Design and Desire: Thoughts on NeoCon 2013

Some days I wish I'd never studied interior design, but every June I go to NeoCon at the Merchandise Mart and fall in love with it all over again. Some days I feel like interior design has brought me nothing but debt and disappointment, and then I see things like this:



Then I am reminded of why I loved it so much in the first place. I can't watch HGTV anymore, though I was addicted to it in design school. But now, seeing all those successful designers (which I still am not) and all those happy couples buying their first homes (which I cannot, thanks to the crippling debt design school has left me with) sends me into a jealous rage. So I change the channel.

But I cannot resist the pull of NeoCon, luring me to the Merchandise Mart like a siren song. I can't stay away from the invitation to spend some time, just a few short days, amongst the tribe that has forsaken me. Sorry if you expected this to be some happy little post about how awesome interior design is. Then again, if you expected that, you must not be familiar with my blog at all.

Anyway, let's proceed to what you came here for: the furniture. Here are a few of my favorite things.














As for trends, here's what I noticed.

Accent colors: orange



New colors: quinacridone violet (that's the painter in me coming out)



Popular color schemes: orange and grey



violet and grey



Interesting new products:

carpet that looks like an abstract splatter painting:



carpet that looks like it was spray painted by graffiti artists:



leather made with salmon skins:



There were also a few showrooms that partnered with artists. Some made installations or assemblages from the materials the companies specialized in, like this piece made from scraps of wood left over from chairs the company manufactures. It reminds me of Louise Nevelson's work.

 


And then there's this gorgeous fiber art by Sheila Hicks.



As a visual artist who is also an interior designer, seeing that inspired me to look into getting my work into some showrooms. If it happens, I will post about it on here. In the meantime, you can see the rest of the photos I took at this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiffanygholar/sets/72157634060240182/

As always, it was a bittersweet experience, but was really more sweet than bitter this time. I'm glad I haven't given up on my dream of becoming a designer. I hope to have some new clients soon. If you're interested, please contact me.