IFDA NEW ENGLAND NEWSLETTER Spring 2015 / Issue 2
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
CONNECT WITH US Our IFDA New England website is a first stop for official news about our chapter. It lists all of the board members and their email addresses, upcoming chapter events, a calendar of industry events, and links to previous event recaps and newsletter issues. Bookmark the page for easy access! Our IFDA New England Facebook page has breaking chapter news. Like us to hear the most up-to-date information.
Dear IFDA Colleagues, Spring has arrived and I am so excited about our three Take A Seat events, in May and June! What is Take A Seat? We have invited the New England design community to Take A Seat at the third international, simultaneous design exhibition which features up-cycled chairs creatively redesigned by area professionals such as architects, builders, craftsmen, and designers of the furnishings and design industry. Students have been invited, too. Take A Seat started with the New York and Japan IFDA chapters, and now, in its third year, there are 9 chapters participating, including New England. On May 13th, at Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams’ new showroom in Natick, we kick-off our Take A Seat programs! With our donations of upcycled chairs complete as of May 6th, the chairs will be displayed throughout our area from May 7th through June 3rd. On May 20th, Woodmeister is hosting a cocktail party to celebrate the chairs. And, our gala to celebrate and auction off the chairs to benefit the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development, will be on June 3rd, at the Larz Anderson Museum in Brookline. We encourage our members and the public to join us at all of these events! Connect with creativity and philanthropy in our New England design community! To be a sponsor of this program, at any one of the events, please see the sponsorship opportunities. Best, Karen Dzendolet
IFDA-NE COMMUNICATIONS: TWITTER TEASER Tips for Twitter beginners: •
You don't have to read every tweet. It would be a full time job!
• Create lists. Lists are a powerful tool to keep things organized and allow you to manage your account in an efficient manner. • Respond to everyone and everything. When someone retweets, likes, or DM's you, they are showing direct interest in you. That's the point! To get noticed! A response from you will lead towards better engagement and better follower retention.
UPCOMING EVENTS •
Wednesday, May 13th: Take A Seat Kick Off Party
•
Wednesday, May 20th: Take A Seat Traveling Exhibit, Boston Cocktail Party
•
Wednesday, June 3rd: Take A Seat Gala and Auction
•
Thursday, June 4th: IFDA-NE Monthly Board Meeting at Reflex Lighting Group at 7 Tide Street, Boston, MA 02210 from 12noon – 2pm. Open to members.
•
Thursday, June 25th: Annual Summer Boat Cruise with BRAGB
IFDA NE PILOT MENTORING PROGRAM Sean Reynolds, VP of Future Directions on the IFDA-NE Board, is working with his alma mater, Wentworth, to start a program where current students could shadow IFDA-NE members. IFDA-NE members (either interior designers or vendors) would plan to meet with students once a month, for 3-4 hours per meeting, for the duration of the student’s semester. Activities could include meeting with clients, visiting client sites, meeting at vendor sites, etc. We would plan to implement the start of the program in the fall of 2015. As of May 2015, 14 Wentworth students have expressed interest in participating in this type of mentoring program. Please contact Sean Reynolds at Sean.Reynolds@woodmeister.com or Karen Dzendolet at karen@kdzdesigns.com, if you are interested in participating!
IFDA WORKS! Residential Bathroom Remodel Leslie Fine, President of Leslie Fine Interiors, Inc, teamed up with IFDA-NE Bronze Sponsor FBN Construction to redesign a bathroom that was poorly configured and lacking creativity. The end result was a bright and spacious retreat with elegant elements of intricate mosaic tile walls, a custom vanity, mirrors with integrated medicine cabinets, and windows that switch between transparent and opaque for privacy.
“It is a special project when fellow IFDA members work together in the field and bring each other in on the right jobs for the right clients.�
NOTEWORTHY IFDA-NE Gold Sponsor Poggenpohl hosted an event during Boston Design week at their luxurious showroom on Newbury Street. Poggenpohl’s award winning designers Rosemary Porto and Kevin Briggs gave a presentation introducing cutting edge trends and materials used in today’s kitchen design. Cosentino and Gaggenau provided the food and beverages for the event. Poggenpohl introduced a new kitchen display featuring Gaggenau appliances. The event was well-attended as the design community learned about the magic of induction cooking, plus advancements in finishes and electronics while enjoying a glass of wine and light refreshments.
Leslie Fine, President of Leslie Fine Interiors, Inc , is proud to announce that the company won the First Place Award for Best Bathroom Design from Signature Kitchens and Baths magazine. Read more.
Mahmud Jafri invites all IFDA-NE members and their families to join Dover Rug when the company partners with ASID - New England to present a handson experience in the art form of traditional rug making and textile design. This event is called The Art of the Weave: Where every rug tells a story and every pattern has a history. It will take place on May 3rd from noon - 2 pm at Dover Rug at 390 Stuart Street, Boston. There will be live demonstrations of rug weaving, a pattern discovery scavenger hunt, kids will create their own rug design with a souvenir photo (with a chance to win a 5x8 artisan rug) and receive a sample area of wool and textiles! Refreshments will be served.
WARM WELCOME Two new people have joined our chapter over the past three months. If you see them at an upcoming event, be sure to introduce yourself! Do you work near one of these new members? Consider carpooling with them to an upcoming event. It’s always easier to walk into an event with someone by your side. Marion Beaulieu Marianne Logan
Benjamin Moore Luminous Floorcloths
marion.beaulieu@benjaminmoore.com mariwlogan@hotmail.com
Bellingham, MA Westford, MA
EVENT ROUNDUP Modern Interiors for Men March 2015. Television famed designer Taniya Nayak moderated an exciting panel discussion on designing for men which included New York based designers Antonino Buzzetta and Eddie Lee and Boston designers Dennis Duffy and Christine Tuttle. These experts shared their ideas on creating functional, highquality and comfortable environments for men. See more pictures from the event.
continued on page 11 ‌
EVENT ROUNDUP (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9) An Editor’s Perspective on Design PR April 2015. Kyle Hoepner, Editor-in-Chief of New England Home magazine, and Stacy Kunstel, Homes Editor of New England Home and regional editor for other publishers, shared their insight on how designers can work to get their projects printed. Louis Postel, IFDA member and contributing New England Home editor who writes the “Trade Secrets” column for each New England Home edition, was also in attendance. Additionally, Chris Saad of Audio Concepts gave a demonstration on Twitter tips and best practices. See more pictures from the event.
SPONSORS
PLATiNUM Sponsor
SILVER Sponsors
BRONZE Sponsors
International SILVER Sponsor