Wyoming Arts Council

Western Design Conference adds Designer Show House to Sept. 10-13 event

Featured News | August 19, 2015

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From a press release:

Design enthusiasts have even more to look forward to this year at the Western Design Conference (WDC) in Jackson Hole, Sept. 10-13. In addition to the four-day annual Exhibit + Sale and the Live Auction + Fashion Show at the Opening Preview Party, this year’s WDC – the world’s preeminent exhibition of handcrafted Western furniture, fashion and accessories – will feature an all new Designer Show House at the center of the exhibit space inside the Jackson Snow King Events Center.

Featuring six professionally designed rooms by Jackson Hole interior designers for guests to explore, the Designer Show House “gets Western Design Conference guests thinking beyond the remarkable individual objects and onto the idea of creating entire rooms,” says WDC Executive Director Allison Merritt. Guests of the WDC Opening Preview Party on Sept. 10 will have the additional opportunity to meet and talk with the show house interior designers who will be in their rooms and available to discuss their work.

“I am thrilled with the inclusion of the Designer Show House in this year’s event,” says Merritt. “We have such incredibly talented designers in Jackson, and to give each of them a life-size platform to showcase their work is exciting for the Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale. We’re pleased to be able to provide attendees such a visual and interactive design experience in real room settings.”

The Designer Show House foyer will be designed by Rush Jenkins and Klaus Baer of WRJ Design. Inspired by the natural beauty that surrounds its Jackson headquarters, the firm is known for imparting the special harmony and serenity of its Teton setting to interior designs in Jackson Hole and across the country. WRJ also designed the exterior facade and floor plan of rooms for the WDC Designer Show House in collaboration with JLF & Associates and Big-D Signature.

The great room of the show house will be designed by Terry and Claudia Winchell of Fighting Bear Antiques, who specialize in furnishings by Thomas Molesworth, rustic furniture, American Indian beadwork, Navajo rugs and textiles, and other fine antiques. The Winchells’ expertise includes discovering special historical Western pieces by early craftsmen whose work now serves as inspiration for some of the WDC’s contemporary functional artists.

“The participating interior designers were allowed to choose the function of their rooms in the Designer Show House and incorporate pieces from WDC juried artists,” explains Merritt, “so this year’s setting includes two dining rooms.” One dining room will feature the work of EK Reedy Interiors. Believing that interiors are an expression of beauty and performance, EK Reedy founder Katherine Reedy takes her years of New York experience and applies her design processes to the vast spaces in Wyoming and around the country. Forsyth & Brown will also design a dining room for the WDC. For more than 18 years partners Jodi Forsyth and Amy Brown have been designing homes for a highly discerning national clientele as well as working locally in Shooting Star and the Jackson Hole Four Seasons.

The show house’s bedroom will be designed by Victoria Scarlett Interior Designs. With more than 25 years of experience in both commercial and residential design, Victoria Scarlett has managed the production and installation of projects all over the world. And Xssentials, a Jackson Hole firm known for designing home technology solutions and automated systems, will create a music room to complete the floor plan. The Western Design Conference Designer Show House is sponsored byLintonBingle Associate Brokers and Spring Creek Ranch, as well as by all of the participating interior design firms.

The Western Design Conference Opening Preview Party and Ward + Blake Architects-sponsored Fashion Show take place Sept. 10 at the Snow King Center. The WDC continues Sept. 11 –13 with the Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale, the Designer Show House, and Retail Row shopping. Three-day passes for the Exhibit + Sale are $15; tickets for the Opening Preview Party, Live Auction and Fashion Show are $50/person; $125/person for limited reserved seating. For tickets, visit http://westerndesignconference.com/events/.

 

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