FROM THE PRESIDENT....

April is the coolest month -- as T.S. Eliot might have written, had he seen IFDA's agenda for this Spring! It's crammed with cool events...from "Inspired by Design" on April 23, when we visit famed faux artist Jonathan Bressler's loft studio in the Bowery, to May 27 and the third annual Charity, aka "Take a Seat." On this festive night of dazzling transformations, we'll auction seating pieces rescued and re-created by some of New York's top designers with proceeds going to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

In the meantime, on May 5, we'll take a look at "The Future of Home" as it will be transformed by technology and the amazing new materials on display at Material ConneXion. Also looking into the near future, we're laying plans for more hands-on home-building with Habitat for Humanity...an in-depth overview of the art of wallcoverings...first-Monday networking events held in must-see New York venues... and our annual Summer social...Wait! I'm so excited about our calendar of events I'm getting ahead of the season.

I hope you will get excited, too. Membership in IFDA opens the door to information, conversation, socialization, and fun. If you are not yet a member, join us. If you are already a member, join in! There's a great, adventure-rich Spring ahead!

Best regards, Andrea Brodfuehrer

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Contributors:

Rose Gilbert, FIFDA—Editor

Anna Israel—Editor

Andrea Brodfuehrer

Maureen Klein

Su Hilty, FIFDA

Claudia Gisele Tejeda

Letter from the President 1

Coming Events 2

Take a Seat Takes a Bow

at ICFF

2

Make the ConneXion 2

IFDA Spotlight on James

Rixner

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Members Making News 4

Welcome New Members 5

A Word from Our

Sponsors

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In This Issue:

Coming Events Keep an eye on the Chapter

website & emails for updates and

details

APRIL

4/23: INSPIRED BY DESIGN 6:00-8:00PM

Members are invited to see in situ the acclaimed faux finishes

and murals by artist/NYSID teacher/IFDA member Jonathan

Bressler at his loft on the Bowery. Also a faux finish demo and

refreshments.

MAY

5/5: THE FUTURE OF HOME 6:00-8:00PM @ Material ConneXion — Learn from the innovators

how home will be transformed by technology and amazing new

materials

5/27: TAKE A SEAT 3rd Annual “chairity” featuring seating pieces rescued and re-created by some of New York’s top designers and auctioned to

benefit Habitat for Humanity NY.

JUNE

6/1: COCKTAILS, CONVERSATIONS &

CONNECTIONS 5:30-7:30PM (Venue TBA)

Our every-first-Monday evening of networking, Bring your

business cards

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Take a Seat Takes A Bow at ICFF! by Maureen Klein

New York's Take a Seat will take its place among some 700 exhibitors at the renowned International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Javits Center May 16 - 19.

The popular IFDA event features seating pieces reclaimed and rethought by some of New York's most innovative designers, then auctioned off to benefit Habitat for Humanity. But this year, not before they've been seen by the 32,000 or so global design aficionados expected to flock here seeking the cutting-edge design ideas for which the ICFF is famous.

"It's an exciting first for Take a Seat, one of IFDA's most creative events," said Andrea Brodfuehrer, Chapter President and NY Take a Seat co-chair.

Now in its third year, Take a Seat was originally conceived to span continents via Skype-ing between IFDA Chapters. This year's simultaneous kick-off takes place on Wednesday, May 13th, incorporating the New England and Washington, DC, chapters. In New York, the auction paddles will be raised on May 27. Five other chapters -- Florida, Arizona, Philadelphia, Northern California and Minnesota -- are slating their exhibits and auctions for October.

"It was what inspired me to join IFDA” said Elaina Hon, a new IFDA Board member, recalling the fun she had as a volunteer at the very first TAS gala.

Make the ConneXion: IFDA LOOKS FORWARD TO 'THE FUTURE OF

HOME'

Woven-in, light-emitting optical fibers in home textiles dramatically enhance wall and floor coverings and serve as pathfinders at night. 3-D printing plays a major role of in design and product development. Color-coded lighting changes mood and room functions. Countertops and carpets self-sanitize .... "The Future of Home" lies in these and other jawdropping developments now reaching residential design, says Hermine Mariaux, Chapter Director-at-Large and co-chair, with Susan Hirsh, of the must-see event scheduled for May 5.

