Talking Trends with Stephen Drucker, Celerie Kemble, and Jamie Drake

I have never seen the hall so crowded in the basement of the Washington Design Center as it was yesterday when House Beautiful Editor in Chief Stephen Drucker came to speak with New York designers Celerie Kemble and Jamie Drake.  Meet our panel:

Stephen Drucker, the moderator

Celerie Kemble, the glamorous young designer with Palm Beach roots

The three spent more than an hour dishing over design trends, which I’m happy to pass along right here.

Changes in the Design Industry:

Drucker:

1. Blogs are much more influential. They’ve coined a new design insult: “It’s so granny.”

2. A product’s half-life is much shorter. “Things go from being exciting to a cliche really quickly.”

3. It’s hard to determine the value of things. Someone will gladly pay $600 for a throw pillow, and then buy a dining table from a thrift store and lacquer it. Or they’ll put Frette sheets on a CB2 bed.

4. Blogs everywhere talk about arranging accessories, but where is the tutorial on arranging furniture, which is much more important to a room’s design?

5. Quirky antique stores are disappearing, done in by real estate values. Ad people don’t collect as much anymore, anyway. “People tend to have less stuff, and more considered stuff.”

6. “Perfection is anathema. People hate perfection.”

Kemble:

1. More than half of her clients have never worked with a designer before, “which is excruciating … Educated and engaged clients are much easier.”

2. Younger clients, who are used to having more and more access to designer goods at the retail level, are suspicious of to-the-trade outfits. “They think it’s this dodgy cartel, like they’re hiding behind an idiot’s curtain all the time, but that’s where I find variety and quality and reliability.” Adds Drake: “[Clients] are coming to us for something that’s much more detailed, couture, unique” than the retail brands.

What do Clients Splurge On?

Drake: “Anything where they can see the value — custom rugs, antiques such as mid-century-modern, Deco, or ’60s.” Not so much anything 18th or 19th century.

Kemble: Lighting — vintage and antique. Where putting together a room is like trying on jeans — it’s hard to find exactly the right fit — chandeliers and lighting are like shoes and handbags — “you don’t feel bad about yourself. It’s all a game.” Adds Drucker: “Fashion as a language is really new to decorating … It’s this new idea of decorating as styling.”

In or Out?

Florals: CK and JD: In!

Stripes: CK and JD: In!

Geometrics: CK and JD: Out!

Velvet: CK and JD: In!

Chenille: CK and JD: Out!

Linen: JD: In! CK: Way In!

Kitchens — Traditional or Contemporary?

CK: Traditional. People have nostalgia. They’re afraid of the plasticity of modern.

JD: As a judge for the 14th year in the Sub-Zero/Wolf kitchen design competition, contemporary is always fresh.

Stainless-Steel Fatigue? CK: Yes. JD: No.

Formal Dining Room? CK: Yes. JD: It depends.

Where do People Really Eat Dinner? JD: Standing up. CK: At an Indian Restaurant.

Kitchen Splurge: JD: appliances and backsplashes. CK: Yeah, backsplashes!

Table Settings: Sterling, Silver-plate, or Stainless? CK: A variety. JD: Stainless

Crystal and China? JD: Doesn’t matter, as long as it looks coordinated and looks good.

Bath Splurge: CK and JD: Taps. JD: “That’s the thing that you touch every day — get the best quality.”

Trends in Hardware Finishes:

JD: Warm finishes — satin brass, brushed nickel — nothing shiny.

CK: “Anything unlacquered. It had to age; It’s got to get grungy.”

Headboards: CK and JD: Upholstered.  CK: The headboard should be tall and curvaceous, with nailhead or piping detail to call out the form.

Bedstands — Matched or Unmatched? CK: Related, but mixed. JD: I like “matchy matchy” still, so that’s what my clients like, too.”

Sheets: CK and JD: custom or high-end. JD: “The only thing we don’t do is go to a department store.”

Monograms? CK: They’re in for my clients, but I’m a little over it. JD: No monograms — you know who you are!

Predictions:

Kemble: “I think people have been so aware that they can get style at any price point, that they want to feel the artisan and the craftsmanship. It kills them to wait for it, but they want something that was birthed in a creative process just for them … People are getting excited about locally made things — it’s the sense of honesty.”

Drake: [Agreeing with Kemble] “Unique, custom, one-of-a-kind — whether it’s wallpaper or hand-made shade ,or a giant  limited-edition piece of furniture.”

Are Houses Getting Smaller?

Drucker: “I see the trend of people talking about it.” But the actions aren’t following. It’s like a McDonald’s executive once said — “People talk thin, but eat fat. I think it’s the same with houses — it’s very American [to have big houses], it’s just in our DNA.”

Kemble and Drake: Big houses don’t have to be McMansions, as long as the scale of rooms change and the experience is different in each one.

Stay tuned tomorrow for another recap from the Design Center’s Capital Design Days, in which furniture maker David Iatesta speaks about his craft.