subscribe!Michael Wollaeger writes about his Denver, Colorado, visit on May 6-7
I love the Teatro Hotel in Denver, located in a beautiful old former bank building on the edge of the city’s hip LoDo area. I had flown in for the Denver Design District market, where I’d be speaking about “How the West Is Redefining Luxury,” a topic dear to my heart, and I was content to check into the Teatro on the evening of Cinco de Mayo. My room had a little balcony overlooking the city, and strains of Mexican street music floated up on the warm breezes. After dinner and a stroll through LoDo (one of the coolest urban areas I know), I retired early to prepare for a full day in Denver.
Regional Manager Annette Lentz flew up from Dallas Tuesday morning, and she picked me up at the hotel. We headed directly over to the Denver Design District to see Eddy Doumas, whose Town showroom has really bloomed in the past four years or so. Eddy is a talented interior designer who has a thriving national business, and he also somehow manages to run a large and bustling showroom. Town carries great lines such as Baker Furniture, Ralph Lauren Home and Barbara Barry Home, as well as stylish smaller companies, and it’s a great resource for designers throughout the region. Eddy and I hadn’t met in person, so it was nice to be able to hang out a bit before my talk.
I was speaking right after the great New York designer Larry Laszlo, who’s a hard act to follow. But Denver is always a wonderful audience for Western Interiors & Design, so I was lucky that the room filled up again after Larry departed, and I could see several friends in attendance, including Design Center impresario Jo Frank and her crew. Jo is a one-woman whirlwind, and she’s active in so many different markets (I’ve run into her in San Francisco, Wyoming, Phoenix-Scottsdale, Dallas, New York ….) it’s dizzying. I spoke to the group about a new kind of luxury I’m seeing in the West, a luxury that’s not so much about excess as it is about grace. I was able to show a wide range of Colorado examples drawn from our pages, breathtaking houses that use natural materials, incorporate the landscape and honor craftsmanship and quality. As opposed to bloated houses crammed with…stuff. Been there, done that, as they say.
That evening, we dined with our good friends Marvin Wilkinson and Art Ellsworth, who run the remarkable John Brooks showrooms in Denver, Aspen and Scottsdale, Arizona. We were joined by their associates Kyle Geik and Ashley Larson, as well as Todd Huckabone of Donghia, Carolyn Reed of Bergamo, and Karin Eaton of Ironware International. Art and Marvin had selected one of their favorite Denver restaurants, Potager, which was perfect. Potager is relaxed, hip and friendly, and the food is superb. Todd, Carolyn and Karin had presentations at John Brooks the next day, but having discharged my speaking duties, I felt blissfully stress-free. Karin and I had met at last year’s market, and we’d discovered that we have some close friends in common in Nashville, Tennessee, where she lives. It was a lively evening all around, and I was grateful to Art and Marvin for putting it together. Needless to say, I slept like a rock back at the Teatro.
The next morning, Annette and I went back to the Design Center to see Karin’s presentation at John Brooks. Ironware International utilizes wonderful French ironworkers to make some of the most beautiful hand-wrought chandeliers and lighting pieces on the market today. Karin showed some fascinating video of pieces being made, with glowing iron being hammered and bent into delicate curvilinear shapes. Old school indeed. Elsewhere, Todd was presenting Donghia’s new fabrics to a group of rapt designers. Last year I’d seen Carolyn’s energetic and engaging Bergamo presentation (so much to show!), but we missed her performance this year, unfortunately. The John Brooks showroom is a hive of activity and creativity at any given time, and Art and Marvin continue to expand on all fronts. They have a unique ability to represent all the top lines under one roof, and to serve each equally well. Their showrooms are really giving designers in the West the tools they need to drive their work to new levels. Their secret, I think, is their unbridled enthusiasm for quality and beauty. Plus they’re a lot of fun to be around.