Members will be able to divine the future for home design at the NY headquarters of Material ConneXion, the world's leader documenting material innovation and advisor to Fortune 500 companies, agencies, governmental bodies and forward-thinking members of the design industry.

With Hermine as moderator, panelists Dr. Andrew Dent for Material ConneXion, Matilda McQuaid, Head Curator for Textiles at Cooper Hewitt and well-known futurist, and Leslie Clagett, Products Editor of the Architect's Newspaper and Kitchen & Bath blogger of kbculture -- will take you into the new world of home design.

Limited space at Material ConneXion will restrict seating capacity, so watch for further details closer to May 5.

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IFDA Spotlight

On: James Rixner

TGIF. We all say it, but James Rixner really means it!

The uber designer -- and new member of IFDA -- owes his career to all those

Fridays he didn't have to report to work at HLW. The venerable architectural firm gave its employees every Friday off, ample time for the energetic James to launch his own design firm.

Full disclosure: James was trained in architecture, urban design and city planning (at the University of Pittsburgh). "I had no formal training in interior design. It was second nature."

However, his informal training began when he was 10, growing up near Pittsburgh with a jazz-musician father and working mother who "depended on me to run the house." Which soon included its decor -- "I insisted that my parents put French doors in the dining room -- and they did it!" James still marvels.

During grad school, the Port Authority of New York recruited him for an urban design project. And when the two-year funding ran out, he "bailed on the whole urban design thing" to reinvent himself in classic New York style -- as actor, dancer, bartender, waiter, caterer at parties like the one Halston gave for Lisa Minelli's birthday with Liz Taylor sitting in the front row.

"I was in fast-forward the whole time!" James recalls. Which quickly landed him in with the very right crowd, including San Francisco designer Chuck Winslow (they co-opted on a Kips Bay room for Anthony Hail). He also

worked with fabrics maven Harry Hinson, then as a Bloomingdale's staff designer during the store's wave-making days -- "It was like going to Harvard!" Next came HLW, where everyone said "TGIF" on Thursday afternoons. And James fired up his alter-career with clients who followed him from Bloomingdale's.

One such client led him to seven more referrals in the same building. Soon there would be four more Kips Bay show houses, three annual Holiday Houses, and a first Mansion in May for the Morristown, NJ, Hospital (a record 30,000 people visited James' spectacular 30 x 60 -ft. drawing room last spring). And this year, a new giveback project: the annual Orchid Dinner for the NY Botanical Garden featured his tablescape inspired by Wright's Falling Water house -- "seeing that as a young man changed my world!").

James has also taught at Parsons -- "I like to see young people get bitten by the design bug" -- and appeared regularly on network TV, and his work has been featured in the gamut of design mags, from Elle Decor and New York Spaces to The NY Times magazine.

Building on his 25-year career in design, James joined IFDA this spring because "I'm still growing and still learning," he said, "And I want to make sure that our design legacy continues."

HOMAGE TO FALLING WATER -- James' tablescape at the 2015 Orchid Dinner was a nod to the famous house that 'changed his world.' Sponsored by Veranda, the dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel benefited the NY Botanical Garden.

MANSION IN MAY -- The spectacular 30 x 60 ft. drawing room James created in the Turn-of-the-Century Beaux Arts mansion, Blairsden, wowed the record crowd who viewed the 2014 showhouse, which raised $2 million for the Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey.

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Heartfelt Project -- Rose Ott, IFDA VP/ Social Media, is among the talents on display at the American Heart Association's designer show house, opening in Mill Neck, NY, next month. The little girl's bedroom and bath by Rose Ott Interior Design will feature "Gibbie" fabric designed by Tilton Fenwick, an IFDA Rising Star, along with furniture from Grange.

With NBC Open House and NY Cottages and Gardens as its media sponsors, "Home is Where the Heart Is" opens with a gala on April l6 and runs through May 31.

