Tag: Monogram Designer Summit

Designer Profile: Alberto Villalobos

 in Interview, Profile

We had a great time at the Monogram Designer Summit in February with all of the designers and participants. As a follow-up, we interviewed some of the designers to learn a little more about their background and design experiences. Today we’re featuring Alberto Villalobos with Villalobos Desio based in New York City.

SRFD: How did you become interested in design?

Alberto: I became interested in interior design from an early age. From building tree houses to playing with Legos, I always had an interest in creating spaces and playing with proportions that led me to interior design down the road.

SRFD: Tell us about a recent project you really enjoyed.

Alberto: My business partner Mercedes and I enjoyed working on our latest project in London. It was a great experience to work there with new contractors and getting out of our comfort zone in the States, by meeting new vendors. The client was really easy to work with which added to the experience, plus shopping in Europe is always fun.

SRFD: A trend you’re over?

Alberto: I am over finishes that are not true to nature. My business partner and I prefer natural materials that are real, we appreciate craftsmanship and details. For example, when we use ceramic, we like ceramic that is true in nature, not one that reproduces another element such as wood.

SRFD: A trend you’re excited about?

Alberto: We are excited about the rediscovery of terra-cotta. Again, it is a natural material that is noble and relates both to our Latin and European backgrounds.

SRFD: What did you learn during the Monogram Designer Summit in Louisville?

Alberto: My favorite take-away from the summit is that knowledge is not understanding, a very interesting principle. It has helped me to see things differently and makes you realize to always question yourself. What a great tool for the design practice.

Designer Profile: Patricia Davis Brown

 in Interview, Profile

We had a great time at the Monogram Designer Summit in February with all of the designers and participants. As a follow-up, we interviewed some of the designers to learn a little more about their background and design experiences. Today we’re featuring Patricia Davis Brown with Patricia Davis Brown Designs LLC based in Vero Beach, Florida.

SRFD: How did you become interested in design?

Patricia: I think I was born a creative and I would have found my way to the arts one way or another. As a kid, I remember riding in the backseat of my parent’s car looking at the buildings as we drove past. To entertain myself, I would pick a really worn looking place and imagine how I could make it beautiful. I think you are born a creative, it is in your DNA. Even though I am educated in design and hold a license in interior design and certified in kitchen and bath design, I believe the talent is within, education or not.

SRFD: Tell us about a recent project you really enjoyed.

Patricia: I like a challenge and to me, that is remodeling an old property into a great design. I am currently working on a project located on the intercoastal waterway. The view is amazing, but the original property was a designed poorly and really had never had the design thought out. I believe that they just had maxed the property lines with a building and it was oddly shaped and needed help. I am pretty sure there was no architect involved with the original design, the home had no distinct architectural direction. Properties like this need to be eclectic and the personality have to be designed into it. My style for this project is industrial contemporary. I am bringing in a balance of textures and letting the beautiful views beyond the windows play an important roll in the design. The main floors are concrete and the ceilings are open beamed with a painted rub through finish. I am maximizing all the windows to increase the views into the space.

SRFD: A trend you’re over?

Patricia: Carrara marble has been done and I think it is time for another countertop material to shine. I have never been one for trends. There are lots of material options out there and I think a designer that thinks outside the box is able to set the trends. Let’s just take marble tops as an example. A designer should expand their library of materials in countertop to include some amazing finishes that they can bring to their clients like, glass and lava stone. I love mixing countertops materials in a kitchen to create shapes and artistic details.

SRFD: A trend you’re excited about?

Patricia: I am digging the use of metals in interior design. There are so many metal finishes to choose from, rose gold, brass, black, etc. and it gives designers the tools to create an original design for each and every client. I also, like the large groupings of chandeliers that are being used over islands and dining tables. White walls are trending now and I love how it sets up a blank canvas for popping art and other points of interest in a room.

Thoughts on Empathy

 in Event, Monogram

Nancy Hugo, Certified Kitchen Designer and attendee at last week’s Monogram Designer Summit 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky, shared her thoughts about the theme of the conference – Empathy – on her blog, Designers Circle HQ. Take a look and let us know what you think!  

Monogram Designer Summit 2017

 in Dwell, Inspiration, Monogram

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It’s almost here! On Tuesday, February 28, Monogram will hold their second annual designer summit in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Speed Art Museum. We are bringing together more than 80 top home and kitchen designers from around the country to the Monogram Designer Summit 2017. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their insights and opinions with their colleagues and the Monogram product development team to influence the future of exceptional appliance design.

Follow along during the summit on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #monogramdesignersummit or #creatingempathy. Looking forward to a great learning experience for all!

#Empathy

 in Inspiration, Tips

Written by Paula Kennedy, CMKBD, with Timeless Kitchen Design This weekend I just finished being an extra for a few commercials with the Improv Alive group that I’ve been practicing with for the last three years. Whenever I tell people I’ve been taking Improv classes, they say, “Oh that must be fun!” But honestly it’s more about getting out of my…

Monogram Designer Summit: Excitement in the Air!

 in Event, Monogram

What happens when 55 Designers are put in a room with 25 GE Industrial Designers, Marketers and Product Managers? What could have been a clash of creative right brains with corporate left brains ended up being a collaboration of excitement, energy and imagination!

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The first ever Monogram Designer Summit was an action packed adventure to look towards the near future of high end appliances. What will the homes look like? Who will be the consumers? What functionality should the appliances have?

The answers were as varied as the personalities in the room, but all agreed that the next ten years will see a morphing of multi-generational people wanting multi-functionality from their appliances. There was one camp that suggested that there needs to be a new word to replace “Kitchen” since that room is truly the “Living Room” of the house.

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And what about using one’s smartphone to operate and manage all the household appliances? This was a hot topic that seemed very polarizing on Yes or No … and don’t stereotype that the older generations are the ones not wanting to adapt to this.

The overall message: One size will certainly NOT fit all; customization, in various forms and functions, is going to be needed.

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