Design: Shane Reilly, Photo: Margot Hartford

I am excited to announce that my video interviews are making a debut on AOL’s Shelterpop.com.  You can see the Robin Wilson video here.  Shelterpop recently interviewed me about contemporary design.  The photo above was featured in the article on Shelterpop here.

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It’s Design San Francisco market week.  Come join us at the San Francisco Design Center today 10 – 11 AM at the Galleria  Atrium for a panel discussion titled:  ”Go Online… Or Go Out of Business!”  I will be sharing some tips and perspectives I have developed both through Decorati and observing our designer and manufacturer members.  Click here for the full schedule.

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Source: Designed by Shane Reilly, Photo by Adrian Wilson

I love grasscloth wallpaper – it adds a warm, lived-in feeling to a room.  The room above is in a NY apartment I designed in a fairly cold, modern building.  Adding this grasscloth wallpaper was a simple way to work with a bold color, like chocolate brown, but kind of take the edge off in a way paint can’t.  On the flip side, I also love bold colorful patterns for walls, when appropriate for a project.  So, I was thrilled to learn from Kyra and Rob of Twenty2, the couple behind the wallpaper company known for funky graphics (see below), that they recently launched a grasscloth line, AND now they are working on applying their eye-catching patterns to this textured paper.  You must Watch the Show to learn more.

Source: Twenty2.net

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Source: AmandaNisbet.com

When I was starting Decorati, I did what any entrepreneur would do… I held a focus group.  But, this is the design industry, so we had it at a chic NY restaurant over dinner.  Guests included designer/showroom owner Dennis Miller, furniture designer Peter Mann, and interior designer Amanda Nisbet.  I selected Amanda because I had interviewed her for my book when she was just a few years into her business, and I was struck by her expert, natural use of color.  I figured she would speak her mind and I wanted to know what she had to say about interior design and the web (which to many industry people sounded like oil and water at the time!).  We had a great discussion, and Amanda provided many insights into how designers were using the web, uh, which was not much back then.  Things sure are different now.  See what Amanda is up to today – Watch my show with Amanda Nisbet.

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Source: RobinWilsonHome.com

As founder of Decorati, people often ask me about online marketing techniques for designers and manufacturers.  In fact, I am speaking on the topic on Friday 2/4/11 at the San Francisco Design Center (Friday keynote panel, Sf Galleria, 10 AM, with Gilt Home, Gumps, and Luxury Marketing Council).  You often hear marketers talking about “360 degrees” – referring to using marketing efforts to surround your brand (see a quick presentation I found on slideshare).  A great example of a designer who employs 360 degree marketing is Robin Wilson.  Robin does it all – interior design, books, products, speaking, blogs, social media, TV, guest editing, etc.  And she has made a name for herself in green design.  I thought it would be interesting to drop in on Robin and see what a day in her office is like.  Learn more about Robin: Watch my Shane’s Studio show with Robin Wilson.

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Design by Shane Reilly, Photo by Adrian Wilson

When I saw some news on Shelterpop that Jane Fonda’s Atlanta loft is up for sale, I was reminded of my brush with the Hollywood-and-livingroom-fitness goddess a couple of years ago.  I was designing the apartment pictured above, which is one of New York’s most amazing penthouses with 13 foot ceilings and whole walls of windows across eight rooms.  The project required a top window treatment workroom, and I selected Trade France.  They came by nearly every day to either measure, install, hang, steam, or more. They even rolled in their own scaffolding.  Their work was impeccable.  The drapery workroom is often an unsung hero in a design project like this, so when the company owner asked me if he could bring a special potential client by to see his work, I acquiesced.  Little did I know it would be my idol from workout videos I associate with junior high (and in case you were wondering, yes she still looked amazing!).  Check out the pics of Jane Fonda’s apartment below, and if you are interested you can ask her a question directly on her blog.  Warning – don’t click around too much, or you might lose twenty minutes watching her latest workout videos.  OMG – she is stilling doing it!  I want to know if the videos were filmed here.

Source: JaneFonda.com

Source: JaneFonda.com

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Source: LesleyAnton.com

I have been intrigued by the recent growth of interest in crafting.  As much as people are becoming inseparable with their mobile devices and laptops, many are just as eager to pick up some yarn or beads and make stuff.  Etsy.com is a great example of the craze, as it handled $400 million in sales in 2010.  The moment I stumbled upon Etsy a couple years ago I knew it was going to be hot, which is no wonder, since it comes from the same backers as Twitter and Zynga.  Congrats to Etsy and everyone involved.

But let’s not get confused… there is a line drawn somewhere between hobbyists making mittens and gold padlocks at home, and the professional artisans that produce the custom-made products typically sold in design centers.  I don’t want to waste time debating the difference, or wondering whether DIY is a Threat or Opportunity.  You just know a beautiful piece when you see one (well, if you are familiar with designer-quality products…), and usually the price reflects it.  And of course, in the high-design world, you aren’t actually whipping out your own knitting needles or pottery wheel, you are paying for the talents of someone else to custom-make a piece for you, within a given set of variables you both agree to.

Enter Lesley Anton.  I have had the pleasure of knowing Lesley for years both through Decorati and as a designer myself. I wanted to interview Lesley for this blog because she is a great example of the difference between home crafters and professional artists.  She designs and makes every Lotus Lamp (pictured above and in the Shane’s Studio show) by hand, including custom glazes.  She is such a perfectionist – she usually doubles every order to ensure she can send the best ones to her clients.  Watch the show to learn more.

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