Yesterday started off being what I will forever call “the awesomely bad day.” It was full of frustration, mishaps and miscommunications. It was one of those days when I felt like I was fighting the universe. Have you had one of those? Well luckily, something magical happened… I met Martha Stewart.

Yeah I said it, Martha. And I totally called my mom and told her I met Martha!

Yesterday evening I had the opportunity to go to the Dialogues in Design  event at Martha Stewart Omnimedia Headquarters, featuring Nicolette Naumann, of the tradeshow Messe Frankfurt/Ambiente and Martha Stewart. It was an evening that covered the benefits of trade shows as a means to help designers market themselves and put them on equal footing with the big companies. And for the big companies, they can meet the next big thing.

{ an instagram of martha and nicolette }

I learned a few lessons too. From Nicolette, American designers don’t do international trade shows, and FYI, the international shows want to feature more American talent. You have to think of Ambiente as more than a trade show. It’s a design experience set on a campus, where as a designer, one can meet like-minded souls and interested parties. Think Networking, Marketing and Manufacturing on a international platform.

{messe frankfurt/ambiente campus}

And from Martha, I learned the importance of understanding international markets. For example, Martha’s brand has branched out  into the Japanese Market, where appliances and furnishings are made on a smaller scale. However even if the scale changes, it should not affect the brand’s integrity.

With a few ideas to think about today is already looking great compared to yesterday. Since, I am talking trade shows, I’m headed to ICFF this weekend and will recap the fun design adventures next week!

It’s my birthday and my big plan for today is to take the advice of poet Derek Walcott and “Feast on [my] Life.”

This year has been such a blessing. Already, I knew I was blessed with amazing friends and family but I don’t think a year ago I would have thought I would be living and working in an almost-new-to-me city. And did I mention loving it? I can’t wait to see what wonderful opportunities and adventures the next year brings!

Oh…and this is pretty sound birthday advice too {winking at DWJ}…

Last Thursday, hours after getting off the plane from Las Vegas, I got fancy and  headed over to the Washington Design Center for the opening of  DreamHome: Jewel Tones of Design. Inspired by jewelry selections from several DC boutiques, eight local DC  designers created rooms that reflected the special beauty of each piece.

I was lucky enough to have worked on this room with Lorna Gross of  Savant Interior Design. It was inspired by a gorgeous pair of white and canary diamond earrings form Pampillonia Jewelers.

Here I am with Alex Kaufman, who wears the jewelry that inspired Savant’s  feminine take on a Club Room. Lucky Girl! And my goodness, you should have seen the matching ring; it was gorgeous too! (Audrey Hepburn-SWOON)

All of the rooms illustrated the diversity in the designers approaches to design, with rooms ranging from traditional to contemporary and everything in between, based on the jewelry chosen.

Here are some images from our neighbors at DreamHome. Shades of yellows and golds really stood out to me in both of the rooms, below along with gorgeous accents like the  chandelier in Susan Nelson’s room  and the luxurious bedding in Zoe Feldman’s Suite. Both rooms also featured their own take on the peacock chair.

{dreamhome living room by susan nelson interiors}

{dreamhome’s bedroom suite by zoe feldman interiors}

Below is a glimpse of the  reading room, designed by Robert Shields Interiors. It was filled with some really amazing artwork and interior architecture.

Of course this is just a peek of DreamHome, so I definitely suggest checking it out for yourself. The best part is that it runs through December 9th, 2011. So even if you aren’t in DC  now or are planning to visit later, there’s plenty of time to stop by the DreamHome.