HD Talks Blog

Best of the Betsy

I love hotels. I love visiting them and staying in them. Especially ones with great bathrooms. Possibly because for years I lived in New York City where a tiny room stuffed with a sink, toilet, and shower was considered a bathroom. So it always excites me when I am lucky enough to stay in a hotel with a large, glassed-in tiled rainfall shower, or one with multiple jets. That excitement, however, is usually short lived when I turn on the shower and get partly soaked; somehow I want my crappy shower back where turning it on is not an acrobatic feat to not get wet. Which is why I couldn't have been happier staying at the Betsy hotel last week for HD Boutique. Not only is the bathroom beautiful, but the lever to turn on the rainfall shower is on the opposite wall of the showerhead. Simple, yes, but this attention to detail, especially in Miami, made me feel right at home (a luxurious one at that). Another bonus? Electric Mirror's Mirror TV. Yes, I am a TV junkie so the fact that I could continue to watch what was on in the bedroom made me one happy gal. Yes, it is the simple things in life that make me happy. 

Flavor Flay!

I'm a Bobby Flay fan. I watch his shows on the Food Network and I always think that my cooking is worth a throwdown (for his show Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, the chef challenges masters who have different cooking styles from pizza-makers to pastry extraordinaires in a cook-off to see who makes the best dish). But today, it was about the chef's food and his New England outpost of Bar Americain set to open in November at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. 

The food was great as was the presentation. He gave us a taste of pretty much everything on the menu from his popular hot potato chips with blue cheese sauce to spicy tuna tartar with garnish to a variety of shellfish cocktails. And when I thought I was going to be full for days, dessert came out. Sweet potato pie, which was my favorite, blueberry lemon crepes, and blackberry souffle plus a few others were ours to share. Amazing. Now back to the new Bar Americain. This 300-seat restaurant will be Mohegan Sun's largest explained Bruce Bozsum, chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council. Designed by Rockwell Group, the restaurant will have the looks of its New York City counterpart with similar items offered on the menu with some Native American-inspired dishes. "It will have it's own Connecticut flavor," says Flay. The second Bar Americain was born out of Flay's travels around the United States (this was also documented on Flay's show FoodNation). Flay has had great success so far with the summer opening of Bobby's Burger Palace (from what I understand, the line is always long) at Mohegan Sun. Hopefully, Bar Americain will be as popular and as successful as his other eateries. And if you want to learn how to make some of Flay's tasty Bar Americain dishes, check out his 10th cookbook coming out in 2010. 

Mac it to Me

Yesterday I got the chance to meet Mark Thomas Amadei, co-owner of SoHo hotspot Delicatessen He is such a cool guy with a great personality and it was great hearing how enthusiastic he is about his newest endeavour, Macbar, which is set to open later this week. I first met him at Delicatessen. The place was packed with lunch-goers. Ralph Lauren model Tyson Beckford was enjoying lunch with a gal and celebrity chef and restaurateur Todd English stood near the bar chatting. I did want to say hi to Tyson, but what was I going to say besides that I think he's gorgeous? 

Before seeing the new mac-n-cheese spot (it's right around the corner from Delicatessen and the two spots will share a kitchen) I went to see Delicatessen's new Model Lounge in the courtyard downstairs from the restaurant. Shown below, the space has very cool artwork from Juan Jose Heredia, a NYC artist and Bruce Weber model. The colors are bold and he even used a real belt in the mural giving it dimension. The lounge is hosted by Vans, a sneaker brand from the VF Corporation, and is a place for models to hang between castings. The models get all of this cool stuff including Vans bags, sneakers, Popchips, a discount on Delicatessen food, and access to private events. Where's my pass? 

I then got to see the newest addition to SoHo, Macbar. I'm not going to give away a lot of information since you'll be able to read my full feature on www.hdmag.com later this month, but this place is perfect for those who are true mac-n-cheese lovers and I'm not talking about the boxed kind. The branding of Macbar, done by Marque Creative, is fun and bold. Ran Lerner did the package design, which I immediately fell in love with. When you order one of the mac-n-cheese varieties, you are given the food in a recycled plastic noodle. And if you come back with it when you place another order, you get 10% off. The menu includes 12 flavors, all of which have its own icon. The comfort food flavors include Mayan Chipotle, Mac Lobsta', and Mac Quack. The eatery will also offer its own specialty energy drink and water. The interiors were done by NEMAWORKSHOP, a NYC firm who also worked on Delicatessen. Gourmet flair, great design and branding, and mac-n-cheese--count me in!

