1. You chose to base your design on a Generation X client, why?

I chose this generation because it is fits into my ideal client demographic. I’ve been working with a Visual Strategist for the last six months and find it productive to work with my ideal client in mind always.

Loft floor plan © Meredith Heron Design

2. Generational groups are useful shorthand – but what are the other big demographic factors you consider when creating design concept for a client?

We take into consideration a client’s education & profession, personal and functional preferences and of course level of investment they are seeking to make when putting together a concept. We also factor in other people who will be using this space including children, grandchildren and pets. We spend a lot of time redesigning spaces from the ideal designer space into something that is ‘puppy friendly’ it seems.

Inspiration Board © Meredith Heron Design

3. When you designed your project did you have a specific client, imaginary or otherwise, in mind? Could you picture them?

Sophisticated, fashion-oriented female professional who loves to travel as much as she loves to work hard and enjoy the fruits of her labours. The space is both a personal sanctuary and a place to entertain.

4. Tools of the trade – do you have early sketches with pencil and paper – or work digitally exclusively?

95% of our business is sold based on my thumbnail sketches. I prefer to draw out our concepts quickly by hand including floor plans/furniture plans to show the concept to the client. Scaled drawings and digital work is to fine tune the concept.

Concept Sketch © Meredith Heron Design

We put together tear sheets of specific items for the space after the concept has been communicated to the client, though we do use digital images via pinterest and other online photo sites to help communicate the look/feel we are going for in addition to our concept sketches.
I often tell young designers that if you do too good a job in communicating what the final look is going to be like, you leave yourself no room to improvise or improve upon your own design when it comes to being installed. This can work against you with some clients so we like our sketches to be enough to excite the client and get the approval but we still want them to be a little bit fuzzy on what they are envisioning the final look to be.

Join us for a tour of Meredith’s inspiration boards for her KBIS Design Studio project and feel free to contact Meredith at @meredithheron on Twitter or leave a comment below if you have questions about the products and finishes she’s using. You can also head over to Meredithheron.com for more information about her work.

Special thanks to KBIS Design Studio sponsor, Zia Priven:

Concept Board © Meredith Heron Design

Concept Board © Meredith Heron Design

Concept Board © Meredith Heron Design

Concept Board © Meredith Heron Design

Concept Board © Meredith Heron Design

Concept Board © Meredith Heron Design

Concept Board © Meredith Heron Design

Tell us about Meredith Heron, the woman behind the brand:
1. What’s the first song that comes into your head NOW?
Maroon 5’s – Sad is playing as I type this. It was on shuffle so there are no Freudian/profound psychological inferences to be made here.

2. What’s the last thing you bought yourself, as a gift?
A Dior handbag in Florence Italy. Well that’s the last time I called it a gift (my 40th birthday present to myself). Everything else was filed under “needed.”

3. Whose interiors would you most like to see?
I’d love a tour of Miles Redd’s townhouse though Mary McDonald’s ‘cock pit’ is a close second. She tells me that this is the hub of her business and it’s all black with no windows. I don’t know if I believe her or not.

4. For whom, living or dead, would you most like to design an interior?
Without a doubt Bill & Hillary Clinton. I have every reason to believe that I could be great friends with both of them and well the stories…

5. Which superhero power would you most like to posses?
You mean in addition to the ones that I already do? I’m not so concerned with the actual powers themselves, I do however, feel that I need my own action figure.

6. And what would your superhero name be?
It’s Red. I already answer to it.

7. If you weren’t a designer (or a superhero) what would you be?
I’ve been told that if Design doesn’t work out for me, that I should seriously consider giving stand up comedy a whirl. I don’t know if my liver could take that though.

