Travel

A Kid For A Day at “Kind + Jugend” in Cologne Germany!

| Design Works International

Hard to recall the last time I felt like a kid for a day…so thank you Kind + Jugend for showcasing some of the best international kids products in Cologne Germany this week!

Great to see such innovative and creative products taking center stage for 2016! The color story was varied from “the softer side” creating a more vintage sensibility to a more “bold and bright” geometric style for a more outgoing sensibility.

Serba displayed knitted 3-D character dolls on an updated scenic printed bed set.

Keoka’s take was more of a mid century modern changing table that had us all at hello…dreaming of how we could use this piece even if our kids were full grown!

Tede from Berlin had the most amazing wooden toy animated bikes in beautiful dye based finishes creating some of the nicest color palettes that we viewed at the show.

Dip Dap from Lativa had a more modern take on a toddler bike made of digitally printed wood with a repeated bear motif.

3 Sprouts from Canada represented by Duux went for a more graphic oversized character approach on home decor fabric storage containers.

Kids 11, a client of mine located in Atlanta debuted many new innovative toy and gear offerings along with their new packaging and logo update.

Tuc Tuc from Spain was truly a trend setter with there newest black and white geometric strollers!

ChildHome had one of the most curated and fresh looking booths at the show for color, style and substrates! Look at this cute fabric tent!

Neo NATO had a fun graffiti wall display outside their booth.

Green Tom had the coolest all organic and green strollers made from post consumer recycled products….so innovative and refreshing!

Camarelo had the most graphic splatter print stroller in black, orange, green with accents of blue.

TwistShake is extremely innovative with there colorful and multi-functional bottles and containers!

More pics and info on the Kind + Jugend Show tomorrow on my Designworksstyle.com blog

@childwoodchildwheels

@greentomworld

@koeka_official

@duux

@twistshakebaby
  Serba

  Keoka   Tede

 Dip Dap   3 Sprouts

 Kids 11

  Tuc Tuc

  ChildHome  Neo NATO

 Green Tom

  Camarelo

 TwistShake

Isleboro Maine-Rustic Beauty

| Design Works International

 Spending a week on the idyllic island of Isleboro Maine with 20 of our nearest and dearest was truly a “close encounter of the 3rd kind”…. But only in a positive manner, seriously…we had a blast! 

Isleboro Island is a narrow 14 mile island that is located approximately 3 miles off the coast of Lincolnville in the Penobscot Bay in Maine.  It was incorporated into the United States in the 18th century after being settled by fisherman and farmers. Today 600 residents year round live on the Isleboro while in the summer months that number easily expands to a few thousand! 

Our week was great on so many levels, kayaking, boating, hiking, fire pit fun, tennis, paddle board, great food and friends! When you vacation with many people it’s important to have a common bond and in our case, it was the great outdoors and of course food!

Since Isleboro is a small island and limited to only a couple of food stores we needed to plan ahead and bring food with us in order to be organized and feed 20+ people for 7 days. Meals were planned in advance and each family had their day or meal to cook! Last night Neil and I grilled cedar salmon along with homemade mango chutney, garlic broccoli, orzo salad and a fresh garden salad. All meals were innovative as well as delicious with each family creating some of their favorite foods! 

Loving photography the way I do, I was able to incorporate my art inspired photos into every activity….while posting for Instagram for three different accounts…HGTV HOME, nancy_fire and designworksinternational. Combing the great outdoors and my love of photography was the perfect inspirational blend for me! Inspired by all I see…enjoy my memories! 

 

Sunrise over Isleboro Island, Maine.
  Wooden Hot Tub

Ready for Kayaking

Transportation to the “Boston Whaler Motor Boat!

  Sunset over Isleboro Island, Maine.

Sunset over Isleboro Island

  Island Humor at the local Ice Cream Shoppe

  Retro Dodge Truck-Wish List!  Amazing “retro red” color❤️

  Togetherness-Pastel Palette

 Smooth Sailing before the Storm  Color Inspiration “Green with Envy” Island Shed

  “Free Maps” in Belfast Maine-Fun DIY using recycled letters from license plates!  

 Island Inspiration at The Summer Shop on Isleboro Island.

  Lobster Bake

  “Sitting on the dock of the Bay”  

  “Fire Pit Feast” S’mores 

  Kayaking on the Bay

    Fern Forrest

 Light House Isleboro Ferry

  Stonehenge on Isleboro 

  Mid-Day Lighting

  Sunrise Kayak Adventure

     Outdoor Inspiration Climbing Clematis 
  Lobster Boat Belfast Maine

  Bouy Decor-Fun outdoor DIY decor!

   Words to Live By! ENJOY!!

IKEA “Moments About Food” NYC Rooftop Event!

| Design Works International

 What a creative way to start your day at IKEA’s “Moments About Food” in NYC! Honored to be invited to this creative and inspirational event with its focus on food, food sourcing, product introductions, tips on organic farming, canning and urban farming on your own rooftop! 

Amazed by IKEA’s newest product introductions that are “Trend Right” and “Eco Savvy” featuring substrates like cork, bamboo, various woods and woven fabrics! Colors are updated and fresh with many combinations to pick from.

IKEA’s newest “Section Kitchen Selection” is brilliant. Each drawer is a personalized space for all your kitchen gadgets as well as food storage, dinnerware, drinkware and utensils. Shown in a fantastic green finish, this kitchen is a vertical masterpiece! No more reaching for items that are too tall to grab..this is a kitchen with maximum bandwidth!  

