For the past three weeks or so I had the greatest opportunity of my career..well, so far!! I was able to work at AsianLoft during the High Point Furniture Market!!
My experience was amazing and I met so many awesome people who taught me things that I will use in my future as a designer!
Note: Most all of these images were taken after market had passed.. We changed the designs so much by the time I was able to snap a picture it had already been redesigned.. But I really should have still taken more photos before Market had passed.. Next time, though!
My first day I got right into it! Market was only a week and a half away and there was a lot to do. We started by cleaning, moving, and placing products within sections of the showrooms to create attractive areas that would tempt buyers to purchase them!
Getting Set Up
These are a few of the sections that we set up.(See slideshow below!) I didn't participate in all of these design set ups, but I did quite a few all my own! The owners, and a designer friend they enlisted to help (due to one of the owners having an injury) allowed me to share my honest "designer" opinion and allowed me to give input on how they should design the section! There was one particular section that I designed all myself that was purchased entirely by one customer. When setting it up I kept in mind a tip the designer friend gave me:
"I like to set it up in a way where they see it and want to buy all the pieces."
With that in mind I designed those shelves to make someone want to buy all the product! They bought all of them because I set up those little (heavy) figurines so perfectly that it tempted them to buy, buy, buy! That..or they just wanted to purchase them all because they sale great to their clients.. I mean honestly, either one is possible! (I actually couldn't even take a picture of the section because it was so empty I didn't find it beneficial at the time, but now I regret because it was such a proud moment for me.. I chose to believe they bought everything because of me!!) *I'm not egotistical- I promise.. I just love being proud of myself!
Gorgeous Pieces
One of the best parts of being at Market (aside from being around amazing and talented people!) is the unique pieces that I get to see and learn about their origins.
One of my favorite pieces is this (far left image) panel artwork that was created by chopping old, non salvageable door frames, such as the one pictured beside it (middle image), and piecing them together to build these masterpieces. It was, to me, one of the most beautiful items in both showrooms! I wish I could've bought it, but someone else beat me to it.. (It's all for the best though.. it was a bit out of my price range!!
More of my top favorites included the rough edge onyx bowls that are great for outdoor fixtures, as well as indoors, or fixed to become a wash sink.
Unfortunately, the image to the right is the only one I captured, as they were one of the many popular items whose section got ripped to shreds as buyers came in and gladly purchased their favorite ones.
And with a little side note that I learned from the designer friend (whose name was Edward by the way, I feel I should've already said that, but I did now.. Edward!)- So, what Edward told me was about these beautiful flowers set in this beautiful onyx bowl-
They're called frangipanis and they need warm climates to grow and flourish, such as those in South America and Hawaii. He also noted that they are the most beautiful thing when a frangipani tree is set above a pool and the flowers fall gracefully atop the water and float among the waves.
Overall Experience
My overall experience was a great one! Working hard and demonstrating my strong work ethic to the people at AsianLoft showed them that I can be an asset to their business and they asked me to come back and help them again during the Fall Market! I, of course, told them I would love to do this all again! It really made me see that I love designing showrooms; something that I already thought I'd like, I just got to live it and discover how much I do actually enjoy it!
This is just an extra picture I took my second day of setting up for Market. I was on the second floor of the building, it was freezing cold up there, when I saw this little bumblebee struggling to move, let alone fly.. As there were no windows on that open on that floor that are accessible I had to gather it in a paper towel and travel with it down the elevator and walk it out. It was buzzing frantically (likely believing it was about to die) so I was holding it at a distance in an awkward position so as to not get stung. I looked quite weird I'm sure, but it didn't matter to me.
When I find creatures like this it always makes me think about how they got there, and how in life we all get lost or turned around sometimes, and sometimes we just need a kind heart to show us the way back.
It seemed happy to be back outside in "nature"! This plant was the only green life I could find..
Until next time..
Rochelle.