Women in Design

I had the pleasure of attending Elle Decor's annual salute to Women in Design and thought I would share a few of the highlights with you. After Charlotte Moss was presented with the Vision Award from Margaret Russell they joined interior designers Michelle Nussbaumer, Kelly Wearstler and Holly Hunt for a panel discussion. A few of my male friends joked that a women in design event seemed a bit sexist but design is very important in the world of women since it was one of the first places that it was not only acceptable for women to work but to own their own businesses. When I look around now and see so many of my female friends who own their own firms, it's really amazing. We owe a lot to those designing women who paved the way such as Elsie de Wolfe, Sister Parish and Dorothy Draper.

The first question to the panel was what advice they have for design students or those who want to work in design. All of the designers had similar suggestion, such as reading, traveling, visiting museums, interning, and working for someone who you admire. Kelly Wearstler also suggested visiting antique shops and art galleries, anything to "fuel your vision." She also suggested never following trends or buying something because it's the hot new style.

Getting out to be inspired is something that they all practice in their own life. Michelle Nussbaumer had just visited the MoMA and Kelly Wearstler is often inspired by art and also jewelry and fashion. Kelly also has a large library of vintage books that she often consults. They all agreed that it's sometimes good to get away from a design dilemma and come back to it and for Holly Hunt, that means going out into nature and taking a run. I actually took a walk through Central Park with a friend last week and we ended up at the Met where we viewed the new Vermeer exhibit and Roman sculptures. I can attest that it's good to leave your desk sometimes!

One of the biggest challenges for women in design is balancing their family life and work. Michelle Nussbaumer said she tries not to bring work home at night or work on weekends. Easier said than done as we all know but you need to make time for the important things in life. Charlotte Moss also talked about having to make hard decisions such as when she decided to close her store which was taking her away from her family and taking the joy out of her life.

Another interesting question that was posed was "what makes a timeless room?" Charlotte Moss said that it's not physical and not an object but what designers get paid to create which is ambiance and atmosphere. They all agrees it's nothing you can put your finger on but you know when you walk into a room and it just feels right. Kelly Wearstler compared it to a painting that you can go back to time and again and see new things and never get tired of looking at.

A question from the audience that resonated most with me was "how do you stay organized, especially with multiple clients?" I struggle with keeping on top of my paperwork and organizing my tear sheets so it was good to hear someone like Holly Hunt admit that she never quite feels organized and the sorting can take the most time! Like me, they all carry notebooks and write everything down and also take lots of photos. Unlike me, they have a staff of very organized people who work with them and keep them organized! I'm going to have to work on that!

One of the last audience questions was about how they present to a client and their best advice is that you really have to tailor your presentation to the client. Charlotte Moss stated that, "there is no formula because every client is different." Kelly Wearstler called it "an organic process" and I agree. Sometimes you buy something for one room and realize later that it belongs in another. You can't be so tied to the furniture plan and you need to be flexible.

All in all, it was a wonderful event and a very inspiring one! If you ever get the chance to hear any of these women in design speak, I highly recommend making the time to attend! And I can't think of a better way to end than with a quote from the original designing woman, Elsie de Wolfe, "I am going to make everything around me beautiful. That will be my life."

Thomas O'Brien's American Vintage Modern Casually Elegant Collection

The best part of High Point was definitely meeting all the designers and having them walk us through their spaces. I also loved that Hickory Chair allowed the designers to not only display their furniture for Hickory Chair but also their lines for other vendors which created a wonderfully styled space that ended up looking more like a real home than a showroom. This was especially true of Thomas O'Brien's rooms that were a great mix of his furniture for Hickory Chair, rugs from his collection for Safavieh, his bedding for Target, accessories from his shop Aero, and china and flatware from his line for Reed & Barton. The rooms also represented what he called his Gemini love of both vintage and modern, and elegant and casual pieces, much of which was based on furniture he has collected over the years. I really found them inspiring and hope you do too!

Photos by Heather Clawson

Suzanne Kasler's Inspired Interior at High Point

Someone commented after they met Suzanne Kasler that didn't expect her to be soft spoken. I said she didn't need to talk loudly since her designs speak volumes for her!

