Ivy Designer Christine Turknett of Christine Turknett Interiors walks us through her day in the life as an Austin-based interior designer, from early bird team meetings and sourcing Scandinavian furniture and decor to lunch breaks and creative collaborative meetings.

Photography courtesy of Christine Turknett @christineturknett

The early bird gets the worm! I start the day with my team’s “Beyhive” meeting, where we discuss what design goals we’ve set for ourselves. We love incorporating Ivy to organize and manage our projects efficiently. Big shoutout to my team of #bossbabes – teamwork makes the dream work! (Check out that brass bee in the corner in honor of our queen Bey.) #IvyxChristineTurknett

Photo by @christineturknett

One of my favorite things to do as a designer is visit local interior decor boutiques for inspiration and clients. Styling makes all the difference and the accessories here are to die for. There’s nothing like killing two birds with one stone, especially with this Scandinavian furniture and decor @nannie_inez! ?✨?? #IvyxChristineTurknett

Photo by @christineturknett

Lunch stop at one of my favorite restaurants in Austin! @elizabethstreetcafe is not only adorable, it’s delicious and a must-visit if you’re in or visiting Austin. I love the green in the mint! ? ? ?? #IvyxChristineTurknett

Photo by @christineturknett

Business meeting with the deeply stylish @internationalvelvet for our up-and-coming blog and media site! There’s nothing better than collaborating with other creatives on new ideas in beautiful spaces like this one @southcongresshotel. Look at that built-in behind us! (Fun fact: this is the same architect @hsuoffice as our Tilley Row Homes.) ???✨ #IvyxChristineTurknett

Photo by @christineturknett

Over and out! A big thank you to IvyMark for giving me a chance to share my life with this wonderful community. Follow us @christineturknett to see our exciting new projects and reveals! xo ✨?✨ #IvyxChristineTurknett

Photo by @christineturknett

Designer Spotlight: Claire Hurwitz Staszak of Centered by Design – Chicago, IL

How did you get where you are today?

I’m living and working in Chicago, IL. I’m a Midwestern girl with a West Coast vibe. I’ve lived and worked in both California (2008) and New Zealand (2011) and I’d be on a coast if I weren’t married to a guy who loves Chicago and will never leave.

Interior design is a second career for me. I started an Associates program in design in January 2015 and went to school full-time for one year, taking several internships at respected firms and started my own company along the way.

Dustin Halleck

Centered by Design is known for using a holistic design process coupling a refined aesthetic with wellness principles. How do you apply your years of experience as a yoga and meditation instructor into your design process?

Yoga and meditation help me do my job with more empathy. I try to work with clients to get them to understand that they can find personal sanctuary at home and we can improve their life through good design. Meditation also pairs well with visualization techniques, which I try and coach my clients through at times. I also just remind them to breathe!

Dustin Halleck

What’s the design scene like in Chicago? Can you name some of your favorite local shops?

The design scene here is fabulous! No shortage of talent, artists or resources. Some of my local favorites include Relativity Textiles, Meg Made and the South Loop Loft.

Dustin Halleck

Which colors, materials and textures do you like to use to create “sanctuary-like” spaces?

Everyone has a different version of “sanctuary”. For some, it might mean softer colors, textures and neutrals. For others, it might mean bold and filled with pattern. That’s what I love about the job, uncovering the style that people feel is truly “them.”

Carolina Rodriguez

How does designing make you feel? 

Like I have the best job in the world.

Dustin Halleck

What’s your business mantra?

Find your personal sanctuary.

Dustin Halleck

The Centered by Design logo truly embodies the essence of your brand. Who designed your logo? In your opinion, how important is a company’s logo and branding?

Thanks for noticing! A friend and I collaborated on the logo (here’s a blog post about branding from my site). It’s loosely based on the color wheel and the idea of center. I think logo and branding set the tone for your business, very important stuff!

Your website is also stunning – which website solution do you use and what do you like about it?

I use WordPress. I had experience with it from a past job and I find it’s the most flexible platform in terms of design capabilities, and, it gets better Google ranking (from what I understand). I do have a web guy on call for things I can’t figure out myself, but I can do most things aside from coding.

Dustin Halleck

How much time do you allocate to social media, email/newsletter marketing and content marketing for your interior design business?

I allocate at least 30 minutes per day to Instagram, and send a newsletter twice per month. I try to blog at least once per week, and I use almost every project as content so you could count those photo shoots as well. Marketing never ends when you’re a small business owner in my opinion.

Dustin Halleck

You’ve been published in Rue Daily, domino, Homepolish, HGTV, Design Sponge, Apartment Therapy and MyDomaine to name a few…what’s your secret to getting published? 

Style your photos well! Good photography, good styling and persistence with pitching your work to editors and online magazines gets you published.

Dustin Halleck

Why did you join Ivy?

I was desperate for a designer/accounting/project management software.

Dustin Halleck

What have you learned from the Ivy Designer Network?

Tons! The Ivy Designer Facebook Group is incredible and makes me feel like I’m less alone.

Dustin Halleck

How does Ivy help streamline your day-to-day workflow as an interior designer?

Yes, I seriously love Ivy and the Ivy team. You guys are revolutionizing software in the industry.

Carolina Rodriguez

What’s an Ivy feature you can’t live without?

Changing proposals to invoices with one click – what a time saver!

The process of sourcing art for clients can feel daunting at times. Whether you’ve exhausted your galleries or feel overwhelmed on how to size, the last finishing touch of art can cause uneasy feelings of frustration. Based in sunny Los Angeles, Saatchi Art is redefining the experience of buying and selling art, including special services for interior designers such as VIP customer support, invitations to exclusive events and trade discounts.

Saatchi Art provides an unparalleled collection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography in a range of prices while empowering international artists with the platform to exhibit and sell their work in a curated environment. Chief Curator at Saatchi Art, Rebecca Wilson, discusses Saatchi Art’s competitive edge, their dedication to supporting emerging international artists, the LA art scene, and the Saatchi Art Art Advisory services that save interior designers the time and expense of gallery hopping to find custom pieces with white-glove delivery at a trade price.

How is Saatchi Art different from the proliferation of other online galleries out there re-defining how to buy and sell art?

Attracting artists to our online gallery was crucial in the beginning and we were fortunate that this happened organically and by word of mouth. We now represent over 60,000 artists from 100 countries. This might sound daunting but that’s why the curation I do every day is so important and also why our art advisory service is flourishing. We help individual buyers and interior designers to find what they are looking for quickly and efficiently, saving them time. I think it’s also been key to our success to recognize that while many buyers want to purchase works from us anonymously and on their own, there are many others who want to have a personal relationship with a curator who can share expertise and knowledge, giving people confidence in the art they are buying.