We also wanted to see our friends at Decorative Materials, the first-rate tile resource that’s going gangbusters in the Rocky Mountains, and we were able to grab owner Margo Hampleman right before a presentation by the Bisazza representative. Decorative Materials is in the right place with the right products at the right time, and they’re really taking off. Then we sat down with Kirsten Zook and Tim George of the Shanahan Collection and New Classics, whose wide range of furniture and lighting is quite impressive. Kirsten’s mother, Sara Zook, was an interior designer in my hometown of Winnetka, Illinois, before starting her business in Denver, and it’s inspiring to see what she’s created. She’s built a real family business that now has a national reach.
It was time to meet Bob Cilli at the William Ohs showroom in Cherry Creek, so Annette expertly navigated our way there. William Ohs cabinetry is all made right in the Denver area, and the company is dedicated to high-quality custom work. Cilli (pronounced like “chile,” no one calls him Bob) took us to lunch at a great Italian restaurant nearby and entertained us with his natural story-telling talents. He’s a Jersey boy at heart, and he’ll make you laugh. The short walk back from lunch in the glorious Denver spring was exhilarating. I was scheduled to fly back to Los Angeles in a few hours, but I dearly wanted to drive up into the mountains (Aspen, Telluride, Durango….), which beckoned on the western horizon. That would have to wait for another trip, though, as I had to prepare for being in New York the next week for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). Nothing wrong with New York, of course, but at that moment, on that fresh May afternoon, Colorado was the only place I wanted to be.
Michael Wollaeger writes about his trip to Dallas, Texas, on May 1-2
If you haven’t been to Dallas lately, you’re missing a lot. The city is undergoing massive changes, and all for the good. I was there last month to address a meeting of Design Centers International, and I was impressed with the new energy coursing through old Dallas.
Before my talk on Friday morning, however, we had other business to attend to. On Thursday morning our Regional Manager Annette Lentz picked me up bright and early and we headed out to meet with Bentwood Kitchens, just north of Dallas in Lancaster. Bentwood president Kevin Bryant and Todd Henson gave us a tour of the facilities, where Bentwood creates custom cabinet orders, custom paint finishes, you name it, right there in a hangar-like structure filled with talented (and loyal) craftspeople. I love to see where and how products are manufactured, so the tour was a treat for me.
We then headed back into Dallas for a meeting at the Nasher Sculpture Center, which is at the heart of Dallas’s cultural scene. The Renzo Piano building housing Raymond and Patsy Nasher’s remarkable art collection opened five years ago, and it’s an exquisite piece of architecture. As Western Interiors & Design is also celebrating its fifth birthday, we’re partnering with the Nasher for special events in Dallas this fall. Jane Offenbach and Martha Hess met with us in a beautiful conference room that looks out onto the sculpture garden, an extraordinary oasis in the urban center. We’ll reveal more details about our partnership events soon, but they will be glamorous and fun, and I’m excited about our new relationship.
It was time for lunch, so we walked from the Nasher to the Dallas Museum of Art’s Seventeen Seventeen restaurant, where we met Nickie Murchison, Executive Director of the Dallas Arts District Alliance. Did you know that Dallas has the largest designated arts district of any city in the country? Neither did I. But Nickie educated me, and I’m excited that Western Interiors & Design will be a sponsor of the Arts District’s September fund-raising event. More on that later.
Annette has a lot of energy, so we embarked on a few quick hits after lunch. At the Dallas Decorative Center we dropped in on George Cameron Nash, who is celebrating his twenty-first year in business. He had planned to take his staff on a surprise outing that evening, and Champagne was being poured as the staff gathered for the unknown adventure. George, however, was gracious enough to sit down with us and talk for a bit. He keeps adding new lines and twists to the showroom (I love his new outdoor sculptural pieces!), and he’s built a remarkable business in Dallas. I never did find out where they all went off to that night, but I’m sure it was memorable.
We made a stop at the Renaissance Tile & Bath showroom, where John Lane showed us the new installations, and then visited with Ramon Longoria at the Henredon showroom. Ramon has all the inside information on what’s going on and who’s doing what in Dallas, so we had an enjoyable and enlightening time catching up with him. We also stopped by to see our friends at Scott + Cooner, who were throwing a Spring Thing bash. Lloyd Scott is always a superb hostess, and the showroom looked marvelous (who needs to go to Milan when Lloyd has culled the best of the Italian collections?). We saw lots of other friends there but could only stay for a quick drink as we had dinner plans (how did it get to be dinnertime so quickly?).
