AD Design Show 2019

Last month I got an unexpected invitation from ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME magazine to attend the AD Design Show, where they were filming interviews with many of their brand partners.

ASPIRE’s publisher, Steven Mandel, asked me to conduct those interviews for videos that will be placed on the magazine’s website. This was my first foray into on-camera work, and I (surprisingly) had a blast. I’ll share those videos when they’re up.

Because I was so busy, I didn’t have much time to wander the show, but now that I’m back and perusing all the exhibitor images from the press kit, I wanted to share my favorites.

I did get to visit British garden sculptor David Harber‘s booth, and met the man himself. This was exciting because I’ve written two narratives about gardens here in the DC area that have Harber sculptures in them. One of his latest sculptures, the Torus disk with a watery mirrored surface, just blew me away.

 

 

And if you want a classic armillary in your traditional English garden, Harber is where you go. Period.

David did a version of this in marine-grade stainless steel for a retired Coast Guard admiral in Vienna, which I covered for Washingtonian magazine:

And because I (clearly) love seeing designers and makers whose work I’ve written about, I was also loving this apartment setting designed by New York It Girl designer Sasha Bikoff, whose Memphis Style wallpaper in the Kips Bay Showhouse stair hall wowed the design world last year.

I wrote about one of Sasha’s early design projects in New York’s Hudson Valley for Luxe Magazine, so I already knew this was a woman with a serious point of view!

Here’s another point of view: Dolce & Gabbana’s vision for Smeg appliances. Whoa.

 

And here’s some fodder for a debate that can get highly emotional: Are libraries for reading, or just for decorating? If it’s the latter, Booth & Williams can curate your shelves in any colorway or genre. (Bonus: They’re real books, so you can read them, too.)

 

I can’t stop thinking about Tucker Robbins‘ Teardrop chandelier, made in Bali with handwoven rattan and rice paper, that stopped me dead in my tracks.

 

Now, from the Press Kit, here are the drool-worthy items I wish I’d been able to see in person:

I don’t know why, but I’m OBSESSED with this light by Brooklyn artist Hayoung Lee. I want I want I want:

 

OK, and who wouldn’t want this “Purl” chair by durodeco for a young girls’ room?

 

Continuing on the pink theme, I was intrigued by this gorgeous woven work hanging from a mirror by Karen Gayle Tinney. It reminded me of an incredible woven lighting fixture by Windy Chien, whose work I covered in a Napa Valley home for Luxe.

 

That wispiness is also present in this mural-like wallcovering—self-adhesive, removable—by Tempaper. I’m looking forward to seeing more of their designs at High Point this weekend.

 

I was definitely attracted to things with delicate palettes and strong lines, like these colored-glass side tables and lighting by Ocrum Design:

HOW COOL are these bowls by Matthew Ward Studio?

 

So I get that exposed bulbs in lighting are totally having  a moment—and it might not last very much longer, but WOW this sconce by Pax Lighting just grabs me. Won’t let go.

We’ve been on the lookout for two-person benches that can go at either end of our new, live-edge dining table (I need a Craigslist gold metal for that find!), and this walnut Shoreman’s bench by Hamilton Holmes might fit the ticket—though I don’t yet know how much it costs, but I can’t stop thinking about it:

 

And finally, I was delighted to discover these new textile designs by Stevie Howell, a painter, printmaker and textile designer in San Francisco. Not only are her fabric designs bright, organic and happy, but the way they are styled is equally gorgeous:

 

 

NEXT UP: High Point! I haven’t been down in a while, but there are lots of new lines I’m eager to see, in addition to events that ASPIRE is hosting in advance of the Fall Market, where they’re sponsoring a designer showhouse along with Fabricut, Cosentino and Lee Industries. I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Please let me know if you’ll be there this weekend — I would love to connect!