Dear Readers,

Many of you know I lost my home in a fire last year on Thanksgiving. It’s taken 4 months of living in temporary housing before we found a new home which we moved in last month on April 1^st. Now, our new house sits near empty as we one piece at a time buy purchases to make our house a home. It was an air mattress at first, then they delivered the mattress for our bed – but we have to wait another 2 months before the bed itself is delivered. It’s not been easy and these 6 months since the fire have felt like an eternity. Perhaps it’s for this reason that my visit to New Orleans last month hit home more than I expected. It’s been 8, nearly 9 years since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005 and yet many residents in New Orleans still do not have homes and/or are still living in unrenovated homes. One of the couples we meet in New Orleans on #BlogTourNola who particularly touched my heart was Joe and Gloria Robert of New Orleans.

~ Photo Credits: Linda Merrill of Surroundings ~

They were newlyweds looking forward to a bright future together when Hurricane Katrina hit. They had lived in their new home only one month before Katrina slammed the city and they lost everything when the levee behind their house was destroyed – one of 53 levees in the city breached by the storm surge – and canal water swallowed the home. The Roberts evacuated the city, staying with various friends and relatives. When the flood waters receded weeks later, Joe and Gloria moved into a pop-up camper in their driveway for a while, but they’ve also been staying with a family member as well.

Nearly eight years later, Joe and Gloria’s house is still uninhabitable. While a new house has been framed out, the building lacks essentials including electrical, drywall, flooring and plumbing. Because Joe is a contractor by trade, he has the skills to work on his house, but he has generously donated much of his free time to volunteering with St. Paul’s Homecoming Center , helping to rebuild other people’s houses. You’ve heard the expression about the cobbler’s children having no shoes? Well that’s Joe. He’s spending all his time and resources helping others.

Joe works on his home little by little, but is often derailed by setbacks such as having his house broken into and his tools stolen. Even though Joe was forced to save up until he could replenish his tool supply, he has not lost his faith in humanity and happens to be one of the most gracious, humble human beings you’ll find.

Fortunately, Joe and Gloria received some good news recently when Storehouse of World Vision selected the couple and their house for a rehab project. A few weeks ago Storehouse joined forces with the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and St. Paul’s Homecoming Center to help rehab kitchens and baths in three houses as a lead-in to NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) which I had the opportunity to attend with #BlogTourNola on April 19-21 in New Orleans.

The Fund Raiser for Joe & Gloria is affectionately being called “Joe to the World”!

While Storehouse and NKBA partners have donated materials, appliances and labor for a new kitchen and bath in the Robert’s house, the rest of the unfinished home still needs lots of TLC. And that’s why World Vision has agreed to dedicate a page to Joe Robert and his story as well as a link to a fundraiser just for Joe. This donation page is coded so that all funds received on this link by May 15 will go to Joe Robert and the folks at St.Paul’s Homecoming Center.

Dear Readers, I ask you to join me in helping give Joe & his wife Gloria a home. You can make a difference in one person’s life – a person who has dedicated the last 8 years to making a difference in other people’s lives. Having lost my own home through a fire I can tell you recreating a home is healing – please join #BlogtourNola, NKBA, KBIS, Storehouse World Vision, and St Pauls Homecoming Center in helping to provide the basic necessity of helping to provide a roof over one’s head

More About Storehouse of World Vision

World Vision’s Storehouse network is comprised of six warehouses across the U.S. that receive corporate donations of new, top-quality goods made available to local community partners for distribution. Goods that are distributed include building materials, school supplies, personal care items, and clothing to over 2.2 million people in low-income communities annually.

More About the National Kitchen & Bath Association

Now celebrating its 50th Anniversary, the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is a not-for-profit trade association that owns the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS®). With nearly 60,000 members, the NKBA has educated and led the kitchen and bath industry since the association’s founding in 1963. The mission of the NKBA is to enhance member success and excellence, promote professionalism and ethical business practices, and provide leadership and direction for the kitchen and bath industry worldwide. For more information, visit the NKBA Press Room or

call 1-800-THE-NKBA (843-6522). KBIS and NKBA are registered trademarks of the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

You can make a difference!

The Antiques Diva®
(seen here with BlogTour Friends)

No stranger to the international homewares scene, Alison Appleton has been crafting and designing some of the most striking collections which are being sold worldwide by stores like Harrods, Anthropology, Zara Home and many others. We’re thrilled to be meeting Alison in person at ICFF next week where she will very likely be included in Modenus’ Trends from the Show report which will air Sunday May 19, live from ICFF.

