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On behalf of all of the IFDA Board here in New York, welcome! We are thrilled to welcome members from every facet of the furnishing and design industry. The IFDA promotes open sharing, mutual respect, and education, as well as community service and ethical practices.
IFDA NEW YORK CHAPTER
200 Lexington Avenue, Suite 417
New York, NY 10016
P: 212.686.6020
E: ifdanyny@verizon.net
WEB
To see or download videos of some of our recent virtual webinar events, please click on the NEWS tab.
Click the EVENTS tab for the calendar listing of upcoming events or scroll down for event previews.
Join IFDA-NY Chapter President David Santiago
Patti is Principal of carpenter + company and an award-winning Designer in globally sourced home décor, accessories, fragrance and gifts, with experience in product design and development, merchandising and color + trend forecasting. As a Micro-Enterprise specialist with U.S. presidential recognition for domestic and international expertise in artisan development, small producer and entrepreneurial training and economic development she has designed and sourced Private Label collections for Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Crate & Barrel, The Phillips Collection, ABC Carpet and Home, Donna Karan Urban Zen and Ralph Lauren. She has worked in 57 countries.
Patti is an expert in Color + Trend research and forecasting and consults with Pantone. She is the Global Trend Ambassador for Maison & Objet, Paris. She is an active board member of SERRV International and BADG (Black Artists and Designer Guild), and the co-founder of the Kaleidoscope Project. Patti is also the recipient of the Gift For Life Industry Achievement Award for 2021 and the Withit Industry Leadership Award for 2021 for the Kaleidoscope Project.
As members of IFDA, you are automatically a member of the Educational Foundation with all the privileges it brings to you and your chapter.
Helen Wagner, Educational Foundation Chair,
Wednesday, March 23, at noon. (EST)
Presenter – Helen Wagner, IFDA Educational Foundation Chair
Moderator- David Santiago IFDA NY Chapter President
Helen Wagner, Educational Foundation Chair, joined the New York Chapter of IFDA in 1993. As Manager of 3M Public Relations in New York City, she led the efforts to support furniture and textile manufacturers throughout the world.
Helen continues to be actively involved in the IFDA New York Chapter and has served as chapter secretary as well as on numerous committees. Over the years, she was recipient of two of the chapter’s prestigious Circle of Excellence Awards – for Community Service and another for Public Relations.
After ten years in New York City, she moved back to 3M’s Global Headquarter in
Minnesota to lead Public Relations for the $32 billion company with operations in 70 countries. She now divides her time between St Paul and New York City.
Helen is also a lecturer at universities and professional organizations. A teacher at heart, she has been a university adjunct professor in business and management. For more than 20 years, she has worked as a volunteer reading teacher for elementary school children to bring her mantra to life, “reading is freedom”.
6:30 PM EST
Meet Michelle Slovak, IFDA and Jennifer Munich, IFDA
6:30 PM EST
(Note new Time!)
Our Featured Members:
5:30 PM EST
Our Featured Members:
Click here for the link to Volunteer
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Monday, October 4, 2021 at 5:30 – 6:30 PM
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How Will You Be Living in 2030? IFDA Predictions for 2030
https://springboardfutures.com/2020/12/01/how-will-you-be-living-in-2030/
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Survey Forecasts Changes in Future Home Design
Kitchen & Bath Design News USA • Dec 4 • 1:19
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IFDA NY is excited to announce that our uber-talented Co-President David Santiago was recently featured in VUE magazine!
Click here to read the article – Let’s Make Staycations a Family Affair with David Santiago:
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IFDA NY talk addresses COVID design concerns
[New York] International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) NY and Novità PR hosted a webinar late last month…
Floor Covering Weekly Online – Sep 01, 2020
Audience Reach: 5,633
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Office Insight – Jul 30, 2020; Audience Reach: 1,760
See p 30 for IFDA NY’s Enlightenment Series continues…
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A new industry survey predicts homes that are smaller, smarter and healthier
What will homes look like in 2030? According to a new survey by the International Furnishings and Design Association, they will be smaller, smarter, and healthier… INDUSTRY INSIDER, Business of Home
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…are varied and compelling.” VP of the Educational Foundation for the NY Chapter of IFDA, Hirsh also directed IFDA‘s…Furniture World Magazine Online – Jul 27, 2020; Audience Reach: 7,168
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Ruth Olbrych, above, stumbled into the Home Furnishings business by way of establishing her online presence 20 years ago now, with Antiques by Zaar…selling Chinese antiques online. Ten years ago she determined the need to broaden her base by including other product in the line and therefore, she introduced ZAAR Design Center.
