With more than 130 showrooms, the DDB is home to interior design brands and manufacturers that represent countless countries and cultures. Last week, nine companies within the design center teamed up with NYC&G, the U.K. Department for International Trade and RIBA-USA to present “Discover Great British Design on 59th.” This first-ever, multi-showroom event set out to commemorate the creativity, craftsmanship and heritage of the British region. The event included the works—product showcases, afternoon teas, chocolate tastings, beauty and home fragrance experiences, photography exhibits, cocktail receptions and even a social media competition. We caught up with many of the participating showrooms to hear about their favorite moments and takeaways…
“It was an opportunity to introduce our furniture, as well as our lighting and fabric lines that we represent, to a new audience, and to highlight some new offerings to our existing clients. Also, it was a pleasure to have the British home furnishings company Tom Dixon partnering with us and displaying part of their 2017 accessories collection.” —Elliott Johnson, George Smith showroom manager
“With over 100 attendees, it was the perfect way to showcase the newest collections from the Zoffany, Sanderson and William Morris brands. Good energy and enthusiasm all around.” —Tom Marshall, Style Library NYC showroom manager.
“It was such a pleasure to welcome all the attendees into our ‘English Gentleman’s Club,’ which we created with the help of Jonathan Burden Antiques and British photographer Dudley Reed. Collaborating with the showrooms in our building and neighborhood was incredibly fun and proved to be a formula for success. To top it off, the renowned British designer Tim Gosling—who has collections with both Chesney’s and The Rug Company—made an appearance to help us celebrate!” —Alistair McCowan, Chesney’s U.S. managing director.
“Partnering with Zone Creations—a British custom fabricator who hold a Royal Warrant as Manufacturer of Bespoke Acrylic Furniture by Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen—was very exciting for us. Their furniture display in our showroom garnered a lot of interest. As did their Buckingham Palace Table Measure, a tool used by Buckingham Palace to measure exact symmetry in table settings, which was given away as a prize in the raffle. The prize was won by designer David Michael Wood, who is a regular face in the DDB and happens to be vice president of The American Friends of the Georgian Group, the U.S. arm of a British charity set up to help save important historic buildings. David has decided to donate the Table Measure to his organization so it will become a prize at their yearly Garden Party event this June.” —David Hopwood, Forbes & Lomax director
(Psst… If you did not get chance to see Zone Creations furniture at the event, it will be available to view in the Forbes & Lomax showroom, Suite 1502, between March 20 and April 7.)
Ronald Bricke was the winner of our new Cheriton uplighter in the raffle. We encouraged our visitors to taste British children’s favorites: Ribena cordial and chocolate Penguin biscuits—a fond memory for many!” —Victoria de Lotbiniere, Vaughan executive vice president.
“The event was coordinated beautifully by the British Consulate staff—the energy and attention to detail by all involved was very impressive. De Le Cuona had a fantastic partner in Molton Brown. Our brands blend seamlessly together and both of us brought new clients to each other’s attention. We had over 100 people pass through our showroom, where they all were introduced to the spring collections of both de Le Cuona and Molton Brown. It was wonderful exposure for both brands and we look forward to participating next year!” —Susie Paplow, de Le Cuona U.S. operations manager.