High Point - Wet, Windy, and Wild | Slipcovers for Your Walls

And cold, too! Ashley and I arrived in High Point Saturday afternoon and headed to our favorite spot after registering at the Sunset on Three at Showplace. Well, as I recall, the sun never really set and the showers began. Forget the Stars Under the Stars concert! We dashed back for dinner at the hotel.

high point 008 — Rainy, windy day in High Point

All day Sunday-more rain, wind, cold at High Point and downright unpleasant outside. So, logistically, the trick is to plot your route through as many buildings as possible to reach your destination. Unfortunately, a 7:30 breakfast was first on my agenda and the only way to get there was a direct path through open territory. Designer and blogger, Elaine Markoutsas, Traditional Home senior style editor Krissa Rossbund and Jason Oliver Nixon (also a designer and blogger) gave presentations about what they saw as trends and their impact on business. Casart did a custom mural for Jason and his partner, John Loecke, for their weekend home, Madcap Cottage so I was glad for the chance to say hello to him. Summation of points made by all include:

more casual entertaining in the home influenced by economy
give a twist to traditional, a little provocative
use your own style and think about an owned piece in a different way
travel, home, our idols all serve as inspiration
trend spotting- so many opportunities through social media

The rest of the day was spent attending educational presentations, visiting numerous showrooms and dashing in and out of the rain. I saw more than one “dead” umbrella abandoned on the sidewalk. Again, no sunset on three or anywhere! No concert and back to the hotel for a bowl of cream of chicken soup, which tasted absolutely delicious. Ah, comfort food!

Here are a few of the pictures from the day.

butterflies at High Point Market on casartblog — Metal butterflies remind me of Casart

Global Views‘ rug reminded me of last week’s post.

Global Views showroom at Hight Point on casartblog — Mondrianish rug at Global Views

Ashley decided to do a comfort level test on the chairs at Phillips Collection and grab a chance to rest her feet for a minute. Made of cloth webbing, the chairs were far more comfortable than they appear.

high point 007 — Ashley at the Phillips Collection

Monday proved to be a slightly improved day since the rain stopped, except for one afternoon shower, but the wind was really blowing and it was very cold. Tobi Fairley, Lisa Ferguson and Debbie Green presented ways to make a name for yourself examining all aspects of branding. This was the most informative presentation I attended. The location, the High Point Theatre, was perfect with a thrust stage, great acoustics and lighting and a warm, informal set which included 2 chairs, a sofa, ottoman coffee table, area rug, and the icing on the cake-a functional floor lamp and chandelier!

Courtney Cachet presented illustrations of how homes are used today. Casart had provided wallcovering for one of the George to the Rescue episodes in which Courtney redecorated a cancer survivor’s bedroom. Contributing to that effort gave us great joy!

More showroom visits. I wish I knew where I saw this display so I could credit but…

Fornasetti design at High Point on casartblog — Fornasetti style display

Back to the hotel to warm up with hot tea, change clothes and head to Karen Robertson’s booth for a Casart presentation showing how easy it is to change Karen Robertson Collection stripes even in a dress and heels while attendees sipped champagne and munched on mini cupcakes. I’m going to leave you with just two pictures as a teaser of more to come.