Architectural Digest Design Show 2016 Preview

If anyone doubts how artful design infuses aesthetic, lifestyle -- and the economy - look no further than the Architectural Digest Design Show. Thursday was "frothy/buzzy" press preview (and trade day); we were given an impressive overview of trends and technologies that are influencing home decor, cooking, lighting and refrigeration, and more. There are incredibly exciting products and processes that bring professional techniques and practices to the home -- and to add precision and pleasure to food prep, dining, barbecuing, and of course, sleeping, sitting, wall art, storage, bathroom vanities, garden containers, tables, and food and wine “preservation systems.” Whew!

The DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS Dining In Design showcased more than 40 tablescapes produced to integrate the DIFFA hope theme with entertaining glamour and style. These dining tableaus are a visual sensation inspired by flowers, plants, and organic elements including wood, metal, marble, water, and light. The designers create magic by blending the organics with texture, color, and -- love. You need to not only see the tablescapes but be sure to bid on the products - -all the monies go to fighting HIV/AIDS - http://www.501auctions.com/dbdny to buy.


The show is now open to the public, running through Sunday.  Design enthusiasts, home cooks, and artisans will be inspired by the talent and brands at the Architectural Show, located at Piers 92 and 94 in New York City. Where else can you experience a range of more than 400 brands and dealers encompassing food, drink, gardens, home design, and tablescapes for just $40. Consumer Tickets are available.

I’ll do a few reports/posts on the show but for now, here are more than a few images to highlight the show-stoppers and trends.

The main areas to visit are:

MADE: handcrafted, one-of-a-kind furnishings, art, and accessories

reFresh: Luxury brands, including Sub-Zero and Wolf, and Jenn-Air and Gaggenenau (they've been in business since 1683!), and Baldwin, that share their space with up and coming kitchen, bath, and hardware brands.

Furnish: international furniture brands, including DwellStudio, Boca do Lobo, and The Future Perfect

Shops: Curated retail section of decor, gifts, tabletop accessories - don’t miss Golden Door - loved their marmalade and cookies, and Rifle Paper Co. - had to buy their iPhone cover -- I’m sooo into peacocks at the moment. I find these birds mysterious and elegant -- and perfect decor accessory.

The DIFFA Dining In Design:

  

Captivating tableau! Plant ceiling, Scully & Scully accessories, 1930 Murano chandelier 

A "wall" of vapor (water) by The Rockwell Group water theme is stunning

Designer Darrin Vardin created this thoughtful tablescape for the NY Times & Lladro starting with, "What's black & white and read/"red" all over?" adage; brilliant & creative. Love the Lladro black equine pieces

Kate Spade's design for Kravet was fitted dress chairs, preppy colors & a fun series of garden party table settings & umbrellas

Benjamin & Moore's tablescape celebrated their more than 200 shades of  white.  Cool elegance. Crate & Barrel did white too.

Spellbinding Atlantis-theme tables cape with seashells, black table, shimmery wall coverings,  & squid-looking lights

Trends and New Products:

Thermador under-counter refrigerators, dishwasher with timed - 23 entertainment washes - steam cooking - the fastest growing cooking category






Koket Love Happens, designer, Janet Morais shows her acid-stain leather chairs, new line of bedding, wall treatments (don’t miss the feathers), textiles - the hides and the incredibly soft, luxe velvets.



And chairs and seating Koket provided for the set of the fabulous and favorite, hit TV show: Empire. Love this!

Sexy Koket chairs used on the Empire TV show set. The color screams glamour - and the legs whisper "Jimmy Choo!"

Zephyr - kitchen ventilation hoods wowed with sleek angles, LED lights and quiet …




Ronbow - bathroom vanities - featuring double-sided mirrors, floating corners, LED lights, drawers with USB ports

Dacor - luxury kitchen appliances from a family-owned company, with lots of innovation technology: first 30” wall oven, first in wine preservation, and others. Dacor featured an IQ Range Dacor Discovery with a built-in tablet that can be operated from a smart phone -- think about pre-heating before you get home.

Pennoyer Newman - lightweight, architectural, custom, garden containers cast from estate originals. I’ve added these wonderful, durable, beautiful pots to my Duchess Designs clients’ gardens. Love the look and pedigree. Today I met Dinny Pennoyer, daughter of the founder. Dinny shared the delightful story about how the planters came about: the story started with her grandmother who was JP Morgan’s daughter, and her husband’s friend: Clay Frick. With such friends and family pedigree, it’s not a surprise she had great interest in many of the garden structures: containers, and fountains and other objects of art. She then developed the “through and through” crushed marble and stone and color that made the pots so unique.



At the show, Pennoyer &Newman are introducing four new Grecian-inspired urns with wide openings, and a fabulous, clean-looking container that was inspired by a 20th century industrial concrete mixer! So creative.

Dinny Pennoyer (L) & Virginia Newman at their garden-fresh booth, dripping with spring flowers & serene fountain

RangeCraft - custom range hoods, and a first - some with sparkling, dazzling Swarovski crystals! This is my kind of kitchen design.

Rangecraft's dazzling Swarovski crystal hood - adds glamour to the kitchen! 

Ovando - an incredible floral design, environmental decor, and with Elan Vital, a wallpaper murals inspired by flowers.



Flat Vernacular - the most curious, compelling wallpaper designs from artist Payton Turner.

Wallpaper designer: Payton Turner

The fiver-year old company creates custom wall coverings. There is one entire wall at the show booth with coloring book wallpaper. Scaffolds supported painters in pink Converse - coloring in the details. Fun - and arresting. There’s a companion coloring book, too.

You won't get in trouble coloring on this wall! Coloring-bookWallpaper from Flat Vernacular

dagmara weinberg - creates the most intriguing collection of nature photographs designed in a kind of kaleidoscope way - using cherry blossoms, branches and seashells. I am completely smitten by the sexy, suggestive cherry blossoms. Loved the interpretations for her textiles and side tables, too.

Dagmara Weinberg shows her art - on photographs & on metal. Beautiful & suggestive images… 

Ben Langford - Designs canvas photography flowers wall “sculptures.” The flowers are big - maybe two-feet across. They are colorful and vibrant - and some have what designer Ben describes as “decay.” Using velcro to adhere to a space, I can see these making walls and ceilings very happy.

More floral-inspired designs from Emilio Robba where color exploded with orchids, tropical leaves in vases, on pillows. Dripping with garden glamour.








Brown Jordan showed new six-foot rolling barbeque carts with new Dripped color panels and an outdoor TV cart.

Nice addition to outdoor entertainment lifestyle -- just add your own TV to  piece. Television drops down inside

Echo's Tablescape for DIFFA Dining in Design is a change your spots safari kind of theme.

Lynn Roberts, daughter of Echo's founding couple: Edgar & Dorothy.  You can say that Love gave rise to the company. Lynn shared how her parents went from getting their marriage license to a business license - it was their wedding day! Sweet. And I've always loved their scarves. ..