yesterday i packed as much gift fair as i could into two short hours. i had meetings and design by the book filming (stay tuned for final episode/party info later!) so i tried to make the most of my morning there. i was sadly only able to get to the accent on design section but i saw some great work and thought i’d take the rest of the week to share it here, in addition to regular content.
accent on design (which the show describes as “cutting-edge, design-led merchandise”) seemed smaller this year, but in a great way. booths seemed uncluttered, spread out and full of fresh products (which isn’t always the case)- and i was thrilled to see some great independent companies focusing on handmade work. overall, my favorite booths focused on happy and colorful products that were designed to cheer people up and take their minds off of the recession. and no one did that quite like jonathan adler.
i got a quick tour from mr. adler and he explained that his motto for this show was to design things that were happy and irresistible- little pieces that were colorful and called out for you. for the most part the price range on products was incredible affordable and went right along with their mission to create products that were easy on the wallet but still beautiful to look at.
there was a gorgeous line of pillows and tableware called ‘acapulco’ that was inspired by traditional mexican patterns (both in bold and more subtle colorways), a beautiful series of salt and pepper shakers that had boxes and packaging that rivaled the cuteness of the shakers themselves (designed in-house), new vases, plates and cups, and a cool new line of rattan furniture with a 70’s feel. overall i enjoyed the booth and was happy to get a big, bold dose of color in a pretty dreary time. click here to check out jonathan’s work online and stay tuned to his site for the newer pieces- they’ll be available in the coming weeks and months.
CLICK HERE to see more photos from jonathan adler’s booth after the jump below…
