Three Style Spotters to Watch

As some of you may already know, I was selected to be a Style Spotter at High Point Market this fall. I am extremely excited to be involved with such a fantastic and talented group of people. Plus, I just love the energy and enthusiasm (+ the AWESOME parties) that surrounds this cutting edge home furnishings market.

I had an idea…and I decided to reach out to some of the other trend setters and to ask them a few questions to get them know them a bit better. That being said, this post is dedicated to highlighting three of the special creative minds that are “Style Spotters” alongside moi. I hope you all enjoy meeting them as much as I did! Don’t forget to stop on by my Pinterest board during the High Point Market-October 13-18 to see what I’ve discovered as the hottest happenings of the design year! P.S. I absolutely ADORE Currey & Co and Bethanne as well 🙂

Meet Style Spotter, Jason Oliver Nixon:

Jason, partner of Madcap Cottage, creates designs that reflect a respect for tradition- but with a punch of color and playful patterns. Scrolling through his work and you can see just that! And his personality is to match. After all, he states that he’s all about the ‘F’ words, “frisky, fabulous, and fun to be around.” I am honored to introduce you all to Jason Oliver Nixon and I am very excited to be included with him as a Style Spotter at this year’s High Point Market on October 13-18! I have already shared a few giggles with him as  we connected at a KBIS event at Hearst Tower this summer.

1. How would you define your style?
Madcap and marvelous. I loathe beige. So damn boring. Give me color and whimsy, panache and aplomb. Let’s mix patterns and live life like we are in a Busby Berkeley Technicolor musical with Fred and Ginger sashaying by. Is that Carmen Miranda rumba-ing across my living room with a backup band dressed like  a bunch of bananas? Why, yes, it is. Pass the martinis, and crank up the Lily Allen. And ring up India, darling, and see what the weather’s like in Mumbai.

2. What or who is your design inspiration?
John Loecke and I turn to Auntie Mame, Eloise, Mom, and travel when it comes to our eureka! moments. We also recently did up a living room in a color palette that we lifted from a bucket of fried chicken from Popeye’s, so you never know when the muse will visit. And let’s just say that Terpsichore and Melpomene can eat more coleslaw than anyone I know. We spend a lot of time in India, so that always influences us, but then we love Milwaukee and Tampa, Florida, too. And we are totally revved-up by music, everything from The Go-Gos and Bryan Ferry to Foster the People and Bananarama.

3. What do you look forward to the most when it comes to your role as Style Spotter at High Point this year?
I am crazy about High Point and have been coming down for the past ten years. It’s like old friend’s week, and there’s gobs of wine in most of the showrooms. John and I drive down and eat far too much BBQ. We bring our dogs, too, and they like to sniff out the latest trends. I can’t wait to scope out something totally crazy and daring that will make me shriek like I was a lasso-ed pig at some messed-up rodeo. Give me a hall tree done up with pineapples, or maybe Cecil over at Currey & Company has come up with a furnishing that is so just-plucked-from-the-moors, n’est-ce pas? “Hello, Heathcliff, it’s Catherine. Come sit upon my Victorian confidante!” Speaking of Currey, if you need a good spot of hooch, pay a visit to the divine Bethanne Matari. She’s always game for a spot o’ the brown liquor any time of the day or night. Bottoms up, darlings!

See what did I say?! I’m definitely looking forward to High Point this year. Follow Mr. Nixon on Twitter for his updates and check out his website to check out more of his work!

Meet Style Spotter, Lori Dennis:

Lori Dennis is an internationally known Interior Designer, speaker, best- selling author, co-founder of Design Camp and star of HGTV’s new show “The Real Designing Women”. Be sure to check out Lori’s website to scroll through some of her latest projects- she does gorgeous work!

1. How would you define your style?  
Architecturally appropriate, clean, warm and classic… with a twist.

2. What or who is your design inspiration?
Being a Southern California girl and avid beach goer,  the ocean side influences much of my life and work.  Two of my favorite interior designers are Karin Blake and Victoria Hagan.  Karin is a master of West Coast Beach style and Victoria reigns the East Coast shores.  I’ve looked to their pared down, but warm interior styles for inspiration throughout my entire career.

3. What do you look forward to the most when it comes to your role as Style Spotter at High Point this year?  
Being able to take a few days off from work, family and life and immerse myself in world class design is pure bliss for me. And I can’t lie, I love the who’s who parties!

Check out more of Lori’s work here and be sure to follow her on Twitter to seek out her latest design updates!

Meet Style Spotter, Janel Laban:

Janel Laban is the Executive Editor of Apartment Therapy, the popular design and lifestyle blog all about life at home. If you haven’t checked out her blog, put that at the top of your to-do list because it is just crammed full of creative and fun posts! Again, I had the pleasure of talking to Janel via the internet and got to know her a little better. She’s another Style Spotter that I’m so excited to meet at High Point!

1. How would you define your style?
I  love classic shapes and patterns in unexpected combinations, colors or finishes and rooms that pull together pieces from a mix of eras. My home is a mashup of Chinoiserie accents, clean lined 20th century classics, a big, old well-loved Persian rug, lots of books, records and lamps, fresh flowers and plenty of pink and red, my favorite color combination. My favorite homes are always apartments in the city that look a little lived in and I think the best rooms have personal “displays” in them – I’m a fan of vignettes of gathered, interesting little bits of art, tchotchkes, antiques, photos and personal memorabilia.

2. What or who is your design inspiration?
I have so many design inspirations and happily, I discover more everyday, thanks to my job. Here’s a quick, off the top of my mind list of people, places and things that inspire me, design-wise: Terence Conran (especially the original House Book, although I love lots of things about his work), traditional Chinese interiors (one of the reasons I love kung fu movies), Patricia Urquiola,  foreign product packaging design, both old and new (I always go into supermarkets and drug stores when traveling), white floors, Tom Dixon, Paris, Scandinavian fabrics, Muji, the dark brown glossy walls (well, actually, the whole apartment) from the movie “All that Jazz”, Claeeson Kovisto Rune, Tokyo, Thomas O’Brien’s book “American Modern”, NYC and fashion photography.
3. What do you look forward to the most when it comes to your role as Style Spotter at High Point this year?  
It’s my first trip to High Point so I’m really just looking forward to the overall experience – it’s a design editor rite of passage! The Style Spotter program is the cherry on top.

Don’t forget to connect with these fabulous Style Spotters, and be on the lookout for more information about my role in High Point! What are you looking forward to the most at High Point this year? Please comment and share!