DIFFA-Dining by Design - Part 1 at the Architectural Digest Show

My visit to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show last year was very successful for me and my design practice as I found some really fantastic artists that ended up collaborating with me on a few design installations..

One of the main highlights for me every year is always the DIFFA-Dining by Design tables exhibition... as is of course, my breakfast with Modenus and the lovely team of BlogTour NYC with a few #MarysandMimosas to start us off right!




In it's 16th year, this annual celebration of art, fashion and design draws on the collaborative powers of tabletop and interior/architectural minds in a way that is always very inspiring and highly creative, and this year was certainly no exception. All of that AND all for a special cause.. now that is simply Magic.

Interior Design Magazine - design by Ali Taylor

"DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS is one of the country's largest supporters of direct care for people living with HIV/AIDS & preventive education for those at risk." 

Some of the first look at the tables and their designers.. make sure to check out their links too and support everyone that helps make this possible every year..

I'm just going to let the tables speak for themselves..

Kravet / Lee Jofa designed by Aerin Lauder

Goil and Tom (AM/MOR Architecture), Justin Huxol (HUXHUX Design) with Whoopi Goldberg

EDG - The Roger Thomas Collection

Parsons The New School for Design with Mentors "2 Michaels" design

New York Design Center - by Thom Filicia

Architectural Digest 

and if you are in New York, and can head into the city.. make sure to stop by and visit these tables and show yourself.. it is definitely worth the trip.

PUBLIC VIEWING

Friday, March 22 - Saturday, March 23
11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sunday, March 24
11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Explore the latest in design trends as you view the amazing installations and shop the silent auction. 
TICKETS: $30 (includes admission to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show)
Enter Promo Code DIFFA to receive $5 off 

To purchase tickets, click here.

SILENT AUCTION
Throughout the course of the five days of events, DIFFA will host a silent auction showcasing fabulous hospitality experiences and luxury goods. If your company is interested in contributing an experience to the event's silent auction, please click here. 

Much more tomorrow on the blog so see you then!

Extra Extra, Read all about it ~ House Beautiful Presents..

Another great issue of House Beautiful hits the news stands today ~ so before you rush out and get your copy.. 




I have a special treat to share with you. 
An advance look at one of the highlighted designers this month -

Connie Newberry. 







I felt particularly inspired by the subtle menage of color, pattern and styles that Connie Newberry used when designing her home and in doing so was very successful in establishing a warm and inviting family home (she has three boys!) that doesn't seem staged or posed, but instead very real and timeless. 

Join me, as she opens the doors to her stunning Hudson Valley home.

"Lunch is often eaten outdoors at the teak table and chairs during summer and fall. "

The flamingo, painted by British artist William Skilling, “is fun,” Newberry says.
It hangs over an 18th century Welsh dresser. Custom carpet by Beauvais.

Watermelon colored curtains and yellow piping on leather-covered 18th-century Italian chairs add to the warmth in the dining room while in the library, a sofa covered in Holland & Sherry moleskin blends into the walls. A coffee table from Gerald Bland “adds the pop of red every room needs,” Newberry says and a touch of modern "Antelope" in the carpet by Stark.

Connie creates a classic, All-American look in her home, with a blend of animal patterns, botanical prints, and chintz, which adds cheerful vibrancy to each room. Her combination of patterns and colors creates an old-fashioned, warm, inviting atmosphere.

The kitchen is the hub of the house, with room for a desk and a big breakfast table. 

“I thought the more formal 18th-century lyre-back chairs combined with the 19th-century French farmhouse table was an interesting juxtaposition,” Newberry says. The high back of the banquette hides any mess on the mahogany-topped island. A pair of lamps by Vaughan “makes it feel more like a room and less of a kitchen.” The cabinetry is painted in her favorite creamy white, Benjamin Moore’s Linen White. - CN

"..Not everyone would choose red walls for a guest room. I know. But you can be more adventurous because no one is going to be sleeping there all the time—hopefully.
Red is very warm, and it sets off the chintz. .. I didn't want guests to come in and think they were going to be eaten alive by those giant apples and pears. So I quilted it to take the edge off. ...The quilting also creates another layer of pattern. And a kind of patina. Although that wasn't a problem here - Having three boys around definitely added to the patina very quickly."- CN

The red walls in the guest room are both warm and surprising,” says Newberry, who chose the paint color—Chili Pepper by Benjamin Moore—to complement one of her favorite chintzes by Brunschwig & Fils. A 19th-century Chinese screen from Gerald Bland and a leopard-spotted chest in whimsical green add more layers of color, pattern,and texture. Carpet by Stark. Bed linens by Schweitzer. Tortoise blinds by Smith & Noble.

