CTC&G (Connecticut Cottages & Gardens) held its first-ever Design Salon last month at the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, CT. Cottages & Gardens Editorial Director D.J. Carey moderated the salon-style discussion and posed questions on the state of interior design today.
The panel of designers and manufacturers included Matthew Patrick Smyth, Anthony Baratta, Philip Gorrivan, Charlotte Barnes, Catherine Cleare, Thom Filicia, Amanda Nisbet, Patricia Healing, Barbara Hauben-Ross and Linherr Hollingsworth, Crans Baldwin, and Terri Eagle.
"We wanted an open discussion about the design industry between interior designers and a few manufacturers," said Carey. "There is still a bit of a trust issue between the designers and manufacturers that work with the trade. Many designers brought up examples of showrooms closing without notice; lack of service — from items being in stock but having to wait three weeks; and not being friendly to junior designers from design firms."
Here are some highlights from the event:
"We are experiencing less traffic in the showrooms, so we are increasing our team coverage out in the field to be able to work with designers outside the showroom, to be closer to you in your world." — Terri Eagle, Schumacher CEO
"From what I see, the one percent is happily buying again, but is going international. And the two percenter, the credit- card young money that wanted to look like old money, is over." — Crans Baldwin, CEO of Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman
"I think it makes more sense to have two separate showrooms: a to-the-trade showroom and then a second one under another name that offers a different or similar product at a retail price. They can educate retail consumers about other products that they don’t have access to—that are available just to the trade." — Thom Filicia, Interior Designer
"Clients can buy everything they want at One Kings Lane or West Elm, and when they can’t figure out how to put it all together, they come to us." — Amanda Nesbit, Interior Designer
Video production by Frank Stella for C&G
Stay tuned for updates on future C&G Design Salon events.
