Design Trust Symposium Santa Fe, New Mexico

Corinne is a member of Design Trust, Ltd., which puts on symposiums twice a year for its members. For this Spring's symposium, Corinne and fellow designer friend Anita Dawson put together a three day event in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The members all voted for this destination, rich with art galleries and beauty.

Corinne asked Madeline Stuart, a leading member of the Los Angeles interior design community, with her studio on La Cienega Boulevard, to come as the Keynote speaker (pictured above). For the opening dinner at Geronimo, Madeline spoke to the question: At the end of the day, what do we as designers want our firms and legacy to look like? With all of the consumerism of on line purchasing, big box/catalog shops such as Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn, celebrities with furniture lines, and clients shopping on their own, how do professional interior designers stay true to their creative paths? While designers must accept these changes, and, of course, respect their clients, how can individual designers navigate based on the essence of what is important to themselves, while keeping foremost in their designing minds their clients?

On the second day, Madeline spoke about photographing interior design work and how to translate quality, whether for magazines or a book (sadly, magazines are a dying industry). She herself has written a book and she shared her vast experience. Madeline was a great way to start the symposium as she is always a little irreverent, incredibly knowledgeable and highly entertaining.

What would a symposium be without some wining and dining? Jeannie Brown of Casa Marron Furniture, one of Corinne's favorite vendors that happens to be located in Santa Fe, hosted this very cozy and congenial meal at Las Companas.

The Design Trust members took time to take in glorious Santa Fe and they all fell in love with the city's landscapes, arts, architecture, native flora, cloud strewn skies, and other designer-y objects...

Finally, the designers had fun together at Meow Wolf, a wacky, interactive experience that some crazy design-type minds dreamed up.