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Design Camp Seattle…. Here’s What You Missed!

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Setting the stage for success!

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Off to sponsor, Sub Zero Wolf’s, gorgeous showroom in Seattle!

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Looking Springy in Seattle – Design Camp Seattle sponsors Sub Zero Wolf show Lori and Kelli how they eat in the NorthWest – Fantastic Food!

Design Camp Seattle brought together over 120 of the top interior designers in North America. Camp Counselors Lori and Kelli made sure the stage was set and got the troops on the bus!

First stop:Sub Zero Wolf Kicked off camp with a party on Wednesday night. We’re still getting rave reviews about the food!
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Thursday: Class is in session at the Seattle Design Center. Topics like Social Media strategies, trends, how to design a line and take it to market, getting your projects and a book published, lighting, Universal Design,and much more including book signings by celebrity interior designers and a soiree by Currey and Co filled the 9AM-9PM schedule.

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Happy Campers with presenter Phil Pallen at Design Camp Seattle!

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Author Ronda Carman and editor Leslie Newsom Rascoe wowing the Campers at Design Camp Seattle!

 

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Leslie Newsom Rascoe, Kelli Ellis, Bradley Clifford, Ronda Carman and Lori Dennis

Greats like business coach Kimberley Seldon, author Ronda Carman (All the Best and Designers at Home), top blogger Cassandra La Valle (Coco+Kelley), social media gurus Phil Phallen and Adam Japko (Design Bloggers Conference), leading editor Leslie Newsom Rascoe (Veranda), industry power house Jillian St. Charles (HGTV), Entrepreneur Mitra Morgan (Joss and Main Founder), Interior Design Sr. VP of Williams Sonoma, Katherine Rice and famous interior designer Nathan Turner shed some serious knowledge about how to succeed in the interior design biz, while being charitable and having a blast!

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Presenters Cassandra LaValle and Phil Pallen

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Adam Japko keeping it real!

The list of top notch speakers went on and on and kept us engaged for 16 hours of invaluable content. Whether you were a seasoned interior designer like Bradley Clifford, Mike Ragan and Jennifer Convey , new to the business or somewhere in between, you learned and connected with A-list people and places of your brain that you forgot existed! There’s a reason we get the reviews we do about people lives being changed by Design Camp.

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Reunited on the stage and still besties – Kelli Ellis, Nathan Turner and Lori Dennis at Design Camp Seattle!

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Joss and Main’s Mitra Morgan and HGTV’s Jillian St. Charles

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If you haven’t made it to Design Camp, come see us in Philadelphia on October 9-11 or Orange County February 5-7, 2014 and see what all the fun is about! We promise you will be happy you did. Until then, happy glamping!

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It’s a really GOOD thing…..

What does Design Camp and Martha Stewart have in common? We both love Design Camp Counselor Ronda Rice Carman!  

 Many of you know Ronda from her world renowned blog, All The Best, and as Design Camp’s fantastic, witty Counselor….

 

We are proud to announce her fabulous new book, Designers At Home,

forward by Martha Stewart!

 

Come meet, greet and learn from Ronda at Design Camp Seattle, May 1-3, and get a signed copy of her book!

 

Only 3 short weeks before we gather once again to inspire, recharge and redesign our Design Careers. Design Camp is the premiere event to “Learn. Connect. Design” 

 ”You can’t afford to miss Design Camp….Your career will never be the same!”

 

Bring a friend to Camp and Save $500! Hurry Seats are FILLING FAST!

 

Come meet, learn from, and mingle with Nathan Turner!

Your new fantastic Camp Counselors;

Mitra Morgan - Joss and Main ~ Shannon O’Leary - Editor of Northwest Home Magazine ~ Cassandra LaValle - coco+kelley ~ Randall Whitehead - Randall Whitehead Lighting ~ Keri Petersen - Seattle Staging Expert ~ Cassie Daughtrey - Sotheby’s Real Estate  ~ Phil Pallen - Social Media ~ Michael Strack - Sub Zero Wolf ~ Susan Marinello - Commercial Designer ~ Jillian St. Charles - HGTV.com ~ Mike Ragan - LA Design Magazine ~ and William-Sonoma!

and Welcome back to your Fantastic Camp Counselors;

Adam Japko - Design Bloggers Convention founder ~ Katy Garrett - Connexion Software ~ Bill Indursky - Vintage and Modern ~ Kimberley Seldon - Business of Design ~ Jason McNeely - Hansgrohe ~ Leslie Newsom Rascoe - Veranda Magazine ~ Shay Geyer - Good Morning Texas ~ Ronda Carman - All The Best and Author

Two Amazing Days of excitement and Education
Complimentary Gourmet Lunches and Snack Bar
Field Trip Cocktails Mixers
Design Camp Swag Bag Full of Goodies
Lifelong Friendships and Connections! 
“Now that I know what that kind of wonderful feels like, I implore you to find your Design Camp and go. Whatever industry you’re in or whatever your passions/hobbies are in this life find out where they’re holding a workshop and go feed your soul. If your passion is Interior Design then by any means necessary register for Design Camp like yesterday! You’ll be so grateful that you did.” ~ Atlanta Camper
We cannot wait to see you in Seattle. Get ready for the event of a your career!
 

