Miller.

(Photo by Dan Woolsey)
Of course, New York City is one of my favorite cities in the world. Here I am taping a tour of the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.   I asked my friends Bunny Williams, Juan Montoya and Charles Pavarini to give our viewers a tour of the beautiful rooms they designed for this annual Showhouse, which I consider one of the best showhouses in the country.

(Photo by Bruce Bennett)
Taping an episode in my hometown of Houston was a real highlight for me, especially the experience of welcoming the viewers I’ve come to think of as my friends into my own home.  I’m particularly proud of the bedroom I designed for my daughter Courtney. I selected 28 different fabulous Robert Allen/Beacon Hill fabrics and trims, with layers of textures, tassels, embroidery and beads in the bed coverings and bed hangings, the incredible tufted rosette canopy, the embellished accent pillows, the upholstery and the draperies.

(Photo by Bruce Bennett)
I wanted Courtney’s room to be the best, most beautiful room a dad could hope to give his daughter. She says I succeeded.  She’s now all grown up, newly married and living in Manhattan in her own home.  One of my own favorite luxuries is spending time with Courtney, her husband Robert and my son Chad when I come to New York.