Connie Newberry: "I love chintz! The 

combination of colors adds a vibrancy 

to a room  that even a bunch of bright 

solid fabrics can’t give you." 

So chintz is your time capsule?

CN: "Exactly. ... 

I think there’s a comfort factor 

to it. When you walk into a room with 

chintz on the curtains or on a chair, 

it brings back happy memories. You 

let your guard down. There’s a lack 

of pretense to it, as opposed to silk or 

damask.

It’s good, classic American 

decorating." 

Another American classic—a ticking stripe—perks up a boy’s room

Wallpaper in the bathroom .. Oh YES! Soothing greys, whites get a great kick of color from the dark emerald (very on trend) green in the towels and accents in this bathroom.

A large-scale pattern on the wallcovering by Katie Ridder for Holland & Sherry

makes the master bath feel bigger. 

So enjoy the rest of the home in the April issue of House Beautiful, and let me know which room was YOUR favorite!

Here is a great little video from House Beautiful in 2011 that shows Connie's sense of humor, and .. her love of Frogs!?!

3 Questions With Connie Newberry 

The designer on frogs, chintz, and grouping a collection en masse.

 

All images courtesy of House Beautiful.

Article: Produced by David M. Murphy Styled by Gregory Bissonnette

Interior design by Connie Newberry Interview by Christine Pittel Photographs by Jonny Valiant

Design Bloggers Conference - Interview with Barbara Barry and Kravet

As a continuation from Part 1 of my interview with Barbara Barry's on her inspiration and view of the world of interior design, I wanted to share a deeper look into how these visuals and moments of inspiration translated in a very tangible way into Barbara's work.

Barbara Barry - watercolors, image via Barbara Barry here

"I believe in beautiful process being as important as beautiful product.

If you enjoy and engage with whom you are working then you produce something made with love." - Barbara Barry

Around Beauty: 

Whether designing for a client, or designing a collection of fabrics for a brand such as Kravet, ..

"Working with Kravet has been a beautiful process right from the beginning. It has turned into a trusted relationship and when trust is present you have the confidence to show your ideas and do your best work."

Visit the collections by Barbara Barry for Kravet here

or a line of furniture for Baker Furniture ..

Barbara Barry for Baker Furniture

B. Barry for Visual Comfort

or even lighting such as this beautiful floor lamp for Visual Comfort..


.. I am fascinated by the process and I always enjoy seeing them put into action and how the story of each home and design unfolds.

Beverly Hills, California - Barbara Barry

Pacific Palisades, California - Barbara Barry 

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - Barbara Barry

"I believe food cooked with love tastes better  ... and apply that thinking across all I do."

Santa Monica, California - Barbara Barry

Here are some more collections and product collaborations, as well as a few newly launched.. among those at Kravet...

Kravet - Barbara Barry Collections

·         Fabrics, Trimmings, Drapery Hardware, Carpets

·         New broadloom rug collection for Kravet coming soon….

The Kravet / Barbara Barry video on her Indochine Collection. Great to watch!

Other New Collections

·    The new Barbara Barry Outdoor Collection for McGuire – Feb 2013 just launched.

·   New lighting series:  Mar Vista Collection by Barbara Barry for Boyd Lighting – Feb 2013

·    Barbara Barry sheeting collections are launched every season via Bloomingdales

So no need to worry, there is a way to bring a little bit of Barbara Barry into every part of your home.

Thank you all so much for stopping by.. hope to have much more from Design Bloggers Conference so stay tuned. 


Image Credits: Thank you Barbara Barry for sharing these images with me from your book and your online portfolio of images here.

Please note that all photography from Barbara’s book is credited to:  Photo by David Meredith, from Around Beauty(Rizzoli NY) by Barbara Barry

Kravet - Images via Kravet