Inspired.talk

House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year 2012

For the fourth consecutive year, Kravet is thrilled to be a part of the House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year, the annual showcase of the very best in kitchen design. Presented in the front yard of Rockefeller Center in New York City, the kitchen will play host to a variety of special events throughout the week.

This year’s kitchen was designed by Mick de Guilio, known in the industry as, simply, “the kitchen designer.” His elegant and sparse design allowed all of the details to really sing, making for a memorable design that’s as beautiful as it is functional.

De Guilio designed multiple seating areas in the kitchen to accommodate the needs of a family at all times of the day. A customized Kravet settee and slipper chairs in beautiful white Belgian linen around a cocktail table are ideal for what he refers to as “low breakfast.” A rustic wood dining table from our Modern Dining collection warms up the white and offers a wide expanse for family dinner, homework, and everything in between.

It is always a joy to be involved in the Kitchen of the Year, and to see how the concept changes from year to year. De Guilio remarked, “It was so easy to work with Kravet to fully customize all of the seating I planned for the space.”

All of our furniture is customizable, and as we grow our collections we are confident you’ll find the perfect piece for your client, or even for your own home. Enjoy our photos of the Kitchen of the Year, which are also on Pinterest.

Kravet's Lucerne chair in white Belgian linen

Blogfest 2012 Day Two

Continuing the fun from the first day of Blogfest 2012, take a look at our continuing photo recap.

Tuesday morning, Kate Kelly Smith from Hearst Home Group welcomed our group to the 44th floor of Hearst Tower.

VERANDA editor in chief Dara Caponigro chatted with designers Darryl Carter and Timothy Whealon about the May/June issue.

House Beautiful editor in chief Newell Turner invited three New Wave designers (from left, Michael Herold, Jill Goldberg and Jon Call) to discuss their career paths and the "a-ha" moments they've experienced along the way.

The ELLE DECOR Modern Life Concept House, awaiting bloggers for a pre-lunch reception.

Anne Foster, Marisa Marcantonio and Suysel Cunningham at the ELLE DECOR Modern Life Concept House.

Robert Brown discussing his collection of furniture for Holland/ Macrae, on display at the Lee Jofa showroom at the D&D Building, where Traditional Home magazine hosted a Nantucket-themed luncheon.

Management consultant and author Keith Granet spoke to our group about design branding and taking your business to the next level at the Kravet showroom in the D&D Building. 

Alexa Hampton and Traditional Home editor in chief Ann Maine had the crowd in stitches talking candidly about the industry.

Designers lingered at the Kravet showroom for a chance to meet Alexa after the Traditional Home panel.

Marisa Marcantonio and Brunschwig & Fils showroom manager Andrea Brooke selecting a favorite piece to photograph for the Brunschwig Laduree Twitter contest. 

Baccarat invited designers and bloggers at Blogfest, along with guest of honor Vicente Wolf, for a "hard hat" preview of the new showroom. We sipped champagne and beautiful crystal chandeliers hung at eye level for perfect photo-ops.

Enjoying delicious food and drink from the kitchen experts at GE Monogram, our host for Tuesday's cocktail party. From left, Beth Greene, Ann Feldstein, Paula Cecere, Cary Kravet, Lisa Kravet, Jennifer Powell. 

Chicago Dream Home

Last week we visited Chicago to host a panel discussion on social media and while we were there, we took a tour through the Dream Home at the Merchandise Mart. We have been featuring a lot of show homes on the blog lately, but we never get tired of seeing the industry's best collaborate to create inspirational homes.

 
My favorite room is the foyer, designed by Summer Thornton. Summer has been gaining recognition for her talents after appearing on design blogs like Daily Candy and Apartment Therapy. Power of social media! The room she designed in the Dream Home is stunning in person, and I could not get enough of the emerald green malachite wallpaper. We will certainly be seeing more of her! 

Another standout in the house was the bedroom. The mix of natural wood finishes with the rich velvet grey chairs was gorgeous. Adding orange to the mix gave it a fresh lively energy. Jeannie Balsam designed the space.

The dining room, designed by Simeone Deary Design Group was inspired by the fashion of the jazz era. Everything from the ruffled pleats in the window treatments to the bright sparkling chandelier reinforced that vision. I love how the mix of benches and chairs around the table creates a relaxed environment that is glamorous but unpretentious.

 
The Dream Home, located on the first floor of the Merchandise Mart, will be open through December, and it is definitely worth a visit.

-JP

Photos of the foyer and dining room courtesy of the Merchandise Mart.

May Showers at ICFF

The International Contemporary Furniture Fair happened this past weekend at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. With exhibitors from around the globe and many amazing student booths, we made sure to stop by to see what's new and what's next in contemporary design.

When it comes to trends these days, it seems like really, everything is in style: old is new, new with old is even newer. Everyone is talking about the mix. Everyone is talking about natural wood, gray with purple, and we saw a lot of it at the show. But it wasn't until Beth, our marketing VP, kept singing "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" while we walked around that I realized, they're all at ICFF!

So look out design world, we are sure to see bright colorful flowers styled in modern, contemporary ways. Here are a few pictures we snapped from the show, featuring some of our favorite floral motifs. 

 

This three-dimensional floral display was made from wallpaper.

  
These hanging lights look like a giant bundle of upside down flowers.

It's not made of flowers, but I'm sneaking in a photo of this tree bookcase because it's just too cute for a child's room.

       
This booth found a unique way to display fabric, with buds on the blouse and as part of the pattern in the pants.

The photos I took of this booth didn't do it justice: the metal flowers were so amazing in person.

       
These panels prove that bold, bright floral wallpaper is making a major comeback.

Snowed in: Eric Cohler's Lodge collection for Lee Jofa

The clouds are rolling over Manhattan and we’re all gearing up for what promises to be the Big One. Now I’m a Southern girl experiencing my first New York winter, so this is all very exciting for me. But we all know the South shuts down at the sight of flurries, so I can’t help it: when I think snow, I think snowed in.

So I thought this would be the perfect time to show you a little preview from Eric Cohler’s Lodge collection for Lee Jofa. If you haven’t been over to the D&D Building, or you’re already under a foot of snow in another state, take a look and imagine yourself curled up on the sofa, roaring fire in the fireplace, glass of cider in hand, watching the snow fall outside the window.

Cohler’s collection was inspired by the great lodges of the world, from the Western US to Tanzania in Africa. He uses texture and pattern to convey a sense of adventure and the romance of travel, but also the comforts of home. I love the upholstered walls, and how the bright blues in the artwork and in the bookshelves compliment the neutral textures and tones in the rooms, and pick up the teal in the curtains. All of the little details in this room create a story of a life that’s as rich and textured as the collection itself.

Enjoy!

-JP

 

 

The Lee Jofa showroom is located on the 2nd floor of the D&D Building at 979 3rd Ave. in NYC, as well as in design centers across the US. For more on Eric Cohler, check out his website. The March issue of Veranda magazine also has a great feature on Eric Cohler and the Lodge collection titled "In the Tradition of the Unexpected."