KAVANTE Takes LA -- Her prize-winning contemporary creations are already in top showrooms in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and New York. Now designer Kim Price,IFDA VP/Education, unveiled the KAVANTE Collection NEW at the

A. Rudin showroom in The Pacific Design Center.

Cum Laud Come May -- Rosemarie Hittmeyer, Chapter administrator, just earned her Associates Degree in Interior Design from FIT -- Cum Laud, no less -- but the cap-and-gown moment won't come till the official ceremony in May. So Rose is still taking classes (and brushing up her resume. Pssst, she's most interested in hospitality environments but residential design is a "very close second," she reports).

Next Stop: Cyberspace -- After three-plus decades as a syndicated newspaper columnist -- NY Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Copley News Service, and Creators syndicates -- Rose Gilbert, FIFDA, is launching her design/lifestyle coverage on-line. "I'm an 'ink-stained

wretch' at heart, but the ink has dried up," Rose said. So debuting next month: designnews-rosebennettgilbert.com.

Stone-Cool Design-- Techo-Bloc, the giant Canadian manufacturer of hardscape and-masonry products, enlisted Deborah Martin Designs to style a handsome Long Island garden property for their 2015 product catalogue. To soften up the landscape, they brought the indoors out, setting the elegant poolside for a colorful "Tea on the Terrace."

Celebrating a Sell-Out! -- The sparkling holiday table runner she designed for Croscill sold out the first week it went on line for Bed Bath and Beyond, reports a proud Anna Israel, Chapter VP/Publications. Now she's in

a new position at Macy’s Merchandising Group, eagerly waiting for new products she's designed, this time for Bloomingdale's, to hit the stores at the end of summer.

High Qi -- Newly certified by the IDCEC and AIA, Chapter secretary Julie Schuster will be taking her CEU course, "Interior Design and Feng Shui," on the road next month with presentations in May with Lefroy Brooks in Chelsea and with Metropolitan Institute of Design in Syosset, NY.

Meanwhile, New Yorkers can see her feng shui expertise in action this month when Julie Schuster Design Studio creates one of 50 tablescapes for the 2015 Lenox Hill "Garden of Eden" annual Spring Gala benefit. Veranda magazine is media sponsor for the gala, held at Cipriani 42nd St.

Members Making News

UNVEILED AT THE PACIFIC DC — Kavante’s Scalloped Beside Chest

EXTERIOR DESIGN — Deborah Martin for Techo-Block

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Welcome, New Members! SONIA ANAND, Senior PR Associate at DADA Goldberg, a communications firm specializing in architecture and design. She works on public relations for Italian lighting design house Foscarini, Brooklyn-based luxury furniture designer Hellman-Chang, and Italian contract brand Arper.

Already serving as IFDA NY Vice President of Public

Relations, Sonia was previously at McGraw PR, where she worked on publicity and events for House Beautiful, Veranda, Hearst's Designer Visions Show House, and Stark Carpet. She has also been PR manager at Bungalow 5. A graduate of George Washington University, Sonia is a member of the Susan G. Komen Greater NYC Young Professionals committee

CALEB ANDERSON, Caleb Anderson Design -- Named an IFDA "Rising Star" in 2014, Caleb Anderson holds a degree in interior design and honed his craft under the direction of IFDA Risen Star Jamie Drake.

The eponymous design firm Caleb went on to found is marked by "tasteful eclecticism that forges an understanding

between timelessness and today," a signature style he has exhibited last year in Traditional Home's Designer Showhouse in the Hamptons and the NYCottages & Gardens' Designer Showhouse at the W Residences in downtown New York. Caleb dazzled the 2014 "Take a Seat" crowd with his mirrored remake of a once very drab and square chair.

Also an allied member of ASID, Caleb was cited as one of "6 Faces to Watch" in 2015 by Lonny Magazine.

Color Her Busy! -- Susan Slotkis, author, Adjunct Asst. professor at FIT, and member of the IFDA Speakers Bureau, has been buzzing between chapters, delivering CEU presentations, first to Dania Beach and the Florida Chapter, where

she discussed "The Psychology and Perception of Color" at DCOTA (Design Center of the Americas). Next, it was Philadelphia to explore Wabi Sabi, the Japanese notion that beauty lies in imperfection.

The CEU presentations are courtesy of the IFDA Educational Foundation's Claire Coleman Founders Grant, honoring the New York member who invented IFDA some 68 years ago.

