Don’t Miss the WestWeek Keynote: The Rise of the Rock Star Designer
Author:Lindsey ShookDuring a recent visit with my mother-in-law in LA, she relayed the following celeb-spotting story: Dining out, she saw one of her favorite stars at a nearby table. “It looked like he was on a date, so I had to stop myself from going over to him and telling him how much I love his work. But I kept looking over all through dinner. He is just fabulous. It was so exciting!”
Who was this star who had her all worked up? It wasn’t Gossling or Pitt or Clooney, but hottie interior designer Antonio Ballatore, star of The Antonio Treatment on HGTV.
Antonio Ballatore. Who wouldn’t get giddy with him sitting nearby?
That was the moment I realized our industry had changed. Thousands of bloggers, pinners, reality TV fans, DIY-ers and magazine junkies had transformed a once-insider industry into an everyman’s cultural phenomenon. By broadcasting the drama of picking the perfect sofa, we have inadvertently schooled everyone on the difference between a Chesterfield and a chaise lounge, and made rock stars out of interior designers.
Martyn Lawrence-Bulllard with pal Kelly Osborne.
This phenomenon at once excited and fascinated me. Like a parent who doesn’t notice their toddler transforming into a teen, as an editor of a design magazine, it was as if I was too close to see the industry growing before my eyes. Then all of a sudden I look up and, whoa, there are people hounding Martyn Lawrence-Bullard for autographs and fans tweeting pictures of a topless David Bromstad.
David Bromstad, shootin’ off those guns.
So when CH+D was asked to create the keynote for LA’s Westweek, we decided to gather up design’s hottest stars—including Antonio Ballatore (HGTV’s The Antonio Treatment), Kathryn Ireland (Bravo’s Million Dollar Decorators), David Bromstad (HGTV’s Color Splash and Design Star) and Martyn Lawrence-Bullard (Bravo’s Million Dollar Decorators)— and find out from them how fame has impacted their lives, helped them build their brand and changed the way the world looks at design.
Please join us on Wednesday, March 21, at 3:30 pm for this lively, candid discussion. Reserve your spot here. Afterwards, get your paint swatches signed by your favorite designer during a post-panel cocktail party at the Andrew Martin showroom.
Do you have any burning questions for the designers? If so, leave them in the comment section and I will try and work the best questions into the talk.
Hope to see you there!
