WHAT'S NEXT, WHAT'S NEW & MGBW@25

THE OPENING OF THE 2014-15 DESIGN SEASON IN NEW YORK CITY

MITCHELL GOLD/BOB WILLIAMS 25TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY

Wednesday night the gate keepers stood outside the doors at Mitchell Gold/Bob Williams' Lafayette flagship store with their clipboards in hand checking off names against their list of invitees. Our sales rep grabbed my arm as I approached the desk and pulled me past the list checkers and through the crowds right to the bar. It seems you are nothing in New York if you don' t have a drink in your hand. The showroom was packed with industry notables elbow to elbow.

The event was co-sponsored by New York Spaces magazine honoring their top fifty New York designers.

We had several projects featured in their pages in previous editions under past editors. I had to complain to Barbara that we weren't included on the list of fifty.

After bumping into several friends and colleagues, losing Barbara and then finding her again, I somehow managed to squeeze my way with Barbara's guidance up to Mitchell and Bob where we somehow landed on the topic of Wisconsin politics.

I roamed the two floors of their gorgeous showroom looking at some of the new fall collection that wasn't covered by the sitting crowd.

It's always worth a look at the new pieces they add to their collection each season. It was a great party. When I left the heat was on, the crowd was sweating and the networking was still turned to high.
















WHAT'S NEW/WHAT'S NEXT

Thursday, the sign-in tables were in place in the lobby at 200 Lex. A line of receptionists sat each holding a tablet where they scanned bar codes on preprinted invitations. Another long line of limos and luxury cars were parked out front on Lexington Avenue running from 33rd Street to 32nd. Inside most of the showrooms were cleaned and polished, new merchandise highlighted on the floor labeled new and next, champagne and hors d'oeuvres plated on tropical leaves and spilling from woven baskets. I started out on the twelfth floor and popped into two of my favorite showrooms.

Dennis Miller is always spot on  with a clean sophistication I know I can always bring a client to.

Dennis is always the gracious host never tiring of showing what's new what's next.

Across the hall Profiles was showing off its new stable of work.

Color was a big statement at the showroom for this fall in a showroom that traditionally had a more somber appeal. It really tickled my design funny bone in a very good way.

Jim Druckman, the CEO of NYDC, was on hand as he always is graciously shaking everyone's hand and greeting the crowd that numbered in the thousands.

I stuck my head in at 1stdibs where Celery Kimble had curated a sampling of antiques from the collection. It is always worth the trip to amble through the aisles of 1stdibs if only to look at the history stored in all its niches

NYDC is a constantly changing entity. Each time you walk the sixteen floors you are bound to find a new jewel you hadn't seen before.

Aerin was a new find for me and now competition for my accessory stable of places I need to check out.

The big parties were directly across from each other in the showrooms of the New Traditionalists and Desiron.

The New Traditionalists looked more like a pop-up club than a showroom with Turkish lounges, candy bars,

a black jack table and bars that would make any nightclub proud.

This was definitely a millennium crowd. I wish I could show more of their product line but the dark lighting and a crowd so thick you there were sections of the showroom that took more than a shoehorn to wedge your way through your arms plastered to your sides and unable to hold a camera in any way that would make taking a photo a possibility.

Desiron was a little less glitzy but just as crowded with clinking glass and celebrants biting down on hollowed out cucumber circles filled with caviar.

I finally got to meet Toni Sikes, CEO of CODAworx, a Madison based company dedicated to providing a forum for artists and design professionals to interface and connect with the industry at large. Fate seemed to throw us together at a chance focus meeting back in Madison. Their presence at What's Next, What's New was a karmic opportunity for me to meet up with them.

At the event Toni had partnered with Cindy Allen and Interior Design magazine and Ilene Shaw of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair to create the CODAworx awards recognizing the best architectural, interior and public space projects featuring commissioned artwork.

Here Toni is pictured with Cindy Allen and David Rockefeller Jr, one of the esteemed jurors for the awards.

They were all present at the grand opening of the new Lapere showroom. Champagne toasts were once again hoisted into the air in recognition of the showroom and the awards.

Not to be outdone the McGuire showroom along with Veranda magazine held an after party for those who couldn't get enough with all the parties that had been going on since two in the afternoon.

The McGuire showroom is fortunately located on ground level making the crawl to the outside the shortest possible exit from the revelry of What's New, What's Next.

As you can see from the focus factor on this photo of my friend Elaine Griffin it was time for me to leave but I'll be back on Monday for my turn behind the desk in the Access to Design office. On Monday I can go back and actually take some time to take a closer look at the what is new throughout 200 Lex.













THE GALLERY

Studio 54
Tod Papageorge, photographer
Represented by Galerie Thomas Zander, Koln, Germany