SOFA hosts the Canadian launch of Houzz.com

It has been a busy week for those in the design world...

I am a little late in posting this but it really has been a bit nutty with all the happenings. I must stay put and do some work but it has been a fun time getting out and about at events and seeing many new products.  One product which I already use is Houzz.   On November 29th,  SoFA , www.visitsofa.com hosted the Canadian Launch of Houzz, www.houzz.com which is the leading online platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device.

Houzz connects homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world.  Houzz is an easy way for people to find design and decor inspiration and advice.  Houzz starts the creative juices flowing but you then really need to find a designer or decorator to help you carry out your findings and bring about a great space. Houzz is a tool which assists us all and is less cumbersome than carrying around magazines with your picks.  You can create your wish list in an easy to use place and have it available whenever you require it.

Somewhere between 500 and 700 people in the design industry attended this fabulous event.  Thanks to SoFA's Director of Marketing, Linda Kafka, this was definitely a successful event. There were great hors d'oeuvres, great wine and the fun of connecting with others in this great industry.  I met some new people and caught up with some I already knew.  Lots of fun.  All of the showrooms were open and there were additional kiosks set up around the building to visit.  Lots of draws which is always fun.   Cheryl Tiegs was among those in attendance and she spoke and then met attendees in the AGA/Marvel Showroom after the presentation.  Liza Hausman, VP for Houzz presented the results from a new Houzz study on building, remodeling and decorating from the Canadian homeowners perspective . www.houzz.com

CDECA GTA West Display Window at SoFA....

Every 2 - 3 months a group of CDECA decorators get together and create a 'themed' window display at SoFA, www.visitsofa.com.  So far we have done many great 'displays' primarily using the products available at the showrooms located at SoFA along with a few purchased items.  One might think how can several creative people agree on a theme and way to display it, but it works and we have a great deal of fun.  It is a bit of work collecting and then placing the different items, but it is also like playing so to speak.  We receive a great deal of positive feedback from people who work at SoFA and those who come there to do business.  Our most recent display was completed last week and it is...

Setting your table for the Holiday Party Season: 3 different looks- Modern Glitz, Traditional Favourites, and Rustic Charm

Modern Glitz

Traditional Elegance

Refiined Rustic

All about Kitchens with Margaret Macdonald

Another great event at SOFA....

Last week I, along with many others in the design & decorating business attended a seminar by Margaret MacDonald all about  "What makes a Great Kitchen" from a  functional design perspective.  Margaret is a name known as a Kitchen Designer for the past 18 years and has worked with some of the top kitchen & bath manufacturers.

I have written about the types of kitchens we want, however this seminar went deeper into the framework of designing a great kitchen.  So many tips on the key elements of great design were shared, but keeping function and safety in the forefront were extremely important.  One can have a 'pretty or beautiful' kitchen, but if it doesn't function properly or there are safety hazards then it is not a great kitchen.  You must adhere to building code at all times.  This is something designers and decorators who are experienced in kitchen design will know and this is why it is important to work with one.  Margaret gave us a refresher on this by showing photos of the 'blunders' that can occur. We also took a step down memory lane to kitchens of the past and saw how far we have come to today's fabulous kitchens. What a great way to either learn or be reminded of the importance of the design process.

Thanks to SOFA, www.visitsofa.com and AGA/Marvel, www.agamarvel.com who co-sponsored the event.

Below are a few examples of well designed kitchens and not so well designed.  It is not always possible to have the 'perfect' kitchen layout depending on your space restrictions, however keeping a few safety and functional tips in mind will help with the overall success of a kitchen design.

The kitchen below is very nice, however the wooden

columns sitting directly on the counter and beside the

cook top are not to code and could be a safety hazard 

as well as they cut off easy access to the counter beside

This kitchen has the required space beside the

cook top.  The dishwasher are located across

from each other however it appears there is

enough room to open both within the space,            

especially with the over being higher off the

ground but it could be a little problematic if both

were being opened at the same time.

This kitchen has ample counter space on each

side of the range and the cabinetry does not 

go down to the counter, thus meeting code and

still looking beautiful

Getting Ready for Winter & the Holiday Season with Sheridan Nurseries

There was a large crowd of designers, decorators and other professionals at SoFA, www.visitsofa.com today for the Sheridan Nurseries, www.sheridannurseries.com Presentation of Winter & Holiday Planters.  WOW!!  How inspiring.  We all wanted to rush over to Sheridan and pick up our supplies and then home to make our own creations.

