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Dwell With Dignity: Giving Back to the Community

January 8, 2012 By 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.

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Sarah Gim: Community Curation at TasteSpotting

January 8, 2012 By 2 Comments

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.”

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Macala Wright: Social Media Pioneer and Digital Futurist

January 5, 2012 By 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.

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Lisa Ferguson: Making Design More Accessible

January 5, 2012 By 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.

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Kristine Kennedy: Excellence in Interior Design Content

January 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Kristine Kennedy is the Editorial Director of wayfair.com, the largest online-only retailer of home furnishings, selling 4.5 million items from 5,000 vendors. An experienced creative leader, Kennedy is known and regarded for her excellence in cultivating home furnishings and interior design content.

Prior to joining Wayfair in 2011, Kennedy spent 17 years with the Better Homes and Gardens brand, her last 8 years as East Coast Editor. Her career there entailed assessing, visiting, styling and writing about homes from coast-to-coast. She has directed countless photo shoots, directed digital edition videography and has worked with some of the best creative talents in the industry. Kennedy knows how America lives. She is committed to offering inspiration, ideas, advice and conversation to everyday people. She believes in helping others achieve more beauty and function in their lives regardless of style preference or budget.

At Wayfair, Kennedy is implementing a rich visual and editorial content strategy aimed at enhancing the customer experience everywhere the customer interacts with the Wayfair brand. Social media is a fundamental pillar of that plan, which includes a dynamic new blog called My Way Home, scheduled to launch in early 2012.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Kennedy began her career as a hard news newspaper reporter, covering events such as the LA riots and California’s wildfires. After a few years she discovered she could combine her hidden interior design talents with journalism. In addition to her work for Better Homes and Gardens, Kennedy co-wrote New York Times bestseller “Trading Spaces: Behind the Scenes” and has written for publications such as Traditional Home, Decorating, Quick & Easy Decorating, Window & Wall Ideas, Bedroom & Bath Ideas and Do It Yourself. A native of Portland, Oregon, Kennedy recently moved from New York’s Hudson Valley to suburban Boston with her husband, two children, Great Dane, two cats, sewing machine, pile of paint decks and about 340 linear feet of books.

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Susan Feldman to Speak at Design Bloggers Conference

December 20, 2011 By 1 Comment

Susan Feldman is the co-founder and chief merchandising officer of One Kings Lane. In addition to overseeing all buying and merchandising, she travels the world with leading tastemakers to bring exciting and unique products to customers through the company’s specialized sales. Susan also serves as company spokesperson, appearing on venues such as The Martha Stewart Show to talk about products she loves. Prior to One Kings Lane, Susan held various senior positions in the apparel industry, including vice president of sales at Polo Jeans and president of sales at Lauren Ralph Lauren Sleepwear. Susan has also held executive positions at Warnaco/Authentic Fitness Corp., Ralph Lauren Swimwear, Liz Claiborne, and Cole of California. A native New Yorker, she received her MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA and her BA from Stanford University. Susan lives in the Hollywood Hills with her family. She loves to decorate her house with the unique mementos she collects during her travels, and playing with her two yellow labs, Chloe and Maggie (who is One Kings Lane’s now-iconic canine mascot).

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The Irreverent Jason Oliver Nixon on the Design Bloggers Hall of Fame Awards

December 19, 2011 By 4 Comments

I love a good awards ceremony. Ever since I won the Pinewood Derby as a Cub Scout at about the age of seven, I have been obsessed with trophies and those satin blue ribbons with lots of ruffles and lettering in big, bold gold type that my friends who jumped horses had all over their walls.

Frankly, there’s nothing better than a gilt statuette perched atop a plastic base. In time, the gold will start to peel and the nut and screw holding the plastic base to the urn or statuette will loosen, but so what? By the time your statuette is un-screwed, you probably won’t remember what the award really stood for anyhow.

The best awards are the ones that can be put to a good use and not clutter up the bookshelf: I won an award for something a few years back, and that chunky glass pyramid now works perfectly for smashing ice before cocktail parties. My chipped-ice martinis are famous, so thank you to the Folio Magazine Awards.

Just remember: Today’s peacock, tomorrow’s feather duster. That’s what my mom always told me, and they are good words to live by. Your blog might kick some major metrics ass right now, but don’t rest on your laurels. Speaking of which, we are design bloggers so who wants to rest on an uncomfortable laurel anyhow. If I plan to rest upon anything it will be a Trina Turk-covered daybed in the courtyard of a hotel in Palm Springs, n’est-ce pas, and not some tree branch.

