For the past few years Colorado Homes and Lifestyles has put on together an amazing venue for designers, architects and manufacturers – it is called the Inspiring Design Conference and every year it is held at the amazing showroom at the Roth Distributing Center.
Roth sets up this amazing showroom in vignettes so you can really get a flavor on how these kitchen appliances will be in your home. You can also get a sense of what style you are leaning towards and make quick decisions. I love taking my clients to this showroom, it helps to be able to see something in person and to be able to touch and feel a product is priceless!
One of my favorite discoveries was the IMO collection by Dornbracht.
It is priced at a builder series level and has the look of a very high end product, cant wait to use it on my next project!
I particularly enjoyed the talk by Michael Lammel, a German Industrial Designer. He gave us a peek into what it takes to bring product to market and what we can expect in the future.
Some topics I found interesting:
1. Products of the future will mix function with something more emotional – like this faucet that also changes color when used. LED lighting has made products like this possible.
2. The trend of being conscious consumers is not going away – the use of raw materials is always top of mind. Being mindful of the waste we are creating and how we can save water and energy is going to be a major consideration with all new product development.
3. Houses will continue to be smaller spaces – more open floor plans and less clutter….what does a home of the future look like?
As you leave your home you may have an Apple monitor embedded in your wall that gives you the latest traffic and weather updates…you may give your messages one last look as you head out the door.
Bathrooms become an oasis – that are integrated with the sleeping area – they begin to meld together. It is a place that is for hygiene, wellness, rituals and rest….your own personal spa. A place to take care of yourself – do yoga, meditation!
Kitchens and Living areas start to intertwine and the space becomes the social space of your home. Food is more important in family life, people want to cook together, be healthy and interact together. This area is going to take on more functions and will be totally versatile, think of countertops that move up and down to meet your needs…appliances that know what you want before you even know what you want!
Michaels talk was very inspiring and so exciting to see the world we will live in soon. Many of these products and ideas are in production and will hit our markets before we know it! You heard/ seen it 1st at SD!
In stark contrast – but equally as good was Kathryn Ireland. She spoke about building your personal brand and decorating with color.
Sample of Kathryns work – she has an amazing knack to mix colors and prints boldly and comfortably – she does most of her shopping in Europe flea markets.
The Kathryn Ireland fabric line is so much fun to work with – we carry the whole line in our library and love working with this palette – perfect for all these new bright trends right now.
Kathryn was bright, funny and highly entertaining – she also gave us a sneak peek at the new edition for the Bravo show, she will be doing Lindsay Lohan’s new home on Million dollar decorator….I think for us design junkies it is a must see!
