decoRATING with Jason Kontos
Unfortunately, we can't be everywhere at once. So when we heard there was going to be a new tradeshow making its debut this month at the World Market Center in Las Vegas, I decided to send a secret agent.
INSPIREDESIGN, held from Feb. 1-3, was a hospitality design show that housed not just product, but conceptual room scenes. And our secret agent sent to report back on the best and the bravest of the showcase, is anything but. Rebecca Goldberg has been reporting on design trends for more than six years in a variety of capacities.
I'll step out of the way now Rebecca...
~Jason Kontos
If you’ve ever walked into a hotel and thought that you might like to live there, rather than stay just a night or two, you might be curious to know just what it is about hotel design that makes it so appealing. Is it our attraction to the idea of being somewhere else exotic or perhaps even someone else?
Hotel designers carefully create spaces that make you feel something. They want you to connect with your hotel on an emotional level; they want you to feel transformed. I know this because I’ve traveled to dozens of hotel design shows around the world and have spoken to hundreds of hotel designers over the years.
A great hotel room is designed to make you feel like you’re at home—on retreat.
A new tradeshow called InspireDesign debuted this week. It displayed inspiring new interior products and hospitality concepts—hotels, lounges, nightclubs and restaurants. There, two trends emerged that will blossom in hotels and homes in the coming years.
1. An appreciation for the classics
No more ultra modern/modern eclectic for the sake of it.
The show’s greatest showstoppers were chairs from Meda, Italy. Several craftsmen and small companies contributed to an installation filled with seats that ranged from traditional to peculiar.
My favorites included an arm chair with dragon faces, and a gold, sculptural human formation. All of the pieces featured had beautiful, tailored detailing.
Classic Home showed vintage woods that looked like they fell straight out of hipsterville. I do mean that as a compliment, by the way. Its colors gave it a healthy sense of trendy irony. The pastel washes of color on these trunks is what made them feel new. Nostalgic, happier shades feel better than ever as we all want to feel more optimistic. Watch out for pastels in fashion this spring, if you need convincing.
Speaking of fashion, here is Stacy Garcia, a design house that creates patterns for carpet, fabric, wallpaper and lamps. Stacy recently designed a carpet for Shaw Hospitality that plays with a popular trend—neutral basics and a pop of color—on classic motifs.
This bed design, also from Classic Home, plays with the same technique.
Elsewhere in the show, even more traditional patterns appeared. Larger scale patterns brought these designs up to date. In this carpet from Fiezy Rugs, subtle patterns create a great backdrop to compliment louder furnishings.
2. High-concept artwork and design
I’m a believer in loud. I want a piece, or a space that I can really lose myself in. InspireDesign housed three conceptual rooms that challenged traditional floorplans.
Gensler, a world-renown super-firm, created Blank, a new lounge concept. The space is minimal in furnishings yet it makes a statement. It’s meant to show just how paired down a space can be without losing its voice.
A further consolidation of space and ideas was seen with Morris Sato’s guestroom concept. There, every piece of the room—bed, shower, table, toilet—were all based around a single column, maximizing the space. While you have to be a little brave to use the toilet in the middle of your room, I appreciate the simplicity of the idea.
Belzberg Architects created Filter, a space within a space (similar to a play within a play for Shakespeare nerds). This room, made from hanging fabric, creates a breezy escape anywhere. It had great dramatic appeal. The idea of the fabric partition is already alive and well in many restaurants. It’d be nice to see this in a lounge space—at home, or in public.
One of the most modern pieces of furniture at the show was designed by the Phillips Collection. This little royal purple number is made out of seat belts. Who knew they could be sexy.
Whether for hotels or homes, the trend toward conceptual, quirky and thoughtful designs is surging throughout the design industry. And as home and hotel continue to influence each other, we hope the competition keeps both fields interesting.
~Rebecca Goldberg, guest blogger