Live from the HD Boutique show floor...posted by Pam Parsons and Karin Harrington

 Live from the HD Boutique show floor...posted by Pam Parsons and Karin Harrington of Studio Elements.  Pam and Karin are qualified you ask????  Pam has a lifetime of hospitality experience so many years that she will not disclose the exact number.  Karin too has a good number of years of hospitality experience but is totally willing to expose her age.... 38!!!!!  so there.  Pam and Karin have hit the ground running with Studio Elements, a product design co-op.  As style makers and shakers, we figured some market research was in order.  And why not share with all of our industry friends and colleagues some of our faves.

Day 1 

"Wow" Milliken (Booth 1701) has put a new face on their existing company.  How you ask????  Milliken has always been a consistant printed carpet mfg with stand up quality  BUT NOW  they have boat loads of style and sophistication.  Talk about one stop shop for your carpet needs....  Who Knew they make it all now, CYP, MLCL, Print, Tile and broadloom. Talking about "show stopper" Milliken just won the coveted "Best of Show" booth design award.

Step it up with Europa Stairways (Booth 521) ....  15 layers of delicious walnut on each tread.  Look at this photo.... it just speaks for itself!

Even the morning after your best night in Southbeach, you will be happy to look in these mirrors made by Made Goods (Booth 511) .  They can't make you look good but they are beautiful to look at.... 

Need to accessorize???  Phillips Collection (Booth 607) .... Global Views (Booth 1010/1011) .....  Sashi (Booth 1052) ....  Fabulous.  All totally captivating.

Kimberly Kaye, for iWorks, Hunter Douglas, Lexmark, RCD and Stacey Garcia , designed the Fahrenheit Lounge (Booth 711) .  Well done girl! A new concept in networking with your client during the sh-ow over some margiritas.  Don't have to ask us twice. 

Stacy Garcia is at it again.  Hunter Douglas (Booth 811)  shows some of her newest textile designs... 

 

Stellar lights out of NYC.  Baldinger (Booth 901)  does it so well.

Charter's (Booth 1014) new designer, Brian Carter, is FABU and so are his designs.  Bravo!

Protect Beauty and Repell Ugly with Nanotex (Booth 1141) .  Best slogan....  definatly. Ok the product is pretty cutting edge as well.

Fabricut (Booth 904) has some killer textiles.  See S.Harris's newest.

Talk about high style.  Kettal (Booth 1138)  is by far a STAND OUT! 

TTYL... for those of you who aren't down with the lingo.... talk to ya later.  Stay tuned for next blog.... Off to the Party by the Palms.

Day 2

Our journey continued through the show floor on day 2 a little worn out from all the events the evening before, like the Party by the Palms at the W.

Pavillion and Sunburst caught our eye so we could rest a little in a comfy outdoor lounger.  Cool looking outdoor styling and durable woven fabrics make this furntiure something to check out. www.pavilionfurniture.com    www.sunburstfurniture.com

 

Chapman Lighting as usual has an upscale look for table lamps, sconces and pendants and focused on incorporating LED into its new offerings.  www.chapmanco.com

Astek inc. has some very hip new patterns in wallcoverings using those young designers to make it happen.  www.astekwallcovering.com

ANOTHER nap was in order and we found a comfy pull out sofa at logic with a new system of support, much better than the old "stick you in the ribs" products.  As you can see, it did the trick. www.logicfurniture.com

 

Editions Limited has combined prints on bambo with prints on plexi ...it's hot! www.editionslimited.com

Valley Forge, a lightinging rod for the industry reports that innovation in product has to match innovation in pricing.  Dan Dobin always knows what is going on, so they deliver both!  We like their sparkely pillow and eucalyptus bedding fabrics. www.valleyforge.com

 

How low can you go???  Well, Moen says 1.75 gpm is lowww and it feels good too.  www.moen.com

What to get a bead on the next hot color trends?  See the throws at maxwellrodgers fabrics.  Yummy. www.maxwellrodgers.com

 

Carson's caught our eye and the Judges eyes too; they won recognition for their booth design.  Nice lines and crisp details in their upholstered furniture. www.carsonsofhp.com

