Leaving Las Vegas... Not Yet!

Okay, Designers. Before we go, let’s review what the D.A. crew learned on this big adventure to the Las Vegas Market. First, let me remind you of our mission. We cleaned house here at Design Alliance, tossing dozens of out-of-date, neglectful and uncooperative vendors from our library of catalogs. We have made room for new vendors with a fresh perspective and a state-of-the-art design inspiration. We want to help you stay ahead of your clients  by keeping you abreast of the cutting edge trends in the design business.

The following are the vendors we found most exciting, with products and styles missing from our current library. As you review, please note who sounds good to you and with whom you might place an order.

FURNITURE COLLECTIONS

Four Hands:  Young, hip and urban. Very creative use of “other” elements, mixed with the common. Lot’s of natural accents like a slice-of-wood coffee table or a tree stump stool. Best industrial-influenced design seen at the show! Nearly every display had a vintage nod to the 50s or 60s or 70s in some application and all the clever lighting was unique to Four Hands. Overall the feeling was imaginative, designed and hand crafted. I choose this for its special accent pieces.

Gabby:  Transitional elegance, chic and slightly formal. Graceful lines in a pale palette, would describe the quiet Gabby showroom. A strong period furniture influence was seen in all of their designs as well as an extensive collection of antique “bench-made” case goods. Their seating collection shows lots of modern inspired silhouettes, the popular Italian arm on many chairs/sofas and classics like the Bergere chair. A handsome, stylized armoire, secretary or breakfront anchored every display. Overall the feeling was one of quality, class and tranquility. I choose this for its “on trend” transitional look.

Dovetail: Feminine, repurposed chic and new cottage. Dovetail had an atmosphere so distinct you could not imagine this furniture with any other. Every display was an effective, new, eclectic mix of styles that were spot on! Their artisans have mastered the art of “aging” woods, metals and fabrics to appear natural. In the weathered painted cabinet or the rough distressed tabletop you believed there was a history that got them here. Although they had some edgy, industrial pieces, I saw their strong suit in upholstery and dining sets. Overall the feeling was romantic, barefoot, gauze dress, lover, wine and strawberries. I choose this for all of the above.

Noir: Eclectic, intellectual, career city dweller. The NOIR showroom is misleading at first glance. You think contemporary, hip… but on closer examination you see the quintessential eclectic blend of choices in furniture, lighting and accessories. A large inventory of classic chests and cabinets, way-traditional bed frames and stylized, period sofas and chairs.  A unique group of transitional dining tables with raw trestle bases and hammered zinc tops coupled with antique period dining chairs like Chippendale, Emperor, British Colonial and ladder-back. An array of very contemporary bookcases and modern light fixtures like the “sputnik” or the alchemy chandelier, offered the eclectic twist. Overall the feeling was smart, confident and interesting. I choose this for the iconoclastic bend.

ACCESSORIES, ACCENT FURNITURE

Gold Leaf:  An embellishment source, for your display. Just full of yummy elements that were natural, textural, graphic, 3-D and ethnic. Woven papers, by the foot, would be fabulous framed. Cool sculptures to hang as 3-D artwork, beautiful woven baskets, unique bleached branches, and so on. Not a typical accessory vendor, but at times we need that special, unique element that could seal the deal on your coolness factor. Overall the feeling was “arty” one-of-a-kind. I choose this for the promise of uniqueness.

Global View:  Colorful, sculptural, ethnic design. Everybody’s favorite, it was just fun to walk in the showroom! A space divided into color collections with a sub category…series of shiny lime green ceramics paired with polished aluminum trays or shiny orange ceramics paired with monkey pod. Blown glass bowls, vases, sculpture and varied size balls glued to the wall as art. A large inventory of accent chests and consoles almost all reflecting some vintage design, as well as whimsical mirrors and wall hangings. An extensive collection of ethnic artifacts and useful elements. Overall the feeling was clean, new and creative. I choose this for its variety.

Worlds Away:  Elegant accents, gold leaf, mid-century. It’s Palm Springs 1963, it’s a white shag rug, it’s beehive hair with “Orange whip” lipstick. Worlds Away is feminine, shiny and carefree like;  a gloss teal lacquer entry chest with gold leaf legs,  or a gold and glass bar cart, parked under a silver leaf metal drum shade with Greek key cut-outs, or a pearly, Capiz shell hanging ball fixture. OR maybe one of their many gold, silver, metal or mirrored accent tables. Accent tables everywhere, clearly a trend! Overall the feeling was 1963, Pan Am Stew’s apartment. I choose this for the divorcee project.