Frankly, if I were in charge of this awards ceremonies, I would be giving everyone a Jereboam of vodka: What could be better than a double magnum of liquor to keep you in a celebratory mood. And I would probably throw in a few mixers, too, for winners like this was some VIP lounge with table service.

“Here’s your Stoli, and we’re throwing in some Mr. & Mrs. T Bloody Mary Mix, cranberry juice, some celery, a few limes, salt, and peanuts. Thank you so much for your dedication. Now go Tweet, sweetie, and drink up, buttercup. #killerpartyinroom405 later”

So, welcome to the Design Bloggers Hall of Fame. It’s sort of like the Best-Dressed Hall of Fame, only we aren’t critiquing your engaging fashion ensembles but rather your gimlet-eyed glance upon the worlds of style and design. Your blog rocks. Seriously. And we love you, dearly. Just don’t blather on too much when you get up here to accept your award, and don’t close your eyes when the requisite photo is snapped.

And, good lord, I am hosting.

Just stay awake. I have no intention of going down in the annals as the James Franco and Anne Hathaway combo-from-hell or a nose-picking Chevy Chase of the Design Bloggers Conference. If the motor idles, I am ordering in pizza and Chardonnay, and we can play “Chug Boat” and Tobi Fairley can be Florence Henderson and Ronda Carman, Charro.

Or maybe I’ll loll about in the audience and ask provocative personal questions (“So, what do you REALLY think of Kelly Wearstler, and did you see her Playboy spread years back?” Or “Do you think anyone is going to hook up at this conference? Name the names.”).

Or I’ll get Bethanne Matari from Currey & Co. up here to tell off-color jokes.

“OK, so this one time at band camp…”

Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy lunch.

Oh. And next year we want to hear just where you stuck your award.

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Mitra Morgan: The Thrill of the Find

December 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Mitra Morgan is Co-Founder and Chief Curator of Joss & Main, a division of Wayfair.com, the No. 2 online retailer of home furnishings and housewares in the U.S. Joss & Main is a members-only flash inspiration site that provides carefully curated sales events featuring the most desirable goods for the home. One of the fastest-growing private sale sites, Joss & Main officially launched about a year ago. Among flash sale sites, it stands out for being dedicated solely to the home and offering its readers inspiration combined with great deals cutting across all styles, from traditional to transitional to modern.

The “thrill of the find” is a key idea not only for Mitra and her team of talented buyers & curators, but also to Joss & Main’s varied and exclusive members. Mitra is delighted to hear when members spot an item on Joss & Main that isn’t at all what they think of as their style, but is an irresistible find, just the same. Some of the more unique items Mitra has curated so far at Joss & Main include: vibrant Moroccan poufs, stunning blown glass accents, and iconic modern furniture. Her favorite find this month was a samurai bench inspired by the toji gates of Japan. Mitra loves the growing role Joss & Main is playing in members’ lives – giving them a break in their busy days to think about their own style sensibilities and bring more finds and even a few surprises into their homes and lives.

Mitra has extensive leadership and entrepreneurial experience in both private and public companies, which she leveraged in building Joss & Main. She founded and operated Brooks Pond, an award-winning manufacturer of premium juvenile goods distributed through Barneys NY and buybuyBABY among others. Before founding Brooks Pond, Mitra was the Executive Vice President of Go Ahead Tours, a division of EF Education, the leading international education company.

Before joining EF, Mitra was the VP Corporate Development for the Kessler Group (Kessler Financial Services). She was responsible for their international expansion and the launch of American Express’ affinity card offering. Mitra’s professional experience also includes work as a senior associate with management consulting firm CSC Index Inc.

She holds an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth and an A.B. from Bowdoin College. Mitra lives near Boston with her husband and two children. An avid traveler, when she’s not searching for new finds to share at Joss & Main, she can be found planning her next trip!

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Jason Oliver Nixon to Host Design Bloggers Hall of Fame Awards

December 12, 2011 By 1 Comment

Have you made your nominations for the Design Bloggers Hall of Fame yet? Nominations will close on December 21 - make sure your favorite blogs are recognized!

