Unity in Design Sets Seminars

February 3, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on February 4, 2011

The High Point Design Center has set the seminar slate for next week's 2011 Unity in Design event.

The event, scheduled for Feb. 9-11, is hosted by the High Point Design Center, an association of member showrooms that open to designers on a year-round basis.

The event includes educational seminars for design students. Next week's slate includes a presentation at High Point University's Phillips Hall, Frances Auditorium. Moderated by Cheminne Taylor-Smith, vice president of marketing, High Point Market Authority, top designers Laura Kirar and Melanie Turner will shed light on "The Biggest Influences Affecting Design Today."

Kirar is founder and creative director of Laura Kirar TRU Design, and her award-winning designs have been profiled in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, House Beautiful and The New York Times, among others. Turner is principal of Turner Davis Interiors, and her most recent accolade is Southeastern Designer of the Year.

The seminar slate for Unity in Design 2011 also includes Hannah Davis, owner and founder of Art Gallery Originals(http://www.artgo.us/), who will speak on "Oil Portraits and The Business of Art." Focusing on what makes paintings great and what elements to look for when evaluating art, the course identifies why designers are best suited to advise clients on art.

Carolyn Barton, designer marketing for The Sherwin Williams Company, is set to present "How Cultures Influence Color," an exploration of diverse cultures and how color is perceived differently in different parts of the world.

Rebecca Miller, principal of Necessary Luxury, a luxury goods consultancy providing strategic brand directions, product development, sourcing and marketing services, is set to speak on "The Designer€™s Passion: Using it Strategically in 2011." And, Richard Poindexter, specification and specialty products manager at Columbia Forest Products, will focus on "Decorative Hardwood Plywood & Interior Air Quality."

"This opportunity is so valuable for the students," says Madge Megliola, a Greensboro-based designer, as well as adjunct professor at HPU. "Our students have a huge advantage in being able to pick up this information, mingle in a professional atmosphere and see the showrooms that can help them all year round."

"There are an inordinate number of design schools in North Carolina compared to other places, and we invite students to everything we do," says Jeanne Glenn, executive director of the High Point Design Center. "We see them as our future customers and we want to teach them about all that is available to them here in High Point."

Focusing on residential, commercial, and kitchen and bath designers, Unity in Design is sponsored by the Association of Interior Design Professionals, American Society of Interior Designers, Carolinas Chapter, International Interior Design Association, Carolinas Chapter, Interior Design Society, and the National Kitchen & Bath Association. The event is open to interior design professionals, students and members of the trade.