Design Industry Leaders Preview Innovations for the 21st Century at Fall Luncheon

Furniture World Magazine

The impact of technology on new materials and trends in interior design and architecture will be the focus of a Fall luncheon-seminar "Material Matters: Innovations Driving Design," sponsored by the New York chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association. The event will be held on November 9, 2000 at the Roosevelt Hotel, at 45th Street and Madison Avenue. Four industry innovators will highlight ascendant, techno-driven trends during the presentation, which will be moderated by designer and marketing consultant Grace Jeffers. Sharing their insights will be: Architect Peter Bohlin, FAIA, of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the Pennsylvania-based, multiple-award-winning firm known for eco-responsibility, "consistent rigor," and the 47,000 square-foot, techno-savvy Washington home the firm designed for Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. Innovative furniture marketer Dennis Miller, whose New York showroom pushes the envelope with furniture custom-made in sometimes unexpected materials. Miller, a trained architect himself, showcases the work of such greats as T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbons, Frank Lloyd Wright, Vladimir Kagan, and Clodagh. Textile designer Suzanne Tick, co-founder of Tuva Looms carpet company, creative director for Knoll Textiles, and innovator of the steel-fiber fabric that starred in the Museum of Modern Arts, recent show, "Structure and Surface: Contemporary Japanese Textile." Moderator Jeffers is an instructor with the Fashion Institute of Technology's Museum Studies graduate program, and a consultant on design issues relating to new materials and technologies, will moderate the forum. Elaine Siegel, co-chair of IFDA program committee said of the luncheon's theme, "Materials are the language of design, and today, you can't make a make a design "statement" unless you understand the new words that are constantly being added to the vocabulary." For more information, tickets orders, or to purchase a corporate table seating 10, please contact IFDA New York headquarters, 212-686-6020, or FAX, 212 686-6258. The International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) is the only all-industry association whose members provide services and products to the furnishings industry and is the driving force, through its programs and services, to enhance the professionalism and stature of the industry worldwide.