Dallas wouldn’t be Dallas without David and Ann Sutherland, and I’d been looking forward to seeing them at Nobu along with their colleagues Tim Shaw and Wesley Vice. Sutherland’s new line with Philippe Starck is the talk of the furniture world, and I was interested to hear David talk about working with the renowned designer (it all went smoothly). Ann continues to oversee the remarkable fabric company Perennials, which sets the pace for so much of the outdoor fabric market. For one of the hardest-working couples in the industry, though, David and Ann always know how to have fun, and our dinner was no exception. (I had to remind myself that I had to get up and address a distinguished design group in the morning.)
On Friday morning I reviewed some notes, drank a venti iced latte and headed over to the Herman Miller showroom conference room, where my talk was scheduled. Design center heads from around the country were in Dallas, and I wanted to talk about the western marketplace, and Texas specifically. The West is a huge and under-served marketplace, and (incredibly!) many design companies are just beginning to figure out that our region isn’t just a provincial backwater. I pointed out that the West is an international marketplace for contemporary design of all stripes, and used our coverage of Texas over the past five years to illustrate my point. The hour flew by quickly (for me, at least!), and I was grateful to the Dallas Decorative Center for the invitation.
Annette and I then looked in at the Gerald Peters Gallery, where we spent a while talking about art and artists with Director Karen Fedri. Contemporary art in the West has been a big part of our coverage, so it always gets the wheels turning to spend time in a top-quality gallery. We also visited with Deborah Manning, who with her brother, Steve Bracken, opened Hermitage Antiques in Dallas six years ago to great success. Excellent inventory, interesting pieces, great prices. It was a pleasure to meet Deborah.
Lunch was at Charlie Palmer’s at the Joule Hotel, which has just been renovated by Architexas. We met with John and Irene Allender of Architexas, and Diane Collier of the AIA, to discuss sponsoring the AIA Home Tour in Dallas in November. There’s so much great architecture going on in Dallas that the tour has been a great success, so it was exciting to explore the possibility of working together on this year’s tour. And Charlie Palmer’s was a great room to relax in, with delicious food.
I was flying back to Los Angeles in the afternoon, but Annette wanted to show me a very cool house being built by Morrison Siefert Murphy architects before we headed to the airport. We drove to the site and got out and explored the construction site, which is another thing I love to do. The bold contemporary house seemed to signify the excitement and possibility that’s afoot in Dallas these days, and I was happy to have been able to soak some of that up in my brief two days there. I was happier still to know that we have such interesting partners in Dallas, and that we’d be returning in the fall for some very special cultural events.
Gracie: A New Take on Tradition
Gracie, a New York-based company that imports and produces scenic hand-painted wall coverings has introduced five lush new patterns to its collection. Inspired by 18th and 19th century Chinese mural paintings and wall coverings that depicted the life, architecture and nature of mainland China, the new offerings feature rich contrasting colors as well as neutral tones and metallics. There’s golden imagery on an antiqued coral background and a botanical scene set against a deep orange backdrop. Additional prints include a panoramic garden landscape on an antiqued silver leaf background and an overscale silhouette design painted on a pieced 18th century antiqued background in a rich tobacco colorway.
Gracie
419 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212-924-6816
Fax: 212-627-8967
www.graciestudio.com
Michael Wollaeger writes about the Western Interiors & Design party at Blackbird in Chicago, April 11
We’ve been having fun celebrating the fifth anniversary of Western Interiors & Design, so we decided to have a party during the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Chicago last month. After considering a variety of glamorous Chicago hot spots (and there are more and more in that toddlin’ town), we selected Blackbird, which has been a standout Chicago restaurant for the past decade or so. After a long day working the booths at McCormick Place, publisher Jennifer Matthews, executive editor Laura Mauk, regional manager Kate Sollitt, account director Craig Abrams and I hopped a cab to West Randolph on Friday night. I admit, it was sheer bliss to relax in the private upstairs room at Blackbird, with our own private bar and wonderful hors d’oeuvres from Blackbird’s famous kitchen.