There’s not a piece in Alison’s current collection that we don’t love and if you want to see them all please head over to her website. We’ve selected four Modenus favorites. Above: Golden Carp.

We’re in love with the bold mix of materials and colors in much of Alison’s work and this is our current favorite: Darcy. The masculine black clay base, made to look like cast iron, beautifully contradicts the delicate porcelain tops and cups. Add a wooden handle for even more dimension and you can see why we’re all gaga over this.

Alison explains that all tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant and this collection is inspired by the plants gently curving petals. The teapot has an integrated stainless steel filter and thankfully the collection is not microwave or dishwasher safe. Make rinsing your cup part of the experience, we love that.

And finally, Woodland, inspired by tales of enchanted forests. We enjoy the whimsy and really love, yet again, the mix of materials, color and, in this case, the angular shape of the handle as it contrasts the soft round shapes of pots and cups.

Perfect for a last minute Mother’s Day gift, yes?

“Through the Eyes of Design Pros” allows interior designers to share their favorite trends and design inspirations from shows, markets and other design events around the world. Toronto based Interior Design talent and dear friend of Modenus, Meredith Heron, shares this wonderful trends report from Highpoint Market.

I am very flattered that Veronika asked me to put together this blog post on my recent visit to High Point Market in North Carolina. If you’ve seen the #hpmkt hash tag now you know what everyone has been referring to – if you were too embarrassed to ask what it was. As a result you will not be suffering from #FOMO any time soon (Fear of Missing Out) and I promise I will keep the acronyms to a minimum and deliver you the goods.

This was my inaugural visit to High Point and while I knew that I was going to be blown away, I was not entirely prepared for the explosion of amazing that I did encounter. Being from the design conservative country of Canada, our stores are filled with beige, bland and safe. Few patterns, everything has a northern European sensibility to it, it seems. High Point was a riot of colour, pattern and daring. I definitely found the mother load on this one.

The number one trend that I come away with from High Point – COCKTAILS. I mean they were everywhere including before Lunch. THAT’S the way to this Redhead’s heart even if I don’t partake. I just like knowing that I could. Apparently my husband discovered the world’s best Bloody Mary. It was becoming embarrassing how many times he and friend/designer Jonathan Legate found a way to go back by that showroom.

What resonates with me most about this trip is colour. It was everywhere. Can I get an AMEN?? I think it bodes well on several fronts. Daring bold colour used anywhere and everywhere makes a statement and not just aesthetically. It implies that consumers are feeling more confident about making purchases and that they are looking to invest in decorating their homes and they are willing to be more daring with it.

Bright, saturated hues were everywhere from chair frames to fabrics – big pieces adorned in large over-scaled patterns made my heart sing. Statement pieces were everywhere. I found myself hugging large pieces of furniture over and over again – it was quite the spectacle.

In addition to the big ball of awesome colour the trend toward the embellished was also a huge take away. Embroidery, much like the way it is on the runway, was everywhere. Appliques on fabrics and furniture pieces were all the rage. I’m sure that with the re-make of The Great Gatsby hitting theatres next week, this will be a strong trend going forward for at least this market and next. I’m loving the feminine influence on decorating. It’s been so streamlined, mid-centuried to death which I find all too  masculine.

Art Wise, over-sized and triptychs/quads were everywhere. Giclees or photographs – the art showrooms weren’t discriminating with this trend. Equestrian artwork isn’t going anywhere either but I was happy to see a wide range of choices to suit. Sadly, I’m still not seeing this translate into retail showrooms in Canada but one can hope. I’m horsed-out to be honest.

I’ve been shouting from atop my Soapbox for almost three years about the virtue of gold/brass and it seems that High Point agrees with me now. It was everywhere but other metals weren’t ignored as a result. I think metallics are huge and mixing them even more so. The Industrial and Abandoned Belgian Farmhouse was still around but I feel that there was less of this (annoying) trend than in previous years. I skipped showrooms that were flaunting it as I’m SO SO SO SO over it. Did I mention that I’m over it? Seeing sparkle and bling was enough to lure me in. Global Views and their new company Studio A had more sparkle than a jewelry store. I actually had to visit that showroom three times to properly absorb all that there was to see.