I feel like most people associate Suzanne with pink so it was fun to see this orange space in the Hickory Chair showroom, especially since it's my favorite color! Actually, Suzanne was quick to point out that the room is really neutral with orange accents.

I didn't realize until we saw some sold signs in one of the showrooms that you can buy the floor models. I was very tempted to buy Suzanne's Ansley Chair that was upholstered in burnt orange leather. It's so me! If I did buy it, I wouldn't be able to shove as many bags of fabric samples under it which is what I do with the current chair in my apartment that it would replace! But I guess I could return the samples!

I think this photo is going to go in my future house binder of ideas and tear sheets. It's just perfect!

Suzanne had recently returned from Paris fashion week she said she was thinking about her new collection that will debut in the spring at High Point in terms of a new fashion collection. I cannot wait to see it! I'm sure it will be gorgeous!

She was also on hand to sign her new book, Inspired Interiors, that was just released. I know I always feel inspired after speaking with her and seeing her interiors and I already love the book.

It was fun to peek at the bulletin board after everyone left and see that it was filled with Suzanne's real invitations!

I especially loved the colored push pins with all the names of the grand tour cities. All of the designers take pride in their spaces and come in early before the High Point Furniture Market starts to help style their furniture and accessories. It speaks volumes about their attention to detail and dedication is probably another reason why the Hickory Chair showroom is always a favorite!

Photos by Heather Clawson

Alexa Hampton for Hickory Chair

It's really funny that I had to go all the way to High Point, North Carolina to see a designer who works a few blocks away from me but I'm definitely glad that I made the trip! Alexa Hampton is the kind of person you meet once and immediately feel like you've known forever. She's a very talented designer and her passion and enthusiasm for her new pieces at Hickory Chair makes her the very best spokesperson. I'm so glad that she personally led us through her collection! It was such a treat!

For those of you who may not know, Alexa is the daughter of the late legendary interior designer Mark Hampton. After his death in 1998, she took over as President of Mark Hampton LLC. At the dinner Monday night, she was telling me lovely stories about her father who grew up in farm country in Indiana but at age 12, much like the rest of us, was decorating his own room. One of his first projects involved painting a pair of shutters and installing them in his room. He went on to study art history and during a semester at the London School of Economics he went to David Hicks in search of a job. As luck would have it, David's assistant was leaving so he was told to come back in a month to start work. Another time, he went into the Parish Hadley office to look for a job and when Mrs. Parish heard him speaking, he sounded just like her brother so she told them to hire him immediately! Alexa had many of these good luck stories about her father including the story of how he met her mother in Venice, a place that holds special meaning in her life.

Later, Mark Hampton was the New York representative for David Hicks and Alexa recalled how she grew up in a bedroom with a black and white patterned Hicks carpet that lasted through many different colors and incarnations of the room. We both agreed that the best part of David Hicks and his style was his mix of the bold colors and patterns with the antiques. Antiques are something that I associate with Mark Hampton who used to take Alexa with him to galleries and antique shops and traveling. She really learned at his knee and she, like her father, is a very talented artist. She was surprised that I remembered her apartment that appeared many years ago in House Beautiful but it was the artwork in it that she had created that impressed me enough to keep the tear sheets which I need to find!

Mark Hampton created one of the first designer furniture collections for Hickory Chair and many of the pieces were inspired by his own antiques. After his death, Alexa took over the reigns of her father's design firm and fittingly, also started designing her own pieces for Hickory Chair. Alexa and her family were and still are friends with many of the top interior and fashion designers and it was a chair that Bill Blass owned that was the inspiration for the Grant Chair above. It was very interesting to hear her explain the often long and arduous process of furniture design that sometimes takes multiple tries to achieve the perfect end result and that was case with this chair that made its debut at High Point. From the reaction it has received thus far, it already looks like it's going to be a huge success!

I loved how Alexa described how you can come to Hickory Chair for the basics but also the couture pieces which she compared to a Gap tee shirt and a Lanvin necklace. A girl after my own heart! I personally love how you can use the same piece in multiple projects but never have it look the same since you can customize the finish and hardware options to your heart's content!

