I’ve come home with their mantras, philosophies and opinions and have found myself, on more than one occasion, thinking about how print magazines work and fight hard to relate to the online world while still remaining true to their original form. It is not easy and they’ve all declare this in their own way. Now that I’ve met the people behind them, I understand their struggles and believe that their passion for their work coupled with their dedicated teams will be what will pull them through.

What we were also privy to during Blogfest‘s intense but highly-structured schedule, was an up close and personal meeting with Barbara Barry, interior designer and creator of several exclusive Kravet collections. Her main discussion revolved around how design and inspiration lives all around us and how travel can let our minds explore and see new things. Being in New York at the time myself, I couldn’t have agreed more.

A special event hosted by Traditional home with Thomas O’Brien, Eric Cohler, Diamond & Baratta, Suzanne Kasler, Suzanne Rheinstein and David Easton all sharing their designs with us within the Heritage Collection by Kravet was also a highlight.


Breakfast at the Condé Nast building followed by a special appearance by Margaret Russell, Editor-in-Chief of Architectural Digest, was such a momentous occasion for me. Her stories are nothing but impressive. I am a true admirer of her fearless yet genuine attitude towards her career and her commitment to design.

The Lee Jofa and Kravet offices literally open their doors and let us all in on the design process of their fabrics and rugs. From the inspirations and initial sketches, to the mood boards and test swatches, all the way through to the placement of the final products on their showroom floors across the world, I was captivated the entire time.

My final stop during design week at Blogfest, was to peruse the entire floor of 1stdibs at the New York Design Center. I was elated, excited, inspired and in awe by every square inch of their space. My design mind was definitely tired and overwhelmed but very satisfied by the end of it all. Seeing as though this is the Kravet team’s first year at putting together such a successful conference and tour, I cannot wait to see what next year will bring.

With texture, contrast, pattern, shapes and colour everywhere, I couldn’t have been any more in my element.

Links: sweet bella, ink + wit, chewing the cud, carolyn suzuki, mineheart, lzf, jonathan adler, um project, tom dixon, aimée wilder, house of hackney, llàdro, jamie harris studio llc, lzf

And here is more photos of the National Stationery Show that I took for my guest post on Poppytalk: Part 1 & Part 2.

Once I arrived at the hotel, I threw my bags on the floor and set off to Susan and William Brinson‘s loft as I knew there would be a gathering of some very special people I was dying to finally meet. Twitter has been a true source to so many incredible moments in my life in the last year and on this trip, being with the people I’ve gotten to know on and now offline has meant the world to me.

The next morning, the Brinsons and I, along with Jonathan, Nikole and Jamie, headed to Pennsylvania to experience their antique markets together. With fresh bagels and coffee in hand, our two hour drive away from the city turned into a day I will never forget.

The markets we ended up visiting were so full of incredible finds that you could easily get lost for hours inspecting every single piece and taking in all its history. I was in heaven.

We were even lucky enough to have found an estate sale in a big red barn where the owner’s grandson had opened up its doors to anyone willing to make a bid on whatever they could find. Needless to say, we did end up finding a few items of interest along with some family secrets I’m pretty sure they would not have wanted to be revealed to us city folk!

Back at the loft with a home cooked meal by Susan and William, surrounded by friends, I couldn’t help but think that it was the perfect way to end a perfect day.

The International Contemporary Furniture Fair, the National Stationery Show and new this year, Kravet’s own Blogfest 2011 are among some of the places and spaces I will visit.

I will be sharing my journey through blog posts and tweets and will do my best to let you in on all the design deliciousness I will be privy to. I cannot even begin to describe the excitement I am feeling. This trip will be something I won’t ever forget, the main reason being that the people I will be surrounded by are the peers and mentors I hold close to my creative heart. This is going to be good, very good.

They live design, they implement it on a daily basis and fear no boundaries in it either. For me, a company that allows their designers to use travel as a form of inspiration can do nothing but succeed and excel in their respective games. Brizo opens all avenues for creativity to flow and seeing what they’ve produced for their upcoming 2011-2012 lines, it’s certainly making the magic happen for them.

Since they believe all forms of high-style can be achieved in the home, on the runway and all around, they felt that fashion has always had a heavy influence on them and in what they do hence the relationship that they built with Jason Wu from even before his stardom as a successful fashion designer. We were giddy and excited to have been whisked away to his fashion show and what a highlight it was for me.

Here’s the video I took of the final turn at the fashion show

So many amazing new friends were made while we experienced the Brizo whirlwind together like Raina, Nick, Arne, Lori, Jennifer and Leslie among others. I couldn’t have asked for a better trip, heck, we were even put to the designer test with an Apprentice-like challenge which, winning the 2nd place out of 5 teams, was just the icing on the Brizo cake.

Thank you again Veronika for allowing me the chance to live this all with your nomination. Thank you to the Brizo team for inspiring me to look beyond just the medium and push the limits of design regardless and thank you to the MSL Group for helping orchestrate this design extravaganza I won’t ever forget.

For me, connecting with like-minded individuals through platforms such as Twitter and Facebook has seemed to have opened up a multitude of opportunities and life experiences that I could never have even dreamed of, and I know I’m not the only one.