RISING STAR SHINES AGAIN -- There's been an extra twinkle in Michele Varian's eye since the Architectural Digest Home Show last month. Named an IFDA Rising Star in 2014, Michele added to her growing trophy collection when IFDA Selects presented her the Best in Show Award for Wallcoverings— designed, custom-printed and

available through her shop/design studio in Soho (27 Howard St.). In fact, almost all the product Michele designs is made locally in the US, she points out. The exception: solid spun brass and copper lamp pendants, made by traditional artisans in Sarajevo.

CHAIRS COLOR CEU — Susan Slotkis with Florida IFDA UP AGAINST A WINNING WALL

--Varian’s Best in Show wallcoverings at the AD Home Show.

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JEANINE M. PEDERSEN, Takasago International Corp. (USA) Marketing Manager of Trends and Communications, Jeanine works in the Marketing Department of the Fragrance Division at Takasago. Her 16 years' experience in the fragrance and flavor Industry includes an earlier post as Creative Trends Manager in the Fragrance Marketing

Department at Noville's.

Charged with identifying and tracking trends across multiple categories and industries, she provides insights, analysis, and recommendations based on this research. She is also responsible for communications and newsletters within the company.

Jeanine sits on the Board of Directors for Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce (WFFC), where she chairs the communications committee and co-hosts an annual NYC Trend Excursion designed to offer cross-category knowledge and stimulate creativity.

DARRIN VARDEN, Darrin Varden Design -- a child who "was always rearranging the furniture the second my parents would leave,” Darrin grew up to study at FIT, working as a design assistant at Drake Design Assocs. while he was still in school. After a stint at Charles Klein, he returned to Drake Design as a senior designer for six years before

launching his own company in spring 2013. Named an IFDA Rising Star last year, Darrin is known for partnering with artists and artisans on such projects as New York’s historic Apthorp building and other NY landmarks, including structures in The Hamptons. His work has been featured at Holiday House NYC, the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island, Red Cross Red & White Ball and in such publications as Traditional

Home, Lonny, Forbes, InStyle, New York Spaces, Connecticut Cottages and Gardens and design blogs, Quintessence, Viyet Blog, and The Editor at Large. He sits on the Friends Committee of The Alpha Workshops and the Board of Directors of Live Out Loud.

GISELLE ULMO, Giselle Ulmo Design -- With a background in fashion accessory design, Giselle spent many years designing and coordinating lines for top manufacturers and programs for retailers before "following my passion" back to school and a degree in interior design. She is also the founder and editor of Room Interiors Online, the site

she created "to inspire readers and help them create spaces they love, no matter the budget."

MICHELE VARIAN, Michele Varian Home Design -- 2014 IFDA Rising Star for product design, Michele is an ex-fashion designer who began her own business selling home textiles to stores such as Barneys, ABC, and Neiman Marcus. Her then-tiny shop in SoHo has grown into a go-to resource for designers and editors who seek out her decorative pillows and recently launched collections of lamps, furniture,

wallpapers and fabrics.

While Michele’s shop stocks items from all over the world, the collections she designs are all "proudly" made in the USA (with the exception of copper lamps made by traditional artisans in Sarajevo). To encourage US product design and manufacturing, she recently hosted Detroit Built, showcasing new products designed and made in Detroit, her home town.

AND NOW, A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS:

September in Paris? Mais Oui! MAISON&OBJET Paris is now accepting submissions from new exhibitor applicants for the upcoming show, Sept. 4 – 8. Interested parties can contact the MAISON&OBJET Paris

office via phone 212-564-0404 or by email: dsanchez@pbmarketinginternational.com. Want to attend the show yourself? Good news! IFDA NY, is working on a special Paris package , in conjunction with Froggy Travel, to be announced shortly. Attendez your emails!!

KRAVET's new Samarkand Collection expresses the beauty of Kravet prints through a range of both large- and small-scale patterns, highlighting intricate paisley and ikat designs that can be used in both transitional and contemporary settings. Offered in rich washed denim blues, rusty reds, and soft neutrals, these stunning fabrics are ideal for light upholstery,

bedcovering, pillows and accessories. To find out more, visit kravet.com.

