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Ideas a-Plenty

Cindy Allen -- Interior Design, 7/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

I must admit it was with more than a bit of trepidation that I scheduled my 2009 appointment with our industry's annual Big Do in Chicago. Now back from NeoCon, breathing a big sigh of relief, I need to jot down a few words of appreciation for our professional allies, the manufacturers. Clearly, designers and architects could not possibly hope for a better team of partners. Yes, there were lots of serious faces at the Mart, the comparing of notes in the corridors, animated debate. And I have never, personally, been subjected to such intense questioning about the well-being of our industry—or not. At the same time, I found new collections on display in every showroom, spirited presentations with more than the usual helping of pride in the products showcased, heartwarmingly homespun hawking doled out in heaps. And the oh-so-familiar game of Nab the Editor was played as zestfully as ever. It was (almost) business as usual. Cheers to that.

Let's also give an enthusiastic cheer for the protagonists in our July issue, who have turned our pages into an uninterrupted idea lab. Two French firms consider how much "house" you actually need in a house. In L.A., Stephen Kanner dares to do the unthinkable: reinvent the car culture via an innovative gas station. And the husband-wife firm of Selgascano up and move their Madrid studio into an eco-friendly hole in the ground. That should be more than enough to brighten your outlook on a rainy summer afternoon.

With greetings from monsoon season back in NYC, Cindy

PS: Catch the mood, faces, and products of NeoCon by clicking on idtv@neocon at interiordesign.net.