Speakers

Tobi Fairley to Host Design Bloggers Hall of Fame Awards

December 14, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

We are excited to announce that Tobi Fairley will be hosting this year’s Design Bloggers Hall of Fame Awards. Tobi is already a Hall of Fame member, having won the award last year for Best Overall Design Blog.

Tobi Fairley creates interiors that are bright, bold and tailored. She works on the forefront of the New Traditional movement in residential design, and her vision for a given space is always grounded in an ethic of problem solving, the results of which are always beautiful as well as functional. This signature aesthetic earned her recognition as one of Traditional Home’s Top 20 Young Designers of 2009.

Tobi founded her design firm more than a decade ago, and her exquisite interiors span the US, from New York City and the Hamptons to Charleston and Los Angeles. Her award-winning designs for high-profile and celebrity clients have been featured on HGTV, and her work has been published on the cover of House Beautiful and showcased in the pages of Traditional Home, Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Living.

Tobi’s educational background combines foundational degrees in Interior Design and Accounting with an MBA from the prestigious Sam M. Walton College of Business, where she was recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year for 2009. This blend of expertise uniquely qualifies her as an industry leader in the business of Interior Design. Tobi shares the benefits of her knowledge and experience with other design professionals through an array of consulting services, information products, and on-site courses through Tobi Fairley Academy.

Always ready to embrace the latest in social media and internet technologies, Tobi emerged as a national presence by fully utilizing the capabilities of social media. Tobi’s Blog commands a sizeable online audience; currently read in more than 124 countries worldwide, it has been recognized by HGTV and by the Design Bloggers Conference as a key source for daily design inspiration. Tobi also writes a monthly design column, “Tobi’s Tips,” for AY magazine, a blog column for At Home in Arkansas magazine called “Color Confidential,” and she is a regular contributor to Williams Sonoma’s “Designer Marketplace.” Also spurred by her innovative spirit, Tobi’s e-design service—InBox Interiors—allows D.I.Y. clients to achieve the “Tobi look” for a fraction of the cost of her full-service designs.

Tobi Fairley Home, a collection of fabrics, pillows and lighting designed by Tobi, debuted as part of Hickory Chair’s Centennial Furniture Collection in the Fall of 2011. Her furnishings and fabric designs are every bit as bold and fresh as the spaces for which she has been acclaimed. As with all of her ventures, she infuses the merchandising market with a new and vibrant energy; and, as always, Tobi is driven to find the needs of her customers and provide them with optimum design solutions.

Filed Under: Community, Design Bloggers Hall of Fame, Inspiration, Speakers Tagged With: HGTV, House Beautiful, Tobi Fairley, Tobi Fairley Academy, Tobi Fairley Interior Design, Traditional Home

Leslie Carothers Speaking at Design Bloggers Conference

December 13, 2012 By admin 2 Comments

Leslie Carothers (known on Twitter as @tkpleslie) is the founder and CEO of The Kaleidoscope Partnership , an 11 year old international social media agency for furniture and interior design brands. Leslie has over 31 years of experience in the furniture and design industry and spent the first 20 years of her career as an interior designer. Some of her past social media clients have included Cargill Corporation’s BioH Polyols division, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, World Market Center Las Vegas, The New Traditionalists, Better Homes and Gardens magazine and current clients include the corporate headquarters of The Curtain Exchange – a national luxury window treatment franchise and Olioboard –a fast growing global social commerce site with 2D and 3D visualization tools. She micro-blogs as @tkpleslie and founded the Twitter chat, #GetPublished which brings together design editors, authors and the design community to create dialogue and opportunities. For the past 11 years , she has been a frequent national and international speaker at major furniture and design industry trade shows and events and keynoted the first Social Media Symposium held at High Point University.

She’s been widely interviewed and is also a guest author for many industry publications including Furniture Today magazine, Retailer NOW magazine and for the past 9 years has been the writer of the *Retail Ideas* blog for Furniture Today.com –publishers of the leading international furniture industry trade news magazine.

Leslie served a 3 year term as a volunteer on the board of Women In The Home Industries –WITHIT - where she twice chaired the major yearly fundraiser –WITHIT’s Leadership Development Conference - and served as VP of National Membership.

In 2009, Leslie was awarded WITHIT’s President’s Award for her service to the organization and to the furniture and interior design industry.

Filed Under: Community, Inspiration, Speakers Tagged With: @tkpleslie, Better Homes & Gardens, High Point University, Leslie Carothers, The Kaleidoscope Partnership, World Market Center Las Vegas

Patti Austin, Dawn Carroll to Speak at Design Bloggers Conference

December 10, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Grammy winner Patti Austin crosses all musical genres, has made 17 solo albums, and has performed her award-nominated hit songs on the GRAMMYS® and the Oscars. As a performer, songwriter and vocalist she has had a star-studded career that began at the age of four, making her one of the most beloved artists the world over and a mainstay on the Billboard Jazz Albums charts. Patti’s extraordinary career continues to cross over boundaries and reach new heights.