One of the recent new companies to join The Marketplace at SoFA is Gardenflame,  www.mygardenflame.com,  who offer concrete fire pits and other decor items, made with a special concrete, thus making them much less heavy than regular concrete.  They use gas or propane and come in many different styles. They have a showroom in Burlington, ON as well.   Thank you to Gardenflame who sponsored our lunch and the speakers at our event.

Introducing the floral designers from Sheridan Nurseries, is Linda Kafka, Director of Marketing for SoFA.

There were several styles created and displayed.  For more great arrangements and holiday decorations, visit a Sheridan Nursery near you.

Just a few of the many styles available

Most decorators and designers who live and work in the GTA and surrounding area are well aware of SOFA, located at the International Centre in Mississauga, www.visitsofa.com and what a treasure trove it is,  carrying everything you require to create beautiful interiors under one roof.

This one stop Design Resource Centre for designers & decorators offers the highest quality and variety of products with so many options you feel like a kid in a candy store. There are over 30 showrooms offering everything;  including rugs, lighting, mirrors, accessories, art, furniture, kitchen appliances like you have never seen, luxury linen, tableware and much more.  This Resource Centre has grown in leaps and bounds from its early beginnings, especially under the direction of the current Director of Marketing, Linda Kafka. This can be credited to the fact that she is always obtaining input from the very people who will be utilizing their services - the designers & decorators and trying to make our jobs easier.  This makes for very efficient sourcing!!

SOFA offers many different events with prominent speakers and educational seminars throughout the year so that the designers and decorators are always up on the latest offerings they can pass along to their clients.

This is a trade only business but clients are always welcomed when accompanied with their designer/decorator. The extremely professional staff in all of the various showrooms are very efficient & knowledgeable about everything in their showroom and will bend over backwards to obtain any information required. That being said, SOFA still maintains a casual and welcoming nature that makes everyone who enters feel comfortable and glad they stopped in.

Check out a recent video made to highlight the greatness of SOFA with prominent designers and,  yours truly got to be an 'extra'.  Lots of fun.

SOFA Video.....

I was asked to be an "extra" in another video recently and had some fun and met some great people.  This is a video about SOFA - Source of Furniture and Accessories, www.visitsofa.com  who deal with design professionals.  It is an amazing place and I am up there fairly regularly for seminars, trade events, sourcing for clients or working on the CDECA Window.  Great people to deal with. 

Check out the video and think of SOFA the next time  you want something fantastic.  It is open to trade only, HOWEVER, if you are working with a decorator or designer you are most welcome.  Just drop by and view the amazing showrooms but remember to bring  your designer or decorator when you want to make your purchases.

Check out the video.  I am in it about 3 times.  Here is the link.  Hope I did this right!

 

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzPZr5nsGto&feature=colike

Top Trends from Highpoint Market.......

High Point Market is the largest home furnishings industry trade show in the world, bringing more than 85,000 people to High Point every six months. Serious retail home furnishings buyers can be found in High Point twice a year because if you can't find it in High Point, it probably doesn't exist.  I wasn't able to attend the recent show, however was lucky enough to attend a local seminar at SOFA, www.visitsofa.com presented by well known Interior Designer, Furniture Designer & Retailer, Educator and Presenter, Jamie Alexander, www.jamiealexander.com

Jamie's topic was quite multi faceted touching on how we, as decorators and designers can improve our connections with U.S. furniture makers and getting the products to Canada with some great tips on working with the sales reps; ways to save on shipping; how many custom items are now being stocked and available immediately with shorter lead times and so much more great information.  He also shared that many manufacturers are now listening to what Designers & Decorators ask for and we have become a driving force, inspiring furniture makers.

Jamie spoke about the connection between fashion and furniture and which came first.  It's still up for debate but what isn't is the great information he shared with us on the latest trends coming out of the Highpoint Market, www.highpointmarket.org .  To enhance his talk were the great photos and his wonderful sense of humour.   He is a really fun guy!!

I will share some of the 'trends' -

• Mixing finishes - metals the golds and silvers. 
• Duller finishes - brushed
• Crinkled finishes
• Rounder lines
• Layering
• Accessorizing Walls with items other than Art
• Clocks - big both on walls and tabletop.  A wall of many clocks is a current trend
• Vintage - reclaimed but not necessarily greyed - they are doing a reclaimed look
• Retro, metal
• 'Fashionista' style with curved legs, seats and 'details'
• Lots of patterns and colour
• Wings on upholstered Headboards
• Lots of tufting on upholstered pieces and in places like the sides of the arms, not just the backs
• Rolled arms are much smaller
• Mixing different styled dining chairs but keeping the same finish and fabric for interest
• COLOUR  - very big   Blue, Orange, Purple, Neutral and so on.......