AMERICAN HARDWOOD INFORMATION CENTER: Have we got a proposition for you! If one of your stellar projects, large or small, involves

the product that is near and dear to our hearts – American Hardwoods -- the American Hardwood Information Center would like to feature it at HardwoodInfo.com, the authoritative resource for consumers and professionals seeking inspiration and information about American Hardwoods. Simply send a photo and a brief paragraph of pertinent details to ljovanovich@hardwood.org and we’ll “put it out there!” Spotlight on YOU!

HG STONES, a leading supplier in the surfacing industry -- and a new IFDA NY Chapter Sponsor -- announces its third showroom opening in Manhattan’s Flatiron

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LET’S SHINE THE SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Su Hilty, FIFDA — VP of Sponsorship

The chapter depends on our many yearly sponsors to bring you the best in education, networking and service to the design & furnishings community.

We are thrilled to have the following companies RENEW for 2015:

At the GOLD level: American Hardwood Information Center, Hunter Douglas, MAISON&OBJET PARIS, New York Design Center, NY NOW, and Stacy Garcia, Inc. Moving up to Gold from Silver are Cliff Young, Ltd., and Resource Furniture.

At the SILVER level: Benjamin Moore & Co., Forty One Madison, and Kravet Inc. And NEW to SILVER status we welcome HG Stones!

The IFDA NY Chapter thanks them for their support and urge each and everyone of you to do the same!

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District on May 13. As a go-to destination for interior designers, architects, and kitchen and bath professionals, this resource center at 28 West 25th St.will serve as a comfortable work and educational environment for the trade. Staffed with a knowledgeable and perceptive crew, the space will feature exotic natural stone, environmentally conscious product lines such as Neolith sintered (revolutionary bonded-powder) compact surfaces and Vetrazzo recycled glass surfaces. Call 212.964.0900 or visit hgstones.com for more information.

Never mind the chill, March was Outdoor Month at 200 Lex — It made our outside brighter, as the New York Design Center highlighted the array of outdoor products and resources available in the building. There were plenty of showrooms with

a breadth of outdoor items to explore and weekly themed events to attend. If you missed it, visit nydc.com for more information about exciting upcoming happenings.

NY NOW named New York City’s Top Tradeshow By BizBash: Based upon economic impact, buzz, innovation and prominence within the communities it serves, NY NOW, the Market for Home + Lifestyle, was ranked NYC’s top tradeshow as part of BizBash’s “NY’s Top 100 Events 2015.” Visit bizbash.com/top-100 for details. From Aug.15-19 at NYC’s Javits Center, NY NOW’s three comprehensive collections – HOME, LIFESTYLE and HANDMADE – as well as NEW! exhibitors, will encompass 100,000 products in 400+ product categories. Information and registration is available online at nynow.com.

HUNTER DOUGLAS – AHEAD OF THE PACK -- Known for staying in the lead when it comes to customer needs

and desires, Hunter Douglas offers the widest variety of product operating systems that eliminate lift cords altogether or substantially reduce access to them. This makes them especially

well-suited for homes with young children. The LiteRise® cordless lifting system is one such option. As streamlined as it is convenient, the system is now available on the full range of the company’s roller shades. Visit: www.hunterdouglas.com.

CLIFF YOUNG, Ltd. RELEASES NEW E-CATALOG for the SIGNATURE COLLECTION. Designed in-house and manufactured

with small shops, craftsmen, and artisans, the Signature Collection is fully customizable and available with eco-friendly options. View the catalog at cliffyoungltd.com/

catalog.

RESOURCE FURNITURE IN SAN

FRANCISCO! Bringing its expertise in smart living to a new space in San Francisco’s design district. Resource Furniture's new 1,800 sq. ft. showroom at 300 Kansas St., Suite 105, will provide area designers, developers, architects and residents access to the finest multifunctional furniture solutions available. A soft opening was held during the week of March 16th with the official opening party set for March 26. IFDA members get a special invitation; email lisa@resourcefurniture.com for details.

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS:

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR IFDA SPONSORS

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NEW YORK SILVER SPONSORS

INTERNATIONAL SILVER SPONSOR

NEW YORK GOLD SPONSORS