At this year’s Design Bloggers Conference, you’ll hear how blogger, author, TV personality Kelley Moore transformed her life by following her passion. Kelley, who will be speaking at the conference, is a lifestyle and entertaining expert with a simple mission: to inspire people to connect and build relationships through the entertaining and design. With an education in social service, Moore’s desire to combine her passion for design with her social service background led her to found her own event design and production company. Her signature productions are sought after from Seattle to London. Kelley has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, TV Guide, People Magazine, along with many others. She frequently partners with brands to assist in the development of campaigns as a Spokesperson participating in television, print, and SMT campaigns. She’s appeared as an expert on the Ellen Degeneres Show, Tyra Banks Show, Rachael Ray Show, The View, The Today Show and the Nate Berkus Show sharing her passion and tips for entertaining and design. She is the author of Cube Chic. Her blog For The Love of Design is where she shares her daily musings. She recently opened an office in Manhattan to continue to develop her multi-media platform.
Kelley Moore: A Passion for Entertaining and Design
Tobi Fairley to Speak at Design Bloggers Conference
Traditional Home Magazine predicts “Tobi will be like Cher. Or Oprah. One of those women for whom one name says it all”. Selected as one of Traditional Home’s Top 20 Young Designers in America, Tobi Fairley has a signature look that is fresh and simple combining colorful, large-scale prints with classic furniture styles for a beautiful and functional result.
Since establishing her design firm more than a decade ago, Tobi’s projects have spanned the Southern region and the nation from Charleston to Los Angeles. Her award winning designs for high-profile and celebrity clients have been featured on HGTV, have been published on the cover of House Beautiful and in Traditional Home, Better Homes and Gardens special publications, Southern Living, and have graced the cover of At Home in Arkansas Magazine 9 times.
Tobi’s design blog created in September 2008 is currently read in more than 124 countries worldwide. It has been featured on several of the world’s most popular design blogs including All the Best, Coco and Kelley, and was named as a favorite blog on HGTV.com. Tobi also writes a monthly design column, Tobi’s Tips, for AY magazine, a regular blog column for At Home in Arkansas Magazine called Color Confidential, and is a regular contributor to William Sonoma’s Designer Marketplace.
Tobi’s unique combination of degrees in interior design, accounting and an MBA from the prestigious Sam M. Walton College of Business, gives her a competitive advantage in the design industry.
In 2010 Tobi introduced her DIY design service, InBox Interiors, and launched her popular design camps. Designers and Design Enthusiasts alike have attended camps from across the United States and Canada with rave reviews.
Tobi’s new home furnishings line, Tobi Fairley Home, a collection of fabrics, pillows and lighting, debuted as part of Hickory Chair’s Centennial Furniture Collection in the Fall of 2011. Tobi is currently working on product designs for several companies and she is frequently tapped as a speaker for talks on the business of design and the power of social media. Tobi’s newest business venture, Tobi Fairley and Associates, is a consulting group dedicated to helping firms with the business of design.
Cassandra LaValle: Life is in the Details, Style Accordingly
We are thrilled that Cassandra LaValle will be speaking at the Design Bloggers Conference. Cassandra LaValle is the editor behind the lifestyle blog coco+kelley where she explores trends in fashion, decor and entertaining, highlighting pieces that exude classic design and glamour. Launched in 2007, coco+kelley quickly gained a loyal following from readers that describe the content as chic, charming and original.
As a designer, she consults clients across the globe on styling their homes and private events from her offices in Seattle. Coco+kelley has been recognized by editors at Martha Stewart, House Beautiful and The New York Times, and was honored to be listed on the London Times 50 Best Design Blogs. To view the full coco+kelley portfolio and for more information Cassandra’s styling services, please visit www.cocokelley.com or contact us at: [email protected].
Attendee Profile: Barbara Karpf
In 2005 Barbara Karpf founded DecoratorsBest, an e-commerce website selling designer fabric and wallpapers at competitive, discount prices. Now with over two-hundred-thousand products and increasing daily, DecoratorsBest has established itself as a leader in the decorating community. The recently launched blog has increased DecoratorsBest’s visibility to the public, providing everything from Barbara’s designer tips to insights on the newest collections.
For the past twenty years Barbara H. Karpf, NKBA Kitchen Designer, has worked in New York City, The Hamptons, and the entire Metropolitan area. She is in “Who’s Who in Interior Design” and was selected as one of the “Great Designers of the World 2000.” Ms. Karpf has participated in many decorator showhouses and her work has been featured in numerous national publications. She has been a guest lecturer at The Architectural Digest Home Show in New York City. She is a graduate of The New York School of Interior Design and Brandeis University.
Attendee Profile: Plum Pretty Sugar Loungerie
Blogging for Plum Pretty Sugar Loungerie is a little bit of “behind the scenes”… so much so we call the blog, { Between the Seams }. It is the inspirations, the aspirations, the sweet little things, and some of the big things that make this brand progress, move forward and essentially tick. The blog is the heart and soul of Plum Pretty Sugar Loungerie.
