The NYSID Student Take on the Kravet Student Design Forum
Photo: Megan Lane, Kravet Inc.
On September 22, halfway through a day of panels that began with a keynote by Nate Berkus, precious textiles from the Kravet Archives were draped over chairs and tables in the Arthur King Satz Auditorium of the New York School of Interior Design. NYSID students were up and out of their seats, with textiles in their hands, as Scott Kravet, Principal of Kravet Inc., explained how he can predict what will be in style in 18 months, the amount of time it takes to bring a luxury home textile to market. “In textiles, every decade has a style. Everything exists in a cycle and it repeats itself, ” said Kravet. The crowd let out “wows'' as Kravet unfurled his company’s “Tree of Life” block print. Kravet explained the textile was made in Thailand, using 392 blocks to make a single repeat. The original pattern was created in 1923, in England, for GP & J Baker, a brand now owned by Kravet. There were also century-old Art Deco antiques, Polynesian Tapas cloths made of pounded mulberry bark, and much more. Kravet explained the history and craft behind each piece. After the session, Nicole Jenzabar Banafsheha, a BFA student from Los Angeles, CA, said, “I’m beginning to understand the difference between embroidery and Jacquard from this session! To put my hands on these fabrics, as I was hearing about their history from experts, was incredible.”
Michael Hainey and Nate Berkus. Photo: Megan Lane, Kravet Inc.
This workshop was just one session of many in the Kravet Student Design Forum, an opportunity for students to complement their in-class learning by hearing from real-world professionals about the skills and knowledge required to become a successful residential interior designer. The forum took place September 21-22, and featured some of the biggest names in interior design. The idea for the event was sparked many years ago when the leadership of NYSID and the leadership of Kravet Inc. sat around a table at the Kravet headquarters and envisioned a conference that would give students what NYSID President David Sprouls calls an “in the trenches” understanding of residential interior design.
Karen Lerman, Kravet’s Senior Manager of Corporate Special Projects, organized the forum. She says, “Our intention was to give NYSID students an exposure to the practical, day-to-day elements of practicing residential interior design, from budgeting, to building one’s brand, to testing out performance fabrics.” Lerman brought in superstars, but she and her team made sure students also heard from mid-career design entrepreneurs, expert craftsmen, and suppliers to the trade.
Thom Filicia, Alexa Hampton, and Alix Lerman. Photo: Katia Repina, Business of Home
NYSID Trustee and designer Alexa Hampton and designer Thom Filicia opened the forum on Thursday night with a conversation moderated by Alix Lerman, Chief Marketing Officer for the New York Design Center. Filicia said, “The design community is becoming a really supportive community. Designers are supporting each other, becoming more inclusive, and they are collaborating rather than competing. That’s really exciting for design because historically it was a different blueprint.” The growing openness and communality of the design profession was evident at this event. The next day, Nate Berkus headlined the forum in a conversation with design journalist Michael Hainey. NYSID Trustees Young Huh, Courtney McLeod, Betsey Ruprecht, and David Scott, participated in various panels, as did many NYSID alumni. Specific talks were underwritten by New York Design Center, Visual Comfort, Circa Lighting, Benjamin Moore, The Shade Store and Valdese Weavers. All of it was in the service of educating the next generation of interior designers. Here’s what NYSID students took away from the forum.
Kayla Lowry (MFA1), Karen Lerman, and Jessica Matta (AAS)
Jaylen Ross (BID)
How to Build Your Brand When You Work for a Brand
“It was all fantastic, but I think my biggest takeaway came during the questions period of the branding panel,” said Kayla Lowry, an MFA1 student currently in her final year at NYSID, who is working as an intern for Alexa Hampton. The panel she was referring to is “It's All in the Packaging: Building your Brand,” moderated by Benjamin Reynaert, with Hilary Matt of Hilary Matt Interiors, Courtney McLeod of Right Meets Left Interior Design, Kati Curtis of Kati Curtis Design, and Margaret Daniel of Margaret Daniel Design. Explains Lowry, “I got so much from (Margaret Daniel’s) comment that early in your career, you can use social media to work on your personal brand while still respecting the brand of your employer. You should never post about the work you are doing for your employer, but you can show your own aesthetic–the development of your interior eye–just by posting what you love about your own home and your travels.”
