Can We Talk?

A very aeronautical Ron Arad, chatting in this issue's "Crosslines" Q&A about how his creative trajectory has been diametrically opposed to current trends, could afford me sundry lofty subjects for this intro note. Or a flip through our hospitality portfolio's excursion to Istanbul could prompt a number of reflections on global design vernaculars, with a juicy travel bonus thrown in. How many miles have you clocked recently, pounding the pavement for international clients? That's a healthy aerobic exercise these days.

Assessing the state of the market, mere mundane housekeeping, seems the appropriate talking point for the start of '09, and for that we have Judith Davidson's acute reporting on the top 100 Interior Design Giants survey readied for your perusal. Even adding the grain (or two) of salt that lagging indicators require, the picture drawn of the Big Boys portrays an industry unquestionably overachieving. In light of the fact that the great financial "trouble" is actually over a year old already, our performance was extraordinary. Earnings growth was 13 percent, and a 19 percent increase in square footage added up to a whopping 750 million! Even if the reeling market gobbles up its portion of the pie, the leftovers make for quite a feast—and an awful lot of calories to work off. Luckily for me, I'm flying down to Atlanta next week on magazine business. . .pavement-pounding.