This daylong event, which offers up to 6-CEU credits, is organized by the Manhattan Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and the Architects & Designers Building. Set up as an educational forum for design professionals, it will include six informational sessions centered around the kitchen and bath. Author and design journalist Jen Renzi will present a session on the latest trends in the Italian tile industry and show off some of her favorite K&B installations.   Later in the day there will be a panel on general design trends. Moderated by Paul Makovsky, editorial director, Metropolis Magazine, this session will cover current challenges and trends in K&B from the perspective of a designer, architect, dealer, developer and manufacturer. Panelists include: Laura Bohn, principal, Laura Bohn Design Associates; Scott Bromley, senior partner, Bromley Caldari, Architects, PC; Nancy Epstein, founder and CEO, Artistic Tile; Abby Hamlin, president/developer, Hamlin Ventures LLC and John O’Meara, strategic business development manager, Häfele America.

When: March 16, 2010 from 9:00AM-6:00PM

Where: Architects & Designers Building, 150 E 58^th St, NYC

The Armory Show is in town at multiple venues and brings with it lots of VIP events. Now in its twelfth edition, the show marks another milestone and is introducing Armory Focus, a new section that will feature an important art community every year and is premiering with 22 of the best galleries from Berlin. It’s sister fair – VOLTA NY is running concurrently at 7W New York (we were there today and the line to get in was around the block!!) We’re anxious to check out  the panel discussion tomorrow from 11:00AM-1:30PM at the A&D Building. Moderated by David Colman, design & style columnist from the New York Times, The Aesthetic Upside on the Downturn: Art & Design in the Current Economy will feature an equally impressive group of panelists including: Nicholas Baume, director & chief curator, The Public Art Fund; Wendy Goodman, author & design editor, New York Magazine; and Mayer Rus, design & culture editor of the Los Angeles Times Magazine.

When: March 3-7, 2010

Where: The Armory Show: Pier 92 & 94/VOLTA NY: 7W New York

There has been a great deal of press this month related to Marina Abramovic, the 63 year-old Yugoslavian-born performance artist, leading up to her forthcoming MoMA retrospective, The Artist is Present. However, one of the artist’s most telling installations is a very personal one indeed:  Abramovic’s living quarters, divided among two residences – a loft in Soho and a star-shaped country house in Malden Bridge, NY.

As reported in an article in today’s New York Times, the interiors that the artist splits her time between are spare and minimalist, but not without generous splashes of color and a rigorous, well-curated sense of order.  Sea-foam green kitchen accents in both residences impart a tone of serenity to the space, informed by a design principle that is not so shocking, coming from an artist who has designed her own sets and has carefully chosen props in performance pieces such as The House with the Ocean View, a work which entailed the creation of a faux living space in a gallery, where Abramovic’s everyday activities became spectacle to the onlooking crowd.

Abramovic created the spaces with the help of Manhattan-based architect Dennis Wedlick, adding such well-appointed architectural signatures as furniture by Patricia Urquiola, Knoll, and the Eames brothers.

The Artist is Present opens at the Museum of Modern Art on March 14 and runs through May 31.

House with an ocean view: in the dining room, a table by Paolo Canevari is joined by Gio Ponti chairs and an Artemide lamp. Photo: Bruce Beck for The New York Times

Established in 2004, the annual Lester Dundes Design Competition recognizes the work of great designers and their projects, and commends members of the New York chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA NY) for their participation in these projects.

Named after the renowned publisher of Interior Design Magazine, Lester Dundes was an industrious advocate of interior design and established the Interior Design “Hall of Fame”.  The competition honors the memory of Dundes and all that he stood for in the industry.

Entries must be postmarked by May 5, 2010, and the respected projects must have been completed after January 1, 2009. The presentation of the award will be held on June 24, 2010 at IIDA NY’s event sponsor Haworth’s showroom.  It’s never to early to submit your entry!

For fans of Dutch design, there is another reason to admire the country distinguished by the Design Academy Eindhoven and its crop of vanguard designers. As part of the new “Just Be. In Holland.” marketing campaign, the Netherlands’ Board of Tourism & Conventions is giving visitors to their website, Holland.com, the chance to win a prime example of Dutch design:  the Carbon Chair, designed by Bertjan Pot and Marcel Wanders (two famous graduates of Design Academy Eindhoven) for Holland’s own, Moooi. The contest will be open until this Wednesday, March 3. With an offer this sweet, we say “Just Be” there or be square!

The International Interior Design Association’s New York chapter (IIDA NY) is now calling for entries for scholarships in interior design. Five winners will receive a $3000 scholarship and a year-long membership to IIDA NY; five honorable mentions will also be awarded membership.