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Who’s Who Seattle and CEU’s …Oh my!

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Design Camp Atlanta by Sarah Cain Design

Design Camp sounds like something you might do with your kids, but don’t be fooled by it’s name, this is a, seriously take your business to the next level, dynamic event!  Ultimately, Design Camp at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta was an amazing experience which will expand my opportunities and streamline my process.

Kelli Ellis, Me, Lori Dennis & Margaret Norcott

Kelli Ellis and Lori Dennis, our industrious leaders and Design Camp founders and my new friend and very talented designer, Margaret Norcott (Milieu Design Group).

V & M founder’s colorful presentation about Design Trends of 2013.
My table of Designers the First Day!
 The beginning of “Camp” we did not know what to expect, but we were all very excited to connect and share with our follow designers  and design industry leaders from around the globe!

Implementing proven systems which allow me to streamline the paperwork side of the business will give me more time to focus on my clients.

Geraldo Jackonelli, photographer and Ronda Carmon, All the Best blog

Advise on photographing our design work from the  photographer extraordinaire, Geraldo Jackonelli.

Annie Nozawa, Houzz Executive

Learning more about how to utilize Houzz to grow my business nationally and internationally was very insightful.  I had heard the founder of Houzz at The International Homes Furnishings Market talk about the opportunities for Designers on Houzz, but it took Annie’s presentation to motivate me to create my professional profile on their website.  The staff at Houzz is outstanding and very supportive of designers.

Kimberly Seldon, designer & trainer

Kimberly was one of my favorite speakers, she was hilarious and so on point for the ways designers might get in our own way in our business.  Her no-nonsense approach and advise was very helpful.

Kelli Ellis, Lori Dennis and HansGrohe executive

No one leaves design camp empty handed!  Lots of giveaways including a fabulous new shower head from Hans Grohe (www.hansgrohe.com/) for all the attendees!!  It felt like the Oprah Show…everybody wins!!!  I can’t wait to install my fixture, my Master Bath redesign just got moved to the top of the list!

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Atlanta Design Camp Review by La Dolce Vita’s, Paloma Contreras

{REPRINTED} Dear friend and Camper, Paloma Contreras of La Dolce Vita Blog, wrote a fantastic blog review about Camp we wanted to share with you! We can’t wait to see you in Seattle – Come make your own Design Camp memories! Learn. Connect. Design.

LA DOLCE VITA

 

Good morning! I just got back from a few days in Atlanta where I was lucky enough to attend Design Camp, a two-day seminar seminar hosted and instructed by celebrity interior designers Lori Dennis and Kelli Ellis, with special guest segments led by local and national industry experts in niche fields. They covered everything from 2013 design trends, blogging, photography, and social media to billing and contracts with incredible insight and unbelievable candor—nothing was off limits! It was so refreshing to go to a conference and have successful professionals share the strategies that lead them to where they are today without holding anything back.

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{At the Sub Zero Wolf Cocktail Party with the Winners of my Design Camp Giveaway, Mimi and Kelsie—They were so sweet and so happy to be there. I was thrilled to meet them and to hear how much they loved camp!}

Honestly, I headed to camp with a tiny bit of trepidation. I’ve attended and spoken at a few design conferences and attend industry events regularly, so I wasn’t expecting to learn anything new. I figured I would get to network and have some fun. I could not have been more wrong. I have come away from Design Camp feeling refreshed, energized, and more motivated than ever. It was exactly the jolt that I needed. I was able to gather many valuable takeaways in TWO short days that I have already begun to implement into my life and my business. I hardly slept while in Atlanta because I was so excited about everything I was learning and my mind was going a million miles a minute thinking about how I could apply all of these new strategies to my life. I spoke with a lot of the 120 people in attendance and every one of them had a very similar experience. We all came away from camp feeling incredibly inspired and ready to take on the world.

