Design Camp

I saw a pumpkin today. I guess summer is over…did you have a nice vacation Designers? What’d you do? Where’d you go? Paris, the Serengeti, Tijuana? Well, while you were working on your tan in Bora Bora, I was being a responsible designer and attending “Interior Design Camp.” For three grueling days I braved the wilds of Las Vegas, keeping a journal of my sightings and research, earning my “Good Designer” patch and scoring a big tote of vendor swag!

The camp leaders, celebrity designers Kelli Ellis and Lori Dennis, kept us busy every day with a packed roster of guest speakers, all industry experts in the field of design, retail, media and marketing. These programs were designed to help designers at every level to successfully brand, position and promote their interior design business. 

We learned about Sustainable Design, Connection Marketing, Design Law and bridging the gap between Design and Technology. It was hours of 50-cent words and abstract comparisons… arbitration agreements, non-disclosure, drive conversion, evaluate, control, focus, maintain, execute, clarify your responsibilities, establish your credibility, “Hierarchy of Needs.” Whew! Fascinating, you had to be there! Not to worry, I’m not empty-handed Designers. I brought back, to share with you, all my notes on “DESIGN,” ‘cause it’s more fun and that’s the kind of camper I am!

THE TREND REPORT

Michael Indursky of “Design Life Network,” with the aid of images, laid out the direction of trends, not just in palette and furniture style, but through illusion, metaphor and FEELING. If you look at each design year, as it adjusts to accommodate a new style movement, it will naturally expel the trend icon or the least adaptable element from the current trend, so a new “look” can be born. 

Looking at the layering of designs over 20 years, took us from big, heavy, dark and detailed to clean, light, simple and open…like a flip book. The movement is constant, but not jarring, it is an easy give and take and it always leaves you with something familiar. Trend life is from 2 to 10 years, yet some designs come, U-turn and go, like “Radiant Orchid” of 2014, a great color but, a shade of purple and the entire purple family has always had a reputation for being “different” and apparently the public was not ready for that responsibility. Other trends easily adjust through the years, like the “continental arm” on sofas and chairs, the rod and ring drapery, hardwood floors and ottoman seating, all adaptable to the changing trends.

As the New Year approaches, we slowly add color and accents to our neutral rooms, while the “classic” silhouette in furniture grows stronger.  The simplicity of the current clean designs remains sacred and welcomes a contemporary take on the white washed, raw linen, taupe/grey world of 2014. 

Blue, all shades of blue.

Meanwhile, if your specialty is creating complete environments, if your rooms tell a story and you enjoy finding the authentic touches, your time draws near!  The layering of details can be found in all the new offerings, creating much more specific statements of style; however quiet, peaceful, simple and neutral live on as the launching point for the new contemporary trends.

NEW TREND APPLICATIONS

COLOR TRENDS!  BLUE, all shades of true blue, blue as an accent or the all blue room. Blue as fresh! 

Browns.

BROWN, earth brown, in its natural shade, a beautiful, soft neutral with a defining quality, like black… Oh, did I mention, I heard it is the “new black”?? Stay tuned! 

ORANGE, at DA, we think bright, rich orange is very SoCal. And looks great on the beach combers!

Metals.

METALS. Mixed metal, flat, modeled, burnt and carved finishes. Bronze and copper raw accents. SILVER, soft polished silver as furniture, lighting, accessories, sculpture…accent with silver.    

                                                                        

Woodwork.

WOODWORK. Wood still wears many looks: raw, weathered, rustic and distressed stay strong in architecture and some furniture. Woodwork that has been white washed, grey washed or antiqued will still be the popular finish on classic furniture and on the wide plank hardwood and laminate floors.

Space sculpt.

SPACE SCULPT. Big, bulky furniture, creating a flowing landscape of shapes, volume within a room.

Simplicity.

SIMPLICITY. A new iconic contemporary, with a fresh take on the classics by altering all the scale.

Pleasant times.

PEASANT TIMES. An earthy, vintage feel, living on the land and the romantic notion of a peasant’s life. The river stone walls, washed, open beams and antiqued secretary bring a forest cottage, 16^th century feel to this cozy space.

Global views.

GLOBAL VIEWS.  Hand-embellished textiles, multiple batik patterns and prints, colorful painted pottery and baskets, wood carving on everything, detailed metal lighting, woven throws…etc. These fabulous handicrafts appear to be the treasures you found on your last trip to Bali, Kenya, Morocco, displayed on the neutral ground of linens and washes as bursts of colorful detail, texture and charm.

Inner sanctums.

INNER SANCTUMS. Multiple elements and activities sharing the same space, rooms within a room.

Transformative states.

TRANSFORMATIVE STATES. Deconstruction, shifting, veiling, fractal nature and conceptual.

CONCLUSION

In this camper’s opinion, there was a vibe around the future design ideas that was unmistakable. It was all about purpose and how you utilize your space. No frivolous decorator items or gratuitous accents, each application is there to serve you in one way or another. It felt like, in the future we may never leave our home. This is not a “style.” Imagine creating a purposeful, intelligent, worthy environment that reflects the needs and taste of your client, a place they feel inspired by and safe in, a home that is unmistakably theirs. If that is the challenge, where would you start?