Inspired.talk

Thomas O’Brien and Veranda at Designer Visions: Cinema Style

Every year, Hearst shelter magazines Veranda, House Beautiful and Town & Country partner with prominent designers for Designer Visions: Cinema Style. Designers work with his or her magazine partner to interpret a movie through interior design. For example, in 2009, Thom Filicia worked with House Beautiful to create a beautiful space at Soho Mews based on The Big Chill.

This year, based on the film Someone to Watch Over Me, Thomas O’Brien and Veranda collaborated to create a beautiful interior at 1212 Fifth Avenue. “There's something about the production and cinematography that reflects a modern era, even as the story and mood are more traditional," O'Brien told the Wall Street Journal. "That film also offers a glimpse of this kind of elegant, composed modern woman living a glamorous New York life.” Inspired by the character Claire from the film, O’Brien created a space that is refined but not overly formal.

This apartment, along with apartments from House Beautiful and Town & Country, are open to the public for tours at selected times through October 16. Proceeds benefit the Art of Elysium, a nonprofit group that pairs actors, artists and musicians with arts programs designed to benefit children battling serious medical conditions. For tickets and hours, visit www.theartofelysium.org.

Above photo: Club chair features Thomas O'Brien for Groundworks Morocco Chenille in Mocha (GWF-2749-168), draperies are Kravet Smart 30672-116.

Draperies are Kravet Smart 30672-116. Sofa features Thomas O'Brien for Groundworks Fiona Chenille in Smoke (GWF-2582-11). Benches feature Thomas O'Brien for Groundworks Orlando Chenille in Brick (GWF-2754-916). 

Shade features Kelly Wearstler for Groundworks Sand Strie in Beige (GWF-2813-116). Bench features Thomas O'Brien for Groundworks Tahira Ottoman in Birch (GWF-2753-101). 

Photos courtesy of Veranda.

Lee Jofa Pays Tribute to Hand Blocking with Heritage Collection

The window display at the D&D Building in New York City.

Hand-blocked textiles are among some of the most intricate and unique on the market today. The origins of hand blocking date back centuries, and artisans around the world continue the tradition to this day.

Hand blocking remains an integral piece of Lee Jofa’s history. Iconic designs like Treyes, Nympheus and Rosebank, among others, have continued to evolve with the times and remain relevant to designers. In fact, these designs were among six chosen for the Heritage collection, Lee Jofa’s tribute to the past, in which designers reinterpreted a classic Lee Jofa fabric in his or her own style.

Nympheus, recolored by Thomas O’Brien, is a striking example of a rich, intricate hand blocked pattern. O’Brien features the reverse side of the fabric, where the image is softer and more muted.

To commemorate the Heritage collection, a large window at the D&D Building in New York City pays tribute to the hand blocking process with a series of actual wooden blocks that were once used to create beautiful textiles. If you are in the New York area, be sure to stop by the window to see the detail of the hand blocks. Heritage is now available in Lee Jofa showrooms across the country.

 Hand blocked fabrics use dozens, sometimes hundreds of individual blocks to create the pattern. 

A vignette designed by Thomas O'Brien features the reverse side of Nympheus, his Heritage hand block fabric.

 
The D&D Building in NYC.

Lee Jofa and Traditional Home Celebrate Heritage Launch at Blogfest 2011

 

To celebrate the launch of the Heritage collection for Lee Jofa, Traditional Home and Lee Jofa invited bloggers from the Blogfest 2011 event to preview six styled vignettes featuring the fabrics each designer chose to recolor for the collection. Designers were in attendance to answer questions and sign copies of Inspired Styles (Assouline) a beautiful book featuring many prominent Kravet and Lee Jofa designers.

The Heritage collection features classic fabrics from the Lee Jofa archive that have been reimagined and reinterpreted by the designers, who sought to update the designs for today’s market. Designers David Easton, Diamond & Baratta, Eric Cohler, Suzanne Kasler, Suzanne Rheinstein and Thomas O’Brien each brought his or her own unique aesthetic to the project, creating a beautiful juxtaposition and a tribute to the past.

 

David Easton selected Gaddesden, a screen adaptation of a Jacobean tree of life block dating from the 1920s, with the intent of adding texture to the background and softening the look for today’s market. “Gaddesden utilized the typical vine pattern current to its era that I have always liked, said Easton. “I wanted to make an older, historic pattern fresh and new and I thought this specific design leant itself to this.”

 

William Diamond and Anthony Baratta of Diamond & Baratta selected Rosebank, which originated in the 1850s during the heyday of Victorian floral design. The handblocked pattern was introduced to Lee Jofa in 1913 and remains in the line to this day as a screen print. Diamond and Baratta love classic floral English chintzes and jumped at the opportunity to recolor this classic print for today’s market.

 

Eric Cohler was inspired by the Treyes Handblock pattern, printed with 20 handblocks, which was first introduced to Lee Jofa in 1963. Inspired by an Indian tree of life design dating back to the 1920s, the original documentary version was on linen union, but Eric Cohler felt that it would be beautifully presented on glazed cotton as a true English country house chintz.

 

Suzanne Kasler chose to reimagine the Shiraz print, a popular multicolored floral inspired by an antique rug design, which was developed by Lee Jofa in 1996. “In reworking the color palette, I continued to go back to the basic pattern and how it translated into two colors,” said Kasler. By tracing the outline of the design and recoloring it with one color on white and natural linen, she transformed the pattern and gave it an entirely new look.

 

Suzanne Rheinstein chose to recolor the classic English documentary floral Clarendon, which was created in the 19^th century when the Victorians delighted in bringing the outdoors in. “One of the things I love in my design work is the chance to use things from the past in ways that are suited for the way we live now,” she said. Rheinstein updated the classic design on linen.

 

Thomas O’Brien chose to work with a favorite handblock, called Nympheus, which dates back to 1915. He added signature elements of deep indigo to the coloration of the classic design. Says O’Brien of his preference for featuring the reverse side of the print, “The rich bleed-through is more abstract on the reverse side, and the pattern is softer. It takes on the feeling of a watercolor.”

These updated and transformed fabrics are now available in Lee Jofa showrooms throughout the country. Thank you to Traditional Home for giving our blogging friends the opportunity to many of their design idols!

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.