Here is a photo of one of the winners of the showroom design competition - Berhnhardt

More of what was shown at Highpoint



 

Did I Mention Colour.....

 

Yours truly and Jamie posing in the Van Gough Showroom, www.vangoughdesigns.com  who were the sponsors of this event along with offering us a lovely lunch.

 

Many thanks to Linda, Klara, Bernadette, Jamie and everyone else for this great event.

SOFA... Seminar by David Behr

Many people in the Design business spent the morning up at SOFA www.visitsofa.com, attending a seminar by David Behr on the "Characteristics of Top Producers in Any Market - "The YES Attitude".  I was inspired.  What an interesting speaker and a lot of great ideas and many different ways of doing business.  He offered many ways to say what we normally say, but with a different slant, much more positive.  It really was a worthwhile event.  We all want to improve our business and be more motivated.  What David did was give us some tools on how to make some changes that would be pertinent to our individual selves and businesses.  I came away thinking I would really start to put into practice what he spoke of.  Once again, many thanks to the staff at SOFA for another great seminar.

Great Day at SOFA...

Today, I was up at SOFA www.visitsofa.com with at least 50 other designers & decorators to view the recently opened New Showrooms and they are amazing.  We had lovely refreshments (always a great idea for us) and then had tours.  They are really putting it out there for designers and decorators and they recognize the importance of dealing with 'trades' only and not selling to the public. They really support us in our businesses.   Great place to deal with and all due to the Marketing Director, Linda Kafka who has changed the face of SOFA since she arrived.  We had a meeting outlining all the fabulous changes and events coming before we visited the wonderful showrooms.  Some are new and some have been there a while.

 

 Now on to the fabulous tour.....

 

Thought I would start with Distinctive Appliances www.distinctive-online.com who have opened a huge showroom featuring 13 high end brands from Europe including condo size appliances.  They will be hosting cooking demos and lessons as well as private client appreciation dinners in future.

 

 So many fan hoods...

 And how about this outdoor cooking centre...

 Out next stop was the marketplace where there will be several companies displaying their products

 One I love is the  French Market Collection of  Furniture, located within the Marketplace, http://www.frenchmarketcollection.com display....

 A new showroom will be Ultra Luxe Linens  www.ultraluxelinens.com who by the way are President Obama's preferred supplier!  They  had some sample books, however product lines will arrive very soon.  The offered these delicious cupcakes to tide us over!

 Another new showroom is Dudson Group http://www.dudson.com which features high end tableware from England including a "green product' which has been fired only once, to cut down on the carbon footprint.  Good for them!!

 Some of their 'buffet' type serving pieces

 Love this "appetizer" tree where you attach individual appetizers for everyone to select from.

 How fun!!

 Beautiful China

Durham Furniture http://www.durhamfurniture.com  - great Canadian Made pieces with so many options. 

Minster Interiors http://www.minsterinteriors.com offers the most gorgeous area rugs available from all over the world.  They offer every price point from machine knotted to hand knotted, silk, wool, etc.  They have a wonderful designer/decorator program

 

 As well as area rugs they now offer gorgeous chandeliers of Swarovski Crystals

 And very unique Metal Art....

 Another new addition to SOFA is Surya Rugs http://www.surya.com/  who also have gorgeous offerings and a wonderful Designer/Decorator program.  they also have original art, pillows that are 'color matched' to the rugs and throws & 'pouffs'.  A beautiful showroom

 This interesting rug looks like rocks

 Some of their pillows...

We finished off with Canadel,  http://www.canadel.ca a furniture maker who not only creates beautiful pieces, but they have their own forest where they grow the trees, harvest the wood and dry it so that it stands up to Canadian temperature changes.  How unique!! 

Jane Lockhart just re-designed their showroom and it is lovely

Some of the different wood finishes available.

 

 

So if you are reading this blog and are either a designer, decorator or someone who wants to make some changes in their home, get  yourself a designer/decorator and head on up to SOFA, located in the International Centre. You will be glad you did!!

 

Thanks to everyone who welcomed us today.  It was fabulous!!