We’d invited many of our friends and partners both from the Chicago area and from the KBIS show, and though there were myriad events taking place that night, we had a nice turnout. It was great to see the visionary Steve Rosenblatt of Sonoma Cast Stone, and Erik Ambjor of Sonoma Forge, who stopped by on their way to dinner.
Jennifer Matthews, Steve Rosenblatt and Dave Sollitt
We quaffed a drink with Arcadio Lainez and Dabney Oliver from Zephyr, and I was delighted to see (surprise!) John Cottle of the great CCY Architects in Aspen, Colorado, who tied our party in with a visit to his son. CCY is doing some incredible work across the country now, and we’re always looking for opportunities to get their projects into our pages.
Michael Wollaeger and John Cottle
I was happy to meet Lydia Youkana and Phil Hannon, with ABT Electronics, a family-owned Chicago-area company that’s built a thriving national business. Our friends from Carlisle Flooring, Gary Ryer, Erin LaRose and Megan Sprague, came by (I’m looking forward to seeing their new showroom in Los Angeles), and I was pleased to spend some quality time with Jerry and Sheila Fein, of the fabulous Denver-based Vitraform. (Jerry and Sheila are finishing up a new weekend house in Colorado, and I made them promise to provide me a room when I’m scouting in the area.) Kohler’s Lisa Ackerman arrived with her posse, which was nice, given the plethora of Kohler events she had to cover during the show.
Lisa Ackerman and friends
And I had fun talking with Stephen Fisher, of HomeRemodeling.com, about growing up on the North Shore and our years of suffering as Cubs fans (maybe this year?). I also enjoyed meeting Phil Gould of Noble, who handles a variety of accounts, including Tamko, and his wife, Liz.
Jennifer Matthews and Stephen Fisher
Trays of delectable food items kept appearing from the kitchen, which gave me strength to drink more Champagne. Then celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman arrived with fellow chefs George Grieser and Carol McMullin, along with TurboChef public relations wizard John Weiss, and it was fun to hang out with them for a while before they adjourned to Avec, Blackbird’s sister restaurant next door.
George Grieser, Carol McMullin and Jonathan Waxman
The glamorous Tanya Rashid and Natalia Tampiza, from Muse Couture, could be seen sipping some Champagne, along with the lively Merlot Marketing group from San Francisco. It was a busy night, and Holly Hunt (among others) had to cancel, which was disappointing, but I’m hoping to catch up with all somewhere else down the line.
I’m sure there were other friends and partners at Blackbird, but frankly the Champagne may have erased some of the details of that night. As the party wound down, though, I do remember thinking about how vibrant and hard-working this industry is, and how inspiring it is to meet people who have built international businesses out of their own personal visions. It takes passion and dedication and nerve and perseverance. But the people who succeed are the people who love it, and there were a lot of them on hand in Chicago in April.
We all had to get up early Saturday morning to hit the show again, so I gratefully set a course back to the hotel. My intrepid colleagues, however, ventured on into the glittering Chicago night for further adventures.
Michael Wollaeger writes about The Kitchen and Bath Show, Chicago, April 11-13
April in Chicago is indeed the cruelest month, as I should know, having grown up there. So as a 35-degree wind cut through my sport coat, I cursed myself for “traveling light” and not bringing my overcoat. Publisher Jennifer Matthews and I had just arrived from the spring furniture market in High Point, North Carolina (where it was also unseasonably cold), to attend the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, or KBIS. (We would be joined by executive editor Laura Mauk, regional manager Kate Sollitt, and account director Craig Abrams.) But I was happy to be in Chicago despite the weather, because after the show, on Sunday, I’d have the opportunity to visit with my mother and stepfather, who live in the North Shore suburb of Northfield, and my sister Anne and her family, who live in Chicago.
