My High Point Market Take Away
Written by faith | 0This Seattle interior designer arrived in High Point, NC late on the 19th to infuse myself with products, inspirations and to ‘test the water’ after the bubble burst. Positive news - the turnout was good, lots of smiles all around and overall an upbeat vibe. My first day, Sunday, was full of appointments like Hickory Chair (fabulous as always) and more on Thomas O’Brien introductions soon. The smart, savvy Alexa Hampton was the featured speaker at the Withit breakfast. Her presentation, ‘Decades of Design’ showcased her father’s work in her parent’s home over 3 decades. There is a wonderful ‘aha’ to see the pieces kept and re-purposed, a message for everyone about furnishings. My day ended at Global Views at a Tweetup. I so enjoyed meeting in person all the people who are part of my social media family.
The next day, the pace maintained and culminated at the Competitive Intellligence panel sponsored by Withit. I was honored when invited by Stephanie Louder, President of Withit, to join a panel discussion and share what we’ve seen in High Point that is new: an idea, a design, a process, a mktg coup… anything that is truly driving the world of design and furnishings forward. You see in the photo the great panel participants.
Left to right: (me) Faith Sheridan, Julia Noran, The Editor at Large, Deborah Sanders, Editor at Veranda Magazine, Tobi Fairley Designer/Blogger
Stephanie supplied the questions and the spontaneous responses sparked lively exchanges not only among the panelists but also from the audience during Q and A.
Julie Smith Vincenti, Ninemudesmedia.com, deftly fed Twitter catching the key responses so I quote her below.
- From Editor at Large’s Julia: she is loving the re-purposing of materials. Spotted in all product categories.
- From Deborah of Veranda: third-party certification is going to become more important moving forward. (sustainable response)
- From Seattle designer Faith Sheridan: I approach green projects by concentrating on surfaces like wall and floors, water usage and energy reduction.
- From Veranda’s Deborah: Phillips Collection is a most inventive green company. Check out the furniture made of roots.
- From Seattle-based Faith Sheridan: Sustainability in home furnishings is not going away.
- From Veranda magazine’.s Deborah: Vintage matters because we love the discovery of finding old products.
- From New York-based Julia, editor at large: I find the smaller scale of furniture refreshing. I love 2 live w/color, so scale is my comfort.
- From Tobi Fairley: She’s loving Barclay Butera’s two lines, Laura Kirar’s work for Baker. Plus, lacquer is still hot.
- From Deborah, Veranda: the mix of materials such as reclaimed wood & cast metal is most arresting. The contrast makes these pieces interesting
So much to share… and I promise I will.