Author: Design Works International

An Enchanted Evening

| Design Works International

 Last week I attended the HSN Awards Gala with HGTV in Saint Petersburg Florida and was captivated by this magical evening! The event is held to honor some of HSN’s clients, or should I say family…because the feeling of this “Enchanted Evening” was truly like one big family! The warmth of the evening in celebrating some of HSN’s greats was something like the Academy Awards of HSN. It was one of those parties that everyone including the host and hostess were having “A Ball”, no pun intended! The theme which emulated the sensibility of the new Disney Movie, Cinderella was, how should I say, spectacular! 

In this day of retail sales weather it be brick and mortar, on-line, catolog or television it’s nice to see cohesiveness when it comes to retail partners and the respect each has for one another!

Kudos to Mindy Grossman and Bill Brand for creating this “Enchanted Evening”, it was truly enjoyable!

 

Nancy’s Traveling Trends

| Design Works International

Thanks Design Works International for posting…looking forward to collaborating with HGTV.com on my travel and trend updates!

James Simon's avatarDesign Works Intl

We’re very excited about Nancy’s expanding relationship with HGTV. Along with being the HGTV HOME Design Director she now has a feature at HGTV.com. She is always traveling the world in search on the latest in trend and color and now she has a gallery of her images to go along with her Instagram feeds. We recommend you bookmark this page as well as follow her on Instagram.

Here is a taste of what you can see in her travels… follow the link to see much more.

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And here is a sampling from the Design Works International Instagram.

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Sassy Suculents-Parisian Style

| Design Works International

  

Photo by Nancy Fire

While in Paris on a trend shopping trip I came across these “Sassy Suculents” and immediately fell in plant love! I mean these guys just had it going on…perfect color, perfect texture and of course perfect pot! 

I love this “Rustic Glam” style, mixing smooth surfaces, beautiful tinted colors with the texture of these lava pots.

I wonder if a person not in the design field would feel the same way about these  sassy suculents and fall in plant love like I did!

We all know that suculents are trending now but like anything else when a trend hits you need to rethink your strategy so that you can reinvent your product in a more “trend right” sensibility!

I think these “Sassy Suculents-Parisian Style”…did just that!

Spring is looking mighty different this year in NYC!

| Design Works International

  

Photo by @nancy_fire

Second day in and it sure is pretty…just not feeling the “Spring Vibe” yet! 

Loving the pastel sky and the beautiful tones of the buildings on 5th Ave framing the frozen reservoir in Central Park. Almost has a surreal feel due to the steam rising above the city and the dimension of the photo.

Happy Saturday and keep channeling Spring, at least we can still enjoy the beauty of what is left of winter!

Snow. Do. Not. Enter.

| Design Works International

Photo by @nancy_fire

I know the two words that we all want to say today “Happy Spring” might have to be on hold for at least tomorrow due to a pending snow storm on the east coast today!

Guess we have to remember that it’s only March 20th and we have had our fair share of snow on the east coast through April in past years.

The chaos for NYC will be the crazy commute home tonight as the storm should hit its stride by rush hour, BUT the creativity will come from yet another amazing photo op that NYC has to offer when it’s color is a blanket of fresh white snow!

Trying to stay positive….”TGIF”!❄️❄️

Opposites Attract 

| Design Works International



Photo Credit @nancy_fire

Does “Black and White” really ever go out of style?

No matter what trade show I might be attending, or country I might be traveling to, I always seem to find products in black and white refreshing.

 It might be a resting point for my eye or a way to wipe my overstimulated mind clean after viewing so many patterns and colors…but wherever I am and whatever I post on social media I always seem to get an overwhelming response to black and white imagery!

Do some see it as a safe way to add print and pattern in their lives without too much chaos over adding color? 

Do some favor the simplicity of a graphic statement without color?

Do some see it as a secure way to decorate because it never seems to “Go out of Style”?

In my humble opinion…it could be “all of the above”…..because I personally look forward to finding my next resting point during my upcoming travels…and this is coming from a person who lives in a world of color and pattern!

Trend Shopping in Shanghai 

| Design Works International

Someone has to do it….so why not me?

Often I am asked why I love what I do everyday for a living and as the old saying goes…”Find a job you love and you”ll never work a day in your life”….25 years in my design studio in NYC with some of the most talented and dedicated designers, amazing clients and friends, my husband Neil as my business and life partner and two kids that are well on their way to creating their own path in life…sounds easy right…nope lots of hard work, dedication, long days and nights in the studio, PTA meetings and more! 

My point…it takes time to build ones career and good things are worth the wait. This is my mantra during the many interviews I conduct in my studio because I feel it so important today to be realistic about ones professional path. It took years of hard work to build our business and today we are humbled to still be in business in one of the greatest cities in the world!

So trend shopping in Shanghai…..why not, after all “Find a job that you love and you”ll never work a day in your life”!



Photo by @nancy_fire

Making Memories

| Design Works International

Looking back at my lifetime of memories I cherish those times that we actually took the time to capture life in the making.

Back in the day of film, sepia prints, and art filled family photos, images were heartfelt and meaningful……I am happy to see a resurgence of this sensibility and style!

Everytime I see this image it brings me back to that day on the beach with the people I love most in this world!

Keep making those memories as creative as you can and they will last a lifetime.

Watercolor Wednesday

| Design Works International

Trending at my NYC based studio, Design Works International these days is the return of watercolor and original techniques that relate to a more artsy style and sensibility!

Exciting to see the return of dimension in design by creating imperfect layers of color…we love that “imperfect is the new perfect”! 

Knowing that blues are trending again in home lifestyle products we felt that this nice touch of warm rust complimented our original tile design.



       Image from our Design Works International Home Collection NYC. All rights reserved.