“Our mission at Saatchi Art is to help emerging artists find a broad audience for their works, and this breaking-down of traditional art world barriers is very much reflected in the spirit of Los Angeles.”

Debbie Harry New York by Mike Edwards

Saatchi Art is headquartered in Los Angeles – how does your L.A. presence influence your curation and strategy in the art world?

Los Angeles is so firmly part of the international art world now, with fairs happening here and new galleries — Sprueth Magers and Hauser Wirth & Schimmel —opening here. There are some of the best art schools in the world here and it’s great for the culture of the city that artists are staying in LA and don’t feel that they have to go to New York to be at the heart of the art world. I know a number of artists who’ve come to LA from London and have found it liberating to be here where they can get bigger studios and start to push their work in new directions as a result. I’m very excited that Saatchi Art is here in such a creative and open-minded environment.

Our mission at Saatchi Art is to help emerging artists find a broad audience for their works, and this breaking-down of traditional art world barriers is very much reflected in the spirit of Los Angeles. I feel strongly that the gallery system continues to fail many talented artists. Whether an artist is taken on by a gallery or not is fairly arbitrary and is certainly not a reflection of the quality of the work they are making. If you think about how many galleries there are in each city and how many shows they each do in a year (no more than 10), that leaves a lot of very gifted artists unsupported. At Saatchi Art we are trying to fill this huge gap by representing artists all over the world, giving them the opportunity to show their work to an international audience online and to start to make a living from their work.

Georgia – Limited Edition 18 of 20 by A Weyer

Based on research provided by Hiscox, online art market sales reached $3.27 billion in 2015, a 24% increase year over year. How does Saatchi Art make customers comfortable purchasing art online?

Our mission is rooted in making buying art easy to do and accessible, so this point is a very important focus of our gallery. We help our collectors feel confident buying art online via three key areas. First is our dedication to world class customer service, in which real live humans help collectors through the process of purchase and delivery with regular updates on the status of the artwork they have bought. In addition, for those looking for hands-on guidance, we offer complimentary art advisory services which allows prospective buyers the chance to work with an expert one on one to find the perfect works for their home. Second, the work of our our design and product teams ensures our site is easy to navigate. This extends to our iOS app where you can take a photo of your wall and see works of art you are interested in actually on your wall. This feature enables people to get a much better sense of what a work will look like in their room and it helps to judge scale which isn’t always so easy to gauge. Third, we want people to love the works they buy, so we guarantee 100% satisfaction on every purchase of original art with a 7-day money-back policy.

Night Moods by Nimet Kaymaz

Leaf Group recently acquired The Other Art Fair, the U.K.’s leading art fair for discovering emerging artists. How has this move affected Saatchi Ar?

We were longtime fans of The Other Art Fair and eager to welcome them under the Leaf Group umbrella. With a shared mission of identifying and supporting emerging artists from all over the world, together we are able to create even more opportunity for artists and art lovers alike. Saatchi Art will benefit from The Other Art Fair’s physical presence around the world, where our collectors can encounter artworks in person and meet the extraordinary artists who make them. By extension, we are pleased to introduce the community of artists and collectors at The Other Art Fair to ongoing online programming and exhibitions, which can keep them engaged with art between fairs.

Grab by Jack Killick

Who are some emerging artists to watch right now?

We have just published our first-ever comprehensive report on the emerging art market which includes the latest edition of a series we do called “Invest In Art”. For this new edition, I selected 20 emerging artists of particular promise who have recently graduated from the most prestigious art schools in the UK and US. All of these artists are making distinctive work which is being recognized with international sales, awards, and invitations to participate in exhibitions and residencies.

“We are trying to fill this huge gap by representing artists all over the world, giving them the opportunity to show their work to an international audience online and to start to make a living from their work.”

Desert Love – Limited Edition 22 of 250 by NADIA ATTURA

What are the membership benefits in joining the “Curator’s Circle”?

Our Curator’s Circle members are collectors who have been loyal supporters of Saatchi Art artists. In return for their ongoing support, we offer them direct access to me and my team with a VIP support email and phone number, as well as exclusive invitations to events, advance access to special series and initiatives, and updates on the state of the emerging art world. From time to time, we also offer these members exclusive promotional offers.

Ofelia Edition 7/10 by alvo veneziano

How does the “Free Art Advisory” work exactly?

For those who would like guidance in finding artworks — whether for their own home, as a gift, or for designers working on a project for a client — all they need to do is sign up for our complimentary Art Advisory service at saatchiart.com/artadvisory and submit some information about their budget and what they are looking for. Once we receive this from prospective buyers, we respond with a selection of about 30 works within 3-5 days. From there, either the collector will make a purchase or provide us with feedback to further refine the selections. We offer this time-saving service at no additional fee—which is a rare offering in an industry where art advisors can charge upwards of $250 an hour for their services!

Lake Reflection by Ingeborg Herckenrath

What’s your best-selling category?

Collectors tend to buy paintings more than any other category, but we sell works across drawing, sculpture, collage, limited edition photography, collage and even digital art. In the past six months, we’ve sold works by artists in 100 countries to collectors in 80 countries, so the diversity in taste and style is considerable.

People n1 by Sanja Milenkovic

How does Saatchi Art ease the sourcing and purchasing process for interior designers?

Our Art Advisory service saves designers the time and expense of physically visiting galleries that might be across town, or even across the globe. We offer a single online gallery for every kind of art, originating from over 100 countries. No other gallery provides the depth and breadth that we do. When coupled with our fast turnaround on custom pieces, the option to buy framed prints, and trade discounts, Saatchi Art is the most convenient and efficient way for designers to find a broad range of high quality works for their design projects.

JFK’s Nightmare – The First Lady in Blue – Edition of 100, 4 Editions left by Pure Evil

What are 3 tips of “best practices” to offer interior designers for making the most out of Saatchi Art?

1. Share as much information about your project as you can so we can custom tailor our recommendations to your precise needs. Be sure to include your budget, any renderings or photos, and size constraints.

2. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, ask us about doing a custom commission. Many of our artists are open to this, and we can ensure a quick turnaround.

3. Finally, if you are on a tight budget, inquire about having your artworks shipped rolled rather than pre-framed in a box. This can cut shipping costs, and ensure your artwork arrives in perfect condition. If your artwork requires special handling, we can also offer white glove delivery – just ask!

Blue Bay | Paradise by M a r t y n o v a

For the designers dealing with clients who don’t know “where to start” with art but want to purchase, what are some strategic ways to understand a client’s needs?