My favourite showroom was Chelsea House featuring a new collection by Lisa Kahn who also happens to be a dear friend. Well-appointed pieces that work in a myriad of decor styles Transitional to Traditional their versatility was most impressive. Strong feminine would be how I describe it – so totally up my alley. Lisa also serves as creative director for Chelsea House and her curation was sublime. I have two blogs devoted to my worship of this showroom links to which you can find below.  In the meantime, here’s a little taste of what to expect from them.

Speaking of cocktails, I think cocktails are definitely in order after all of this fabulosity. Make mine a double!

Want to read more about Meredith’s finds in Highpoint? See links below:

Photography has been with us now for almost two hundred years, so you might think there’s not much new to do with the art form.  And you’re probably right.  So I was pleased to see that photography connoisseur Rick Wester is representing Brooklyn-born photographer Joni Sternbach, an artist who is going back to the foundations of the craft and using a process first developed during the 1850s to create tintype images.

Unlike modern photographs – wait, those are all digital now – maybe I should say, unlike photographs of the 20^th century which used a negative process and thus allowed multiple images to be printed from a single source leading to numerous variations of the same image, tintypes are 1-offs and unique works of art which by their very making cannot be duplicated.  Collodion photographic emulsion fixes the image and when placed against the darkened background of the metal plate, produces a picture with a ghostly silver image.

Sternbach’s series of surfers posing with their boards in the brilliance of the summer sun provides the perfect subject for this technique – the bright silvery background of a sunny day contrasting with the stony beach and grasses in shades of grey and black.  As these are made in negative form, the image is actually reversed.  When first used in the 1860s they were vital to spreading the popularity of photography as a photographer could quickly take images and develop them for the client in a matter of minutes and present them with an image that was stable, sturdy and long lasting.

I can’t help but think that I’m looking at an image from the distant past, but this series was done between 2006 and 2011.  This scene of twin brothers sitting with their surfboard is reminiscent of haunting images of soldiers going off to fight in the Civil War with their stern expressions and stiff poses.  Sternbach’s  cleverness is in taking an ordinary day at the beach and capturing a distinctly beautiful moment in time.

© Joni Sternbach, Courtesy Rick Wester Fine Art, New York

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PS: Thank you for stopping by and reading my feature today.  I love what I do as an interior designer and art advisor, and it’s my hope that through these blog posts I’m enriching and heightening your aesthetic sensibility towards art, design and fabulous interiors in some way ~ Richard Rabel (a.k.a. the modern sybarite)

Many others around the world don’t have the privilege of access to clean water sources of any kind and have limited or no water sanitation technologies at their disposal. What can we do about that? How does our daily life affect folks in Africa or South America?

There are many ways to get involved, not least of all financial support and volunteering for networks like “Water for People” who pledge to bring improved water supplies to all those in need – forever. But there is also a need to raise awareness and to celebrate the meaning of  and access to pure clean water.

Enter the BLANCO “Water for People” Pinterest Challenge!

Here’s what you do:

• Create a Pinterest board with the title “BLANCO -Water for People”
•  Pin a minimum of 5 BLANCO products (must include your favorite BLANCO faucet)  plus as many images that illustrate the importance and beauty of pure water. This can be images of oceans, lakes, rivers, swimming pools or whatever else inspires you.
•  Ask friends and followers to “like” one or more of your images.
•  Submit the link to your board no later than 5pm EST on May 15 to blanco@modenus.com
•  The board with most “likes” wins an IPad Mini 32G

Here’s our example!

Want to do more?

BLANCO great supports “Water for People” through initiatives year round and is hosting a fundraiser through their “Faucet Innovations” Video. Each click on the video  (up to 1000 clicks) results in a donation of $1 to “Water for People”. So go ahead, check out the great new faucet collection by BLANCO and make them donate $1 to a great cause.

