Westweek Recap: A Night With Design’s Rock Stars
Author:Lindsey ShookI think I am just now recovered from Westweek. The whirlwind week of parties, panels and product launches had me up each morning by 6 am, and I rarely made it back to my hotel room before midnight.
But it was completely worth it, especially for the evening I got to spend with design’s hottest stars, including Kathryn Ireland and Martyn Lawrence-Bullard (both of Bravo‘s Million Dollar Decorators), Antonio Ballatore (HGTV‘s The Antonio Treatment) and David Bromstad (HGTV‘s Color Splash).
It was a packed house.
CH+D‘s keynote, “The Rise of the RockStar Designer” was apparently a hot ticket. More than 300 people showed up and packed the room. Unfortunately, there were nearly 100 people who weren’t able to get in because there just simply wasn’t enough space, so to them I promise a video of the talk to come in the next few days.
Martyn Lawrence-Bullard
This was a first for me: women squealed, men jostled for front-row seats and during the Q&A, someone simply asked David Bromstad for a hug.
David Bromstad
But the panelists proved they weren’t just pretty faces, as they thoughtfully answered questions including: How do you decide what products and endorsements to align yourself with? Which part of your business is most lucrative today—private clients or your television career? How does the design industry benefit as a whole from a handful of designers gaining wide-spread recognition and celebrity?
Kathryn Ireland, Antonio Ballatore and myself
Their answers were funny, heartfelt and honest, and the crowd happily stuck around for the party at Andrew Martin showroom after the talk, where they got a chance to get up close and personal with the rock stars themselves.
Missed the event yourself or just want to relive the magic? Check back to californiahomedesign.com later this week when a video of the talk will be live.