Start by presenting art in the context of a room, so they understand the overall impact and role art can play in tying together the look of a given space. Many consumer design magazines are great about including artworks in their spreads, and these inspirational photos can be found in newsstands everywhere. Have your client flip through these magazines — Elle Decor, domino, Architectural Digest are good examples — and visit sites like MyDomaine, Apartment Therapy and Lonny to save ideas to Pinterest. Instagram also offers a wealth of art inspiration, so see what types of art your client tends to respond to. Large scale statement works? Eclectic gallery walls? Minimalist abstracts with soothing colors? Once you have a few “winners”, share them with your Saatchi Art curator and we can present some options to fit your client’s space.

Water that runs by Natasha Barnes

What’s Saatchi Art’s focus for 2017?

We are excited to be introducing more and more people to Saatchi Art through press and events, and enabling people who find the gallery experience intimidating to find art they love in a new way. I want more and more people to learn about what we do, discover the incredible artists we represent and experience the outstanding service we offer from helping you to choose an artwork to delivering it safely from an artist’s studio across the world to your home.

SK3 – Limited Edition # 15 of 25 by Dean West

AphroChic, the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason, is one of the more impressive design couples we have come across. AphroChic was born as a passion project for Jeanine, a former policy attorney, and Bryan, a Ph.D. student, to pursue their infatuation with the intersection of culture and design. To emulate their collective vision, the couple coined the phrase “Modern.Soulful.Style.” – a design aesthetic and process that embraces culture and contemporary home furnishings represented in narrative, modern design.

Since its inception in 2007, AphroChic has become a leader in the realm of modern culture and design and has expended their business to provide interior design services and a line of  culturally-inspired home decor products, including a paint collection with Colorhouse. Most recently, AphroChic has been producing the Sneak Peek with HGTV, a house tour series exclusively for HGTV’s Facebook Live channel. Here, the impressively talented design-duo shares the evolution of their business, the birth of their signature style “Modern.Soulful.Style” and their passion for merging culture and modern furnishings to create soulful spaces for clients.

Patrick Cline

Tell us how your signature “Modern.Soulful.Style” came to be…

J: AphroChic originally began as an interior design blog, and our maxim was modern, soulful, style. We developed the tagline to highlight our focus on blending modern design and culture together in the home. It’s what guides our aesthetic and the way that we approach design. We feel that the most soulful homes are those where culture is shown alongside the modern furnishings that we all love.

“Our content and products are part of an eco-system that supports our larger work – creating spaces with that blend of modern, soulful style.”

Patrick Cline

How do you stay current and source interesting, new-to-market products and materials to incorporate in your designs?

J: I am a social media junkie. I spend hours perusing Instagram, Pinterest, and some of my favorite interiors’ sites, constantly looking for inspiration. Online is where I come across new products, materials and ideas to design with or create new products. I am also a big believer in offline inspiration and taking “field trips” as an adult. Trips to a favorite museum, a visit to Prospect Park, people watching in the Bronx, riding the subway daily – every trip and moment outside is wonderful for sourcing inspiration and ideas. The world is my playground and I’m constantly inspired by it.

B: For me, it’s all about history. I write an occasional series called Design Geek. It’s where I examine the history and development of a specific design style, e.g., mud cloth. When you look at history, you can study something that’s on-trend today, such as chevron, and it has a history to it that is thousands of years old. I want to understand that and bring it into our projects. I also want to share that history with our clients. It’s so important that we are inspired, but that we also inspire them, and inform them of a historical narrative behind a piece.

Jess Isaac

What attracts you to certain colors and materials?

J: We love color! We always let our clients know that we are a design brand that embraces color, and will many times guide our clients to explore color as well. For us, color is all about depth. Hues should have a feeling to them, and they should not lay flat but instead go deep. I am personally attracted to colors that have a gray or black undertone to them. The smokier and more moody the shade, the better. That’s exactly what can be seen in our new Brooklyn In Color Paint Collection that we’ve partnered with Colorhouse on – deep soulful hues.

B: I like color that enhances an interior. When we started looking at color for our paint collection, we had to narrow it down to 20 hues. We thought a lot about shades that enhance architectural elements at home. Hues that are great for a mantel, accentuating crown moulding, or highlighting high ceilings – many of the things we see in Brooklyn interiors where our company is headquartered. What attracts me to color is how it helps shape the space, and every color in our collection, from Basquiat Blue to Coney Island Pink, does just that.

Basquiat Blue, Photo courtesy of AphroChic

Coney Island Pink, Photo courtesy of AphroChic

Who are some of the local Brooklyn vendors you enjoy working with?

J: In Brooklyn, we enjoy working with and collaborating with brands. We are the kind of design company that won’t just select pieces from local companies. We’ll also create and customize products for our clients. We love working with Flavor Paper. They are wallpaper rockstars and foster innovative techniques that allow your creativity as a designer to run wild. We also work with local companies that are headquartered in Brooklyn, like Etsy, that has a trove of local lighting and industrial designers who are making waves in the borough.

B: We are firm believers that no home is complete without art, and in Brooklyn, we source a lot of art for our projects. We are big fans of Tim Okamura, Delphine Diallo, Jerome Lagarrigue, Fabiola Jean-Louis and the list goes on. Around every corner in Brooklyn you can find an incredible artist who is creating groundbreaking work, and it’s great to be in a borough where we can visit their studios and work with them directly to commission pieces for projects.

Jess Isaac

How does designing make you feel?

J: Design has always been my passion. I love the process of bringing an idea to life and giving someone a space in which they can create. It makes me feel fulfilled – that process of bringing a vision to life.

B: It makes me feel surprised. No two AphroChic spaces are ever the same. Each one is a direct reflection of the client we’re working with. I enjoy that surprise of creating something new each time. And it’s wonderful when the client feels that they have been completely represented in the design of the space.

Patrick Cline

What’s your business mantra?

J: Modern. Soulful. Style.

B: Everything at AphroChic is about the blend of modern design and cultural style.

Tell us about the launch of HGTV’s Sneak Peek With AphroChic…

J: The show has been an amazing journey. Sneak Peek is the first program that we’ve produced with HGTV. The concept is a marriage between television and social media. It’s the first program where viewers can see a house tour live through a social media channel and react in real time. We’ve always been an online brand, so this idea of blending social and television in the online realm really intrigued us.

B: The 10-episode series has been a joy to create. From identifying diverse and beautiful homes to feature, to being able to talk with families and homeowners about what inspired their style. We are storytellers in all that we do in design, and Sneak Peek allows to bring a story to a live audience. We are also very proud to bring about a show that cuts the chord of you will. Our viewers don’t need a cable subscription to watch our show. Anyone can access it at any time on the Facebook House Hunters page.

Patrick Cline

How do you incorporate your digital content and shop into your overall interior designer business?

