Decorating a room can be a ton of fun. Decorating a room with a piece of fine craft as your inspiration? Well, that can be a downright ball.

To celebrate our 2013 show season, we invited regional interior designers, architects, and stylists to create 10-by-10 foot room settings – all inspired by a piece of craft made by one of our show artists. Some designers chose glass, others ceramics or fiber art. No matter the medium, the results were spectacular!

Take a look below to meet our professionals, and then see the works that inspired them and a few of the finished settings in the photo gallery. Going to one of our shows? Lucky you! All of the local vignettes will be set up on the show floor for visitors to walk through, admire, and, well, soak up some inspiration.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll spot that perfect piece for your home. Enjoy!
 

Designer: Michel Boyd
Design firm: SMITHBOYD Interiors
Inspiration: Michael Dillon, metal
Design style: My style began with an initial interest in architecture, blended with a love for fashion, textiles, and furniture. My style evolved from the rich French history of New Orleans, was broadened while living in New York City, and expanded further as I traveled in Europe. Elements of each culture and my experiences there are detected in the layers of design found in each space I transform, while always remaining true to the people that dwell there.
Vision: The forged-iron and bronze Avian sculpture by Michael Dillon. It is so unique and would be distinctive in a heavily layered space or as the focal point in a minimally designed space. It serves dual roles: as sculpture or as a very specific object that speaks to one’s personal style. The wing is strong and decisive, perfect for a workspace or library.
 

Designer: Kerry Howard, ASID
Design firm: KMH Interiors
Inspiration: Gabriele Beyer, textiles
Design style: Clean, eclectic, and transitional. It starts with surrounding people with the things they love and that inspire them. Combining this with high-quality, timeless pieces mixed with trendy decorative items creates spaces that “wow.”
Vision: The many shades of green in Gabriele Beyer’s Golden Pond have incredible depth. This piece and a recent trip to New Orleans inspired me to create a very low-country, modern adaptation of a Cajun residence deep in the bayou and incorporate details that represent my interpretation of Southern architecture.
 

Designers: Katherine Dunatov, AIA, and Tricia Moore, ASID
Design firm: tvsdesign
Inspiration: Warren Carpenter, wood
Design style: Working in a large firm, one must be able to move seamlessly between architecture and interiors. From residential spaces and showrooms to corporate offices and public facilities, design should always inspire.
Vision: We were initially attracted to the material and wheatlike quality of Warren Carpenter’s piece, which has great depth and complexity, and a sculptural quality in its implication of nature. It takes on further dimension because it represents a lifetime of mastering woodworking. We envision the piece in a place where the focus of the room will be on the artwork itself.
 

Designer: Loretta Willis, ASID
Design firm: Loretta’s Interior Design
Inspiration: Michael Frasca, ceramics
Design style: Classic and timeless, which operates within the vision of helping others create beautiful and functional environments that enhance family and individual lifestyles. Incorporating custom furnishings and finishes, textile diversity, and color consistently results in a designed space uniquely suited to the client.
Vision: The stoneware and wood-ash glaze in Michael Frasca’s Balloon vase creates such elegant tones and exquisite texture; the piece sets the stage for any elegant entryway. This unique work of art brings unexpected warmth and a sense of ease by blending traditional design with creative modern craft.
 

Designer: William Peace, ASID
Design firm: Peace Design
Inspiration: Michael Schwegmann, ceramics; Donna D’Aquino, metal
Design style: One that combines art and architecture. I design interiors that stand the test of time by using quality materials, exquisite textiles, original art, and personal collections to define the character of the space.  A sense of continuity, comfort, and simplicity is a common thread that runs throughout each Peace Design project.
Vision: The pieces by Schwegmann and D’Aquino lend themselves to a space with an industrial, simple feel. I envision these pieces in a space with subtle, warm tones and textures to enhance the art, taking on the feeling of a modern studio or lounging area with a minimalist feel.
 

Designer: Janice Palmer, ASID
Design firm: Palmer Design
Inspiration: R. Jason Howard, glass
Design style: Melding easy California elegance and sophisticated Southern style, with practical sensibilities and dazzling panache. It could also be defined as classic contemporary – but always with a twist.
Vision: Glass is a favorite medium of mine, and Jason Howard’s borosilicate glass piece Frequency is delicately blown, with magnificent colors and tiny flecks of 22 karat gold and silver. It is reminiscent of the look of luxurious Murano glass and has inspired me to create a sexy and opulent living room.
 

Designer: Jason Todd Bailey, ASID
Design firm: jason todd bailey llc
Inspiration: Ancizar Marin, metal and mixed media
Design style: I try to find solutions through the expression of beauty and space. Every project should have a unique solution and relate to my client’s personality and needs – a space to experience, improve, and enhance their lives.
Vision: I am drawn to the movement, playfulness, and bold color in Ancizar Marin's work. These figures could be scaling a building, a mountain, or a living room wall. I intend to spotlight their energy with a mix of eclectic furniture and color variations.
 

Designer: Jackie Naylor, ASID
Design firm: Jackie Naylor Interiors
Inspiration: Kipley A. Meyer, wood
Design style: Listening is so important when working with a client. Their needs, wishes, and functional use blended with a healthy dose of creativity achieve a magical mix and create great spaces to live in.
Vision: The tactile feel of this wood attracted me. Wood, being a natural material, can be transformed into many shapes and change its personality with different finishes. Kipley Meyer’s pieces, with their rough texture and unique mix of poplar, milk paint, and wax, touched a creative nerve. This piece needs a simple, open, minimally furnished space.
 

Designer: Rick Anthony Bonner
Design firm: BONNER
Inspiration: Derek Hennigar, wood
Design style: Cosmopolitan but comfortable. Curated without kitsch. Referential, not derivative.  Never the same twice.
Vision: I envision an exotic destination. The weightlessness of the bent wood and intriguing iron finish would serve as the perfect anchor to a Middle Eastern or Asian interior.
 

Designers: Staffan Svenson, AIA, and Bryan Russell, AIA
Design firm: Dencity
Inspiration: Justin Teilhet, ceramics
Design style: Design, whether it is the design of a master plan for a small town or the design of a coffee table for a specific client, is inherently equal. All decisions require careful deliberation, creative collaboration, client input, and technical problem-solving knowledge.
Vision: The dramatic simplicity of color, repetition, and form instantly grabbed our attention. The delicate folding and precision kept us searching for how it was made. We like the challenge this piece will require of our design skills to encapsulate it.