Shades in Motion: Motorization Wows Visitors

The Hunter Douglas booth demonstrated how motorized window treatments transform light. Visitors experienced the magic and versatility of PowerView^® Automation as Silhouette^® Window Shadings lifted up and down, while vertical Luminette^® Privacy Sheers moved right to left to reveal a digital display screen created by Duggal Innovation Lab. The booth, designed by Mona Kim, featured digital imagery across a large-scale screen that displayed “The Art of Natural Light.”

The convenience and visual intrigue of motorized shades, programmed to show off the quiet and reliable operating system, lured visitors to other areas of the booth that displayed a wide range of Hunter Douglas window treatments, including Vignette^® Duolite^® Shades, Designer Banded Shades, Pirouette^® Window Shadings and Silhouette ClearView^® Shadings. 

Color is King: Accenting Neutrals with Pops of Color

While motorization was trending throughout the AD Design Show, the potential to inject personality into interiors using color was another big takeaway. From throw pillows to glossy kitchen appliances to window shades, designers and manufacturers celebrated color in unexpected ways.

SMEG teamed up with luxury label Dolce & Gabbana for a limited-edition release of brightly patterned appliances. In the MADE section, which showcases the work of emerging artisans, gold shelving units matched sunny yellow sculptural armchairs by Michael Felix.

In the Hunter Douglas booth, Designer Roller Shades in aubergine and Pirouette Window Shadings in a semi-opaque coral showed visitors how to play up a room’s neutral tones. Another wall showcased Hunter Douglas’ growing family of Duette^® Architella^® Honeycomb Shades, available in an extensive range of fabrics, colors and textures. A color wall displaying tiled rows of Duette shade samples caught visitors’ attention—and made for a fun selfie backdrop.

Over at the annual DIFFA: Design Industries Fighting AIDS Dining by Design fundraiser, designers and manufacturers collaborated on tabletop designs like the whimsical, pink-themed scene by Patrick Mele for Benjamin Moore. Roche Bobois and David Scott Interiors invited guests to board a pop-up luxury cruise ship. The vessel contrasted yellow seating with splashes of blue accents and streamed an art video, “Ode to an Iceberg,” by Zaria Forman.

Dreamy Gray Tones Play With Light

On the multi-colored wall, Duette shades in luminous whites, dreamy purples, sophisticated grays and dusky blues spoke to a subtle tonal color trend interpreted by designers throughout the AD Design Show.

Wallpaper Projects adopted this concept, teaming up with Kin & Company to present the new custom Patina Studies wallpaper in iridescent metal finishes, designed to add dimension. Facture Studio, a Brooklyn-based design group, impressed with a new collection of resin furnishings in a muted blue hue: a chaise lounge, mirror, wall lighting and a tabletop and stool set. 

Italian furnituremaker Milano also created dimension with a plush gray couch that played with light as visitors walked by. Wüd Furniture Design won “Best in Show” in the category of furniture crafted by independent artisans, with an oak and zinc-encased console featuring doors treated with swirls of pearly gray resin. The metallic gray of the Hunter Douglas Designer Banded Shades perfectly fit into this trend as well. The soft illumination of light, evenly diffused with vertical Luminette Privacy Sheers, also spoke to designers’ interest in experimenting with translucency and color.

The AD Design Show spotlights the best in home décor goods from established designers and luxury brands as well as emerging design talent. Visitors enjoy events and discussions, shop the retail boutique and mingle with tastemakers from around the world. Hunter Douglas was thrilled to join 2019’s AD Design Show.