An Inspiring Day at the AD PRO Global Design Summit

A weekly dispatch from Architectural Digest's Editor in Chief.

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Dear AD PRO Community,

All of us here at AD have been longing to connect with our design world friends, so I was very excited for AD PRO to host its first-ever Global Design Summit yesterday. Sponsored by Monogram Luxury Appliances, Tischler und Sohn, CB2, Caesarstone, and Benjamin Moore, it was a day full of inspiring and exciting panels with conversations between superstar designers and AD editors.

The day kicked off with Interiors & Garden Director Alison Levasseur chatting with designer Beata Heuman of London and interior architect David Flack of Australia—two stars of AD's May issue. In a cute aside, David revealed that they play only Disney music in the restrooms at his studio because it makes clients laugh and helps show how an interior can help create a fun experience.

Following that, powerhouse designer-entrepreneurs Justina Blakeney and Alexa Hampton joined AD Digital Director David Kaufman and Market Editor Maddie O’Malley to offer advice on navigating the realm of product licensing. Justina revealed that her dream project would be to create a “Jungalotel,” a hotel that epitomizes her Jungalow brand. Alexa noted how important it is to cultivate and maintain relationships with brands. She attributes a lot of her success to staying humble and hard working and always meeting directly with companies she works with and never sending a “team” in her place.

In a conversation about designing for outdoor living, Stephanie Goto shared some of her tricks with Associate Editor Mel Studach. Stephanie especially likes to come up with unexpected ways of playing with familiar materials. Two cool takeaways: She created a set of plates for outdoor dining using Caesarstone’s outdoor quartz, and covered the countertop of an outdoor bar with rubber flooring! Following that, architect Elizabeth Roberts sat with Features Director Sam Cochran and reflected on her path from studying historic preservation to refreshing brownstones throughout Brooklyn. We loved hearing her talk about working with clients to identify unique and historically significant parts of a home; about different ways to bring the outdoors in through innovative windows and doors; and about her newfound joy in designing from the ground up.

At lunchtime, I hosted a conversation with two of today's most powerful design influencers, Jason Bolden and Adair Curtis of Los Angeles-based firm JSN Studio, who shared some recent projects with me and the attendees. They noted that clients have been coming to them wanting more color, so it's been fun for them to experiment more with that.

In a wide-ranging discussion about Design in the Digital Age with AD PRO Editor Katy Olson, Keia McSwain, Tavia Forbes, and Monet Masters talked about how they’ve transformed their business practices during the past year. They pointed out the impact of rethinking the way they charge clients, streamlining their accounting and bookkeeping procedures, and the importance of setting aside time to evaluate and reevaluate what's working and what's not.

During Design Editor Madeleine Luckel’s panel on the latest kitchen trends there was a demonstration of the new Monogram Professional Range. And in a discussion on sourcing sustainably with Deputy Digital Editor Allie Weiss, Susan Inglis, Executive Director of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, gave an Earth Day–appropriate presentation, noting that the number one thing she wished designers would do when sourcing is to ask their vendors “what’s it made of?” She also delved into what materials should be avoided at all costs, specifically tackling myths around leather. Later in the afternoon, designer Corey Damon Jenkins and Andrea Magno, the Director of Color Marketing & Development for Benjamin Moore, talked about going bold with color, how to pair fabric with paint, and looking to nature as a source of inspiration.

The Summit wrapped up with an intimate conversation between designer Nate Berkus and AD’s West Coast Editor Mayer Rus. Nate let it spill that lately he's become obsessed with website Live Auctioneers and Ebay France. (I myself immediately checked out the L.A. source Blend Interiors online after he revealed that as the source for the beautiful metal chairs in his NYC house.) Nate also got real about what he looks for when hiring designers on his team, how knowing your design references is crucial, and how you should always trust your intuition when it comes to clients.

It was a wonderfully informative and inspiring day! A huge thanks to all the participants and attendees.

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