B: AphroChic has always been a digital brand. We started online as a site that was bringing a diverse discussion to the design industry. We wanted to highlight culture in the world of interiors, and did through our content and products. Over ten years, we also grew into a full-scale interior design brand, working mainly on commercial projects. And that online DNA we’ve always had is still with us. Our content and products are part of an eco-system that supports our larger work – creating spaces with that blend of modern, soulful style. We can bring items like our paint into a project. We can develop custom colors that meet a client’s needs. And through our site and social channels we can also tell the story of that project, bringing them behind-the-scenes on Instagram, giving them links to what we used to bring it to life on the website, and sharing with them the news of any features of it on Facebook. The digital supports the design process.

Jess Isaac

As a husband-wife team, how do you delegate tasks between the two of you?

 J: Bryan and I have been together for 21 years and how we live both in our life and in our work is a partnership. There’s not as much delegation, or specific roles. We create together, brainstorming ideas for a project, developing original content, and coming up with ideas for the shop. When people are around us then can usually sense that we’ve been together a long time, and have truly grown up together. We like to think together, create together, and everything really is a fusion of the both of us.

“We spend each day together and we love it. We enjoy each other. None of this feels like work, it’s just our life together.”

When you start a new project, how do you get to know your client and the space? 

B: We approach our work with clients like a relationship, because that’s what we’re going to be in, whether it’s for a few weeks or a few months. We want to understand who they are and what they want to convey. We begin with a questionnaire that poses some questions that take clients by surprise many times. We want to understand what they like – a favorite song, a favorite smell, a favorite color. We want to understand how they want a space to feel. Many of our clients are commercial clients, so we want to understand their objective for a space. If it’s an outdoor space, we want to understand how they are going to use it. For a recent client, it was important to understand that they needed a multi-functional outdoor space perfect for co-working, but also for yoga classes. The more we understand about the client and the brand, the better the creative process and final outcome.

Jess Isaac

In your opinion, what’s the secret sauce to getting your work published?

J: It’s really important to have something unique to say. That’s something I share with people all of the time. It’s important to dig in and identify what you can bring to the table. How are you helping to develop a new conversation? Once you identify that unique element, then it’s getting the interest of the right publisher who wants to help you share that perspective.

B: Getting published is a journey. You work on an idea, you connect with a publisher, and once they approve of it, that’s where the journey begins. When we worked on REMIX: Decorating with Culture, Objects and Soul, that was an 18-month journey. We sat daily for a better part of the year, next to each other on the sofa, me working on a section, and Jeanine adding in the design layer. Or Jeanine writing a paragraph, and me adding in the historical layer. Like she said, we had that unique thing to say – bringing to the table a discussion on modern design and culture. Because of that, we had a vision for our book. We knew what we wanted every section to look like, who we wanted to feature, and that strong vision helped us create a strong work that has sold close to 10,000 copies.

Patrick Cline

How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

J: Marry your best friend. We spend each day together and we love it. We enjoy each other. None of this feels like work, it’s just our life together.

B: We probably watch TV more than any couple we know. The Sports Network, Netflix, Hulu – we like it all. During the days, we’re not afraid to take some time off and watch a show to take a break, or go out to a museum in the afternoon. Or, simply walk through the city. Those breaks and moments to refresh are key to any kind of balance. It’s something that many people don’t give themselves – a break from time to time.

Mark your calendars for the largest show of its kind, the 2017 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at Javits Center. We’ve put together your must-see showrooms and events for the 29th Annual ICFF show, highly noted as NYC’s launchpad for the thriving May design scene.

Ongoing

The First SoHo Design District Collective Booth

Booth: #2879

The SoHo Design District is known to be the innovative design and architecture hub for experiences and brands. This year for ICFF 2017, SoHo has commissioned creative firm b-havior to design its first booth to showcase its 26 member showrooms at ICFF. This talented collective exhibition will feature new flooring, lighting, furniture, décor accessories, and more from Artemide, Blu Dot, Blackbody, Cappellini, Cassina, FLOR, Flos, Flou, FontanaArte, Foscarini, Fritz Hansen, Gandia Blasco, GAN, Ingo Maurer, Kartell, Lasvit Inc., Luceplan, Moroso, Nanimarquina, Poltrona Frau, and Stepevi. The new members featured include: Driade, Hastens, Lee Broom, Original BTC, Rich Brilliant Willing, Studio Anise/Rolf Benz, The Rug Company, Toscoquattro and Valcucine.

@bradensummers

@bradensummers

Prototype Designs Displayed by Sauder Boutique  

Booth: #1457

Product design continues to evolve with consumers’ ever-changing style preference and lifestyle behaviors. Inspired by this evolution, the new Sauder Boutique Collection presents a modern Work Table, Storage Cart and Dixon Dowell Short and Tall Stools in a new finish to address the functional yet beautiful needs for working consumers’ space style and budget. “As more consumers are working from home in a multipurpose or shared space, there’s a definite need for home office furniture with elevated style and design,” says Shawn Sowers, principle design director for Sauder.

Photo via Furniture World Magazine

Milk

Booth: #105

You must stop by the cool kid’s Milk Stand, courtesy of design publication Design Milk. Special for the shop and exhibition, editor Jaime Derringer has curated handpicked goods from a variety of brands, including Brooklyn-based jewelers Beroep. This year launched with the new ICFF Gallery, a space dedicated to highlighting art-based design.

@designmilk

Nanoleaf

Booth: #2043

Toronto-based lighting design company, Nanoleaf, has turned it up a notch and upgraded their custom modular smart LED lights to…drum roll please…sync with your music. With a simple voice command or touch of a button, the Aurora Rhythm panel will brighten up a room represent the melody with rainbows of colors. “We see the Aurora as the ultimate tool for self-expression,” says Nanoleaf CEO and co-founder Gimmy Chu.

Nanoleaf

Art of Bath Gallery

Booth: #309

Bath and kitchen specialist, Graff, is bringing art to the bathroom with the “Art of Bath Gallery”, inspired by the beautiful masterpieces and reinterpretations of tradition and classicism in the contemporary form. Five iconic artworks, illustrated by photographer Vincent Calmel, will be juxtaposed with the Graff’s award-winning collections.

Graff

Philippe Malouin

Times: May 19 to 23, from 11am EST –  5 pm EST

Location: WeWork’s Bryant Park office (54 W. 40th St.)

The talented Stockholm-based design company, Hem in collaboration with London-based designer Philippe Malouin (whose work includes furnishings for the Ace hotels and Aesop’s HQ) will be stationed here presenting their installation “Study for Screens.”

Register here.