If you want to get your design business on track this year, are looking for inspiration, want to network with other designers, or you want to delve into the business of interior design, I highly recommend Design Camp! There will be more sessions later this year, including camps in Seattle and Philadelphia, so be sure to check their website often. Design Camp really sparked something in me and while I can’t discuss anything in detail yet, there are some VERY exciting things in the works for me and La Dolce Vita as a result of my experience at Design Camp. 2013 is going to be a big, big year, so stay tuned!
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{At the Sub Zero Wolf Party with Mimi and Lauren Haskett of Material Girls—Lauren and I are friends here in Houston so we ventured to camp together. I am so glad that I got to share this amazing experience with her.}

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{Barry Dixon’s presentation was one of my favorites. He is so eloquent and inspiring. He draws inspiration from the most unexpected places and has the most incredible approach to life and design. Lauren, Lori, our new pal, Liz Carroll and I were so inspired by Barry and vowed to ask ourselves “What would Barry say?” whenever faced with a difficult or unsavory situation. He is the ultimate gentleman!}

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Austin Design Camper Competes for the Design Blogger’s Conference Hall of Fame Awards

People are saying Design Camp has changed their life.  Leslie Wood, one of our inaugural Austin Design Campers, would agree.  Leslie’s blog, Hadley Court, has  just been nominated to the Design Blogger’s Convention Hall of Fame Awards.  Hooray Leslie!!

Leslie Wood Design Blogger's Hall of Fame Award

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Leslie says, “I attended your Design Camp in Austin. I loved every minute of it!  Design camp was fantastic and really set me on the right path in social media, blogging, design, etc. I took everything I learned at Design Camp Austin,  applied it to my blog and social media plan and was I just nominated for top new design blog of the year. ” Only two months after Design Camp Leslie,  has hit the blogging BIG TIME.

Now, here’s where we need your help, at Design Camp, we support our interior designers and we ask that you help Hadley Court win the award for best new blog.  Please click this link, it takes 2 seconds to vote and you don’t have to enter any person info.

Come to Design Camp Atlanta and witness for yourself how we  bring your interior design business to the next level and unlock your earning potential!

Register now to secure your spot at Design Camp Atlanta at gorgeous Fox Theater January 30-February.

 

 

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Design Camp: Atlanta – Watch to see your fantastic lineup!

Watch to see why Kelli and Lori are so excited about Atlanta. Design Camp is the only place you can meet, greet and mingle with the industry’s elite while getting their insider advice on how to skyrocket your career. Come see why Design Camp is the talk of the town… don’t believe us? Watch the video!

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Who wants free a free photo shoot? Circa Lamps? Wendover Art? Troy and Sons Moonshine? Kravet Pillows?

Design Camp Atlanta is less than four weeks away and have we got great giveaways for our campers!

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New at Design Camp Atlanta is the HOT SCOT, international photographer, Gerardo Jaconelli. He’ll be on stage with Ronda Carman of All the Best Blog telling us how top interior designers produce cover worthy images. Gerardo will review portfolios during lunch and give away a one hour photo shoot to one LUCKY camper. To enter to win you must be an attendee of Design Camp Atlanta and post on our blog and Twitter or Facebook , telling us why you should win the photo shoot. The winner will be announced 5 days before camp and contacted to set up their appointment for Wednesday January 30.
And the freebies keep coming….

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Circa Lighting is giving away a pair of fabulous table lamps and each camper will receive a Circa tape measure in their gift bags.

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For those of you who like a good, stiff drink (and who doesn’t need one sometimes?!)our new spirit sponsor, Troy and Sons has some Heirloom Quality Moonshine with your name all over it.

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Kravet is not only hosting one of our networking, cocktail parties but they’re parting with a throw pillow for one of our Atlanta campers.

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And our friends at Wendover Art Group are back at Design Camp Atlanta with two more stunning works of art.
You can only win if you come to camp and if you come to camp…it’s a win anyway!!

Come check out why the top interior designers in the business are presenting at Design Camp Atlanta Jan 30-Feb 1. While you’re there networking with interior designers from all over the country, getting to know top bloggers and making connections with A-List editors, you could also be going home with some fantastic prizes!

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Top Atlanta “To Do’s”

 

After two and days and nights of learning and networking at camp, you’ll have the weekend to hit the town with your new friends and see what why people are calling Atlanta the “Hollywood” of the South.  We hear this city is all about see and be seen, so make sure to pack your GLAM and check out our “must do” list.

 

1.  MUSEUMS and ATTRACTIONS

High Museum

High Museum of Art  With its renowned collection of classic and contemporary art and award-winning architecture by Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the High Museum of Art has grown from its origins in a stately home on Peachtree Street to become the leading art museum in the southeastern United States. Located in Midtown Atlanta’s arts and business district, the High has more than 13,000 works of art in its permanent collection.

 

georgia aquarium

Georgia Aquarium With more than 10 million gallons of fresh and marine water and more aquatic life than found in any other aquarium, you are sure to see things you’ve never seen before! On November 23, 2005, Georgia Aquarium officially opened its doors to the public. As the world’s largest aquarium, Georgia Aquarium features more animals than any other aquarium in more than ten million gallons of water. Through a path of more than sixty exhibits, the Aquarium tells a global water story, with features modeled after the greatest zoos and aquariums in the world.

