Why I Don't Shop Industry Trade Shows

It's that time of the year when 75,000+ designers will be clamoring to the annual shows to discover the latest trends and product launches. 

I'm hightailing it in the other direction. 

And there are three reasons why.

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Originality

I don't expect my clients to identify the provenance of the products I select for their homes, but they should damn well expect it of me. And no, I haven't attended many of the popular industry trade shows, but a quick scroll through the websites of exhibitors purveying knockoffs, derivatives, and facsimiles provides me all the evidence I need to skip the trip.

An original idea is damn difficult to generate. It demands obscene amounts of courage and critical thinking, sacrifice and scrutiny, years of prototyping, marketing, manufacturing, and repeated failure until you reach a breakthrough. That is the inherent value. That persistence is the differentiator between pedestrian and poetic.

And yet, much of what is falsely lauded as "premium" and "luxury" at these shows is just poorly repackaged genius stolen from someone else. Unsuspecting designers are none the wiser while uncaring businesses rake in a profit. I won't support an operation that cannibalizes its own and rewards imitation, neither with my time or your investment. I prioritize protecting you from the furniture equivalent of fake Fendis.

Quality

You're accustomed to Michelin-starred restuarants, haute couture boutiques, luxury cars, and the world's leading hotels. You pamper yourself with the finest fabrics to hang on your body, exceptional cuisine to nourish it, the purest of potions to enrich it, and exotic destinations to amuse it. So why would you settle for mediocrity in the place that restores it?

I don't. I create spaces layered with intention, excellence, and exquisite craftmanship and I only do my best work. Middle-of-the-road is never a consideration for me nor for any partners I invite into your world. Our high standards are our investment in your life and your long-term property value. And our clients celebrate that conviction because they instinctively recognize quality and they accept nothing less.

Exclusivity

Consider this analogy:

If 10 women shop at the same boutique, eventually four of them are showing up on the red carpet in the same little black dress. And no one wants to be the losing contestant in a Who Wore it Better face off. Now, translate that to the furniture for your home, multiply it by 75k designers, and you do the math. It's simply a numbers game, and the odds aren't in your favor. Your home will look like a version of someone else's.

My clients prioritize distinction, and foraging through showrooms of furniture made for mass consumption only blurs that focus. Off the rack will always be off the table. In fact, 85% of what you see in our portfolio was produced exclusively for the space it occupies. So while the decision for a top-to-bottom customized home is yours to make, my rolodex of exclusive galleries, original artisans, and limited-edition collectibles is 20 years thick, and I'll serve it up on a silver platter as soon as you give me the go.

It takes a deliberate step outside the mainstream to create a true masterpiece. Delivering distinctive design drives our service, but protecting your hard-earned investment sustains it. Sure, the products and furnshings we specify will cost you more, but their quality, exclusivity, and originality are undeniable. You deserve no less.

Plus, I prefer to stay in my zone of genius: crafting homes so spectcularly unique, that they're impossible to replicate.

Click here to watch the video series.

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