Time2Pack | #BlogTourCGN | BlogTour 2013

Last year I created this I love BlogTour Suitcase Collage Photo and rightly captioned it Suitcase Envy.  It was my way of expressing to many of my blogger/designer friends who were participating that I was, how can I say....well just slightly envious of them jetting off on a BlogTour Interior Designer's dream tour!  Never did I dream that I would be asked to attend.  

Well dreams do come true and I am off to Germany in January where I will be attending the IMM Cologne International Furniture Show, Living Kitchen and a quick trip to Amsterdam as part of BlogTour!  This is one of those moments in life that you pinch yourself because you can't believe it is true.  But it is true, and I am thrilled to have been chosen to participate in Modenus' BlogTour to Cologne Germany in January 2013. 

What is BlogTour you asked? Well here is the scoop....

Fifteen interior design and life-style writers will be taking Cologne by storm in January as part of the latest leg of BlogTour by Modenus.  BlogTour invites groups of carefully selected bloggers to international destinations where they immerse themselves in trade shows, showrooms, design events and local culture.

And here are the selected Bloggers...

Left to right ~ Courtney Price | Alexandra Williams | Darren Morgan  | Tina Ramchandani | Katie Treggiden | Stacey Sheppard | Paul Anater | Sarah Sarna | Brandon Smith | Lisa Smith | Michele Alfano | Kathy Sandler | Carmen Christensen | Todd Vendituoli

As part of BlogTour Cologne fifteen bloggers,  eleven from the  USA and three from the UK and one from Dubai, along with the Modenus editorial team from the USA, UK, and Germany,  will be visiting the giant IMM (International Furniture Fair) and Living Kitchen as well as other design destinations in the city before moving on to spend a day in Amsterdam for a guided tour of the City's design hotspots in collaboration with home design magazine Eigen Huis and Interieur.  BlogTour Cologne runs from  January 13 through January 18, 2013.

Veronika Miller, CEO Modenus

Speaking about BlogTour Cologne Veronika Miller, CEO of Modenus says, “We have never crammed so much excitement and so much inspiration into one tour. This is also the first time a single Modenus BlogTour has included more than one country. We are, of course, looking forward to IMM. It is one of Europe’s most important furniture shows and it will be fascinating to see how the bloggers, especially the American bloggers react to it..“

Recent BlogTours in London and New York have resulted in over forty million social media impressions and hundreds of blog posts. BlogTour Cologne, with its excursion to Amsterdam can be followed on twitter with the hashtag #BlogTourCGN and through BlogTour At-a-glance on Modenus.com .

I look forward to sharing this experience with you and I am just bursting at the seems excited to take this journey.  So be sure to check back for more updates.

   Carmen

photo credit www.german-architecture.info

 

 

Interior Design | Fashion | Style Pairing

I am a firm believer that interior design and fashion design are closely linked together.  So often one's personal style in fashion is reflected in their interior design style.  Many times as an interior designer I look to my clients wardrobe to get a glimpse of color and textures they like and are drawn too.  Very often a the color, style and texture of a persons wardrobe is a resemblance of what makes them comfortable, happy and secure.  And as an interior designer these are the exact attributes I strive to achieve when creating a space for my clients.

On a recent trip to High Point Furniture Market, I had the pleasure of stopping into the CompanyC showroom at the exact moment that Gretchen Aubuchon, guest speaker, began her presentation/conversation about fashion's wonderful influence on home decor.  Prior to this I had only been acquainted with Gretchen via our social media connections on Twitter and Facebook.  It was so nice to finally meet her in real life and to hear her speak about how fashion and interior design influence each other was a wonderful happenstance.

And during my visit at CompanyC 's showroom was when I heard about their StylePairing contest.  A great way for CompanyC to carry on the Fashion Influence Theme at High Point Market.  More on the contest in a minute, I  have to say their showroom during market was a fabulous example of how fashion meets decor....here are a few photo's I took during my visit.

 Ok so back to the contest... (this excerpt comes from Companyc site)



CompanyC launched their Spring 2013 collection at the recent International Home Furnishing Market in High Point, NC. The theme at market was fashion’s influence on home design and décor. And they were definitely inspired by runway fashions and colors for their spring collection.

They hosted a fun event during market featuring Fashion+Décor’s Gretchen Aubuchon who spoke to  customers and design bloggers about fashion’s wonderful influence on home décor. As part of the event, CompanyC challenged those design bloggers attending to a Fashion+Décor StylePair contest. They had to pair their favorite Company C Spring 2013 collection with hot-off-the-runway styles featured at the Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 fashion shows. 

Here are a few of my StylePairings and my winning entry

This was my winning Entry Click here to see what I won.

Wallpaper Wednesday | Bold Color Vintage Flock

Wallpaper is a great way to make a statement and add a little color.  Here is a great example of how a traditional vintage flock can compliment a contemporary twist. 

photo credit graham & brown

My High Point Maket Experience Fall 2012 #HPmkt

For me High Point Market is a time to experience and explore all things Interior Design.  I use my time at market to see as much as possible and know that I will walk away with insight and inspiration to fuel my creativity in my design business.   I wrote about this in my guest post over at Building Moxie check it out---> What's the big Deal about High Point?

High Point Furniture Market is the Fashion Week of Furniture!  And how fitting that this years theme was Fashion Focused!

 This is but a glimpse of the collection of bags and bits and pieces of stuff collected during my time at High Point Market.  I will be sorting thru this for months ~ ;-) !

Each day as I walked thru showroom after showroom, exploring all of the new and exciting products, I would write down words to describe thoughts and styles that were visible, similar or made a visual impact on me during my time at Market. My list consisted of the following: 

TUFTED | SILVER | TAILORED | BLUE |  SILVER | NAILHEADS | NATURAL | RUSTIC INDUSTRIAL | GRAY | WHITE | TEAL | GREAT LIGHTING | STEAM PUNK |  COLOR | MID-CENTURY STYLING | ORANGE | RUSTIC | DANISH STYLE |  COLOR | TEXTURE | MUTED GOLD METAL | RED | FASHION DRIVEN | STYLIZED| TEAL | PURPLE | DRIFTWOOD|

In general what I saw was a great attention to detail and much thought given to the tailored aspect of furniture.  A kind of mid-century meets new industrial with a sophisticated flare.   Be sure to check out My #HPmkt Fall 2012 Pinterest Board

Here are some images I took to capture my experience, I hope you enjoy and would love your thoughts and comments!   

 

 

 

Part of the whole High Point Market Experience is the evening center stage entertainment.  Here my sister and I are hanging out in the crowd.  Is that Mom right there behind us? Good times, good friends and family make High Point Market a time to remember!  

Until next market 

I will cherish my memories, 

my experiences 

and my inspiration!

Carmen

photo credit ~ Carmen Christensen

From Drab to Fab ~ A Stylish Bathroom

This recent vanity installation features custom cabinetry that we designed with inset mirror drawer fronts, hand~carved solid wood appliques and furniture fitted moldings.  A stunning transformation, more pictures and details to follow.