Happy hump day! I hope you all are having a fabulous week so far.
I’m fresh off Fall Design Week at America’s Mart. If you’re like what is Fall Design Week, I’ll be happy to explain. We are blessed here in Atlanta to have so many great resources available to the interior design community. One of those resources is America’s Mart. America’s Mart is a wholesale trade center that host markets throughout the year for designers, retailers, creatives, boutique shops, and showrooms. Fall Design Week is sort of like a mini market featuring products in the gift and home categories. This is a week-long event that features great education seminars, cocktail hours, and shopping.
If you follow me on social media, then you’ll know that I won the America’s Mart Fall Design Week contest. I won some amazing prizes and meet some great designers in our industry.
I had the amazing opportunity to attend a lunch & learn where the keynote speaker was none other than Vern Yip. Vern Yip is one of my favorite interior designers. I’ve been a fan of his from way back when he was on the original Trading Spaces. You may be familiar with Vern Yip from HGTV, he had a design show on HGTV when HGTV actually featured real designers. His show was called Deserving Design. Watching his show on HGTV along with Candice Olson’s show, helped to inspire me to become an interior designer. Vern discussed some of the trends he is currently seeing in design as well as took us on a visual tour of some of his beautiful homes.
I had the pleasure of meeting Vern Yip and receiving a signed copy of his book.
This was an educational panel that I attended featuring some talented and successful designers in our industry. The topic of discussion was how these designers grew their businesses from a one-woman show into a profitable empire. The panel discussed some of the challenges facing interior designers, how to set yourself apart from the rest, branding, and social media.
I took this picture while attending a tastemakers dinner hosted by America’s Mart and Atlanta’s Magazine Home. As the contest winner, I had the opportunity to attend this VIP dinner. I had an amazing time and met some wonderful designers and editors for Atlanta Magazine.
While at America’s Mart, of course, I had to hit up some of my favorite showrooms. Like I said living here in Atlanta really affords us designers the ability to have a treasure trove of resources at our fingertips. There is never a shortage of inspiration.
I love this olive green velvet sofa with nail head detail. This would be perfect in a living room, library, or bedroom. I could also see this in a dressing room. One day when all the kids are moved out, I’m turning one of their bedrooms into a private dressing room and this sofa would be perfect.
This was from a totally different showroom than the above sofa. However, it has the same olive green color in it as the sofa. I’m a huge fan of abstract art.
Love this layered luxurious bedding. This bedding reads classy and sophisticated.
Y’all already know how I feel about black and white. Love white but don’t think your lifestyle could handle a white sofa? Sure it can. All you need is the perfect performance fabric and you’ll be able to clean up spills in a New York minute. You could also opt for a tailored slipcovered sofa also made with a performance fabric that can be thrown in the washer for easy cleaning.
Oh and the lighting…
I fell in love with this lamp with the brush stroke detail on the base.
How fun is this light fixture? When I spotted this, the shape made me think this would be the perfect whimsical light fixture for a kids space. It almost reminds me of wooden blocks or the little wooden shapes kids play with.
Love the beaded detail on this chandelier. This piece was pretty large in scale so I think it would be perfect for an entry that has tall ceilings. It could also work over a large dining table.
Look at the beautiful detail on this floor lamp. The base of this lamp is wrapped in a real animal horn sourced from Africa. The sales rep at this showroom assured me that these animal horns are obtained in a humane way. Hopefully, that is the case. I’ll be checking out this vendor in more detail when I visit High Point next week because they have some exquisite lighting.
Another thing that Y’all know that I love is mirrors. Trust me when I say, you can never go wrong with mirrors. Well, technically you can if you choose the wrong scale for your space but you get what I am saying. Mirrors are so versatile and can be used in almost any space. This mirror has a beaded detail. See that black wall? LOVE!
I love the detail on this chair. This is a view of the chair from the back.
Here is the side view of that chair. Cute right? this would be perfect for a breakfast nook or for an eating space in a sunroom. I love the black. Love the weaving. Love the wood texture.
So that is my recap of Fall Design Week. Again, I truly had an amazing time and can’t thank the team at America’s Mart enough for their kindness and hospitality.
Next week, I’ll be heading to High Point (the furniture capital of the world) for market and I’ll be checking out trends, testing out furniture, and sourcing. In addition, I’ll also be attending some panels, networking, as well as connecting with all my design friends. Of course, I’ll also have a High Point recap here on the blog when I return. I’ll give you an insider tip on what trends you can expect to see in the interior design and interior decorating industry.
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