Rules and details:

Entries with link to “BLANCO – Water for People” Pinterest board (including your favorite BLANCO faucet) must be received on or before May 15, 5pm EST at blanco@modenus. All entries must include a minimum of 5 BLANCO product images and unlimited amounts of images that relate to PURE WATER.
The board with most “likes” – combined total of all “liked’ images – wins an IPad Mini 32G. Open to entries from the US, Canada and UK. Likes will
only be accepted from active and valid Pinterest accounts, likes from inactive Pinterest accounts may not be counter. Disqualification at the discretion of Modenus LLC. Every board must include a minimum of 5 BLANCO products with at least one BLANCO faucet.

Employees and their families of Modenus LLC and BLANCO America may not participate.

Prizes do not have cash value.
BlogTour contest:
One winner drawn in London will join BlogTour to LA, October 1-6, 2013. One winner drawn in New York will join BlogTour to London, September 18-23, 2013.
Flights are from London or New York on a commercial carrier in coach. Other routes or cabin upgrades may be available but are subject to additional fees payable by the participant. 5 night accommodations, airfare and access to all BlogTour events are included. Standard rules of engagement in BlogTour apply.
Contest void where prohibited. Contest excludes employees of participating exhibitors  and their distributors, dealers, affiliates, subsidiaries, representatives, advertising and promotion agencies, suppliers and the immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each. By submitting images you give permission for images to be published on Modenus.com and it’s social media channels  on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Picasa and other platforms. Your personal information like email or phone number will not be revealed or shared with third parties.

Modenus pledges a $200 donation.

With want to thank our BlogTour sponsors: The NKBA (National Kitchen & Bath Association), KBIS (Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) and Silestone USA who are active supporters of rebuilding efforts in New Orleans and elsewhere around the country and who have played an active role in introducing us to the people that are making a difference. 

 HELP NOW

BlogTour NOLA was our most multi-faceted tour yet. We covered everything from the French Quarter, the Food, the Garden District, the Food, the Design Scene, the Food….you get the idea. But this tour was different.

BlogTour reaches an online audience of well over 1 million people worldwide and with this much visibility we decided we wanted to explore and share the current state of rebuilding efforts in NOLA with our audiences as well.

We spent one day touring the hard hit neighborhoods of Gentilly and the 9th Ward and, to keep things realistic, my personal feeling was that recent media stats announcing an 80% completion rate of NOLA’s reconstruction is about right. A lot of work has indeed been done but a lot still remains as well.

Rebuilding after major storm damage, no matter which part of the country, is never easy as minefields of red tape, corruption and media hype can distort and delay valid efforts and bring doubt to those who simply want to reach out and help.We were privileged to be able to meet with representatives of two initiatives: World Vision in their partnership with St. Paul’s Homecoming Center in Gentilly and the Make It Right foundation in the 9th Ward. Both initiatives support not only rebuilding efforts in New Orleans but in disaster stricken areas around the country and both deserve great respect for the tenacity with which they fight every day to raise funds and locate building materials, recruit volunteers and construction professionals and set to constructing one home after another.

Our Twitter chat on Thursday will allow our team to share their overall impressions of the tour, the architecture, the beauty, the culture..yes, the food and this special day with moments where none of us could speak. We were touched, humbled and inspired by the people who realized that “The cavalry wasn’t going to come and it was up to us to help one another”.

Joe’s story:

Joe and Gloria Robert of New Orleans were newlywedslooking forward to a bright future together when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005.

Residing in their new house for just one month before Katrina slammed the city, the couple lost everything when the levee behind their house was destroyed – one of 53 levees in the city breached by the storm surge – and canal water swallowed the home. The Roberts evacuated the city, staying with various friends and relatives. When the flood waters receded weeks later, Joe and Gloria moved into a pop-up camper in their driveway for a while, but they’ve also been staying with Joe’s daughter from a previous marriage.