Patti has had a life-long interest in design. Patti Austin is currently being mentored by Boston’s prestigious design community as she realizes one of her dreams of becoming an interior designer. Patti attributes much of her musical success to her mentors, most notably the close guidance of her godparents Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington. Because of how important mentoring has been to Patti throughout her life, she co-founded the Over My Shoulder Foundation.

The Over My Shoulder Foundation (OMSF) is a non-proﬁt organization founded by Patti Austin and Dawn Carroll to promote mentoring and Mentorology through music and design. The Over My Shoulder Foundation hails Mentorology, the art and science of mentoring, as the number-one priority as they move forward producing live events which bring together industry leaders in order to pay tribute to great mentors and put the spotlight on the importance of mentoring.

Think of “Mentoring”, “Music” and “Design” together. Now envision the Over My Shoulder Foundation uniting those worlds with the guidance of the non-proﬁt’s two award-winning co-founders.

Dawn Carroll has dedicated a large part of the past 4 years to starting the Over My Shoulder Foundation (OMSF) and promoting the idea of Mentorology – the art and science of mentoring. In fact, her passion for Designing the Next Generation has driven Dawn to draw on all her resources to create the dynamic media-driven non-proﬁt organization that exists to further the concept and application of mentoring.

Dawn has carved out OMSF’s niche in the mentoring world while managing an award worthy design career at CUMAR Marble & Granite, which is currently in its 8th generation of leadership in stone sourcing and fabrication in Everett, MA. Dawn writes, “What do you see that I can be” when considering the similarities of an empty room and an individual who needs a mentor in her article about “Designing the Next Generation”.

OMSF accomplishments keep Mentorology, the art and science of mentoring, as the number-one priority. As OMSF grows as a non-proﬁt organization they will keep producing live events which bring together industry leaders in order to pay tribute to great mentors and put the spotlight on the importance of mentoring.

OMSF partnered with CUMAR Marble & Granite to create and inspire The Boston Globe’s Design New England Magazine MIDDIE (Mentors in Design) awards. The MIDDIES salute design professionals in interior design, architecture, building, landscape design, and related ﬁelds, who share their time, expertise, and wisdom with the next generation.

OMSF launched the inaugural “Designing the Next Generation” event in 2012 with Cumar Marble & Granite to expand the mentoring conversation nationally. It was an Inspirational Evening of Mentoring Story and Songs at the Liberty Hotel in Boston featuring speakers Stephen Powell (Executive Director, Mentoring USA), Ted Fujimoto (Founder, The Right to Succeed Foundation) and keynote speaker Attorney Richard Dyer who was introduced by Attorney Gary Greenberg of Greenberg Truarig.

Rick Dyer presented former Presidential Candidate, Governor Michael Dukakis, with a stunning award designed by Cumar Inc. thanking him for the mentoring that allowed him to turn his life around. The audience was graced with beautiful musical performances by Patti Austin, Charlie Farren, Robin Lane, Hal Lebeaux and Julie Silver.

OMSF partnered with well-known brands like the prestigious Poggenpohl kitchen design studios and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Furniture showrooms. The events are just a hint of what is to come nationally as individuals from the worlds of mentoring, music and design are gathering to recognize the importance of Mentorology and help OMSF spread the concept for future generations.

The premier of the Over My Shoulder song with Lianna Gutierrez took place at the 2009 PowerGirls Global Summit with Dr. Johnetta B. Cole’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Institute. The song is based on Dawn’s belief in hope, courage and transformation. It was written by Dawn Carroll, Charlie Farren, Brynn Arens and Barry Orms.

For more information about the Over My Shoulder Foundation, visit overmyshoulderfoundation.org or contact Dawn Carroll, Co-Founder and Executive Director, by calling (617) 510-2620 or emailing [email protected].

Filed Under: Community, Inspiration, Speakers Tagged With: Barry Orms, Dawn Carroll, Design, Grammy, Grammy Award, Julie Silver, Mentorship, Michael Dukakis, Over My Shoulder Foundation, Patti Austin

Susanna Salk To Speak at the Design Bloggers Conference

December 6, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

We are excited to announce that Susanna will be a featured speaker at the Design Bloggers Conference.

Susanna Salk grew up in Essex, Massachusetts and got her B.A. in English at Vassar College and then moved to Manhattan where she helped launch Elle Decor as Interior Design Manager. She later became a Contributing Editor.

In 2003, she joined House and Garden Magazine, where she was, until its closing, Special Projects Editor.

