Spring 2021
Change is in the Air
March 2021 marks the one-year anniversary of the United States entering the Covid-19 lockdown. What a difference a year can make!
As spring invites inspiration and the fog that was 2020 dissipates, our member designers report they are beginning to get their grooves back. Things are slowly starting to improve on the pandemic front, but designers will need to continue to incorporate elements of the “new normal” into business practices for the time being. After a year of uncertainties, long shipping times, and constant readjusting, it's time for designers to unleash their creativity!
On that note, no one does this better than legendary California-based designer Kelly Wearstler. In this month's newsletter, we'll profile a woman after our own heart whose drive, work ethic, and creativity are impressive indeed.
Do you have news you'd like to share with the DSA community? Did you land a new client or work on a particularly fun or satisfying project? Did you take a class or learn about an up-and-coming designer? If so, we'd love to hear about it. Email us at support@dsasociety.org and we'll share your story with the DSA community.
Natasha Lima Younts DSA
Loyalty Ambassador
Designer Society of America
California Girl: Kelly Wearstler Is The Queen of Cool
Let's get straight to the point, shall we?
Kelly Wearstler is a rock star.
By Davina van Buren
Not only is she one of the highest-paid creatives in the world, the woman has done it all: teenage vintage clothing collector, design student, production assistant, clothing designer, Top Design judge, InStyle editor, interior designer, furniture, lighting,décor, fabric, rug and wallpaper designer, a global lifestyle brand, real estate investor...she's even partnered with a chocolate company!
Along the way, she's been named to several notable lists including Architectural Digest's Top 100 Architecture & Interior Design, Vogue's Top Ten Best Dressed, and TIME's Style & Design 100 list of international creative professionals, and Elle Decor's A-List Designers. That's just to name a few of her accomplishments.
Wearstler grew up in sunny Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where she started thrifting and attending flea markets with her mom (an antique dealer) at a young age. She inherited her mother's sense of style and design and to this day, incorporates a strong sense of history and detail into all her work.
After college at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, where she studied architecture and received a bachelor's in interior and graphic design, she moved to Los Angeles and started her own design firm in West Hollywood in 2005. Since then, she and real estate mogul husband Brad Korzen have built a hotel empire that includes the Avalon in Beverly Hills, several Viceroy properties (Palm Springs, Santa Monica, Miami, and Anguilla), and The Tides Hotel in South Beach, Miami, among many other projects. He develops properties; she makes them into masterpieces.
A reflection of her boundless creativity,
Wearstler's design career crosses several mediums. Her collections include furniture, lighting, wall coverings, art, textiles, china, rugs, and decorative objects. Her designs are bold—even dramatic—with an eye for detail. She's also written five books, all of which are exquisite to page through.
In this Instagram post, she said: “My aesthetic is a juxtaposition of so many different passions and loves, and has always been about mixology… contemporary and vintage…raw and refined.“
The New Yorker called Wearstler "the presiding grande dame of West Coast interior design." In short, she's simply fabulous and a tremendous inspiration to designers and fashionistas everywhere.
Registration Now Open for Spring 2021 High Point Market
HIGH POINT, N.C., — Registration for the Spring 2021 High Point Market is now open for home furnishings buyers, international buyers, exhibitors, trade/industry, press, and students. Scheduled for June 5-9, interested attendees can register online at www.highpointmarket.org/register.
Originally scheduled for April, the new Spring Market dates for June were announced this past December in anticipation of an improving pandemic situation, vaccine availability, and fewer travel restrictions, in addition to an improving supply chain situation, which has greatly impacted the industry for the past several months.
Spring Market also ushers in a return to the typical 5-day schedule, Saturday through Wednesday, for the trade show. The Fall 2020 Market was expanded this past October to 9 days as a safety measure, but that will not be repeated.
With the exception of additional days, the High Point Market Authority anticipates a return of all safety measures that were in place this past fall. The #HPMKTsafe Initiative for spring 2021 includes mandatory face coverings, reduced capacity restrictions, daily health checks, and a number of other precautions. More details can be found at www.highpointmarket.org/hpmktsafe.
“This pandemic has given witness to the resiliency of our industry, and we're thrilled the resources here in High Point have been a vital lifeline in the effort to keep our industry moving forward,” says Tom Conley, president and CEO of the High Point Market Authority. “We look forward to welcoming even more industry members back to Market in 2021.”
Online registration will remain open until June 9, but attendees are encouraged to register by May 21 (May 7 for international attendees) so their pass can be mailed in advance. Questions can be directed to (336) 869-1000 or registration@highpointmarket.org.
About the High Point Market Authority
The High Point Market Authority, www.highpointmarket.org, and www.highpointmarketauthority.org is the official sponsor and organizer of the High Point Market in High Point, N.C. Featuring an extensive selection of exhibitors spanning every category, style, and price point, and attracting tens of thousands of visitors from more than 100 countries twice each year, High Point Market is the driving force of the home furnishings industry. Find the High Point Market anywhere online, and follow on social media using the hashtag #hpmkt.
