In October we took our annual trip to High Point, NC.
We were among thousands of attendees who come out every year to be part of a showing of new trends in home design. There are many buildings adding up to approximately 12 million square feet of showroom space with more vendors than you can count. For the few days we spend there we are usually unable to see everything. It’s THAT BIG!
The show had a great atmosphere this year. It felt like you were really in an experience instead of just looking at rooms of furniture. There were many showrooms that displayed opulent layouts of food and wine, rolling out the red carpet for vendors, clients and designers. To say we enjoyed it is an understatement, but our feet were definitely sore by the end of our stay.
After scouring the showroom floors at High Point, we wanted to roundup our best finds of the show, giving you a little taste of the great products and new trends that will be taking over in 2014 home design.
Mary McDonald
An L.A. designer showcased some really great products this year and is our first great find. Mary McDonald’s style combines old-world elegance with a modern sensibility resulting in a fearless iconic style. Her ability to combine bold patterns, Chinoiserie, and classic influences with an impeccable sense of color has established her signature style. From the refurbishment of Buster Keaton’s legendary villa to the overhaul of the Luxe Hotel in Bel Air as well as the Monika Chiang retail boutique in Soho, House Beautiful says “her work is timeless and glamorous all spun together with a keen fashion sense…. she’s a fearless, exuberant accessorizer.”
Here are some lamps of hers that we just love! Click here to see more.
Surya
Another great find was, as always, the Surya showroom. They always seem to somehow top themselves every year. This year they led the trend in oversized looks with great big balls of yarn. Like other designers, they understand how to put design on a large scale. Everything from traditional to modern, in 2014 it will be common place to make a statement with design and take risks in different ways than before.
Look who we ran into!
There were a number of celebrities roaming the showrooms. We ran into a few of them in our search for great design. First, we saw Kathy Ireland when we rounded the corner into the Nourison showroom. Then we saw Ann Rue, top contestant on Design Star, and had a great conversation about where we might find a massage nearby. Unfortunately, that did not yield an actual massage.
We also ran into Jeff Lewis in the Noir showroom. He currently has two shows on Bravo and is all business, but he stopped long enough for us to grab a photo with him. Thanks Jeff!
Lastly, we had the chance to meet Angelo from HGTV when in the Surya showroom. He was all smiles. Check out his collage of work on the wall in the Surya showroom below. Learn more about what he’s doing these days and his relationship with Surya.
Client Finds
Part of our quest each year is to shop for current clients. This year we were able to fulfill our complete shopping list and our clients were very excited to see the products we found for them. Here are a few of the many we found.
Pendants with glass and metal.
Mercury glass canisters. This is the style that is in for accessorizing.
Sugar Boo Collection of “Life is Beautiful” was unique but sophisticated
One More Thing
Another great design trend that has already taken the design world by force is mixing materials. This trend is throughout all furniture and accessories. Like the glass and mercury example above, we saw many other examples of mixing leather and fabric. One of our favorites was a sofa in leather and mohair. It was beautiful. You can also see this trend in fashion where they will mix leather with suede. Sometimes fashion and jewelry mirror home design. It makes sense that someone would want something good and fresh in all parts of their life.
This year at High Point, furniture manufacturers and designers really shined. We were impressed at the craftsmanship, attention to detail and new ideas that were brought out, pushing the boundaries of home design. After being home for three months, I think our feet are finally back in working order. Oh, and we found some time for a massage.