LIGHTING

Jamie Young Lighting:  Creative, and sorta quirky. Lamps in every shape… balls, bells, barrels, jugs, jars and urns, made of clear colored or mercury lined glass, ceramic, wicker, wood, industrial metal or a stack of sliced horn.  Once you have selected a base, you pick your own shade, choosing from 38 shade shapes and 53 fabric choices, making your lamp truly one-of-a-kind.

Robert Abbey Inc:  A Designer’s lighting source. It appears they had handpicked the best from each of a wide range of lighting categories. In an effort to stay “on trend” they continue to work with icon designers, bringing to you a chic, strictly modern collection by Jonathan Adler, the elegant, classic, designs of Mary McDonald or Rico Espinet’s Stylish industrial creations. Overall, Robert Abbey lighting is a promise of quality.

AF Lighting: Lots of designer partnerships give AF a refined feeling, through thoughtful, edited lighting designs. Plus, the handy “series” groups, where they have gathered coordinated fixture styles of all types, into a collection. Great for a new home construction! AF has a strong transitional product line and a designer friendly attitude! Overall a first class staple source.

AREA RUGS

Feizy Rugs: (Pronounced Fay-Z).
The Feizy rug selection looks like quality, from the hand knotted silk and wool to the machine loomed PET, they look and feel rich. Their extensive traditional Indian rug designs are gorgeous and pricy. The transitional and contemporary collections are colorful and trendy in their designs. Overall some designs were so sublime that they were more suitable for framing than walking on!

Loloi: Their traditional rugs appeared to be ignored, as the LOLOI designers were busy creating their very hip and design friendly transitional and contemporary rug collections. The distressed “Nyla and Mirage” collection, the ethnic “Xavier” and the sophisticated “Sahara” designs all forgave the forgettable, traditional India classics. Overall, LOLOI may only be half useful?

Surya Rugs:  Made in Surya, India, all rugs are hand knotted, tufted or loomed. Colorful, tactile, cheerful and affordable, we love Surya! Also the home of poufs, ottomans, pillows, throws, lighting and artwork, plus… Design Alliance is the exclusive distributor in North County!

Viva World Market!

We are back from Las Vegas World Market and all abuzz at Design Alliance after five days of roaming the halls with a bag on wheels. We all hit the trail with one mission in mind—to find NEW, quality, versatile, forward-thinking vendors to bring home to our fabulous designers. It was my first time to the Las Vegas Market and for those of you who have never been, it is sensory overload! You are met by the stylish “A-B-C” buildings of the World Market Center. They circle around an outdoor gathering quad, dotted with seating areas, fire pits, an ice skating rink and a fully equipped stage, from which music fills the air all day long. It’s all very exciting. 

Once we narrowed our focus and mapped a course we spilt up to explore inside this “global” environment. There was a strong organic feeling across the board. The fabrics were natural and tactile—linens, burlap, leather, mohair, velvet—all in a subtle array of neutrals. Yet sprinkled across this quiet, muted ground were accents of bold, pure color—colors like all the hues of a peacock feather or every shade of orange and saffron yellow. Plus, as noted at the “First Look” seminar, navy and gold are back as a trend for 2014. Meanwhile, gold and warm silver-leaf finishes were found in lighting, accessories and metal-based case goods.

The shape of things was eclectically unique, fabrics were still strong with geometric and ethnic prints and rugs were everywhere in big, bold, colorful graphics that could steal a room. Twenties-era glamour was still an important reference point. For the average bear, vintage glamour, as in a mirrored chest or velvet lounge… but for the truly glamorous, see “Christopher Guy,” period. And of course the Mid-Century form. From a suggestion in a leg or silhouette, to a flat-out exact re-creation of the dresser in my bedroom in 1959, the modern mid-century design influenced collections throughout the market. Another strong modern inspiration was the classic Chesterfield, with its low profile and high sides, seen on sofas and chairs. Plus tufting was everywhere on everything—chairs, ottomans, sofas, benches and headboards—oh and nail heads, for an upholstery update, tuft and nail. 

Anything eco-friendly, recycled or sustainable, stuck on the face of a chest or as a table top was popular. The base of a dining table with weathered, turned legs or a raw, rough-cut pedestal base was seen with a top of distressed, unfinished wood or covered in a sheet of galvanized metal—sorta like if “Shabby Chic” and “vintage metal office furniture” had a child. This unique table would then be surrounded by metal industrial stools or a stylized, classic chair like the oval-back Louis XVI, with bleached wood frame and leather upholstery. For the 20- to 30-something urban dwellers, think vintage industrial. A metal, multi-drawer card file as an end table/chest, metal lockers for storage or any kind of steel or pot metal contraption as an accessory is very “now.”  Also seen more than once: the bicycle wheel—as a stool, lamp base, table base and chandelier—and, at the “Phillips Collection,” an entire wall of bicycle wheels created a charming, circle and spoke artwork. 