Hem

Sight Unseen Offsite

Location: 100 Ave of the Americas

Enjoy avant-garde works curated by design editorsJill Singer and Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer, showcasing new pieces from five American and Norwegian design studios, and other rising talent.  Don’t miss the debut of Sight Unseen Presents, a series highlighting partnerships with local restaurants and retailers.

Pre-Register to save time here.

Peter Bohler

Rebecca Atwood

Booth: #877

Luxurious and relaxed home textiles by one of Ivy’s favorite textile and embroidery designers!

@rebeccaatwooddesigns

Sunday, May 21

Across Perspectives: Design Futures

Time: 11am – 2pm EST

Moderator: Suzanne Slesin

A panel of industry insiders who will discuss design trends, and industry pain points and strengths. POINTED LEAF PRESS publisher, Suzanne Slesin, will moderate the conversation between Scott Sanders, Jade Dressler, Ellen Fisher, Ingrid Abramovitz, Rio Hamilton and Chad Oppenheim.

Made Away

Time: 12:30pm EST

Moderator: Nelda Rodger – Publisher Azure Magazine

This will be a discussion reflecting on the role that interior designers can play in driving public discourse paving the way for honoring cultural differences. Nelda Rodger of Azure Magazine in conversation with Enrico Bressan (Artecnica), Patty Johnson (Patty Johnson Design), Eero Koivisto (CKR), Marc Thorpe (Marc Thorpe Design), and Peter Mabeo (Mabeo Furniture) will discuss their experiences producing products overseas with other cultures and community initiatives, highlighting global design differences.

PROMOTING YOUR BRAND -Session 2: Getting Noticed in the Digital World (ASID Educational Programming, 2.0 CEU)

Time: 1pm EST

Building a digital presence to connect with potential clients is a necessity for business growth in this day and age. The secret is learning how to best represent yourself, and how to classify who your prospective clients are. Digital media consultant Carl Dellatore will lead a discussion with Adam Japko of ESTEEM MEDIA, a luxury brand strategy firm, and Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason from HGTV’s Sneak Peek With AphroChic. The panel will discuss their experiences in producing content that drives traffic to their websites and social media channels.

*Register online using promo code: ASIDICFF

The Creatives: Coloring Outside the Lines

Time: 2pm

Moderator: Rima Suqi, renowned journalist

Design these days is anything but traditional. Join actor Terry Crews, Grammy nominated singer Tift Merritt and Bernhardt Design’s Creative Director, Jerry Helling in conversation with Rima Suqi, renowned journalist, as they talk about the relationship between design and the various creative disciplines, pushing the boundaries of traditional art forms.

PROMOTING YOUR BRAND – Session 3: How Do You Get Published?! (ASID Educational Programming, 2.0 CEU)

Time: 3pm EST

Moderator: Glenn Gissler of GLENN GISSLER DESIGN, ASID NY Metro president
What’s the secret sauce to get published? Listen in on this fascinating discussion to learn what editors are looking for and how to connect with them. This talented panel, featuring Elizabeth Ralls of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, David Murphy of HouseBeautiful, Wendy Silverstein of WSA-PR, and Alan Tanksley of ALAN TANKSLEY INC., will share which publications are relevant for interior designers and how to best submit your work.

*Register online using promo code: ASIDICFF

Monday, May 22

Virtual Reality & The Future of Architecture

Time: 12:30pm

Moderator: Olivia Martin – Managing Editor of The Architects Newspaper

More and more, virtual reality is becoming a popular tool in the architecture and design industries, a vehicle to design, visualize and share ideated, in progress or finished work. The Architects Newspaper and the NYC Media Lab, along with architects and program designers will discuss what’s in store for the future of VR touching on the innovative intersection of technology and design.

S#*T DESIGNERS NEED TO KNOW – Session 6: Contracts (ASID Educational Programming, 1.5 CEU Credit)

Time: 3pm EST

*Register online using promo code: ASIDICFF

At the end of the day, interior design is a business. Whether interior designers like it or not, running a business requires dealing with the not-so-creative stuff, including contracts to protect themselves. Learn from leading design industry attorney, Alan Siegel, who served as the ASID’s general counsel for many years. Having worked with leading interior designers for many years, he has heard and seen it all.

Tuesday, May 23

Making it in New York City: The Benefits of Manufacturing Here

Time: 3:30pm EST

Moderator: Kinda Younes – Executive Director, ITAC (Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation)

In this panel, you will learn about Futureworks NYC, the advanced manufacturing network of programs and initiatives – financial incentives, and available industrial space and workshops all geared to helping manufacturers find success in one of the most dynamic cities in the world, New York City.

Wednesday, May 24

Celebrate Design Week With Interior Define

Time: 7pm – 10pm EST

Location: 68 Greene Street

RSVP REQUIRED: events@interiordefine.com

Join Maxwell Ryan (Founder, Apartment Therapy), Noa Santos (CEO, Homepolish),
and Rebecca Atwood (Textile Designer) at Interior Define’s new Soho Guideshop location. Cocktails and Tapas by Dean & Deluca.

10 Hashtags You Need To Be Using

#ICFF

#ICFF2017

#ICFFNYC

#ICFFNYC2017

#designweek

#NYCdesignweek

#MakeTimeForDesign

#interiordesign

#lifeasaninteriordesigner

#interiordesigner

Designer Spotlight: Christine Turknett of Breathe Design Studio – Austin, TX

How did you get where you are today?

After writing and curating an indie fashion and design blog over the last ten years, I realized that I had a passion for interior decorating while building our custom home, designed by one of my favorite local architects, Michael Hsu. We built it from the ground up and I fell in love with sourcing and selecting finishes and fixtures. When we were done, I wanted to enhance the modern architecture by decorating and styling a clean, modern, yet cozy home filled with objects that reflect my personal style and how my husband and I live.

Prior to working in design, I was an academic in a doctorate program at an Ivy League school in Philadelphia but always knew deep down inside that design, more than anything else, guides the way I relate to the world. After assisting a few local designers, I knew that this was my calling and decided to take a leap of faith to start my own business. Truthfully, sometimes I feel like I didn’t choose design, but instead, design chose me. I knew that the one purpose I had in life was to help people in whatever way I could. As a result, I’m doing what I love and continue to draw on my experiences in fashion and design theory to help clients create tailored spaces that express their own creativity and personality.

After graduate school, I moved back to Austin where I attended undergraduate school. After being gone for 6 years, the entire city was transformed. Our skyline, our local economy, and the neighborhoods were expanding to accommodate the fastest growing city in America. It became clear that the real estate market was and is currently growing at unprecedented levels and many of the homes are new modern builds for new Austinites from large cities like Los Angeles and New York. The interior design scene now incorporates a new guard of young designers whose new ideas and youthful energy are revitalizing design standards in Austin through technology and other creative mediums. Austin has always embraced creatives and that’s why I love living here!