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Martin Luther King Center Established in 1968 by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (“The King Center”) has been a global destination, resource center and community institution for over a quarter century. Nearly a million people each year make pilgrimage to the National Historic Site to learn, be inspired and pay their respects to Dr. King’s legacy.

2. RESTAURANTS and BARS

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Baraonda  Opened in 2000 in the heart of Midtown, over the years Baraonda has become a favorite for both Atlantans and visitors.  Transporting guests to Italy while embracing the warmth & southern charm of Atlanta, Baraonda has achieved many accolades. It was voted top 50 restaurant by the Atlanta Constitution, best of City Search, mentioned by Bon Appetit, top 100 by Atlanta Magazine, Zagat Rated just to mention a few.

Vortex  From its inception, The Vortex has been honored with “Best Burger” awards by a multitude of local and national publications. Additional accolades followed over the years, including awards for “Best Overall Liquor Selection in Atlanta,” “Best Bar Food,” “Best Veggie Burger,” “Best Beer Selection,” “Best Neighborhood Bar,” and “One of the Top 50 Restaurants in Atlanta.”  The Vortex has appeared on Man vs. Food, Sunday Night Football, Rachel Ray and several other “top restaurants in the country”-themed shows.

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Mary Mac’s  Casual Southern cooking at it’s best, Mary Mac’s has 6 bustling dining rooms and a full service bar. If it’s your 1st visit to Mary Mac’s, be sure to ask for your complimentary cup of Pot Likker and don’t forget to treat yourself to Southern classics, Fried Okra,  Sweet Tea, Mint Julep Martinis. or Georgia Peach Martinis.  Mary Mac’s has another very unique feature…our very own Goodwill Ambassador, Jo Carter. She personally visits all of their guests giving her specialty back rubs.

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STK  This hot spot combines two concepts into one—the modern steakhouse and a chic lounge. With a female-friendly mindset, STK offers small, medium and large cuts of meat, as well as naturally raised options and market fresh fish entrees. Aside from steak, signature items include Parmesan Truffle Fries; Lil’ BRGs; Shrimp Rice Krispies; Sweet Corn Pudding; and Jump Lump Crab Salad. Theatrical lights illuminate each table, while smoky mirrors allow patrons to catch a glimpse of the surroundings while a DJ creates an energetic vibe throughout the entire space.

3. NIGHT CLUBS AND LOUNGES

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Reign and Vanquish Night Clubs  Reign is Midtown’s newest nightclub designed for adult recreation. This 10,000 square foot club, with plush VIP sky booths, a large dance floor, Las Vegas style intelligent lighting and full production sound that all delivers an energetic vibe is all about VIPs.  Dress to impress.

halo lounge

Halo Lounge  This is the lounge where Atlanta goes for affordable premium spirits and signature drinks, fabulous music, and shared good times. HALO Lounge is a sophisticated upscale bar located underneath the historic Biltmore Hotel in heart of Midtown Atlanta. The recently renovated venue boasts high-quality design, an expansive signature drink menu, world class DJs, and two bars. HALO Lounge only serves the finest spirits, wine, and beer. Complimentary passes are provided to guests of the Indigo Hotel.

apache cafe

Apache Cafe  Open seven nights a week and serving a diverse group of patrons, Apache Café offers an intimate café, gallery, and venue with exposed brick walls and a loft-like style. As a restaurant café, Apache serves house made southwestern, Latin, and Caribbean inspired fare along with a full premium spirits bar, coffee bar, and dessert menu. As a gallery, you view artwork from a wide range of local and visiting traveling artists. As a venue, you will find presentations on the Asian rosewood stage of everything from think-tank type discussion forums to world-class music ensembles.
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Design Camp – What all the Buzz is about!

Last week in Austin, we launched Design Camp  to a warm crowd of over 100 top interior designers, speakers and the industry’s best vendors.

Design Camp the best interior designers

Of course we thought Design Camp was a good idea and were reassured when so many well known and respected vendors and speakers wanted to be involved. But nothing could have prepared us for the experience we had with our campers.  From students, to newer designers, to folks in their third decade of interior design business, to builders, stagers, real estate agents, artists, bloggers and design lovers… everyone was engaged, happy and enriched by our time together, especially us.

Here’s  how it went down:

Celebrity Interior Designers Lori Dennis and Kelli Ellis

After installing the Marchesa Theater, we gave a quick on camera interview for BeJane.com andNewHomeSource.com.

Design Camp Austin

Seeing our name on the marquee was surreal after looking at our Design Camp inspiration boards for the last 10 months.  Visualization works!
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