Fortunately, the Kitchen and Bath Show is held indoors, at McCormick Place, and there’s a lot to see, so Jennifer and I were inside all day. On Friday morning (early!), we attended the Electrolux press breakfast. Electrolux is making a major push into the U.S. market on all fronts (you’ve seen the TV ads with Kelly Ripa, no doubt), and they have an impressive array of new products, including touch-control induction cooktops. Then we went on to see Jason McClain at Hansgrohe, a company that combines high-design with the latest in water conservation technology. At KWC, Chris Marshall gave us a tour of the company’s new luxury offerings, which are always dazzling. Meanwhile, Laura Mauk met with Scott Davies at Fisher & Paykel (I happen to have a Fisher & Paykel refrigerator in my own kitchen). We then took time to sit (my legs were already tiring, I hate to admit) with Wm Ohs president Robert Cilli, who introduced me to some very talented California kitchen designers who are using Wm Ohs’s excellent cabinetry in their projects. After that, we were running late for a meeting at Zephyr, one of those great innovative companies from California. Arcadio Lainez showed us Zephyr’s new line of sleek range hoods by industrial designer Robert Brunner, who also designed Apple’s iMac. Very cool, and a nice complement to Zephyr’s more textured offerings from Fu-Tung Cheng. Owner Alex Siow was on hand, and looked very pleased (he should be) with his booth.
As lunch time neared, we made an agonizing stop to see Brian Pember at the TurboChef booth, where chef Jonathan Waxman was cooking up delicious morsels at ridiculously fast speeds. (Agonizing because I wasn’t seated at the counter to partake of those morsels!) I was reluctant to move away from Waxman’s handiwork, but I was happy to see Reed Fry at the Blanco booth. Blanco has a great new finish they’re introducing, and its warm, earthy tones should be a popular choice in a wide variety of kitchens. Jennifer and I grabbed a glamorous lunch (a pretzel with salt and mustard, if I remember correctly) and struck out for Sonoma Cast Stone, the remarkable California company started by the visionary Steve Rosenblatt. Steve really pioneered concrete as a green, sustainable material for countertops, sinks and tubs, among other things, and Sonoma Cast Stone is still at the forefront of the industry. He’s branched out into fixtures and metalwork, all produced not far from his home in the Sonoma Valley.
We then hit Rocky Mountain Hardware (how many cool companies are there in the West?), where Patsy Nickum and Christine Pfau greeted us and showed us some of their beautiful new pieces. Rocky Mountain has been growing along with the booming western market, and it’s exciting to see them thrive. LG Electronics is bringing some very smart appliances to market, and John Weinstock gave us an informative tour. It was good to see Paul Leuthe and Michele Bedard at Sub-Zero/Wolf, whose products crop up in all the high-end projects I’m seeing in the West. And at Miele, Lori Dolnick showed us the company’s beautiful new laundry machines (who knew laundry machines would become so chic?), among other marvelous offerings.
I’m always intrigued to see what’s new at Vitraform, the Denver-based company (yes, another western notch) that produces the most beautiful glass and crystal sinks and vanities on the market. Owners Jerry and Sheila Fein were mobbed by visitors to the booth, and their business is booming internationally. No surprise, as their product is unique and on the money, style-wise.
Meanwhile, Laura Mauk had made stops at Noritz (state-of-the-art showering technology), Bentwood Kitchens (a real up-and-comer in cabinetry, out of Texas), Liebherr (the BMW of refrigeration—look out Sub-Zero!), Eldorado Stone (wonderful new surfaces and looks), Walker Zanger (yes, a California innovator in tile), Acryline (luxury tubs and whirlpools) and Toto (some of the most water-efficient toilets on the market, and they look great, too), among others. But we couldn’t chat too much as we were hosting a cocktail party at the wonderful Blackbird restaurant (look for my upcoming blog entry about our Blackbird party) that evening and had to grab a cab and head out into the cold Chicago afternoon. (That meant missing the annual Moen spa event, with complimentary foot massages, facials and such, which was heartbreaking. My feet still haven’t forgiven me…)
On Saturday morning, still somewhat groggy from our party the night before, we headed back to McCormick Place. We started out at the Bosch breakfast, where I gratefully consumed enough coffee to get up to speed. Bosch has entered the refrigeration market, adding to their market position. Of course, their dishwashers are tops (I have one), too. We said a quick hello, and then we were due at Thermador (my wife, Margo, loves our Thermador oven!), where Michele Kautz and Gregory Welteroth pointed out the many new features in their cooktops and refrigerators. At Franke, Krista Rivers did the honors, showing us their new sinks, which are outfitted with ingenious and flexible cutting boards, draining trays, spray faucets and such. A great choice for those who really do cook!
