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Last Friday night I went to Debra Somerville’s photography Studio Opening event in Westport where lots of chic patrons, friends and family helped Debra ‘break in’ her new space. One of the very cool things about the opening, in addition to Debra’s brilliant photographs on the wall, was the interior design by a young man (under 20!)
He, Sam Allen, was recently featured on the CBS morning news. Part of that segment was taped in Debra’s newly designed space. When asked what her friends thought of her hiring a teenager to take on such a high stakes project, Debra, who already knew of Sam’s massive talent replied, “I didn’t tell them.”
One of my newest friends, Joan Blumenfeld, invited me to her 80th birthday party which had been months in the planning. First of all, you’d never believe Joan is 80, and second, the party featured her dancing partners from the Fred Astaire studios, as well as her dance-mates from the ballet classes she attends regularly. When Joan spoke that night, she gave us five tips for staying young. My favorite–which she demonstrates so gracefully–was “Keep moving!”
The other amazing friend who was celebrated recently is Malene Barnett. She was on the Nate Berkus show yesterday, and what a great job they did featuring her and her work. I’ll let you watch it and see for yourself. Can I tell you that I knew Malene ‘when’. It is exciting and inspiring to see this piece of film that captures her journey, her talent and her creativity so well.
Life is good!
Joan (on left) at one of my Remarkable Women's Network events
I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a gorgeous Sunday than visiting my talented friends, colleagues and clients who were exhibiting their wares at one of the biggest trade shows in the world. This weekend featured the Stationery Show, Surtex (surface design) and ICFF–International Contemporary Furniture Fair all under the same roof.
I hopped on MetroNorth, arrived at Grand Central and took the 1.6 mile walk to the Jacob Javits Center across town. My mission was to see Malene Barnett’s exhibit at ICFF, which was stunning. Having just been featured in New York Magazine, Malene’s booth had a steady stream of clientele. I was fortunate to slip in for a brief congratulatory hug and high five.
You can see her carpet designs around us, as well as her cool logo and signage. Malene has traveled the world and interpreted it through her textile designs for the hospitality industry. She has truly reached the big time.
Anne Taintor and I go back to the days of exhibiting our wares at the Westport Creative Arts Festival, now CraftWestport back in the 80′s. Anne went global with her stationery items. Her tag line is “Making Smart People Laugh since 1985.” She reminded me that she is celebrating her 25th year in business. Her hilarious notepads, greeting cards and office supplies are my favorite gifts to give clients–all of whom are smart people.
At Surtex I saw Karen Embry who was participating in her 4th show at Javits. She and her work have matured so much since we began working together in 2002. Her style has developed from doing lots of things with whimsy and bright colors to establishing a branded look that says KAREN EMBRY. Kind of what I was talking about when I wrote about my 300th blog post. Karen really knows what she does well now, and it is clear to the buyer, which is the more important outcome of plying your trade consistently.
What I admire most about these three women is that they have put themselves out there and taken a huge risk. The cost of doing a show in NYC is sky-high. But the rewards can be equally heaven-sent. They exhibit not only talent, but also courage and perseverance. They’re at the top.
Twenty intrepid Artsy Girls found their way to an inspired evening hosted by Malene B (bottom row, center) last night. Malene invited our group for its quarterly dinner party after being a cherished member for eight years. Fifteen of us drove through the puddles and rain to get from Fairfield County, CT to Brooklyn, NY. I can’t say for sure, but my hunch is that it may have been a first border crossing for some.
Touring Malene’s hand-crafted and personally supervised renovation was the highlight of the evening. We all removed our shoes and put on slippers to preserve the aqua- and lavendar-stained, wooden floors. We admired the wrought iron railings based on linear patterns created by Malene, the elegantly tiled bathrooms and kitchen and the inspiring office area with lucite bins holding gloriously colored wool samples she uses for her custom rug designs.
In addition to giving us a tour of her brownstone, Malene also regaled us with her plans to exhibit at the upcoming ICFF show (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) at Javits, her magazine coverage including mention of a piece planned for New York Magazine’s May issue and treated us to a sampling of her rug designs on hand.
We left, full of a delicious meal, the joy of being around so many accomplished women, and the inspiration of one woman’s journey shared.
Years ago I had an intern come and work for me from my alma mater, Mount Holyoke College, during the January term when the campus shut down. Rachel Atkinson was an art major and came daily to my studio to help me with my creative projects. Because her father owned a thriving graphic design business, she wanted to share some of his resources and expertise with me. One day she brought in a carton of resumes he’d received for a job posting. This was in the early 90′s when everything was hard copy.
I was wowed by the variety of styles, formats and sophistication the applicants demonstrated. You could immediately toss aside 1/2 the pile for lack of originality.
Which leads me to my friend and client Malene Barnett who recently purchased and renovated a building in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn. That’s a fearless enough feat to accomplish. But what really knocked my socks off was the email I received from Malene advertising the rental of her freshly minted apartment offering.
No Craigslist.com for this extraordinary woman. She created an 8-page pdf (cover image above) of her creation placing her property in an elite category and immediately qualifying her prospects. Let me know if you’re interested and I’d be happy to connect you to Malene. By the way, breaking the mold of the repetitive red brick facades is another measure of Malene’s strength of character and determination.
The message here: Take the risk to be bold, break the rules and get noticed. Might just get you a tenant or a job.
