I was honored to be on a panel today at the D&D Building hosted by Luxe magazine. Left to right: me, Shane Reilly, Decorati Founder, Steve Noble, Luxury Home Alliance, Amy Lau, designer, Michael Wollaeger, Luxe Editor at Large, Pamela Jaccarino, Luxe Editor in Chief, and Barclay Butera, designer.  After an opening from Pamela, which also addressed the merging of Luxe and Western Interiors and Design magazines, Michael moderated the discussion. We covered a lot of ground from products to theories about the trend.  Here are some highlights:

1.    Outdoor is absolutely a booming trend.  Some reasons for this are technologic advancements and the growth of green.  Not all designers are knowledgeable about the vast amounts of products available.  We discussed everything from canopies to fire pits to hammocks.

2.    In a down economy, outdoor products can be a good solution for interior design as well since their durability allows you to take shortcuts (such as skipping the liner on drapery when the fabric is sun resistant).

3.    Being knowledgeable about outdoor can be a unique marketing tool for designers.  The outdoor space can be a place to push design ideas and to demonstrate expertise.

SEARCH OUTDOOR PRODUCTS ON DECORATI

Thanks to the Luxe team and the D&D Building for a great event!