Chase Daniel

Breathe Design Studio provides premium interior decorating and curatorial styling services, creating stunning and functional homes. How do you tailor a “house” into a “home” while reflecting a client’s taste and lifestyle?

The most important part of the process that I keep in mind is to make sure a space is cohesive. There is always underlying albeit subtle consistency throughout each project. More so, I’m a big picture thinker when it comes to balancing a client’s budget and the visual pieces in a room. My goal is always to create harmony among different objects even if they don’t seemingly belong together. I typically ask my clients how they want to “feel” in their home and find a way to combine different genres so that they don’t compete with each other. My job as a “ stylist” is to put the finishing touches blending clients’ personal accessories with new decor to create incredible one-of-a-kind homes.

Chase Daniel

Who are some of your favorite Austin vendors you work with regularly?

Nannie Inez, Supply Showroom, Tillery Plant Co., and Growing Studio.

Chase Daniel

How does designing make you feel?

Designing makes me feels like I can be my best self. I’m constantly curating my surroundings at all times so now it all makes sense. I believe that doing what you love best leads to more productivity and leads to personal satisfaction in your career. And sometimes, you’re just born this way.

Chase Daniel

What’s your business mantra?

Good vibes only and community over competition. Work smart, not hard.

Chase Daniel

Do you dabble in e-design? If so, which platforms do you like to use?

Not yet – we’re testing the waters.

Chase Daniel

How do you prioritize social media and marketing to build your business and brand? 

From the beginning, I knew that interior design inherently depends on photography. I have plans to showcase our process, share tips, and offer inspiration in our up-coming design blog, which I knew I wanted to launch this year. Branding is also important because it defines our visual design identity. As such, from the beginning, I knew that I needed an editorial assistant and someone who runs PR on my team. It’s really important to remember the importance of marketing because we are in a visual industry!

Alison Marlborough

You’ve been published in Dwell and Austin Home to name a few…what’s your secret to getting published? 

I would say, mostly luck, but at the same time, I think one key to achieving your dreams and starting your own business is to create long-term goals for yourself, while giving yourself options. With that, I’m able to approach things with an open heart and mind, which I think attracted like-minded people like photographers, architects, writers, and eventually, editors. My tip to getting published is learning about the publication, making connections, staying organized, and creating a PR strategy that plans for both present and future timelines. The people we’ve worked with have also been incredibly gracious and we are very grateful that they have featured our work!

Chase Daniel

Other than Ivy, what other apps, platforms and resources do you use on a daily basis?

Aside from Ivy, we use Wecora and Asana as a project management software.

Chase Daniel

Why did you join Ivy? 

I joined Ivy because it’s a cloud-based software that integrates into platforms like QuickBooks Online. It structures my business in a way that allows me to customize our accounting and projects based on the tools that interior designers actually need to manage the day-to-day challenges that non-design accounting platforms aren’t set up for. I am obsessed with creating a lean and efficient company, and in that way, we resemble a startup. Our goal is to offer creative services with seamless operations; Ivy allows us to achieve that in a streamlined way and we don’t know how we’d do it any other way!

What have you learned from being part of the Ivy Designer Network?

I like that it emphasizes the idea of community over competition. We are all more successful in my opinion when we support and promote each other.

Chase Daniel

How has Ivy helped streamline your workflow?

It has helped me centralize all of my invoicing, accounting, and proposals into one platform. The fact that you work so closely with designers to come up with creative solutions builds my confidence that we can grow with your fabulous software. Our company places incredible value on workflow and project management as a way of increasing transparency throughout the company and with our clients. I spent a considerable amount of time creating systems and Ivy is integral. Work smart, not hard.

What’s an Ivy feature you can’t live without? 

Invoicing with a beautiful template for retainers, credits, and of course, payment!

Founded in 2011 by Stacy Anne Longenecker in Brooklyn, NY, LEIF started off as a lifestyle online store for the first six years, and more recently, has opened up shop with a brick and mortar. What do you source at LEIF? Small, special objects that enrich your everyday life, whether it be a custom textile originally sourced from Thailand, a local ceramic, or a pretty throw pillow. This shop is a client-pleaser, a place where you can grab one-of-a-kind pieces that your clients will cherish.

Stacy shares with us LEIF’s sourcing strategy, the introduction to LEIF original products, and the brand’s digital marketing efforts.

Photography courtesy of LEIF

LEIF sells beautiful pieces that add a unique touch to day-to-day living – what’s your sourcing strategy?
I’m always on the lookout for new products no matter what I’m doing—I’ll be on Instagram before I go to bed and I’ll see a ceramicist with 400 followers and screenshot it and contact them the next day. I never limit where I find products to just traditional sources like the typical trade shows. A big part of LEIF’s appeal is that we feature brands you haven’t seen in 20 other stores. I’ve also started traveling to find things—I just got back from Thailand and found amazing stuff at the markets there.

Photo courtesy of LEIF

How would you describe the LEIF lifestyle?
Simple yet inspired. A lot of what I see when I picture the “LEIF lifestyle” has nothing to do with the product themselves—it’s more about really special products enhancing that lifestyle. Like, writing a letter, and the beautiful card or stationary that goes with that. Or, a Sunday afternoon at home with a scented candle burning. Your morning coffee in a handmade mug. Basically the magic behind these everyday combinations.

“Any time I can work with a customer and do something unique for them is always really wonderful and reminds me of how much I love this job.”

Photo courtesy of LEIF

Who are some local independent artists and interior designers that you admire?
I’ve never been part of the local train; it’s always fun to find Brooklyn/NY designers but I don’t ever prefer them just because they’re local. Some of my favorite designers in New York though are Kristin Texeira (abstract art) and Courtney Aldor of Studio Mamu (ceramics).

Photo courtesy of LEIF

How does being based in Brooklyn influence your business?
When we were just online for the first 6 years, it didn’t affect us much (other than paying more for our office rent than we would anywhere else—ha). Now that we have a brick and mortar, people are definitely more in tune with trends here, so I can get away with selling things that aren’t quite mainstream yet.

Photo courtesy of LEIF

What are some spaces featuring LEIF products that you are particularly proud of?
Coming out with our own products has been a slow and gradual process; we’re just now getting into textiles. I picked up a bunch of vintage fabric in Thailand and have had the opportunity to make some custom, one of a kind pieces for local customers, and that’s super fulfilling. Any time I can work with a customer and do something unique for them is always really wonderful and reminds me of how much I love this job.

