Inspired.talk

Exciting Announcement: Kravet Blogfest 2013 and the Design Bloggers Conference

After two years in New York City, Kravet is taking Blogfest west to take part in the Los Angeles design culture and bring our bloggers and designers a new experience. 

This year, Kravet is collaborating with the Design Bloggers Conference to introduce some great special events during the conference in Los Angeles, March 3-5. On Monday, we are hosting a panel discussion with Traditional Home senior editor Jenny Bradley and the creators of Blogfest and the Design Bloggers Conference.On Tuesday, March 5, Kravet and Blogfest will be sponsoring the DBC keynote presentation by designer Barbara Barry, as well as an afternoon presentation featuring Newell Turner, Hearst Design Group Editor in Chief.

Kravet is also hosting the second annual DBC closing party with Traditional Home and Harbinger in West Hollywood Tuesday night. We are also planning some exciting events on Wednesday, March 6, at the Pacific Design Center, including a Kravet Chair Build at 10:00 a.m. and the kick off of the House Beautiful annual Chair Giveaway in the afternoon. In addition to these great events, we have a few more surprises in the works for Los Angeles, and will spread the word as soon as we can!

Registration for the Design Bloggers Conference is now open on their website. If you attended Blogfest 2011 or 2012 in New York City, you are eligible for a special discount on your DBC registration if you register before February 1. Blogfest “alumni” will receive an email this week containing event details and instructions for registering with the Kravet Blogfest discount.

We’re thrilled to be a part of the Design Bloggers Conference and we’re looking forward to a great time in Los Angeles!

As always, we’ll be posting additional details and information on Twitter and Facebook, as well as our designated Blogfest Twitter and Facebook, so stay in touch!

My Breakfast with Barbara Barry by Beth Greene

Going to LA is always such a treat for this New Yorker with fabulous weather, dinners and beautiful people. This trip was no exception and the highlight was my invitation to have breakfast with Barbara Barry at her home.

I heard about her new home in Beverly Hills a year or two ago. She told me how much of a respite it was from her daily routine but I had no idea how truly warm and inviting it would be, a beautiful white washed structure with warm wood floors and accents.

Nympheus handblock pillow from Lee Jofa.

Each room was painted in a nuance of a white, beige or grey shade. There were many places to escape, from beautifully appointed window seats upholstered in textural fabrics from her Kravet collection to gardens filled with flowers, sculptures and seating areas. Much to our surprise, she used linen prints in one of her sitting rooms as well as decorative accents throughout the house.

Poetical linen, one of Barbara Barry's signature prints for Kravet.

The breakfast table was set with beautiful china in varied colors from different sets. She is embracing a brighter color palette these days and I relished in her selection of fresh fruits like blueberries, oranges, and wild berries. They perfectly matched the well appointed floral arrangements on the table and throughout the home.

She indulged me in a few photos and I could not resist snapping some images of Kravet and Lee Jofa fabrics as well as her favorite room and mine.....the laundry room. Yes you read this correctly, a larger than life room dedicated to laundry with her very own Miele Ironing Press which gets daily use. Sheer perfection if you ask me!

Her love for the oval shape which is reminiscent of her logo was evident in some decorative windows, the beautiful shape of the entry hall wood banister and even the shape of the outdoor swimming pool.

After my detailed tour and snapping of as many pictures as I could, we settled in her living room and reviewed some plans for her first book penned this year and due out in mid October from Rizzoli. The title is still a secret to all but as she read me part of a chapter, I am confident that it will be a great read; special, sincere and passionate as the woman that she is.

She has taken such meticulous care in every appointment in this home and truly has made it her signature. All I can say is that it is so so Barbara!

Inspired in Asia by Barbara Barry

Last week during Blogfest 2011, a group of 100+ interior design bloggers had the chance to meet Barbara Barry one-on-one and hear the inspiration for her latest collection for Kravet, called Indochine. For the latest issue of inspired.news, Barry shared several personal snapshots from her trip and described her journey in her own words. Indochine is now available in Kravet showrooms across the country.

-JP

Barbara Barry presenting at Blogfest 2011, photo via Beth from Hello, Splendor

Inspired in Asia

Who wouldn’t like to slip away and spend a month in Asia? I would!… And I just did.

A week in Singapore, a week in Thailand, a week in India and a week in Japan. Asia became the center of my world and I am left with many tangible and precious memories. I visited my new showroom in Singapore . And my showroom in Bangkok. It was two weeks of press and parties! In India I traveled to see the factory where my sheeting is made outside of Bangalore. After three weeks of business I snuck away to Japan with a few days in Tokyo and even more in Kyoto. I have a color memory of each country and so much of this inspires my work.

 

Singapore was bright and lively with that wonderful color of aqua, buoyant like the sky and the sea. The jaw dropping marina bay sands casino with the boat on top and the aquamarine gallery walls outside my favorite restaurant True Blue.

 

The green of Thailand! The floating lotus at the Chedi in Chaing Mai and riding bikes through the rice fields on our way to Lisu Lodge for a picnic lunch rolled in banana leaves.

 

When I close my eyes and think of India I think of pink. The faded pink stone of a ceiling in a mosque or gorgeous pink city of Jaipur and the pink silk spinning on the looms at the silk factory.

 

And lastly Japan… When I think of Japan I think of shadow colors. The black of the koi pond, the blue black uniforms on the ladies at Ippodo Tea Company.