Nearly eight years later, Joe and Gloria’s house is still uninhabitable. While a new house has been framed out, the building lacks essentials including electrical, drywall, flooring and plumbing. Because Joe is a contractor by trade, he has the skills to work on his house, but he has generously donated much of his free time to volunteering with St. Paul’s Homecoming Center helping to rebuild other people’s houses.

 Joe works on his home little by little, but is often derailed by setbacks such as having his house broken into and his tools stolen. Even though Joe was forced to save up until he could replenish his tool supply, he has not lost his faith in humanity.

Fortunately, Joe and Gloria received some good news recently when Storehouse of World Vision selected the couple and their house for a rehab project. A few weeks ago Storehouse joined forces with the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and St. Paul’s Homecoming Center to help rehab kitchens and baths in three houses as a lead-in to NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) held April 19-21 in New Orleans.

While Storehouse and NKBA partners have donated materials, appliances and labor for a new kitchen and bath in the Robert’s house, the rest of the unfinished home still needs lots of TLC.

If you want to help, please click the link below to help Joe and St. Paul’s in New Orleans.

HELP NOW

Image via http://www.graziadaily.co.uk - a must read blog for all things style

After over two years and six BlogTours to fabulous design destinations like London, New York, Cologne, Amsterdam and New Orleans we’re now excited to announce our first back to back tour this fall.

BlogTour London will see a select group of International design bloggers at London Design Festival from September 18-23, 2013 and immediately after that in Los Angeles for WESTedge from October 1-6, 2013.

Something that is very important to us, is that the bloggers we invite are genuinely interested in the destination we’re bringing them to. We want the city’s culture and local design scene to be a good fit for your blog so that you can make the most of the experience.

So, this is easy – tell us in comments below or via email at talktous@modenus.com why you should be selected to travel to either London or LA. That’s all.

Planning to attend our “Design Around the World” event at ICFF in New York and at KBB London, on May 19? Perfect!

Anyone who has submitted their comment/email AND attends the event will be entered in the drawing at the show and secure the first spot on either of the tours.

This is my month for attending awards shows! In my last blog post I was telling you about the Young Guns competition, today it’s NKBA – The National Kitchen and Bath Association’s annual award ceremony. While in New Orleans (in my mind you’re reading that with the appropriate southern drawl) as part of #BlogTourNOLA, my interior designer and design blog friends and I were lucky enough to be invited to attend the KBIS (Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) when NKBA announces the winners for the Best Kitchen and the Best Bath during their annual NKBA Design Competition.

Given this was an event for interior designers DESIGNED by interior designers, you can imagine the venue was simply to die for – the coup de grace of the raw warehouse space of Republic was the clustering of crystal chandeliers hanging above center stage and just opposite our dedicated #BlogTourNOLA table in the gallery overlooking the stage. We moved & shook with other design professionals and when the winner for the 2013 Best Kitchen design was announced to be Wendy F. Johnson our #BlogTourNOLA crowd erupted into a roar of applause. A few days later some #BLogTourNOLA friends and I found ourselves dancing at the Spotted Cat with Wendy and I must tell you this girl dances with as much passion as she designs!

As a newbie to the world of Kitchen & Bath Design, I quizzed my friends about the NKBA. While I work with a lot of interior designers in my profession leading antiquing buying tours and offering buying services for interior designers and antique dealers (as well as non-trade, mere shopping mortals) I don’t know much about how the Kitchen and Bath Industry works. While sitting at our table at the awards, I asked my friends (many of whom are NKBA certified as well as interior designers), “When you’re ready to remodel your kitchen or bath, don’t a lot of people just hire a contractor and hope for the best?” My friends nodded, “Yep – and that explains a lot of the poor kitchen design we see. What you should do is have your builder work together with a NKBA designer – the result will be the most beautiful and functional kitchen or bath for your home!”

When doing a kitchen or bath, always consult an expert. Choosing the right design professional is an important decision for your project’s success. By selecting an NKBA-certified designer, you will be working with a professional who has demonstrated comprehensive knowledge in kitchen and bath design, as well as construction, mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. These are designers who adheres to a strict code of professional conduct. NKBA designers recognizes the importance of consumer health, safety, and welfare in kitchen and bath design – and best of all the NKBA provides training and tools specifically for their members so their designers can meet their clients needs and wants and creating designs that meet and exceed these requirements.