And it reiterates what the brand is… about breezy happiness, cozy comfort and easy-living chic. Giftable, gorgeous silhouettes in whisper-soft fabric in enchanting garden of eden-inspired palettes for apparel, accoutrement and bed/home. Sweet robes, tunics and of course lovelies for brides and bridesmaids on their big day.
Plum Pretty Sugar {Between the Seams} is the journey. Something so dreamful and lovely.
www.PlumPrettySugar.com
www.PlumPrettySugar.blogspot.com
Attendee Profile: Regina Garay of Fauxology
Fauxology (www.Fauxology.com) explores the love affair between inspired Interior Design and extraordinary Decorative Painting. I started the blog in June 2007 and although I wrote sporadically then, it’s going to be almost a year since I’ve started writing daily posts. I simply adore decorative painting and finishing – which is good because my siblings and I run such a studio and we incorporate surfaces such as Mirror Patinas (www.MirrorPatinas.com) and traditional decorative painting (www.GarayArtisans.com).
I think it’s important to have the “trades” within Interior Design also have blogs where they showcase their tremendous love of design but also how their particular industry relates to it. I love working with Interior Designers – they are very clear on their goals and are always open to the artistry of the artisans and craftspeople they work with. It can be a beautiful collaboration and that collaboration with decorative painting is what I try to exhibit daily. Gone are the days of sponging, ragging and over-fauxing – the artisans of today have much more sophisticated, clean finishes that incorporate color and pattern in innovate ways. My Fauxology blog seeks to showcase that by highlighting extraordinary finishes, artists and projects – and have consciously amassed a category list and strong search engine so that fast research can be done for a project by an Interior Designer or Artist. I also share my love of social media and blogging with posts on tech innovations and updates as it relates to design specifically.
Design blogs have helped create clients and consumers who are erudite and savvy. Incredible blog writers have gained a following because of the genuine and versatile ways they have conveyed their love and excitement for design. I’m happy at the possibility of meeting some of them while attending the Design Bloggers conference. I’m also appreciative of the opportunity to do so all the while gaining knowledge and friendships. I look forward to seeing everyone there!
Attendee Profile: Susan Jamieson of Bridget Beari Designs
I started blogging as away to document all the crazy things that happen to me, inspire me, and thrill me in this world of interior design. I started my first blog in July of 2007 to record a before and after kitchen makeover. From there it has evolved to include videos showcasing my travels and projects outside the country, as well as my tips for planning a dinner party.
My subscribers are fascinated by the life of an interior designer. Most readers like to see the glamour–the beautiful interiors and high-end furniture—but I aim to show everything: the good (photos and videos of my design and others who I admire), the bad (frustration when things don’t go as planned, and how I deal with it) and the unusual (the often atypical places where I find my inspiration.) I have always said “good design is good design” and I am willing to learn, share and explore all avenues to find it.
Without my blog, I don’t think I would generated the media presence I now have—from features in Traditional Home and Southern Living as well as a guest-starring role on TLC’s Restorer Guy. Being from Virginia is wonderful but it does not have the same draw as NYC or L.A. The Bridget Beari blog has made it possible for others around the country and the world to see my work and get inspired. I am thrilled by the process of design and have been working on a series of reality videos that take the viewer from the initial concept to office life, contractor strife and the final install. It’s funny, eye opening, and beautiful all at the same time. All to be viewed on the Bridget Beari channel. Who knew you could have your own TV channel? This is the power of social media.
I have also been able to capitalize on the social opportunities by teaming up with Sally Fretwell Paints to create my own paint line, designing my own line of custom furniture, and by meeting some of today’s stars of design. Everyone who I meet inspires me to do more, see more and create better interiors.
At the Design Bloggers Conference I hope to be inspired, make connections for future collaborations and put faces to the blog names I read. Design is not about living in a vacuum but about opening yourself up to experiences so the creativity can flow.
How Blogging Changed My Life: Kimberly Grigg
My first exposure to blogging involved me politely corrected a conference speaker on his pronunciation of the Southern dish, “chicken bog”. He was speaking about BLOGS… Mortified! However, in only one year, blogging has become my platform for promoting “green” design, gaining national recognition for my work… On hgtv.com
How Blogging Changed My Life: Fenella Pearson
I’m an interior designer and I have breast cancer. I started blogging because I wanted to help other women be less afraid. Jane Bryant Quinn, editor of a start-up hyperlocal news publication, read my blog and hired me as Home & Garden editor. Now I have a new career!
How Blogging Has Changed My Life: Cheryl Draa
Rising from the dust of recovery to focus on the future this “steelworker” takes what was learned from the past and begins welding the future. Blogging has provided me another outlet to my future, allowing me to merge past design experiences and knowledge into new forms of marketing and recognition.
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