Photo courtesy of LEIF

Your website design and social media content is gorgeous – how much time does your team dedicate to maintaining your digital presence?
I’m actually still doing it all myself, which is totally insane on my part. I’m pretty OCD about how the website and Instagram pages look—like I’ll crop a product photo 5 times to make sure it sits right on the product page. There’s a ton of room for improvement in how I manage social media; I’ve never set aside time for it and kind of just post things when I feel inspired. I’ve been meaning to make a consistent schedule for things like Instagram posts but it hasn’t happened yet… but I almost think if I did that, if I forced it, it wouldn’t look as nice or the posts wouldn’t be as high quality.

Photo courtesy of @leifshop

What’s your favorite social media platform and why?
Definitely Pinterest followed by Instagram. I very rarely use Facebook, and I wish I was into Snapchat but I haven’t been able to get in the groove. What appeals to me about Instagram and Pinterest is having a visual ‘board’ or grid that instantly gives the viewer an idea of what we’re all about—I think part of why I haven’t yet embraced Snapchat is because it doesn’t have that aspect so it just doesn’t feel to me like it results in anything lasting.

“What appeals to me about Instagram and Pinterest is having a visual ‘board’ or grid that instantly gives the viewer an idea of what we’re all about.”

Photo courtesy of LEIF

How do you typically consult with customers who need help picking out pieces for a space?
We didn’t really get to do this before we opened the brick & mortar, so it’s been so fun to work with people in person. I try to work a few times a month in the shop (unfortunately it’s separate from our office, where I usually am). Probably what we get asked for help with the most is pillow assortments. I’ll ask if they have a picture of the space, try to get a feel for how adventurous they are or what kind of look they’re after. Then it’s really all about finding a combination that speaks to them. The best is when I make a suggestion and they say “I never would have thought of that, but I love it”.

Photo courtesy of LEIF

In your opinion, what’s the most essential element to a room?
Oh, so hard to limit it to one thing. Can I have two things? I just want to say that I’ve been really into painted walls lately. I used to be in the all white everything crowd, but I think colored walls are going to come back in a big way. Other than that, I think art is the most important thing.

Are you an interior designer in search of an easy interior design software and project management tool to run your business? Learn more about Ivy here.

The Ivy Interior Designer Network is a thriving community of entrepreneurs, many “mompreneurs” aka Interior Designer Mamas, who inspire us to work hard to achieve our creative vision and entrepreneurial dreams. They impart their years of wisdom onto their children, colleagues, fellow Ivy Interior Designers, and the team here at Ivy.

In honor of Mother’s Day, we tuned into some of the most creative moms we know, Ivy Interior Designer Moms, and asked them the question: “How do you maintain a healthy work/personal life balance as a working Ivy Mama?” From building a daily routine to stay on track, to learning how to separate work and family to maintain mental sanity, these Ivy Mamas teach all of us how to take better care of ourselves, and do better business along the way. Review the inspiring and heartwarming responses we received below that will make you feel proud to be a Mama this Mother’s Day.

ALEX SCHINASI | Co-Founder of IvyMark.com | New York, NY

“Having a clear separation between work and family is crucial to keep my sanity as a working mom. I try to stick to a schedule, make time for yoga and eat healthy to maintain my energy level in this wonderful chaos. Having a strong team to rely on when mommy duty calls is critical to being both a great mother and a good leader at work. I love that the interior design industry gives women the flexibility to excel on all these fronts.”

FLORENCE CHOUX LIVINGSTON | Florence Choux Livingston Interiors | Mill Valley, CA

“As a mom, I try to be fully engaged with my son when he’s not in school and then be fully engaged with my work when he is in school. That structure helps me have separation and boundaries. I also share with my son what I do and show him my projects.”

ANDREA WOJCIAK | Andrea Wojciak Interiors | Prescott, AZ

“Embrace the chaos!”

LESLIE MARTIN | M & M Interior Design | Chicago, IL

“I don’t succeed at this everyday, but, I always try to fully focus on what hat I am wearing at the moment.  When I am with the kids, it’s all about them; I put the phone away and give them my full attention.  When I am working, I stay as efficient as possible – and as any mom can tell you, when the kids aren’t around, it’s amazing what you can get accomplished in a short amount of time.  My biggest tip is utilize technology – apps that deliver just about anything from groceries to birthday party gifts, and software that keeps me organized (like IVY!).”

JENNA GROSS | Colordrunk Designs | Decatur, GA

“I decided to work outside of my home two years ago. It was the best decision I have ever made – I am now able to separate my work and home life a lot easier. Also, the most important thing I have implemented is not looking or responding to emails after I leave the office at 5:30. I put my phone up until after my children are asleep. They are growing quickly and I need to soak in this time as much as I can!”

RACHEL MADDEN | Rachel Madden Design | San Anselmo, CA

PAULETTE DEGRAW | 30A Design Group | Florida & Georgia

“Our team is full of working Moms. We understand each other’s struggles and challenges.  We work together to support each other, our spouses, and our children.  Our team is a family and family comes first!”

KIM MEARDON | M & M Interior Design | Chicago, IL

“Balancing a healthy family and work life is giving 100% to whatever you are dealing with at the moment. Not being afraid to set realistic expectations for yourself as well as your clients. Quality time with your family is better than trying to be present for everything!”

NANCY LANE | The Decor Detective | Houston, TX

“I wish I had a healthy balance of work/personal life. Ha! Joining Ivy has helped me immensely with its community over competition camaraderie. I know someone in the Ivy Designer Network will have a suggestion or an answer to questions when I’m stuck which has become a huge time saver for me. I’m getting better about work boundaries (only working during their school hours) and not answering texts/emails after hours. I try to do at least one thing for myself every day, such as waking up super early to get my workout in. Probably the healthiest thing I do for myself is I try to focus on what I do get accomplished at the end of every day and try not to beat myself up for what didn’t. I’ll take progress over perfection any day 🙂 “

KELLI WALDEN | Select Interiors | Lafayette, CO

“I set firm boundaries with my clients. The benefit of being a sole proprietor is working when I want, with the clients I want. I also get my children invested and involved with what I do so they have pride in me and can see the value I have as a person not ‘just a mom’. “

SHANNON ADAMSON | Shannon Adamson Interior Design | Lynnwood, WA

“Fridays are my dedicated days off from work to spend time with my 22-month old son. It’s not always easy to let the phone ring or ignore emails, but I want to prioritize making memories together. Work will always be there, my little guy will not! Hugs and lots of love to all the working moms out there. It’s a tough gig!”

SUSAN WINTERSTEEN | Savvy Interiors | San Diego, CA

“I try to be home every day by 3:00pm to do ‘my homework’ when my kids are doing their ‘homework’.”

