Inspiration & Highlights

I came away after my 3 day walk of the New York International Gift Fair feeling inspired by what I saw, and even more excited by what goods I found for the Watson Kennedy shops & website. It is always great to see the many familiar faces of folks I have done business with for what is now many years. Many are now friends, so it is a delight to catch up a bit, and see what new product they are offering.

I was a blog contributor to ‘NYIGF 100 Days of Design’ and they have asked all of us to write a follow-up post about our thoughts on the show. My feeling has always been that the New York show is really the best there is. People travel from around the world to exhibit, and to attend. I am always impressed and inspired by the diversity & range of goods I see.

I continue to see a wonderful trend of re-purposing things, which always inspires me. How can we turn something that will be discarded into something creative, and usable again? I saw many, many examples, and my top 5 picks fall into the repurposed category.

From the discarded library books that are given new life with an artistic cover and binding, to the shards of canvas that are pieced together to create a floor or wall covering. The Italian book plates that are hand tinted and turned into a beautiful works of art. To the tree stumps that are made into beyond beautiful cheese boards, to the vintage French mail sacks that are then made into carry-all bags.

These are a few images of my favorite finds. I wrote 60+ orders in the three days I walked the show, and I am excited about each and every thing. It is always the trill of the hunt, and I found some real gems.