New York City’s Top Interior Designers Discuss "Dirty Words" in the World of Interior Design
Hundred Stories just curated another sold out talk at 92Y - this one: "Transforming Spaces: Inside the World of Interior Design." The panel discussion brought together four of the City's most influential interior designers, all boasting international acclaim. Panelists included Jeffrey Beers, founder and CEO at Jeffrey Beers International, Clodagh, founder of Clodagh Design, Amy Lau, founder of Amy Lau Design, and Russell Groves, Principal at Groves & Co. The editor- in -chief of Elle Décor, Michael Boodro, moderated the talk and facilitated the lively discussion on the leading trends and issues in the world of interior design.
Panelists regaled the audience with stories about their own unique approaches with different projects and diverse client tastes. Clodagh said, "We actually interview our residential clients together and separately if it's a couple. This is very important because it really all comes out." She then went on to say that she even takes down their horoscope signs, illustrating how in depth the planning stage can be between designer and client. Boodro agreed by saying, "…interior designers have to be like marriage counselors.”
Other areas of interest included technology and the environment. Groves pointed out the challenges imposed by modern technology, namely that as clients have more and more advanced options, they simultaneously want their lives more streamlined. "We as designers are tasked with creating simplicity from the complexity," he said. Groves opined that designers have to work harder than one would think in interesting their clients in the environment. “People sadly aren’t that interested…we have to make green glamorous.”
As for what's "trendy," which Boodro calls “a dirty word” in the design business, the panel agreed that while minimalism is currently popular, antiques and vintage are making a comeback. Groves continues to try to add in older pieces to his designs, looking for items that "have character, transcend time a little bit, and also have the flavor of both a place and our client." Beers' – whose work includes the famed Plaza Food Hall and Cove at Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas - tries to incorporate past trends, saying his work "has a nod to history, wherever the context of it is." Clodagh stressed the importance of looking "in the rear view mirror to inform." Lau said about 7 out of 10 clients want everything new but an “entire room filled with that has no excitement, no zest; I think it will come back around,” she said, and encouraged everyone to go out and "buy some brown furniture!"
Beers’ current project includes the luxury residential tower, One West End, which is the first and tallest condominium to come to market within Riverside Center, the masterfully planned new neighborhood on the Upper West Side. Clodagh has just completed a re-design of The Colorado, bringing unique and energy-inspiring amenities to these iconic Upper East Side residences. Groves & Co is leading interior design for 1 Seaport, the elegant all-glass residential tower rising 60-stories above the waterfront offering unobstructed river and city skyline views. 1 Seaport is also the first condominium project in what is considered the most historic neighborhood in NYC, and one on the cusp of being transformed into a cultural and culinary mecca. Lau is currently working on several high profile residential properties including a triplex on Park Avenue, a loft in West Chelsea, and a residence on Central Park West.
The interior design talk was part of an ongoing series of lectures and panels programmed by Hundred Stories for 92Y. On February 3-5, 2017, the two organizations will be co-presenting a first-of-its-kind conference. The three day symposium, designed for a consumer audience, will feature panel discussions, talks/conversations, and high level discourse on the most relevant real estate topics impacting New Yorkers today. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the most influential names in real estate, architecture and design.
For more information, please contact Hundred Stories at (212) 570-2700 or email Charlotte@hundredstoriespr.com
Russell Groves of Groves & Co; Amy Lau of Amy Lau Design
L-R: Groves; Lau; Jeffery Beers of Jeffrey Beers International; Clodagh of Clodagh Design; Michael Boodro of Elle Decor
L-R: Groves; Lau; Beers; Clodagh; Boodro
L-R: Groves; Lau; Beers; Clodagh; Boodro
L-R: Groves; Lau; Beers; Clodagh; Boodro
Groves; Lau
Beers; Clodagh