 

Speaking of artwork, paintings and graphics notwithstanding, wall space was being invaded by just about anything mounted in groups or waves or clusters or polka dots. Colorful blown glass bottles, balls, platters and bowls, mod ceramic flowers, balls of gold wire, random sticks of driftwood, coral and shells, baskets, woven paper… anything, artfully displayed and enhancing the surroundings became interesting and whimsical wall art.

For accessories, the old world artisans come to the city. Think hand crafted and global, nestled among bright, slick colorful ceramics.  A shiny orange vase complements a colorful hand woven Indian basket, or a 2-foot weathered wooden head of a Hindu God sits on a contemporary console in aqua blue lacquer.  It’s “One World” in the ultimate eclectic blend of esthetics. From China, Tibet, Peru, Brazil, India and Africa we see elegant, exotic, primitive works of art displayed with Vegas in the background. Amazing!

In lighting, the fixtures were like artwork suspended in air.  Metal hanging fixtures from clean machined geometrics to raw cut-outs on barrel shades, lights made of chains, random balled wire, hanging silver balls and lots of 60s inspired starbursts. Lest I forget the Christopher Guy blown glass explosion!   One great new style seen over and over were pendant clusters, groups of 3-4-5 same or very different pendant lights grouped over a surface, artfully spread out or falling from the ceiling—charming and fun.

Needless to say there is so much more to talk about, and I will in my next blog. I’ll also share the vendors we found at market and would like to partner with.  All of this will only happen with your buy-in. Look for a “Show n’ Tell” in early March of all the vendors under consideration. We want to know what you think, and we want to know what you want!

 Check the events calendar on our web site for the “Show n’ Tell” date and time. 

FINALLY, DON’T MISS OUR GRAND REOPENING EVENT FEBRUARY 13, FROM 11 AM TO 4 PM. Eight vendors to meet n’ greet, tasty food, and fabulous prizes—including an iPad Mini—with a drawing every hour! So please join us and come see our new look!

The Future Looks Fabulous

Hello Designers. Welcome to my blog! My name is Joy Crowe and my partner Jo Ellen Collins and I are the new owners of Design Alliance in Vista, California. If you are here, then you have visited our web site and have a basic idea of who we are and what we do…. however, if you came straight to my blog, if you read nothing else, well, you wouldn’t know what is going on, so just to be safe, I’d better explain…

Design Alliance is this incredible designers’ resource hidden away in an industrial business park in Vista of North County. This operation is TO THE TRADE ONLY, so all you freelancers, independent designers, part-time decorators, small studio owners—this is a service just for you. It is a showroom full of samples of every possible element you would need for a project, with tons of catalogs and the all-knowing Design Alliance team, at the ready, to get you what you want. When I think of the shoe leather and gas I could have saved…. this is a brilliant find!

I spent 29 laborious years as a freelance designer, 70% residential 30% contract and healthcare design. Everyday I’d craft my multi-task list of the people I needed to see, the places I needed to go and the things I still needed. When I came home I’d do paperwork, then lay in bed and review what was pending… I was always working. Being a lone designer is hard. It’s tedious, demanding, high pressure work. Your days are diverse and any crazy, emotional, disappointing, angry or joyous moment could alter the outcome of a well laid plan. The stress can be intense, yet we still love it. We create from a unique set of circumstances. We see the big picture and juggle the details. We, in a superficial way, make a difference in peoples’ lives, while leaving a tasteful, stylish, color coordinated mark on the planet.

You, me, WE as independent designers, is what my weekly blog is about. The challenges and solutions, ideas and applications, the business of design, clients you love to hate and of course, anything really cool some vendor brings in, that may inspire! I welcome your input on subjects you want to talk about or even be a guest blogger, if you have something to share. Simply email me at joyatdesignallianceresource.com and I’ll set you up.

Lastly, I want to send a big THANK YOU to Joy Solleder, the original owner and creator of Design Alliance. This beautiful, talented and handy “can-do” designer had an idea and she went for it. She built this extraordinary sample inventory—AND the cabinets they are housed in—from nothing. She negotiated with countless vendors for the trade discounts we pass on to you and maintained the business between you, her and them ‘til the day she left. Joy is everywhere at D.A. Her classic good taste in design and her tenacity to follow through and make it happen is evident everywhere.

Thank you, Joy, for all that you did and for the opportunity to be part of keeping your dream alive. We are thrilled to be here. Now relax, enjoy your life in Washington and your Allegro Bus on the road. Best of luck to you and “Happy Motoring!”

Talk soon.