Last week I spent three days walking the aisles of IDS with such people and I truly felt I was in the presence of those who “get it” – Design is their passion and meeting others with this same purpose in life is just as important. This week, I am excited to say that a similar event will take place. Brizo, the faucet brand for the fashion forward, will be sponsoring me to travel to New York to see its newest products and attend an exclusive design-focused event during Fashion Week. I will be in the company of 19 other amazing designers and bloggers where Brizo will be introducing their newest products and share with us their thoughts on the latest trends. We have also been invited to Jason Wu’s 2011 show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

None of this would ever have been possible without social media. I can experience incredible designs online and this week, will be experiencing again it person.

I have to thank Veronika, from Modenus, for nominating me to go this year. You can read her coverage from this same spectacular event last year here.

Brizo, Jason Wu. Brizo is paying/paid for my airfare and travel expenses for this trip.

This is by far the best way to experience it and I can honestly say that the impression the city has left me with has stuck, big time. I had chats with, dine with, shopped with and met with the most awe-inspiring individuals who all together have made me feel like I truly know this place now. Of course, I still could not tell you how to get anywhere or how to navigate freely around it, (especially not after an incident where my husband and I were staring at the bus map for several minutes and couldn’t find where any of the subway stations were on it), but what I can say is that after spending quality time with these New Yorkers, I’ve met the city properly and love it even more, from the inside out.

The lovely people, and their links: The New Traditionalists, Michele Varian, House of Brinson

With such a tight schedule, every minute spent in the city counted. It began with a lunch at the HGTV offices, where a portion of the attending “Nate Day” bloggers met in a group for the first time. Once we were all in and sat down, the magnitude of this gathering really began to sink in. I was in a room with so many inspirational writers, stylists, designers and friends, several with whom I tweet with or read their blogs on a daily basis. At last, there we were, all under one roof, at one table, at one time, no cables or wireless connections between us. This had to be good, and it was.

We were then treated to an evening gala at the New York Design Centre to celebrate the launch of Rue Magazine. Crystal and Anne were sparkling and with such a successful campaign promoting their new online magazine now under their designer belts, the sky is the limit for them. Their “Rue Crew” as they like to call them, comprises of such talented, down to earth and personable individuals, which made meeting some of them so very memorable.

Highlights also included meeting more fantastic fellow Tweeters and the terms “surreal” and “amazing” were used to describe the experience of our real-life reunion in such beautiful surroundings. Conversations flowed easily and I can honestly say it was a true honor to be in the company of those who attended that night.

The next day we all arrived for the taping of the Nate Berkus show, the reason behind our trip to New York city. Incredible enough, it became a reality with the help of a simple idea and a tweet from Julieann and the Moggit Girls to the man himself. Everything went smoothly, each segment rolled into the next. Nate worked the guests, made us giggle here and there yet the most engaging part to us all there truly only started once the cameras stopped filming.

We were able to ask him anything. The lines of communication were finally open and we all took turns to pick his brain on several different subjects from whether or not I should keep my original metal kitchen cabinets, to what inspires him on a daily basis. Here are some of his answers to some very smart questions.

Nate talks inspiration, books, and blogging in HD from Holley & Gill on Vimeo.

Nate talks social media and Twitter in HD from Holley & Gill on Vimeo.

All in all, the two days came and went and I couldn’t have been any more refreshed, renewed and revitalized from this experience. Thank you Julieann, the Moggit Girls, HGTV, Rue Magazine, their team, and The Nate Show. Thank you to all my friends who I met in New York. Without you all I wouldn’t have been there and I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you.

Who’s who in these photos from top to bottom: Will from Bright Bazaar, Joy & Janet are The Moggit Girls, Jade from Flip Flops & Pearls, Karen from Hammocks & High Tea, Anishka from Ishka Designs, Nicole from So Haute, Cassandra from Coco+Kelley, Emily from Emily Johnston Anderson Photography, the restaurant shot has so many of my fave people in it notably our gracious hosts who brought us there Susan and William Brinson of House of Brinson, Michelle from Design Evolution, and Kerry from First Time Fancy.

In the meantime:

• My HGTV Canada Top 5 Friday post is here. Join in on the debate about trending wall treatment options.
• Visit Will’s great blog Bright Bazaar where I will be guest posting on Tuesday.
• And if you hadn’t yet read it already, some important news about Holley & Gill and a sneak peek at our final products to come out of our studio for good. Thanks to Sharon & Yvonne from Layers & Layers for letting me share on their site.

The pace is frantic, a true controlled chaos. New York is famous for this and more and I know I will just have to sit back, relax and enjoy it. Wish me luck.

Michelle

Image from: lisa.williams as seen on flickr

They ignore all typical limitations often imposed on designers and that’s the way they like it. Their work defies and challenges all decor traditions and incorporates other unique artist’s work to create the likes of places and spaces never seen before.

Having as many kids as they do (they have seven) and a life as chaotic as theirs, can become a challenge, but to me it’s a factor that has no doubt contributed to their success. From private residences, to gyms, to hotels, no project is too big or too complex to tackle for this husband and wife team.

I’ve always admired such free-spirited designers who, without any true formal training, land themselves in a field that they truly love. Cortney and Robert have done just that and each and every square inch of their rooms reflects their dedication and passion for their profession.

All images from SixxDesign, Joshua McHugh, & Matthew Williams
Watch them every Tuesday at 9pm on the W Network.