Be sure to check out IKEA’s newest catalog and product in stores and help them celebrate an amazing new introduction of some of the most innovative and clever product ranges I have viewed in a while. From innovative placemats with i-phone pockets to organic new jams, cork outdoor ensembles and beautiful textiles….you will be updating your home in no time!

Oh and a special “shout out” to Katie Lee for sharing some great food tips and yummy treats!

  
    
    
   

Cultivate 2015 “A Labor of Love”

| Design Works International

Honored to be a Key Note speaker at Cultivate 2015 held in Columbus Ohio July 12-14. This is NOT a typical trade show it’s a labor of love❤️ and let me tell you why! After spending the past 2 days at Cultivate 2015, the largest horticulture show in North America, I got a “behind the scenes” peek into one of the most passionate industries in the world….breeders, growers, nursery owners, writers, media outposts and people affiliated with the beautification of this planet! I will never look at a flower or plant in the same way…so many talented minds and hands are responsible for creating these specimens…it’s actually mind blowing…honored to have met so many intelligent and dedicated people at Cultivate and look forward to learning more about this amazing industry through my new friends!

So proud of our HGTV HOME Plant Partners for creating a beautiful plant collection filled with succulents, flowering plants and the best custom mixed “one step style” assortments in the industry!
   HGTV HOME SUCCULENT COLLECTION

 J BERRY FARMS

  HGTV HOME PLANT COLLECTION

  ME WITH THE HGTV HOME PLANT PARTNER TEAM  
CULTUVATE DISPLAY CREATED BY VOLUNTEERS!

 COLORFUL WATERING CAN AT BRAUN IN TREND RIGHT COLORS FOR 2015

  HGTV HOME DISPLAY OF CROSS PARTNER PRODUCTS

 I AM SPEAKING TO A FULL HOUSE AT CULTIVATE ON CONSUMER TRENDS AND LIFESTYLE

 CHANGING THE GAME at CULTIVATE 2015

Global Greats…North Devon U.K. 

| Design Works International

  

Wanted to share a few “Global Greats” from our trip this past week to the English Countryside! These pics are from Dunster, Barnstaple, Braunton and Wiltshire. I will be posting images over the next week on this blog as well as Instagram @nancy_fire

Our amazing week in Devon was reflective of the people, places and experiences that we had! An adventure that was truly aspirational and eye opening….

Tomorrow’s post will include lodging and favorite food picks.

Jet lag is setting in….good nite all! 

Nancy

“Photo Bombed” by Stonehenge

| Design Works International

Never easy ending a vacation….especially one that was super inspiring as Neil and I made our way through the English Countryside in the North Devon Region of the U.K.

Driving a car in these parts is what any American would say…”an adventure unto itself”. Not only are you driving on the opposite side of the road and your steering wheel is flush right, the roads of Devon are the size of a bike path for two way traffic!

English Country Gardens are rustic and refined…colors are saturated and flowers this time of the year have an aroma worth the drive! So much inspiration and natural beauty……on our way back to London we made a special detour to a place that has been on my bucket list for some time now…Stonehenge….speaking of Natural Beauty from 4500 years ago…we had to check out these fine rocks…and we are glad we did!

An ancient temple aligned from the movement of the sun, Stonehenge will not dissapoint! It’s massive scale, textured surface and history are all part of the experience!Hard enough to end a vacation but we found a great segue to get us back….being “Photo Bombed” by Stonehenge!   

  

  

  

  

Naturally Inspiring

| Design Works International

 

The perfect view…while hiking in Bratten Fleming, a small village in North Devon U.K. I stumbled upon the “perfect view”! Perfect you might ask, how can something actually be this perfect….I will tell you….it’s a moment in time that was not staged for a photo shoot, it’s a moment in time that does not appear on a catalog cover (not yet) but a moment in time that one can appreciate if they just stop and enjoy. It has all the right ingredients: perspective, texture, saturated color and natural charm. 
I bet if we started to look at our surroundings a bit more we would learn to appreciate more of these “perfect views”. Take that walk that you have been putting off, enjoy that city block that we were meaning to explore, find that beach during a sunset…because there are so many “perfect views” in our life that do not always come in the form of this photograph…sometimes we just need to create them within ourselves!

Global Greats…North Devon U.K. 

| Design Works International

Wanted to share a few “Global Greats” from our trip this past week to the English Countryside! These pics are from Dunster, Barnstaple, Braunton and Wiltshire. I will be posting images over the next week on this blog as well as Instagram @nancy_fire

Our amazing week in Devon was reflective of the people, places and experiences that we had! An adventure that was truly aspirational and eye opening….

Tomorrow’s post will include lodging and favorite food picks.

Jet lag is setting in….good nite all!

Nancy

The Gardens of North Devon

| Design Works International

Traveling through the English countryside around North Devon this past week has reconfirmed my love for gardens that have a “rustic” touch. In America I call this style “rustic glam” when beauty meets a more unfinished sensibility…still beautiful but in a rustic way!

Personally as an avid gardener I  have never liked my gardens perfect and manicured. I have always preferred them a bit “rough around the edges” paired with substrates like old stone walls, distressed wood and in groupings of tonal colors that define my borders in a more color centric way…..well my friends after a week in North Devon I am heading back to the U.S. in awe of these magical gardens with more ways to keep my “rustic glam” garden trend more authentic!

Take note of some of my inspiration….and do note that the English Rose gives off a scent that is even more overwhelming than its beauty!