Today, Salk appears regularly on NBC’s “Today Show” to discuss design style for the home. She is also a Contributing Editor to 1stdibs.com, and ivillage.com.

Salk is the author of Assouline’s “A Privileged Life, Celebrating WASP Style,” as well as “Weekend Retreats” and the bestselling “Room for Children: Stylish Spaces for Sleep and Play,” (both by Rizzoli.) Her book “Home Sweet Home” (Rizzoli, Fall 2011) celebrates the international interiors shot by renowned photographer Oberto Gili.

Her latest book is, “Be Your Own Decorator: Taking Cues and Confidence from Today’s Leading Designers” (Rizzoli) a design book aiming to inspire and inform via her favorite rooms from the world’s top designers and tastemakers.

Salk’s next book (out April 2013 from Rizzoli) is the first pictorial book celebrating the iconic style of CZ Guest, the American author, columnist, horsewoman, fashion designer, muse and socialite. It will celebrate her iconic style in her homes, garden and fashion with insightful memories by many of the people who loved her and knew her best.

Salk lives in Connecticut with her husband and two boys.

Filed Under: Community, Speakers Tagged With: 1stdibs.com, Design Bloggers Conference, Design Bloggers Conference Speaker, Elle Decor, House and Garden Magazine, Interior Design, ivillage.com, Susanna Salk, Today Show

Tami McCarthy: CEO of TMG PR

January 12, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

We are thrilled to have Tami McCarthy as a speaker at the Design Bloggers Conference. Tami is the Founder and CEO of TMG PR, Inc., a leading boutique marketing communications agency based in New York City. Recognized as a leading force and one of the top creative thinkers in the communications arena, Tami founded TMG in 1996. Today, TMG is an award-winning, full- service agency, providing cutting-edge services in public relations, brand positioning, social media and digital marketing, as well as special events to clients in the consumer goods, financial services, design and media industries. In fact, Tami and her TMG team were instrumental in the successful launch of NCI’s DigitalSherpa division which began in 2009 with CommunitySherpa for the apartment industry, and now includes other verticals such as DesignSherpa, BrokerSherpa, and CampaignSherpa. Recently, Tami was named by Forbes as One of the Top 30 Women to follow on Twitter, and writes a popular blog called Buzzcloud. Tami, who is a graduate of the prestigious Parsons School of Design, lives in Greenwich, with her husband Dan and her three children, Ryan, Julian and Luke, and two stepchildren, William and Rebecca. She is not sure how it happened but their house has 3 dogs too — Bella, Charlie and Taco.

Filed Under: Speakers Tagged With: BrokerSherpa, Buzzcloud, CampaignSherpa, CommunitySherpa, Design Bloggers Conference, Design Bloggers Conference Speaker, DesignSherpa, DigitalSherpa, NCI, Parsons School of Design, Tami McCarthy, TMG PR, Top 30 Women to follow on Twitter

Dwell With Dignity: Giving Back to the Community

January 8, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Lisa Robison is an Interior Designer who’s desire to give back to her community and to pursue her passion for design culminated in the concept of Dwell with Dignity. Her strong belief that good design improves ones quality of life resulted in the incorporation of this non-profit foundation in April of 2009. Dwell with Dignity’s mission is to help families escape poverty and homelessness through design, one household at a time. The goal of every project is to bring good design to those less fortunate inspiring them to maintain a standard of living they can be proud of and thrive in. The Dwell with Dignity aesthetic has been labeled “cottage contemporary”. Very upbeat, warm, inviting interiors where you can’t help but be happy and hopeful.

In the short history of Dwell with Dignity, Lisa and her staff have garnered recognition and coverage from all of the local Dallas TV affiliates, national design and lifestyle bloggers and an entire episode devoted to Dwell with Dignity on the Nate Berkus show. Dwell with Dignity’s signature blog continues to be their strongest connection with volunteers, supporters, and design aficionados.

Vice President & Director of Dwell with Dignity, Kim Turner, is a practicing designer in Dallas Texas. She has earned a solid reputation in the Dallas area for her ability to work across a variety of styles and create interiors that reflect her clients’ unique personalities and lifestyles. When she first heard of Lisa Robison’s foundation, almost 14 years to the day of their first encounter in design school, she knew this was something, and someone, she wanted to get involved with. She shares with Lisa the belief that lives can truly be inspired by design and that “dwelling with dignity” is something that can be possible for all.

Kim is credited with building awareness of Dwell with Dignity throughout the design community which has resulted in amazing support from luxury brands such as Neiman Marcus, Peacock Alley and Duxiana, to name a few.

