How does Paris influence your work?

It is always invigorating to be in Paris with like-minded designers, as the city offers so much inspiration to draw from and discuss, but it is the ability to connect and create relationships with the artisans who exhibit their textiles, furnishings and lighting creations, that influences my work tremendously.

Unlike many of the other design weeks I attend, Paris Design Week impresses upon me the importance of immersing myself at an artisanal level. My connection to my work deepens as I am reminded of the skill and effort it takes to create, manufacture and sell fine design products. These experiences cannot help but create a deeper relationship between me and my work and are reflected in the outcome.

My practice is also influenced by fashion, and there is no better place to find that stimulation than in Paris. My colleagues and I made a point of visiting various fashion showrooms to peruse the new collections and, of course, investigate the sales! But, the most inspiring part of these visits was being in the fashion showrooms themselves, from Isabel Marant’s paired down, chic décor, to Sonia Rykiel’s walls of books, to the fabulously eccentric and aspirational interiors at Dries Van Noten.

Standout collection...GO!

The new collection showing was presented in the notable Automobile Club de France, at the Place de la Concorde.  The collections are fresh and modern with the quality and the depth of color you would expect from Pierre Frey. Although the new patterns, influenced by the 1970’s, South African Tribes, and exoticism of the Orient are daring and loud, which I love, I was intrinsically drawn to the solids and textures. I envisioned these lush silks, velvets and wools upholstering my Parisian furniture finds in colors beautifully named Malachite, Tourmaline and Vision.

Kristin N. Fay

Trauner Fay Designs — Wilson, WY

@traunerfaydesigns

What do you find most valuable about attending Paris Design Week?

The opportunity to meet the creative teams who have worked tirelessly on all aspects involved in launching the new fabrics for the season.  To hear what the inspiration and construction process was during the design of the new collection gives me a talking point when showing the fabric to my clients.

Name your one standout collection introduced this year (we know it’s hard....)

I loved Dedar’s outdoor fabric collection.  So often outdoor fabric is designed with the coastal look, which does not translate well to the mountains of Jackson Hole. This new collection is beautiful, simple and practical for any territory.

Kristi Will

Kristi Will Design — Half Moon Bay, CA

@kristiwill_design

What do you find most valuable about attending Paris Design Week?

Having an interior design business there are many facets to how we source and find inspiration for our projects. Attending Paris Design Week brought a closer, more in-depth focus to our favorite vendors and manufacturers. A good example of this was our private tour of the Hermès factory, located just outside Paris - in an unmarked group of buildings within a residential neighborhood. We spent four hours touring the silver department - Puiforcat and the Hermès special projects division (sorry, no photos allowed). The highlight was meeting the master silversmith who shared the Hermès tradition which dates back 200 years. When I asked him what his favorite tool was he replied, “his mind”. He went on to share that the traditional techniques have been passed down and he now sees his greatest gift to train the fourteen craftsmen in his department. He also commented that he thinks about what the Master’s before him would think of his teaching.