Fresh off of Storm Stella, Sharp attended the Architectural Digest's annual Design Show. Exhibitors and attendees set up beautiful displays despite the weather, highlighting client Dekton and the new product collection, CENTURY, by our client Benjamin Moore. As we explored the Architectural Digest Design Show 2017 event, we noticed some interesting trends.
1.The ElementsMany of the designs this year featured water, fire, and living elements. One of the more extreme cases of this was a table by JM Lifestyles (image below). This captivating piece is made of concrete but designed to look like wood. The middle of the table featured a small pond with live fish and a tiny crab (which happened to crawl out of the water and right over to an on-looker, much to her surprise)! This table pushed the boundaries on practicality and additionally served as a beautiful art piece.
The below piece, ASA-D2, was designed by Daniel Germani with surfacing client Dekton and Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchen cabinetry. This striking outdoor kitchen, pictured here in Dekton Trilium, attracted many guests not only for its unique, compact design, but also for its incorporation of fresh greenery. The idea behind this is to make it even easier for chefs to grab fresh herbs while they grill up their food.
2. Luxury
Another trend we saw was luxury: dark colors, rich materials, and glamour designs. Client CENTURY™ by Benjamin Moore was the epitome of luxury with this beautiful booth featuring BLACK CURRANT T4 on the walls. CENTURY™ is a new brand of paint with a Soft Matte Touch, where the paint feels soft like a leather glove, a technology new to the paint industry.
This heavenly bedroom by Naula featured a cushion wall complete with velvet bedding and a stunning chandelier. Many booths at AD had this effect: you felt as if you had entered another space, and often times the space felt highly personalized. As risk taking becomes even more prevalent in design, designers seem to not be shying away from telling a story.
3. Technology
Falling in line with the luxury theme, we also saw many designs and innovations that were powered by technology. For example, the Ventless Fireplace by Hearth Connect brings the usual warmth of a fire without the challenges of a regular fireplace. This would be an ideal piece for a small space, potentially in urban living.
At first, it was challenging to realize where the music was coming from walking by this display (image above). It turned out to be coming from the hidden Sonance Invisible Series Speakers. These allow for speakers to be seamlessly incorporated into the room's design by providing the option to paint or even wallpaper over them. Even though they aren't completely invisible, it's a beautiful solution that helps to elevate style.
Seeing these creative and beautiful designs had us feeling proud of our clients and excited to see what other trends await us in 2017.