COVERINGS 2010

So we just returned from the whirlwind of spring trade shows.  No one should have to attend multiple shows over a scant three week period – much less be caught in a mire of volcanic ash which further delays return to one’s own bed – but we did.  We attended the National Kitchen & Bath Show, International Furniture Market and the COVERINGS Tile and Stone Show.  Colleagues attended Saloni and Color Marketing Group.  We have ICFF, NEOCON and the AIA Show on the immediate horizon. It’s frightening to think of the time, money and effort focused on these intense periods where industry professionals gather to gawk at new products, listen to endless angles on color and design and generally have to be nice to each other and clients.  This is work. 

 But in hindsight it’s good work.  Without trade shows would we innovate and introduce new programs and products?  Would we gather to energize each other and convince one another that business really is improving?  Would we get a handle on market trends and see new to the world ideas?  I think not. Love ‘em or hate ‘em we need trade shows to get our grooves on.  It’s human nature to work to a deadline.  And we do some of our best work when the deadline has an audience of tens of thousands ready to touch and feel the product of our work. 

 Do I think we can improve the trade show model?  You bet.  But for now, just knowing there is another one around the corner is stimulating.  Next time, we’ll tell you what we saw!

LV Wood Floors

The Architectural Digest Home Show was a joy to behold.  Count on this venue to see some really interesting products presented in very special ways.  Farrow and Ball, the gorgeous paint and paper purveyors from the UK created a space that I wanted to fold up and install in my bedroom.  A delightfully creative gent by the name of Tony Wurman introduced his recycled plastic lamps, bowls and napkin rings.  From afar you’d think they were made of blown Venetian glass.  Amazing.  The sexy and sensual handscraped and painted wood floors from LV Wood Floors introduced entirely new ideas for thinking about the “fifth” wall as a design element.  Back to Great Britain for an elegant collection of Robert A.M. Stern designed Haddonstone cast stone garden urns and ornaments.  In all, a wonderful respite from the rigors of shoveling snow off of city sidewalks.  We’ll be back next March, surely.

Reign in Spain winners gather among journalists for an international press conference at Cevisama 2010.

Fascinating how a journey to Spain’s ceramic tile show, Cevisama changes perspectives.  We had the pleasure of hosting four delightfully talented architects on a trip to this show earlier in February.  They just weighed in (officially) on their thoughts about the show, the products and the experience.  Happily they all were pleasantly surprised by what they found.  Tile from Spain is not only famously functional but truly a material perfect for making design statements.  As Americans we think of many materials in such parochial ways.  Ceramic is one of those.  The eyes of this group were opened wide.  Tile from Spain is innovative, beautiful and sustainable.  That’s what they found!  Their experience will likely begin to change minds across the country.  Now we need to encourage distributors and contractors to get behind the movement as well.  If specifiers can’t find these gorgeous materials they aren’t likely to specify them!  The COVERINGS Ceramic Tile and Stone Show is just around the corner.  This US based show (in Orlando this year) is the perfect place for distributors to see, chat and collaborate with Spanish manufacturers.  I hope they show up!  There is so much to see.  And, if these four architects are an indication, the market wants what Spain has to offer!

Yes, we’ve reached the end of a decade! Beginning with a ‘round the world party to celebrate the new millennium.  And ending with a different kind of roar.

How ironic, then, to become engrossed in the cover story, where author Evan Ratliff ponders if it’s possible to “shed your identity in the digital age.” Part of a $5,000 Wired promotion, the author writes that many were inspired to take up the hunt simply because of their own latent desires to disappear. An engrossing article that relies on the impacts of our new digital world to solve the mystery.  And what better place than Vegas to give it a read!

Since everything is media today, I guess a glass front window is as good as any to advertise your website – even if it is on brown kraft paper and hand lettered with a marker! This is probably working too, at least until some old baby boomer decides to rent the space and open that once ubiquitous mom and pop shop: Open 10-5, Monday through Friday.  10-2 on Saturday. Closed on Sunday.

The liquor store, a staple since 1962, has survived the ups and downs of the ‘hood, but now has regular wine tastings at its full service bar as well as a vast selection of wines not normally found east of Napa.

This four block area perfectly epitomizes the “gritty chic” we found in the White Good trends work this summer. Instead of perfectly coifed shops, found in “Disneyesque lifestyle centers,” this trend towards honest, often locally made, one-off shops is storming communities, large and small.

The impact on Gap’s, Banana’s, Victoria’s and ‘bucks will likely be pretty severe. Long live diversity. It is so much more interesting.

Smack in the middle of the gallery’s front garden is an Alice in Wonderland-like series of sculptures that, at first glance, seem to be nothing more than a nifty kid’s playground.

Looking closer I found that these “fun” pieces were a statement on the 1-in-3 homes that are “underwater” in this country today. An oversized bucket sculpture is tipped on its side, spilling a sea of sand covering all but the roof structures of a number of “homes.”

Entitled “Trickledown” the work makes us think about the view that a child might have – a “Jack in the Beanstock Giant” sized bucket, tipped over, spilling out dollhouses in sand – and comparing it to the harsh adult reality of our current real estate bust.

The juxtaposition of the child’s perspective to the adult’s may actually be upside down. After all, isn’t it the rational “adult” who has actively participated in this crazy real estate mess? Or is it the child in all of us who has driven the silliness?

What better locale to celebrate the rich history and innovation of ceramic tile than Bologna? A city with its own storied past and architectural wonders.

Miles of porticos, or covered walkways, protect citizens and visitors alike from the elements. The beauty is in the archways. They draw the eye upward and are reminiscent of cathedrals.  Gentle footsteps fill these passages, along with opportunity to stop often and appreciate the city’s history. It’s not uncommon to come upon centuries-old frescos that feel as though they were painted just yesterday.

It’s a city meant for exploring. An adventuresome spirit overtakes you when confronting some of its mysteries. For instance, the three arrows seen lodged in the dark wood of one portico. Do you believe some who suggest that the arrows were placed there as a joke after a renovation in the late 1800s? Or, the more dramatic story of a nobleman who sent three men to kill his unfaithful wife centuries ago? (The arrows obviously missed in that tale!)

And all this before the show began. Our tour abroad and home again, in search of the latest and greatest, continues.

Snaking through the Shenandoah Valley in the Agency Golden Chariot, I’m struck by the history of the place.  In this goofy time it feels soo good to look at pretty red barn, peeling paint and all, and find oxygen.  I’m thinking we’re about to see a resurgence of beautifully produced simple shaker inspired design.  Honest and practical with integrity.  Perhaps a little influence of Frank Lloyd Wright will start reappearing.  It’s amazing how much he designed that was never built.  The current Guggenheim exhibit shows drawings and models for such cool places that never went further.  Did you know Wright was one of a number of architects asked to concept a master plan for Bagdad in 1959.  Thankfully that work was never implemented.  Imagine it today. Read “Loving Frank” if you are a Wright aficionado.  Whether you like the story or not, the detail is wonderful.  You’ll plan a trip to Wisconsin to visit Taliesin soon after.