I won't bore you with the details...

So by now everyone has probably seen a recap of BlogPodium and IDS somewhere, so I will simply say I attended and here was my take...

My day Friday started at 5:30 am driving an hour (which actually ended up being an hour and a half with the weather) through awful conditions (snow/freezing rain) only to be late for the train...late as in just late, as in I pull into the station turn the car off reach for the door handle only to see the train pulling away from the platform. And that about sums up the days direction...just a little off track for me. I took the next train a half hour later and in another hour and a half I was in the heart of the city and hightailing to the convention centre and sneaking in the back just in time to hear the start of BlogPodium discussions. (Side Bar...Go Transit has some of the best customer service I have ever experienced!)

BlogPodium was a great event, well attended and with a great discussion on blogs and media, but I found it did not really apply to me; at this point in time, I do not consider myself a design blogger, rather a lifestyle blogger and so the discussion surrounding getting published and press coverage for your blog on Design TV or in Design Mags, was in the end a bit beyond the purview of my blog. No matter it was a great discussion with a wonderful panel of 'media mavens' and I enjoyed listening in and took away a few really great pointers. I look forward to the next discussion which is to be about monetizing your blog...something any blogger can relate to I suspect.

As far as IDS is concerned, while I may be the only designer to say this, I never fail to be a bit disappointed. Having been absent from this event for several years I guess I expected to be blown away by the new and exciting, and I was not. Don't get me wrong, I saw some great things, but nothing that knocked my socks off. What surprised me most was that I had no intention of wearing my 'Gallerist hat'.  I had intended on simply representing my blog and my newly conceived design business (Your Muskoka Design Assistant), but by far the best of the show for me was Studio North and Prototype where I met some wonderful product designers with...get this...wonderful product! (which I'm not gonna share at the moment until I can secure it in the gallery).  The best of the rest of the show for me personally was not the best because it was the most innovative, or groundbreaking, but the best because I just personally like the style.


I can so see myself soaking in this tub by Native Trails



Perfect winter cabin look from Up Country and the ode to the British would make my hubby feel at home.



This metal chest from Elte is an organizers dream.



These Vista Teak chairs in a bright apricot from Andrew Richard Designs brightened my whole day.



And because I'm a mom, I thought these indoor play gyms; Rhapsody by Cedarworks were to die for!

 I was supposed to meet my oldest daughter after the show for a bit of downtown shopping, but her bus from Kitchener was late and so I trekked to the Eaton Centre and back alone (and empty handed...my heart just wasn't in it). She made it just in time to catch our train north back to Barrie where she was going for the weekend to see friends. We had a wonderful visit on the train ride, but not what we had planned on.

I was back in the gallery Saturday for a quiet day as the weather was not good, and Sunday was spent trying to get the laundry room and bathroom closer to completion. The extent of the chaos from not having the laundry room functional is getting to me...an update on all that later in the week.

There you have it...my take on things, for what it's worth.

Happy Monday...or Tuesday as I've posted this a bit late.

Blog Podium...IDS 2012 et al...

So this is the week of all weeks...I am excited to be attending Blog Podium this Friday, my first ever Blogger event. I have no idea what to expect, I am nervous and excited all rolled into one. My only worry is that I am awaiting a medical appointment that is beyond my control and just hope it won't be scheduled for Friday...fingers crossed for me please!

I spent the weekend exploring new blogs, and I am struck by the number of bloggers who sell their services as designers. Many have no formal education in Interior Design but have a knack that they are now basing a business on. I have no real problem with this other than it can be somewhat irksome when I spent a gazillion dollars for my formal design education which I am still paying for. None the less, there is a lot of talent out there and that talent deserves to be shared. It got me thinking though about the validity of formal design training, and the term 'Interior Designer'.

Interior Designers (in Canada) have graduated from a 3 year Interior Design program at an accredited college or a longer degree program through a University, and have had rigorous training in structure, building code, life safety, drafting, space planning, programming, budgeting, lighting, millwork design and detailing. The fun stuff, the 'icing' as I call it comes later and is as much innate as it is learned. We cover off colour theory, history, learn about fabrics and finishes, but what they cannot teach you is style...you either have it or your don't.

Interestingly in the province of Ontario only members of the Association of Interior Designers of Ontario  (ARIDO) can legally use the title 'Interior Designer'. On their website they note that "the Association will take all necessary legal steps to protect the title "Interior Designer" and ensure non-authorized parties do not use this designation or "ARIDO" behind their names." So for me, I am not registered with ARIDO (for financial reasons) and even though I have paid a gazillion dollars for my Interior Design education (graduated from an accredited 3 year program with honors) I cannot call myself an Interior Designer without the possibility of penalty. I am okay with that. The basis of the law is to protect the consumer. And though I have all the formal training, there has to be a governing body to ensure the consumer is protected.  I question how many consumers understand the difference between a designer and a decorator, and how many know of the law meant to protect them. Did you know that as an Interior Designer you can be held accountable if a project you worked on has any failings and causes bodily harm? Yup. Did you know that Interior Designers carry liability insurance to protect themselves and their clients?

My question is this; with the world of design blogging exploding, is the line between Interior Designer and Interior Decorator becoming fuzzy, and does that fuzzy line put the consumer at risk? Or perhaps it is that design bloggers have opened the flood gates even further than HGTV did originally to enable the DIYer on a whole new level. Have they negated the need on a residential level for Interior Designers and Decorators, or are they bolstering the industry?

It is a very interesting time where everyone and her brother seems to be in the industry and when you come across a website where the 'designer's' credentials are noted as having watched a lot of design programs and read many design magazine's and books, you have to wonder where the line in the sand should be drawn, and by whom?

Let me just reiterate; I love design bloggers, and I believe they are changing the world of design for the better. I feel personally that they generate a dialogue never before seen, and a community in which to share ideas freely and without prejudice. I fell out of love with design for a while, and through this world that has opened up to me, I have fallen in love again, I feel energized, inspired, and invigorated by all the possibilities and promise. Most of the design bloggers I have come across are intelligent, articulate, and extremely talented. I trust that those who have created a business with this talent only offer services they are qualified to perform, and that where necessary they seek the professional services of an Interior Designer or Architect. Those that do not and the people that hire them need to be aware of the consequences.

So it is with excitement that head into this week, where I get to attend Blog Podium, listen and learn about this wonderful world of blogging, and I get to attend The Interior Design Show all the same day!
Here's to a wonderful week, of inspiration.

Happy Monday all!