Kimball seems to know which way the trends are going as well; we liked their lines and direction.  Go Deaderia, the talent behind the designs. www.kimballhospitality.com

Beaulieu carpets has a few new offerings:  25 new patterns and metallic yarns incorporated into their tufted rooms carpet. www.beaulieucommercial.com

Country Draperies is a great workroom right in Middletown, NY.   They have a solar powered motorized drapery controller that used no wiring; how nice is that! www.drape.com

Okay! so we tried to give you the scoop on some cool, innovative, and all around AWESOME new products we found at the show. There was more than we could cover here but keep checking out the blog folks and we'll see you in Vegas!

Day 2 Last 2 Rows

Must say we are ready for the next networking event BUT we mustered up the energy to complete the remaining 2 rows of the show.  Thank goodness because we would have missed some fabulous product!!!

Leo Vogel and Nicole Fulcher are showcasing some beautiful stylings by Spector.  The sleek lines paired with swanky metallic accents is soooo sophisticated.  Well Done!  www.americanofmartinsville.com

Innovations has done a smashing job with elegant metallics.  How Lovely? www.innovationsusa.com

 

Just in case you need a little therapy after the effects of the networking events.....  Kohler can lend a helping hand with their new Chromatherapy showers.  Who knew that color can heal? There is hope for us designers after all. www.kohler.com

Another job well done by all of our friends at HD!  Thanks to all of the vendors for their commitment to good design and making it so readily available to all of us in the design community!  Another fabulous show.  Blog you in Vegas!  Cheers - Pam and Karin

Wolf Lore

There seemed to be a bit of karma involved in my first meeting with superstar designer Vicente Wolf. It was a few weeks ago that Tishman exec and HD friend Ron Kollar called to tell me that he had just met Wolf and was eager for me to do the same. "He's fascinating," Ron said.  A few days later, our November guest editor Roger Thomas visited our offices to choose the projects for the issue.  One of them was Wolf's new Lorien Hotel and Spa in Alexandria, VA. "He's a very good friend," said Roger. "You'll love him."

Fast forward a week, and there I am in Vicente's west side office, chatting with him about Lorien and fully understanding Ron and Roger's enthusiasm. Having long been a fan of his classy (and classic) designs, I was happy to find him as articulate, warm, unpretentious, and expansive as I had been led to believe. Perhaps his most endearing quality (to me) is his utter disregard for technology. He doesn't use a computer, doesn't do e-mail. And though he has a very active blog that receives dozens of responses and questions daily, he does so by dictating to his faithful (and delightful) director of public relations, Susan Moolman.  He does carry a cell phone, but I'm guessing he uses it only in the case of emergency.  Anyone who can escape the tyranny of today's wired universe has my admiration and awe.

Stay tuned for a look at the Lorien in November. As for Vicente, he's off on his enviable annual walkabout, this time to Timbuktu and other far-flung places.  Until then, check out his blog at www.vicentewolf.com. You'll love it.  (Thanks, Ron and Roger!)

Got game?

Queens, New York. Home of the Mets, the World's Fair, and a ton of traffic on the Long Island Expressway. What else might it be home to soon? A "racino".  That is, if the bidding war for Queens' Aqueduct Racetrack ever ends and New York State Governor David Paterson makes a decision as to who will build the new gaming facility. Casino and hotel tycoon Steve Wynn CEO of Wynn Resorts is in the running as well as MGM Mirage, Penn National Gaming, Hard Rock Entertainment, Larry Woolf's Navegante Group, and Harrah's Entertainment.

The overall project entails a complex full of food and fun. For example, Wynn's proposed idea would have 4,500 video lottery terminals, a stage for performances, dining and retail components, and a 70-to-80-foot façade with a lake and other natural features all to enhance the European design.

From a Queens girl's perspective, this facility does deserve a facelift, but one that fits the area, no massive structures towering over homes, just simplicity with good design. And incase you wanted a little history on the racetrack--it opened in 1894; in 1941 track offices and a clubhouse were built; the track was torn down in 1956; the new "Big A" was reopened in 1959; and in 1975, an inner track was built for winer racing. See the horses lined up below.

Good news is that the project would create many jobs (Wynn Resorts reports upwards of 1,700 operational jobs and 1,000 union construction jobs). Let's see what happens!