 LIZ GOLDBERG | CAROLYNLEONA | Raleigh, NC

“I make sure my focus is on whatever I am doing at the moment; when I am in mom mode, I make sure I am 100% focused on my girls, and when I am working, I am 100% focused on my clients and their needs. That being said, I try to find time to sneak away for barre class three times a week to clear my mind. And of course, a weekly date night with the hubs and great wine is a must 🙂 .”

 ALEXANDRA WAIDLEY | Alexandra Phenix | San Francisco, CA

More of our Ivy Mama’s…

Are you an interior designer in search of an easy interior design software and project management tool to run your business? Learn more about Ivy here.

Every Interior Designer Mama is different. However, the one thing this creative group of mompreneurs shares in common is their taste for functional and beautiful things. Whether it’s an inspiring coffee table book or a stylish piece of luggage, Interior Designers like to surround themselves with aesthetically pleasing items that they can actually use in their hectic daily lives. That’s why we’ve rounded up our 14 favorite Interior Designer-approved gift ideas – some we bet you’ll even want to gift yourself!

1. The perfect monthly planner – so no appointment is ever forgotten.

Need Supply Monthly Planner, Black – $22

2. Light face sunscreen that doesn’t feel thick or greasy – great for the designer on the go!

Glossier Invisible Shield SPF 35 – $34

3. An Away piece of luggage to travel to and from market in style.

Away Luggage – $225-$295 , Photo by @meghandono

4. New stylish table linens by our friends at Parachute Home.

Parachute Home Linen Napkins, Set of 2 – $30

5. A copy of In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs, an inspiring collection of empowering inspiration and advice, a Bible for creatives!

In the Company of Women, Photo via designsponge.com

6. Beautiful vibrant blooms from our favorite on-demand flower delivery BloomThat.

BloomThat The Calla Back Girl – $54, Photo by @bloomthat

7. Designy wine bottles for all our wine-lovers out there.

Motif Wine – $35-$80

8. An “all things” notebook that feels like a sanctuary .

Anthropologie Splattered Notebook – $18

9. Chic and handy mini portfolio to easily transport to and from team and client meetings.

Poketo Minimalist Folio – Medium – $48

10. Mantra pencils that will make any designer smile, even in the most stressful of times.

Ban.do Compliment Pencil Set – $10, Photo by @shopbando

11. A Drybar gift card for the perfect blowout in between meetings.

Drybar Gift Gard, Photo by @thedrybar

12. A super cozy and luxurious bathrobe for the designer who needs some “me” time.

Parachute Home Classic Bathrobe – $99

13. Beautiful gold-foil notecards perfect for sending thank-you notes to clients.

TDE Pale Pink Correspondence Cards, ‘Hello’ – $55

14. All-natural beauty products for easy freshen-ups when on the go.

Herbivore Botanicals Beauty Travel Set – $46

Are you an interior designer in search of an easy interior design software and project management tool to run your business? Learn more about Ivy here.

As we all know, there’s a time and a place for “grown up” furniture. For many, a rental apartment doesn’t feel like a “real home” until a nice piece of furniture that you truly love is purchased. Not a temporary piece, a piece that will travel with you from place to place, no matter your phase in life. They say on average, millennials move every two years, so a sense of home is not so permanent for this generation. Akron Street has developed a collection of home pieces that can travel with you whenever, wherever.

Akron Street shares their production process, inspiration behind the designs, and sourcing tips for millennials.

Photography by Hyll LLC

What’s Akron Street all about in 140 characters or less?

Akron Street makes simple, well made furniture for people moving into their first ‘real’ home.

Photography by Hyll LLC

How does being headquartered in NYC affect your business and relationships?

Being in NYC is a huge boon, especially for a brand-centric business like ours. From the city’s arts and culture scene, to its always-changing retail landscape, to its amazing creative community – there’s just so much to draw from. We really love being here.

Schoolhouse Chair, Photographed by Hyll LLC

Can you walk us through your production process, from idea to shelf?

Our designs often start with a story. For instance, when I was a child, I spent a lot of time drawing cartoons from Disney picture books. I would prop the books along the back of my desk while copying them. That was the idea behind the Reader Desk – a compact table with a neat little backrest to display things.

Reader Desk, Photographed by Hyll LLC

From that idea, we start sketching things on paper and CAD before making small physical models. Once we’re happy with the basic design, we take our schematics to the factory, where we make our first full-scale prototype. We spend several weeks at the factory iterating on the designs. During this time, we work out assembly, packing, and production details until the product is finalized. The whole process can take anywhere from 4-6 months.

Photography by Hyll LLC

Tell us about your inspiration behind the Mysa Bed…

The Mysa Bed is simple, comfortable, and familiar – a bit like your favorite t-shirt. It’s an expression of the current collection’s design ethos, which is to create the simplest, most essential expression a given object. Like the rest of the collection, it’s meant to be the backdrop, rather than the focus, of the space it’s in.

Mysa Bed, Photographed by Hyll LLC

In your opinion, what’s the best way to source furniture for millennials?

Older millennials are entering the stage where they want to step up from the furniture they bought back in college. Instead of looking for the cheapest possible furniture, they’re starting to think of furniture as a means to express their identity. And this is not just about a ‘look’ – they’re just as interested in the story behind the objects they bring into their home.

Photography by Hyll LLC

What are some of your best-selling products?

In terms of quantity, we sell a lot of Alta Clothes Racks, but for gross revenue, the Mysa Bed takes the top spot.

Alta Clothes Rack, Photographed by Hyll LLC

How essential is marketing and social media to the success of your business?

Our main acquisition channels are Craigslist and organic traffic. We mainly use social media to chat with customers, and to post the occasional photo. Frankly, there’s a lot of untapped potential in using social media to reach a larger audience.

Photography by Hyll LLC

Can you name some spaces featuring Akron Street furniture that you’re particularly proud of?

We have a bunch of our furniture featured in Common Living’s co-living spaces in New York, DC, and San Francisco. We’re also quite happy with how photographer Parker Fitzgerald incorporated our furniture into his Portland home. For more pictures of our furniture taken in real spaces, check out our Pinterest board.

Photography by Hyll LLC

How do you typically work with interior designers?

We love working with interior designers, and we have a trade program which provides them with discounted rates on our furniture. Email us at hello@akronstreet.com for more information.

Tap Side Table, Photographed by Hyll LLC

Can you offer some tips for the interior designers sourcing Akron Street furniture for a space?

Akron Street’s pared down aesthetic is designed to complement many types of furniture. As an interior designer, you have the latitude to take it many different directions. Have fun with it!

Photography by Hyll LLC

Are you an interior designer in search of an easy interior design software and project management tool to run your business? Learn more about Ivy here.