They Get Inspiration Where? Top Designers’ Secrets Revealed
Everyone talks about thinking “outside the box.” But what does that mean, really? We asked three top designers to convince us this magical thinking really existed. The result is three rules to live and design by.
To show us how they put their ideas into action, fashion-inspired linen maven Youngsong Martin, over-the-top event artist Rrivre Davies, and floral couturier Andrew Gromek are joining together to present “7 Wonders of the Table” at the 2009 Event Solutions and Catersource Conference & Tradeshow.
But first, find out the inspirations behind their innovative creations.
Youngsong Martin, Owner and Lead Designer, Wildflower Linen
{design mantra} Take something you see every day and turn it into something you don’t.
“The box that we all talk about is what I suppose represents ourselves — who we think we are, our perceptions of the world. So, to move outside it means to go beyond our comfort zones and to look at elements of the world anew.
To this end, I’ve been inspired simply driving down the freeway. I have to laugh because for people in Los Angeles, this is the one place that no one can say they get inspiration! But certain times of the year, there are these amazing flowers — weeds one might say — but against the gray of the asphalt, they spring up. From this color combination I created a line of yellow and gray linen that just happens to be the hot color pairing of the season.
And when I see buildings under construction, it makes me ask, ‘Why can’t our chair covers reveal more of their structure?’ From this, I created a three-dimensional line of covers with these wild, architectural spirals that make the chairs come alive.
Finally, yes I get inspired by those elements of life we all experience, like Hollywood. I was watching a Marilyn Monroe movie and just loved a dress she had with feathers around the bottom. From there, I created the Marilyn line of boa linen. It’s over-the-top glam and, like Marilyn, a show-stopper!”
Rrivre Davies, President, Rrivre Works Inc.
{design mantra} Beautiful form follows function.
“I approach design from the perspective of challenge rather than a pure decorative perspective. Because I believe beauty can be found in almost everything, if you look at the challenge and create a solution, then the beauty can be layered on top, and become part of the function.
For example, how can I create a beautiful bar on the scale of a gala event, but that fits in an old hotel elevator? How can we hang chandeliers where there is nowhere to hang a chandelier? How do we take a huge space and make it feel more intimate? How do we create amazingly tall centerpieces and have them not fall? How do we make temporary items look as though they’ve been there forever? These are our challenges, and the beauty of our work is that we create beauty, and beneath the beauty is the hidden function.”
Andrew Gromek, Owner/Creative Director, Couture Flowers Inc.
{design mantra} Challenge your audience.
“As a florist, everyone expects me to say that I go to gardens and read horticulture magazines. But really, that would be inside the box!
I get inspired by music and fashion as well as color, texture and shape. I don’t want the floral element of an event design to look as though it were an add-on; I want it to appear seamless and integral. Everything should have one vision, one attitude, so to speak. When I worked in retail at a specialty store, everything came from one person’s vision and filtered down. That’s the approach I take with floral design.
And, I like to use flowers to startle people into seeing. So often we walk past a ‘pretty’ arrangement. But when we put flowers in a headdress, or use materials not normally thought of for flowers — buttons, copper foil, faux fur — it jars us out of ourselves and we are able to see things with new eyes.”
Martin, Davies and Gromek will present the following session at Conference ’09 on Sunday, Feb. 22:
7 Wonders of the Table
When is a table not a table? When it is so spectacular that it actually becomes the room décor. In this fast-paced session, you will be invited into the designer’s mind as three of the industry’s top creative forces rethink the table from above, below and sideways. Onstage, you will watch as they assemble seven wonders to create three amazing different looks integrating lighting, entertainment, seating, linen, floral, food and, of course, the table itself. Never again will you see the table as just a flat surface. Instead, you will understand how the tabletop, given the right creative treatment, can transform an environment and become the center of attention — whether it is done simply or over the top.
You will learn:
• What will be on your table in 2009: the latest in color trends, texture and style in linen, floral and props
• A range of design ideas from green and natural to wild and over-the-top
• How to creatively incorporate lighting, entertainment and food in ways that bring more to the table
• How to see the table as more than just a flat surface — if treated with style, it can mean the world to your next event
Visit our ’09 Seminar Descriptions for complete course information.