It was interesting to see what’s going on at the venerable Jacuzzi (yes, another California company!), where Tom Koos is shaking things up and giving the brand some new buzz. They unveiled a new contemporary Italian-designed shower (by noted Ferrari designer Pininfarina) that was a showstopper. Somehow we were running behind schedule (more coffee!), so we sped ahead to see Kari Tomsic at Amerock, a hardware company you’ll be hearing more about as they raise brand awareness in the consumer arena, and Dacor (southern California again!), whose line of high-end ovens has been gaining attention (and traction) in the marketplace. Sun Valley Bronze (need I point out the western connection?) always has a beautiful booth, and this year was no exception. Jennifer Hawley showed us what’s new. Lisa Jasper then clued us in on what’s new at the superbly sophisticated (and ultra-high-end) Dornbracht booth. Their new shower system has apparently been purchased by Queen Elizabeth and Mick Jagger. (Now there’s a potential ad campaign!)
It’s always great to stop by and see our friends at Rohl (a California company, of course!). I enjoyed visiting with Ken Rohl and talking to him about his new house in Idaho, while Skip Johnson was busy fielding all kinds of press interest. Jen Brough and Tom Landry then took us through the Baldwin Hardware booth, where each year a broader range of styles and options is presented.
We were happy to see Tom Liebhardt and Jamie Dalton at the Moen booth. Moen keeps bringing innovative new faucets to market, with a real eye toward user ease and function along with style. Then we headed (staggered, really) off to CaesarStone, where the glamorous Maggie Amir beckoned us to sit (thank you!) and meet with Arik Tendler, the company’s hard-charging president. Another remarkable California-based company, Caesarstone keeps outdoing itself, leading the marketplace in high-style countertops with a seductive range of colors and finishes.
Kohler’s set up at KBIS is always spectacular, with Cirque du Soleil-like entertainment, spectacular water features, and amazing new products. Mark Mahoney took us through Kohler and Kallista, which offer a complete range of beautiful fittings in every style. Truly one-stop shopping for the bath, from faucets, sinks and baths to mirrors, vanities and showers. Then we met with John Hart at Ann Sacks (out of Portland, Oregon, I should add!). The Ann Sacks tile offerings this market were phenomenal, with new tile designs by Michael S. Smith and Robert Kuo that stretch the concept of what you can do with tile. John showed us a brief video about the hand-made processes involved in each collection. Robert Kuo’s new pieces are hand-cut by master stone-workers in China, while craftspeople in Oregon create some of the other Ann Sacks lines, sustaining handcraft traditions internationally. That’s important.
After a quick drop-by at La Cornue (the luxury oven company is introducing a smaller version of its spectacular large-scale model), I glimpsed Laura Mauk at a distance, and for someone who had been to Villeroy & Bosch, American Standard, Porcher, JADO, Everpure, Viking, Elkay, Silestone, Duravit, Electrolux, Samuel Heath, Lutron and Scavolini, she looked remarkably fresh. I, on the other hand, was starting to drag. Fortunately, it was time to brave the cold (and the endless cab line) and head back to the hotel. Though I’d have liked to have gone out to hear some music or discover an exciting new Chicago restaurant (as some of the Western Interiors team impressively did each night), I was done.
On Sunday morning I had breakfast with friends at the W Hotel, which is a very cool spot in a renovated old Chicago building. On my way there, walking into the teeth of a freezing wind, I had to duck into an Eddie Bauer on Michigan Avenue and buy a sweater (the winter clothing was on a marked-down clearance rack, since it was supposedly balmy spring weather now). Then I got on the train and headed up north, through Evanston, Wilmette and Kenilworth, which brought back many childhood memories. And as the train slowed and pulled in to the Indian Hill station, there was my mother, standing far below in the parking lot, holding out an overcoat.