In this edition, we became your eyes and ears at D&D Fall Market. Find out what designers are raving about for the upcoming season!
The walls in your home are a blank canvas and the possibilities are endless when it comes to transforming the space and adding decor. Deciding what to layer on the walls to bring the room to life can be a daunting task. How big does the piece need to be? Should it be a classic painting or textile art? Where should it be positioned? This is where the professionals shine – designers are brought in to answer these exact questions. William T. Georgis of Georgis & Mirgorodsky is an acclaimed architect who creates stunning interiors by combining clean lines with sumptuous materials. He emphasized “commissioning site-specific art” and how doing so can enhance the meaning of the space and create a work that is integrated with its surroundings. Joining together the art in your home with the local aesthetics reflects a sense of character and history. William recognizes that this isn’t for everyone because it takes a “leap of faith”, but his vision is supported by the uniqueness of the space. Molly Torres Portnof of DATE Interiors also spoke about the importance that art plays when designing spaces. She founded her firm on the notion that spaces should be a reflection of your [the client’s] style and personality. The defining principle of this is that she tries to avoid using mass-produced art. You will most likely never find Molly browsing popular retail sites for decor. She tries to find unique pieces or, even better, commission custom art. Whether her client’s budget is unlimited or modest, she works to curate pieces that enhance the distinctiveness of the space. Having a story behind the art in your home makes it more valuable and brings an inherent luxury into play.
Creating Relationships Between Rooms
Many homes have an aesthetic or there is a style that can be seen throughout. The idea of designing a harmonious space seems relatively obvious, but the ways in which designers go about doing this are not. Vicente Wolf of Vicente Wolf Associates is a widely recognized and honored name in the interior design world. A refugee from Cuba, Vicente’s path is anything but ordinary. His wealth of knowledge comes not from a formal education, but from absorbing, traveling, and keeping his eyes open. His life experience has helped dictate his designs and his ability to see details that others overlook. When Vicente is working on a project, he seeks ways to create relationships between different rooms. However, he also chooses to do this without the repetition of elements. For example, he took the fabrics from a couch and chairs in the living room and used them for the opposite piece of furniture in the sitting room. So the couch in the living room became the chairs in the sitting room and the chairs in the living room became the couch in the sitting room. Using this technique, Vicente was able to accomplish that sense of unity without using the exact same piece in multiple rooms. Another example of this is matching the curtain colors to the wood. This brings a sense of cohesion throughout the home that puts the clients in their own little world, especially when the curtains are drawn. Incorporating these small touches ensures that there is consistency throughout the home in a beautifully executed, thought-out way.
Nature’s Contribution to Design
The beauty of nature is undisputed. The colors, lines, reflections, and more are up for interpretation and possess an intrinsic appeal. Elements from the outdoors have long been brought inside as we draw inspiration from the natural world to create functional, aesthetically pleasing living spaces. Nature also provides us with a feeling of serenity that many strive to achieve in their homes. Hudson Moore, Senior Design Editor at FREDERIC Magazine, wrote a book about properly incorporating blue and white into your home. Blue and White Done Right explores this timeless palette and how versatile it can be. Hudson chose to write about this specific color because people are drawn to it – it’s so natural. He believes that this pull comes from blue being repeated over and over again in nature. Justin Quinn, Partner at James Doyle Design Associates, is a landscape architect who seeks to connect with the regional vernacular. When designing, Justin sees the “landscape as art”. This profession is about understanding how the natural world can exist in unison with what you’re placing around it. He uses what initially exists in the natural landscape to guide his design process. It’s a heavy intersection of nature and art. At the end of the day, we are living in the nature that was here before us. It then only makes sense as to why we are so captivated by it and why we design with it in mind.
Check out these podcasts to learn more about what influential designers are discussing. Design:ED profiles architects’ journeys, offering career insights and inspiration, Scratching the Surface explores design’s cultural impact, Archispeak asks probing questions about what it’s really like to work in architecture, and Clever delves into the creative journeys of designers and culture influencers, revealing authentic insights.