Other than a High Point, NC showroom, the business has been internet-based in its approach and reach. The Chinese antiques, which once were the anchor for the business, are now taking a back seat, and other product categories have been elevated to the fore.
In lieu of her owning inventory, she has moved to serving as a representative of several companies, entering the world as newly minted independent sales rep. Companies that she represent are C and S Acosta/hand-cut mirrors out of Thailand, Frank Rogers Design/hand-forged tables out of Mexico, Jill Seale Design Studio/fabric designer out of Charlotte, NC…and Our House Designs/leather furniture, out of Hickory, NC.
She is excited to introduce these companies to designers/architects/boutique owners in NY/NJ/CT. “I am thrilled for the opportunities afforded me by way of membership in IFDA to further this,” says Ruth.
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NADA BOULES, above, joined IFDA NY in Spring 2020, as she was wrapping up her senior year in the accredited Interior Design program at Hillier College of Architecture and Design at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. Crediting her “thirst for knowledge,” she also pursued a minor in Environmental Studies and Sustainability, simultaneously working toward her Master’s Degree in Architecture.
Nada says she has already proved her “passion for interior design,” working for licensed organizations which utilized REVIT/AUTOCAD and other programs to develop layout and diagrams with attention to specification details. Her skills include the ability to develop design presentations, create drawings for industry- specific projects, and take responsibility for the selection and specification of furniture and lighting.
“It is my honor to be an IFDA member and a part of valuable experience and an opportunity for professional insight,” she says. “I thrive on inspiring collaboration within the furnishings production…(and am) committed to enhancing the fashion image and the design industry.”
Fernando Rodriguez, (above) owner, Stewart Rodriguez LLC, the frequently published design firm in San Juan and New York, and of the destination home retail store In San Juan, Aaron Stewart Home (ASH), winner of the ARTS Awards for Best International Retailer in 2016 and 2017.
Fernando points to his Instagram board to illustrate his design aesthetic: hand painted wallpapers, fashion icons, cerulean Caribbean landscapes, and sophisticated combination of colors and textures.
A former marketing major who spent his early career fundraising at the Boston Ballet and in sales for Colgate Palmolive and GlaxoSmithKline, Fernando says, “A six-figure income could not quell my doubts. I turned 40 and realized, this is not my passion.” So, he “relinquished the company car and stock options,” and sought a career in fashion,” landing at Hickey Freeman, Joseph Abboud, and Tory Burch, before making another career leap to fashion director at lifestyle publisher Modern Luxury.
“Finally, a job that married sales and fashion,” says Fernandez. “I was in my groove”…but then he and his partner, Aaron Stewart, decided to move to his native Puerto Rico. “We both had great jobs, but we were not really enjoying life,” Rodriguez says, “There’s a point when you stop and think, ‘What are we doing this for?” In 2013, they found the answer: they now live in San Juan with their family, Cooper and Clooney.
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CATHERINE GUSZACK, above, has designed residential homes in the greater New York City area, the Hamptons, and Virginia, where she took her undergraduate degree in business and marketing, and studied interior design at the University of Richmond.
With a focus on new construction or entire-home renovations, Catherine describes her style as “crisp, clean, and coastal…using lots of neutrals with pops of bold color and texture to add character.” She likes to mix contemporary art with timeless pieces “to give space personality but remain classic.” She resides in Rye, NY, with husband, Greg, and two daughters, Avery and Abby.
IFDA NY judges pose with the awards to be presented to Best In categories at a recent Javits Center industry trade show.
The Board of Directors usually meets the second Tuesday of every month at 5:30PM in the 16th Floor Conference Room of the NYDC, (New York Design Center), 200 Lexington Avenue, NYC, between 32nd and 33rd Streets. Members are welcome to attend. Currently we are holding all meetings and events online. To get the zoom link please email Rose Hittmeyer: ifdanyny@verizon.net and rhittmeyer@aol.com.
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