Before Perfection, There Are Mistakes
The interiors one sees in a shelter magazine are the perfect end-product of the design process. Sometimes emerging designers need to see more. “This conference showed me the realities of this industry and really helped me understand what interior design is,” said Jaylen Ross, a brand new NYSID student in the BID program. “It was helpful that the speakers talked about not only their triumphs, but also their failures. When Young Huh mentioned that the first time you feel like a real interior designer is the ‘first time you don’t screw up scale’ (in the “Business of Design'' panel), it made me realize I could make mistakes, and still be a great designer. I appreciated the way Maria Brennan (Senior VP of Furniture at Kravet) showed us common mistakes interior designers make in applying fabric to furniture.”
With Passion, Knowledge Accumulates
Jessica Matta, an AAS student and career changer, said, “I really loved what Nate Berkus told us: ‘Always be on the hunt for objects and inspiration . . .’ When you’re a student, you put successful designers on a pedestal. They seem unapproachable. But this forum made me realize they are also people who are constantly learning and evolving. It made my goal seem attainable.”
Claudia Giselle Tejeda, Young Huh, Kesha Franklin, Peti Lau, and Sabine Rothman. Photo: Megan Lane, Kravet Inc.
Representation Matters
“There was so much to learn at this forum,” said Carissa Pintello, an MFA1 student in her second year. “Maybe the thing that inspired me the most was the ‘The Business of Design’ panel (moderated by Sabine Rothman of Interiors Academy, with alumna Claudia Giselle Tejeda, of Claudia Giselle Design, alumna Peti Lau of Peti Lau Interior Design, Trustee Young Huh of Young Huh Interior Design, and Kesha Franklin of Halden Interiors). This was a diverse group of professional women, and they were all so sharp and badass. Everything is a mirror. You need to see yourself reflected in what you are shooting for.”
Contacts & Influences
One of the incredible things about this forum is that it educated students about contemporary interior designers to follow, both for inspiration and career leads. Said BID student Sarah Chesters, “There is nothing more valuable than connecting with people in the industry.”
Hadley Keller, Eneia White, Crystal LoSchiavo, Tina Ramchandani, and Erick Espinoza. Photo: Megan Lane, Kravet Inc.
Overheard at the Forum
With 12 panels and workshops over the course of a day and a half, there was much wisdom to be gleaned at the Kravet Student Design Forum. Here are some timeless insights into the practice and business of interior design from some of the speakers:
“You have to start with the world you know: friends of family, former bosses. Get out there and ask for the work. Convince someone to let you do one room. . .photograph it and put it on social media. . . Advocate for your own chance.” — Nate Berkus answering a student question about how to get started, in a conversation with design journalist Michael Hainey.
“She had a sense of how to make people feel good in their homes. She knew how to create a sanctuary. This is the fairy dust that interior designers bring.” — Susan Crater on her grandmother, Sister Parish, in “Then & Now: What's Different in Interior Design” with Linherr Hollingsworth.
“You have to be a little fearless and create a dialogue between objects from different time periods. Don’t hesitate to combine disparate things if you can find a visual thread that ties it all together.” — David Scott in “How to Create your Clients' Unique Space,” moderated by Clinton Smith
“Ask yourself, ‘Who is the client we are trying to attract?’ Go for the client who makes you a little uncomfortable, because that is the client who is going to push the growth of your company.” — Kesha Franklin of Halden Interiors
NYSID President David Sprouls and Kravet Executive Vice President Ellen Kravet. Photo: Katia Repina, Business of Home
In Conclusion
At the end of the forum, Ellen Kravet, Executive Vice President of Kravet Inc. and President of the NYSID Board of Trustees and David Sprouls, President of NYSID, presented each student with a certificate of completion. Said Sprouls, “I hope you understand, at the end of today, how truly generous the design profession is.”