Words of Wisdom from Iris Apfel on the 100 year anniversary of Thermador with Traditional Home magazine
Cheers to One Hundred Years
of Stellar Design!
Celebrating in New York City with Thermador, Traditional Home magazine and Iris Apfel.
Thermador's Beatriz Sandoval,
Iris Apfel &
Traditional Home editor, Tori Mellott
Three nights ago, I attended Thermador's 100 years of iconic design celebration. It was a lovely collaboration with Traditional Home magazine's editor Tori Mellott interviewing style icon, Iris Apfel to a packed room of notable design talents in the historic Payne Whitney House on Fifth Avenue in New York City. It was inspiring and uplifting to hear first-hand from Iris, a design super talent who paved the road for many of us in the design and fashion industries many moons ago when she launched the now renowned fabric house, Old World Weavers. With her husband Carl, Iris built Old World Weavers to become the premiere luxury brand it is today and now owned by Stark Carpet. The fabric house is known for its supreme crewel, damask and rich silks and embroideries.
Through the years, Iris went on to become one of the most prolific fashion, interior design and style icons of our time. Through her own life and accomplishments, Iris Apfel encourages others to creatively think outside the box. Traditional Home magazine's editor and moderator, Tori Mellott did a fantastic job of keeping the crowd enthralled and on the edge of our seats to hear words of wisdom from Iris. Iris Apfel spoke frankly about how she developed her unique design style as a young girl. Then, I enjoyed hearing about when she and her husband traveled to Europe in the 1950s to grow their burgeoning fabric house. She told how during these trips she would collect large fabric swatches, then befriend tailors in every city she visited in order to whip up special garments to don. This was the foundation she built upon to create the iconic fashion style she is known for today. She also told of her dedication to finding her unique design voice, and how she squelched the voices of those who argued women should try and simply fit into the mainstream. It was my first time meeting Iris Apfel, but over the years I have gotten to know her personality through the sheer fascination the design world has for her commitment to staying true to ones unique style. She is a true renaissance woman!
Through the years, Iris went on to become one of the most prolific fashion, interior design and style icons of our time. Through her own life and accomplishments, Iris Apfel encourages others to creatively think outside the box. Traditional Home magazine's editor and moderator, Tori Mellott did a fantastic job of keeping the crowd enthralled and on the edge of our seats to hear words of wisdom from Iris. Iris Apfel spoke frankly about how she developed her unique design style as a young girl. Then, I enjoyed hearing about when she and her husband traveled to Europe in the 1950s to grow their burgeoning fabric house. She told how during these trips she would collect large fabric swatches, then befriend tailors in every city she visited in order to whip up special garments to don. This was the foundation she built upon to create the iconic fashion style she is known for today. She also told of her dedication to finding her unique design voice, and how she squelched the voices of those who argued women should try and simply fit into the mainstream. It was my first time meeting Iris Apfel, but over the years I have gotten to know her personality through the sheer fascination the design world has for her commitment to staying true to ones unique style. She is a true renaissance woman!
After the talk, Tori and I chatted about how special the evening was because it quenches our desire in this community to share our personal stories of triumph and commitment to design--similar to a girl scout's campfire chat to bond and inspire one another.
read about my trip cooking with Thermador
This was a 100 year celebration of Thermador's commitment to quality kitchens, and that is also impressive. A few years ago, I was invited by Thermador and Traditional Home to travel to Southern California and cook with them in their home kitchen. We shopped together, then cooked and shared a meal as a way to better explore their state of the art products. What a tremendous and memorable experience it was. It also acts as a reminder to me about how special and unique Traditional Home magazine is, a shelter magazine amongst a sea of glossy publishers, but different because the editors and publishers of Traditional Home get to know many of us personally in the industry, helping to keep our community a close-knit family.
Congratulations to 100 years of quality design, and also to how wonderful it is that we live in a time and place where we can stay committed to finding our own unique voice, and then share that with the world!
Happy Nesting
XO Tamara
Beatriz Sandoval, Marc Thee & interior designer,
Lisa Mende
Iris with my talented friend
Traditional Home's Lori Sheldon
Thermador, Traditional Home and Iris Apfel
designers John Douglas Eason, Ron Marvin & Jim Beckmann
a fantastic team put this evening together
sharing Iris' love for oversized eye ware
interior designer Michael Tavano with Ann Maine
public relations guru, Lisa McMahon (donning a Launch by Susan Young original--my fabric company root cellar designs' other half) with Traditional Home editor, Ann Maine
photography Zach Hilty BFA.com