The awards will be presented at lunch during the first day of the Design Bloggers Conference on February 27 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. We’re thrilled to announce that the host for the awards ceremony will be design/lifestyle writer Jason Oliver Nixon.

Jason Oliver Nixon doesn’t just understand the fabulous life; he knows how to unearth it. Far beyond his ability to quote Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Draper, and Noel Coward, it is Nixon’s laser-sharp ability to discover what is truly cutting edge and unique that has led to his current role as a lifestyle guru and authority on taste.

The Global Lifestyle Editor at Delta Sky magazine, the in-flight publication of the world’s largest airline, Nixon has the task of trend-spotting and cultivating and searching out global content and talent to ensure that the publication maintains an inspired, innovative vision. He lives out of an acid-orange Globe-Trotter suitcase, constantly on the prowl for the latest and greatest finds.

Nixon began his publishing career at Condé Nast Traveler, where he served as an Associate Editor and new products editor for three years, covering the travel-product beat and writing features and front-of-book stories. He held a senior editorial role at Fodor’s Travel Guides’ book division and was the Editor of New Media on the fodors.com website before turning to television. He was the launch Field Producer for E! Entertainment’s “True Hollywood Stories” series and the Executive Producer of Robin Leach’s Gourmet Getaways at the Food Network and simultaneously wrote regular restaurant reviews for Paper magazine and a column for the James Beard Foundation’s monthly newsletter. Nixon was awarded with a James Beard Scholarship to attend the esteemed French Culinary Institute, and as a result, was inspired to write the book New York’s 50 Best Places to Eat Brunch.

Nixon eventually left the Food Network to return to the publishing world in affluent Palm Beach, Florida where he launched the Ocean Drive magazine spin-off Ocean Drive’s Palm Beach, a luxury-targeted, general-interest publication. Later, he became the Editor in Chief and Editorial Director of Niche Media LLC, successfully re-launching Hamptons magazine as a controlled-circulation, general-interest summer weekly to target high-end consumers. The magazine’s overwhelming success led Nixon to subsequently launch several highly targeted regional magazines for the group, including Gotham, Los Angeles Confidential, Aspen Peak, Boston Common, and Capitol File as well as Niche’s custom-publishing division, where he developed branded publications for companies such as Tourneau. Nixon has served as the Chief Luxury Officer for the Four Seasons Hotels magazine where he oversaw all design, style, fashion, and accessories coverage for the publication and served as a roving brand ambassador.

Nixon contributes regularly as a writer, producer, stylist, fashion consultant, wrangler, and lifestyle guru to such publications as Virtuoso Life, Town & Country, and Entrée, the Neiman Marcus magazine. He makes frequent appearances on E! and MTV as a style correspondent. Nixon is also one half of the Brooklyn-based interior design firm Madcap Cottage (f/k/a John Loecke Inc.), whose colorful projects have been published in magazines and newspapers such as Domino, House Beautiful, Country Living, Better Homes and Gardens, the New York Times, British House & Garden, and the New York Post. Nixon curates a global style and design blog entitled Demystifying Design that captures his and John Loecke’s far-flung adventures and fabulous finds as they scour the world for Madcap Cottage.

A native of Tampa, Florida, Nixon is a graduate of Maine’s Colby College. Nixon splits his time between a row house in Brooklyn and a renovated schoolhouse in New York’s Catskill Mountains, where he can be found puttering in his garden and Tweeting about his plants.

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Kimberly Seldon: Design For Living

December 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Kimberley Seldon will bring her vibrant presence to the Design Bloggers Conference, where she will be sharing her wealth of knowledge in the world of design as one of our speakers. Kimberly enjoys an international reputation as a designer, journalist, keynote speaker and broadcast personality. Kimberley has enjoyed more than 15 years’ experience in television; hosting three of her own series including the HGTV series “Design for Living with Kimberley Seldon”. Kimberley presides as guest design expert on CityTV’s CityLine and appears regularly on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) in the United States.

Recently, Kimberley has taken on the role of Design Editor of Canada’s Chatelaine Magazine and is the Editor in Chief of Dabble Magazine; an online magazine that encompasses design, travel and food, three of Kimberley’s greatest passions.

Kimberley enjoys sharing her knowledge with industry professionals through Business of Design, a series of live seminars since 2006 and now an online business resource for design professionals. Businessofdesign.com offers online courses, a live webinar series, an interactive forum and other business resources from a panel of experts from across the board.

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