It’s been a long time since I’ve updated you here on the blog, and much has happened over the Summer and Fall in both health and design. In addition to being shortlisted for the best Luxury Design Blog for the Amara Interior Blog Awards, I was invited to take part in Esteem Media‘s Fall 2017 Design Bloggers Tour of High Point Market, and I’m going to share Part I of my Market Roundup with you today.

Identifying what we as designers consider to be the latest trends can honestly be dizzying. With the veritable flood of beautiful products being unleashed to the design trade every six months at the over 1 million square feet of showrooms to be explored at High Point Market, one could easily become overwhelmed.

The truth is, I’m never looking for trends. As fashion designer Carolina Herrera says, trends tend to make everyone look the same. I’m looking for inspiration, and for unique pieces that can help me tell my design clients’ unique stories. If those inspiring pieces can be sorted into categories to keep my mental design catalogue organized and sane, that’s what I’ll do.

So today I want to share two (of several) categories of design inspiration I came away drooling over after our whirlwind Design Bloggers Tour of High Point Market.

Do you remember the stunning space that Richard and Maxime of Les Ensembliers designed for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House? (See drool-worthy photo at the top of this post.) Of the million and one design details to fall in love with in that space, one that I still haven’t gotten over is their Art Deco-inspired deconstructed geometric ceiling. That ceiling fanned into flame my previous passion for all things deconstructed geometry, so I was a bit of a moth to the flame whenever I spotted this distinctive pattern at Market. Here are a few of my favourite pieces that showcase what I’m talking about:

ONE/  There are few current day designers making quite such an iconic mark on the design industry as Kelly Wearstler. Her newly released large scale Ardent chandelier should give you some idea as to why. Bold. Edgy. Sexy. Minimalist. A total design statement. Kelly merges these worlds with an artistry that is uniquely recognizable, and this chandelier’s angled glass fractals and brass finish are truly lust-worthy.

TWO/  I love the sense of torsion and movement that Darryl Carter’s Fold Round Dining Table for Milling Road connotes. At 48″, it is the perfect size for a kitchen or breakfast nook and can easily seat 6. The whitewashed mahogany top is both warm and clean, and this stunning table is now firmly planted on my wish list for our next house.

THREE/  By far one of my favourite showrooms at Market this year, Century Furniture really wowed me with their beautifully diverse offerings for almost every style and budget imaginable. I love this perfect little night stand from their Cracked Ice collection. It showcases just one of the many creative ways that we designers can totally customize casegoods for our clients using their Details Visualizer. Between their highly customizable collection and their promise to offer some of the best customer service in the industry, Century is firmly planted on my “ones to work with” list!

FOUR/  Last but not least, the fabric that was inspired by the ceiling at Kips Bay Decorators Show House, this luxe La Tortue velvet in petal pink is definitely my favourite textile in Les Ensembliers‘ new collection for Brunschwig & Fils. The whole storybook of textiles they released is both classic in its roots yet forward thinking in its fashion sense, and if you haven’t checked them out already, you simply must.

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you’ll know that I’m fairly obsessed with all things Art Deco, so I was thrilled to see so many tips of the cap to this iconic design period. Far from a trend, these pieces are calling upon history to inform the beauty they represent.

ONE/  This burled wood 3 drawer dresser from Century Furniture‘s new Bowery Place collection truly stopped me in my tracks. It, too, is firmly planted on my wish list for the new house. Can’t you see a pair of these flanking our king sized bed? I sure can, and I’ll be dreaming about them tonight as I drift off.

TWO/  Another showroom topping the Must See List is Theodore Alexander. The designer collections inside this showroom are truly outstanding. I could have wrapped up half the showroom and happily brought it home with me, and many of those pieces would have come from Jamie Drake‘s stunning collection. Jamie does a brilliant job of marrying feminine and masculine in his lines, forms, textures and use of colour, and this beautiful newly released bench is just one example of his Deco-inspired designs. Jamie is of course as charming as they come (and so debonaire!), and I am truly head-over-heels for his entire collection.

THREE/  A favourite discovery on my very last day at Market was Maggie Cruz Home. There really wasn’t a single piece in this Deco-inspired, utterly fresh collection that I didn’t love, and the caned Alexandra bench is no exception. Architectural lines and Miami-fresh colours make an unexpected and brilliant pairing with the traditional technique of caning. When I learned that the designer Maggie and her sister (and business parter) Suzette have their beautiful pieces made in Peru, I fell even harder. I spent two months in Peru when I was 16 and was dreaming in Spanish by the end of the summer. The people there are some of the warmest I’ve ever met, and you can feel that warmth and love in this gorgeous collection. Expect to see more from Maggie Cruz Home in a post to come!

FOUR/  Chartreuse velvety curves? This St. Germain Chaise from ModShop is like a songstress whose dulcimer tones woo you back to a bygone era. The entire collection from ModShop was bursting with echoes of Deco and rich, saturated colour, and they are definitely onto something with that design direction. Mark my words, a richer and more European-inspired palette will be very strong in the year ahead, especially in anything velvet.

I have so much more to share with you from High Point Market and the Design Bloggers Tour, and I hope this has whet your appetite! Check back next week for Part II in my High Point Market Roundup! Until then, happy weekend, friends!