Blogfest 2011 Initial Recap - More to Come!

This week we hosted more than 100 interior design bloggers in New York City for the first annual Blogfest 2011. Joining us from 29 states and 5 Canadian provinces, these bloggers brought with them a level of enthusiasm and excitement that made this event an experience for all to remember. Kravet organized the three day event, coordinating travel between venues and getting top licensed designers to host events that showcase our products.

We’d love to share with you some of the highlights of the event. We do plan to host a similar event next year, so stay connected with Kravet on our social media sites to get information for next year’s Blogfest 2012. In the meantime, here are some of the highlights of Blogfest 2011:

From left: Mark Rozzo, Town&Country; Newell Turner, House Beautiful; Dara Caponigro, Veranda; Beth Greene, Kravet

Panel discussion and magazine presentations at Hearst:

House Beautiful, Veranda and Town&Country introduced bloggers to their editors and gave everyone an inside look into their magazines during an afternoon at Hearst Tower.

 

 

ELLE DECOR Modern Life Concept House:

ELLE DECOR opened it’s first-ever show house a day early to host bloggers for a cocktail party and give them the first look into the Modern Life Concept House in West Chelsea.

 

 

Lilly Pulitzer Debut at Lee Jofa:

Bloggers attended a luncheon at Lee Jofa at the NYC showroom where they previewed the Lilly Pulitzer collection and saw the designer room decorated by our merchandising team in all Lilly.

 

 

Barbara Barry presented Indochine at Kravet:

Barbara Barry presented the inspiration for her latest collection for Kravet, called Indochine, and hosted a tea at the Kravet NYC showroom where bloggers got to speak with her one-on-one and snap photos.

 

From left: Ann Maine, Traditional Home; Thomas O'Brien; Suzanne Kasler

Traditional Home and Lee Jofa host Heritage Collection party:

To launch the Heritage collection for Lee Jofa, Traditional Home threw a party for bloggers where they mixed and mingled with Thomas O’Brien, Eric Cohler, Diamond & Baratta, Suzanne Kasler, Suzanne Rheinstein and David Easton. The party featured styled vignettes by each designer where their featured fabric was used.

 

 

Sub Zero and Wolf Wine Down Art Live after-party:

Kitchen brands Sub Zero and Wolf hosted our bloggers at an event in their NYC showroom that featured wine experts and chefs doing tastings and cooking demonstrations for bloggers.

Arch Digest editor-in-chief Margaret Russell hosts bloggers at Conde Nast building:

Following an intimate breakfast at Conde Nast, Architectural Digest EIC Margaret Russell presented her thoughts on blogging, design, and the future of AD to our Blogfest bloggers.

 

 

Studio Tours of Kravet, Lee Jofa and Brunschwig & Fils:

Bloggers took guided tours of our NYC studio space where we do merchandising and product development for all three brands.

 

 
Thom Filicia with Kravet's Beth Greene

Tours of the New York Design Center and Sweet Endings party:

New York Design Center offered guided tours of the building, followed by a cocktail party featuring Kravet license designer Thom Filicia during which we said goodbye to bloggers and concluded our event.

For more on Blogfest, visit www.blogfest2011.com, www.facebook.com/blogfest2011, http://kravet.typepad.com and www.facebook.com/kravetinc.

Kravet Hosts Inaugural Blogfest 2011 in New York City

   

NEW YORK, NY - May 9, 2011 - On May 16, 2011, more than 100 top design bloggers from the United States and Canada will descend on New York City for a three day design and media event created by Kravet Inc. This inaugural conference, Blogfest 2011, brings together industry elite as well as editors from the industry’s biggest design magazines at venues considered New York design institutions.

While conferences and events celebrating blogging culture are not new, Blogfest 2011 bills itself as more experience-based rather than educational. By bringing together seven of the top shelter magazines: Architectural Digest, ELLE DECOR, House Beautiful, New York Spaces, Town&Country, Traditional Home and Veranda, Blogfest will offer attendees unprecedented access to the editors of each magazine.

"Our industry has changed through the years, so has the way we approach marketing and branding," said Beth Greene, VP of Marketing for Kravet Inc. "We are inspired by the ever-changing and dynamic digital landscape and look forward to bringing together the brightest and most creative bloggers for what we hope will become an annual event."

In addition to editors, Blogfest bloggers will rub elbows with design icons such as Barbara Barry, Eric Cohler, William Diamond and Anthony Baratta, David Easton, Suzanne Kasler, Thomas O’Brien and Suzanne Rheinstein, all of whom are hosting special events throughout the three day event.

Kravet Inc. has organized Blogfest from its inception as part of a continued commitment to stay at the forefront of the digital movement in the interior design industry. The Kravet brand has developed several technology-based tools to improve the way customers find and purchase products, and has added a social media element to its marketing strategy to increase brand awareness and communicate with customers and industry influencers. Through Blogfest, Kravet hopes to bridge the gap between the individual design blogger and the magazines, brands, designers and the events that inspire them daily.

The full agenda for Blogfest is available at www.blogfest2011.com. This unique event is sold out. For press-related questions regarding Blogfest 2011 contact Ann Feldstein, Sr. Director of Marketing at 516.293.2000 ext. 2726 or Ann.Feldstein@Kravet.com.