A professional networking and educational association, the IIDA NY has more than 600 members in ten specialty Forums. Benefits of membership include resources to access experts, knowledge and information about interior design, and contacts within the industry. Networking is encouraged, and events promote bonds of trust, collaboration, and innovation. Founded in 1994, the association’s mission is to represent interior designers worldwide, while encouraging advancement and education within the industry.

The contest is open to junior, senior, and graduate students who are enrolled in an accredited New York State Interior Design program only. Students will be judged on the quality of their portfolio, and their stated philosophy of design. March 19, 2010 is the official deadline, and consideration will only be given to the first 75 applicants, so get your submission in soon!

Dim sum galore and the occasional “dragon”, as well as the design industry’s finest, were on hand last week at the ECCO Design annual Chinese New Year’s event celebrating the year of the tiger. Distinguished guests present at the firm’s Flat Iron location included ECCO’s very own Eric Chan, the always eye-catching Karim Rashid and his wife, Ivanka Puric, Interior Design’s Helene Oberman, and Metropolis Magazine’s Paul Makovsky.

Karim Rashid, Ivanka Puric, Helene Oberman, and Paul Makovsky. Image courtesy of ECCO Design. Additional thanks to Carol Vanderkloot.

Last week, the Museum of Arts and Design launched “Portable Treasuries,” a fantastic new exhibit showcasing masterpieces of silver jewelry from three major regions of the world.  We figured, who better to attend the opening than our friend Eleonora Milano, a young and extremely talented jewelry designer from Italy.  Check out what she had to say about the exhibit, which is on display until August 8…

On a typical New York February evening, I faced a snowy pale gray Manhattan with my shiny silver rain-boots and went to the MAD Museum for the opening of Portable Treasuries: Silver Jewelry from the Nadler Collection, a jewelry exhibition curated by Dorothy Globus and Laura Stern which showcases about 150 works, from North Africa, India and Southeast Asia.

After a warm welcome by the museum staff and a glass of white wine, I went up to the second floor, and as I walked up the stairs, I was instantly enamored by the chunky and eye-catching neck pieces.

I was immediately charmed by the design of every necklace, large earrings, stunning bracelets and gorgeous fibulae. I was totally captured by their geometrical and circular shapes, by the power and weight of these pieces made with thick wire or with large sheets of hammered silver, that created intricate yet clean shapes. Some wire was woven together, or bent in a spiral, some was hammered flat and the clasp or closure of the pieces was made by the same wire, which created an effective, simple and elegant hook system. It made my eye follow the path of the wire and concentrate on the balance of the final piece. So ancient, yet so contemporary!

It was also interesting to read about the native traditions of why and when jewelry was given as a gift or as part of a dowry or to indicate the status of a woman or a man in a social environment.

My favorite work was the Miao Necklace by an anonymous artist, from Guizhou or Yunan Province, China, 19^th – 20^th century, a very thick wire bent in hypnotical circles that form a never-ending concentric spring.

Miao Necklace, Guizhou or Yunan Province, China

For 4 days only, March 18-21, get ready to be informed and inspired & explore the very latest ideas and products for the home —from furniture and lighting to kitchens and baths – at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. Whether starting from scratch or searching for that one perfect object to complete a project, the show is organized with both design professionals and consumers in mind.  It’s one-stop- shopping with exhibits from almost 300 premium brands, and an antique/mid-century section presented by 1stdibs.com

And, if you need another reason to head for the Hudson in March, DIFFA’s Dining By Design is not to be missed. It’s an impressive showcase of creative talents and cutting-edge products! In addition, Go Green, the nation’s leading eco-friendly trade and consumer showcase, runs concurrently March 18-21 at Pier 92.

WHERE: Pier 94, 12^th Ave. @ 55^th St., New York City

WHEN:  Thursday – Sunday, March 18 – 21, 2010 from 10am – 6pm

Thursday, March 18 is trade preview day with programs geared specifically for the design trade. Admission throughout show hours is complimentary for registered interior designers and licensed architects with two forms of business credentials.

The winners are out for the International Housewares Association’s Student Design Competition. The competition, now in its 17^th year, challenges college-level design students to redesign a current housewares product.  This year, the award for first place, $5,000, will be split by two student winners who tied in the top tier for their innovative and original designs.  Teddy Lu, a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, placed first for his design of TubTub, a multi-functional bath tub that accommodates a newborn baby.  The second first place winner, Trevis Kurz of Ohio State University, won for his design of the Sanas Smoke Alarm. In addition to the first place category, there are winners in second place, third place, and honorable mention categories. Want to meet these rising stars? Student winners will be present at the 2010 International Home + Housewares Show, in Chicago March 14-16.

For more information on the IHA Student Design Competition, click here

Interested in attending this year’s International Home & Housewares Show? You can still register by clicking here

TubTub, the winning entry by Teddy Lu