Filed Under: Community, Inspiration, Speakers Tagged With: Design Bloggers Conference, Design Bloggers Conference Speaker, Duxiana, Dwell with Dignity, Kim Turner, Lisa Robison, Nate Berkus Show, Neiman Marcus, Peacock Alley

Sarah Gim: Community Curation at TasteSpotting

January 8, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

Sarah J. Gim is the founder of TasteSpotting, at the center of which is a community-curated, editorially-filtered collection of stunning images of food, recipes, stories, articles, and blog posts from around the web. Launched in 2007, the website has grown into the world’s largest virtual, visual potluck of “food porn.”

TasteSpotting has been featured by Saveur in the magazine’s Saveur 100, InStyle magazine, Metropolitan Home, the Los Angeles Times, and has been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle and countless other publications. However, the most important recognition TasteSpotting has ever received is a “good job” from Sarah’s Dad.

In a previous lifetime, Sarah had a career in technology and business, fully utilizing her BA in economics from Berkeley and MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. She decided to pursue a true passion and now only has a “master” chihuahua named Daisy and a full-time job obsessing about food on the web. When she’s not working on TasteSpotting, she takes photos and writes about food and life on her personal site TheDeliciousLife.com, where “the difference between dating and eating is only one letter.”

Filed Under: Speakers Tagged With: Design Bloggers Conference, Design Bloggers Conference Speaker, Sarah J. Gim, TasteSpotting, TheDeliciousLife.com

Macala Wright: Social Media Pioneer and Digital Futurist

January 5, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

Macala Wright is a Los Angeles based digital media expert, retail journalist and social media personality. She is widely recognized as a social media pioneer and digital futurist in the fashion and lifestyle industries.

Wright has built one of the most notable retail business blogs, FashionablyMarketing.Me, in the space and has successfully worked for eBay Fashion, WWDMAGIC, MAGIC Trade Shows, Teen Vogue, Cynthia Rowley, American Express, Brand Licensing Expo and many lifestyle retailers.

In 2009, Wright partnered with venture capitalist Jeff Keni Pulver to help create the first ever social media, Twitter conference, known as the 140Conf, in London and New York. For the conference, Wright created an international series on how medium-size retailers, luxury and fashion brands were using Twitter to market their product lines. Since then, Wright has become a notable speaker and educator, speaking in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sydney, Australia and Singapore, Southeast Asia. Wright frequently writes about retail, e-commerce and technology for CNN’s MASHABLE . Wright has been quoted or has had research cited in The New York Times, ADWEEK, Women’s Wear Daily, Sportswear International, Gawker, Defamer, NRF Smart Brief, The San Francisco Chronicle, Mashable, California Apparel News, Los Angeles Times, Apparel Magazine, Direct Marketing News, The Next Web, Fox Business, The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly and Perez Hilton.

Filed Under: Speakers Tagged With: Design Bloggers Conference, Design Bloggers Conference Speaker, FashionablyMarketing.Me, Macala Wright, Mashable

Lisa Ferguson: Making Design More Accessible

January 5, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Lisa Ferguson is the founder of Decor Mentor and Lisa Ferguson Interior Design. While Decor Mentor’s 22 pro designers from across North America share insight into the process of their client projects on decormentor.com, Decor Mentor is also a one-stop shop for brands to work on creative collaborations with the Mentors. Books, videos, products and speaking engagements are all in the works.

Decor Mentor is supported by Lisa’s 23 years experience designing products and interiors. Lisa is the principal of Lisa Ferguson Interior Design, a Toronto based full scope interior design firm. Lisa and her team is currently installing and shooting a seven room client project with products exclusively sourced from vendors who are active on social media. It is her strengths of ideation and strategy, along with a penchant for collaboration, that has Lisa pioneering viable win win opportunities.

Lisa is known for seeing the need to make design more accessible and pioneering the “Decorating Excursion” concept long before HGTV was regular viewing. The decorating excursion has often been imitated all over the world after it was featured in both Style at Home and The Toronto Star.

Recently Lisa was the featured interior designer on Design Milk’s Tools of the Trade Video, curated a Designer Pick’s sale forHomeSav and is in talks with top publishers about publishing the Decor Mentor book which will feature Lisa’s expertise and collaborations from the Decor Mentor team. Lisa has spoken at Humber College, on Kravet’s social media panel and wrote “ The Shape of Things to Come” for The National Post.

Lisa was one of only eight designers selected to be a High Point Market “StyleSpotter” and is excited for Decor Mentor to be partnering with High Point Market in April for a unique mentoring event.

If you’d like to reach Lisa, you can get in touch with her at www.lisafergusoninteriordesign.com ;www.decormentor.com; www.facebook.com/DecorMentor; or www.twitter.com/DecorMentor.

Filed Under: Speakers Tagged With: Decor Mentor, Design Bloggers Conference, Design Bloggers Conference Speaker, Lisa Ferguson, Lisa Ferguson Interior Design

Design Bloggers Conference