Alexa also joked that if she could, she'd produce hundreds of occasional tables since they are so useful. She also designed these nesting tables above since there are only so many blue and white porcelain vases that you can display in the empty space under a side table!

The best part of Alexa's collection is that it has a mix of modern clean lined pieces and interesting items like her Greek revival chairs. She said she gets "bored of the same shapes" and that mix really does create a more interesting room. One of my favorite quotes was when she said, "Danish Modern bums me out." I know what she means. So she cleaned it up a bit and created her version of a Danish Modern sofa and chairs.

Another one of my favorite aspects of Hickory Chair in general and Alexa's line is that there is a lot of thought put into the back of all the chairs and sofas. You usually walk into the back of them if they are floating and they should be interesting and well designed.

This desk is another new and clean lined piece in the collection.

Here Alexa is extolling the virtues of the roll away file cabinets for the desk. You can also order it with out them and use it as a console table.

The entire Hickory Chair showroom was beyond gorgeous but Alexa's spaces were especially beautiful. Ron Fiore, the Creative Director, who styles all the spaces decided to go more neutral this season so they all looked calm and serene.

Alexa has designed a new line of fabrics for Kravet that will be out soon but until the are, Kravet has graciously allowed Hickory Chair to exclusively carry five of the designs including this beautiful paisley on the bed.

Alexa designs pieces for her own clients and many of those made their way into her collection for Hickory Chair.

One thing that I completely agree with that Alexa said was that she likes her spaces to appeal to both men and women. There is nothing worse that a frilly bed full of pillows that a man has throw on the floor every night!

The Perlini Mirror seen above the fireplace was inspired by one that she saw at Mallett Antiques in New York. She said that David Easton and Oscar de la Renta must have seen the same mirror because they both designed similar versions of the mirror for their collections!

Alexa pointed out that most upholstered beds have upholstered head boards and foot boards but not upholstered side rails and she made sure that her bed did have upholstered side rails.

The Hubert slipper chair on the right was inspired by one in the Hubert de Givenchy sale in the 1990's. He had two flanking his fireplace and they had a huge affect on her. She later said she wondered how the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge sales would affect designers going forward. It will be interesting to see.

In addition to her furniture line with Hickory Chair and her fabric line at Kravet, Alexa also designs rugs for Stark Carpet and lamps for Visual Comfort. She was excited to mention that she designed flat porcelain lamps that are perfect for console tables!

Alexa was very careful to make sure that all of her pieces were appropriately scaled. One hard piece to create was a canopy bed that could work with different ceiling heights. The result is the Belle Canopy Bed that is lower but still looks great!

The Hickory Chair showroom was a place that you wanted to hang out in all day and I actually did! I came back after the tour to take my time taking photos and that's when I saw Donna Warner, editor in chief of Metropolitan Home and her team taking their tour and also where I ran into author Cathy Whitlock. She was there taking a break before her book signing for her great new book reDesign. Hickory Chair actually gave us all a signed copy and I very much enjoyed reading it on the plane ride home!

Alexa named this chair after her best friend Gabby with the intent that it be very comfortable and cozy yet still look tidy and beautiful after you get up. It's this attention to detail that really impressed me about Alexa. She's also very intelligent and knowledgeable about styles, periods and designers. I joked with friends later that Alexa used a few words that I was going to have to look up later but she's one of those wonderfully charming and personable people that don't have a snobby bone in their body! I don't think it would be possible to be in a bad mood around her!

It takes a really long time to see a furniture line realized and Alexa said that it's like giving birth and watching it grow. "I'm excited because it's the collection it wants to be." The Breck Chair seen here is one of the most popular styles and the Mark Desk was named after her late father. Alexa is profiled in Cathy Whitlock's book and at the end of her chapter Cathy writes, "With or without her famous moniker, Alexa has established herself as a well-rounded and accomplished designer. And her father would be proud." I don't think I could have said it any better myself!

Photos by Heather Clawson