In fact the NKBA website has a great video which highlights why one should work with an NKBA designer.

I love pouring through Pinterest and getting inspiration – but for Kitchens & Baths I’ve discovered something better than Pinterest or Houzz!! The NKBA website has a slew of kitchen p*rn!! Hundreds of photos of dream kitchens designed by their own NKBA professionals.

If you’re considering a Kitchen or Bath Remodel, why don’t you reach out to the NKBA using their online resource for finding an NKBA professional near you.

Ta Ta For Now,
The Antiques Diva®

We are very proud to announce our first ever, Global Design Blogger Meetup, with two parallel events in New York City and London.This is a big deal, so listen up:

Live Google Hangout video broadcasts will allow participants at the events to connect with their peers and share in giveaways, the global “Water for People” Pinterest challenge, drawings for two spots on BlogTour to London and LA and a trends report, live from the shows.

New York City Meetup

Where: ICFF, BLANCO booth # 1336

When: May 19, 12 – 1 pm EST

London Meetup

kbb London at the May Design Series, Poggenpohl Booth J50

When: May 19, 5 – 6 pm GMT

Click here to RSVP for either event

Here are the rules for the two contests and the fundraiser:

1. BLANCO “WATER FOR PEOPLE” PINTEREST CHALLENGE

• Create a Pinterest board with the title “BLANCO -Water for People”
• Pin a minimum of 5 BLANCO products (must include your favorite BLANCO faucet)  plus as many images that illustrate the importance and beauty of pure water. This can be images of oceans, lakes, rivers, swimming pools or whatever else inspires you.
• Ask friends and followers to “like” one or more of your images.
• Submit the link to your board no later than 5pm EST on May 15 to blanco@modenus.com
• The board with most “likes” wins an IPad Mini 32G

2. WIN A SPOT ON BLOGTOUR

• Tell us why you have the perfect blog to participate in BlogTour to either London or LA, via email to talktous@modenus.com
• Print your email out and bring it with you to either event at  ICFF or KBB London
• Be sure to leave your Twitter handle and Facebook page link in the comments
• We will consider bloggers who have had an active blog since December 1, 2012 and post a minimum of twice a week, predominantly on the topic of interior design and architecture
• YOU MUST BRING A COPY OF YOUR EMAIL TO THE SHOW AND YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN.

3. BLANCO “WATER FOR PEOPLE” FUNDRAISER

Blanco will also a YouTube Promotion for their new Faucet Innovations Video . For every view until  May 30, 2013 (Up to 100 views), BLANCO will donate $1 to “Water for People”. Click here to see video.

Small Print:

Pinterest challenge:

Entries with link to “BLANCO – Water for People” Pinterest board (must include your favorite BLANCO faucet) must be received on or before May 15, 5pm EST at blanco@modenus. All entries must include a minimum of 5 BLANCO product images and unlimited amounts of images that relate to PURE WATER.

The board with most “likes” – combined total of all “liked’ images – wins an IPad Mini 32G. Open to entries from the US and UK.

Prizes do not have cash value.

BlogTour contest:

One winner drawn in London will join BlogTour to LA, October 1-6, 2013. One winner drawn in New York will join BlogTour to London, September 18-23, 2013.

Flights are from London or New York on a commercial carrier in coach. Other routes or cabin upgrades may be available but are subject to additional fees payable by the participant. 5 night accommodations, airfare and access to all BlogTour events are included. Standard rules of engagement in BlogTour apply.

Contest void where prohibited. Contest excludes employees of participating exhibitors  and their distributors, dealers, affiliates, subsidiaries, representatives, advertising and promotion agencies, suppliers and the immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each. By submitting images you give permission for images to be published on Modenus.com and it’s social media channels on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Picasa and other platforms. Your personal information like email or phone number will not be revealed or shared with third parties.