Blogfest 2012: Publishing Powers

Jun 12 2012 ·0

“I deeply believe that a beautiful decor can have a beneficial influence on our lives.”

~Albert Hadley

For my final Blogfest 2012 wrap-up post I want to focus on the morning we spent at Hearst Tower with some of the most powerful people in the design publishing world.  The publishers and editors from Veranda and House Beautiful magazines moderated panels with elite designers who have been published in these national magazines. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear about how designs are chosen for publication and  how great designers work.

We gathered on the 44th floor of the Hearst Tower for breakfast.  What a beautiful location!

We went Inside the Issue with the Veranda panel:  Publisher Jennifer Levene Bruno,  Editor-in-Chief Dara Caponigro,  designers Darryl Carter and Timothy WhealonThis panel offered behind the scene glimpses of their designs. Featured in the May/June issue, both Darryl Carter and Timothy Whealon shared their personal stories about coming into the design profession after they were trained in the field of Law.

During the next segment, House Beautiful Editor-in-Chief Newell Turner moderated a panel with the theme “Creating the A-Ha Moment”.  His panel included three of House Beautiful’s  Next Wave Designers:  Michael Herold, Jill Goldberg, and Jon Call.

The next few photos were taken of the screen presentation so the quality is lacking but they  illustrate some striking “A-Ha Moments”.  This first example is a scouting shot from a few years ago that was submitted for publication. The editors liked the fact that there was interesting seating (the sofa near the window) in a Dining Room.
This is how the room looked on the cover shot.  Notice how subtle tweaks: changing the angle of the shot, taking away the wreaths and adding fresh flowers, make this room a star!
I love the transformation of this library:
What a difference some fleurs and a beautiful tablescape can make when the bones of the room are perfect!
Both of the panels were  relaxed yet informative.  All of the designers were charming, humorous and very articulate. They were generous with their trade secrets and lingered patiently for photographs.

Of course how could I post about the Publishing Powers of the Design World without including Margaret Russell?  Editor-in-Chief of Architectural Digest, Margaret elegantly welcomed us to the Kips Bay Showhouse on our first day in NYC.
Blogfest 2012 was such a wonderful experience for me on so many levels. It was a whirlwind full of amazing people and a wealth of design information and inspiration.  I can hardly wait to see what’s in store for Blogfest 2013!

xo,

Pamela