LA Story, Part II
May 14th, 2007One thing I love about these shows is how nice everyone is. It’s like we’re all in it together. Need an iron? Booth 755 has one! Forgot your level? Just ask the nice guy in booth 832. Even with the vignettes, we kept walking by each other’s booths during the construction phase and the ego part of it just wasn’t there. We were all admiring each other’s creativity and ingenuity. Sounds a little ‘We are the world’, I know, but it’s true, I swear.
We really bonded with Karina of Litto Kids. Teri gave her a hand one morning (you can see them both a little in the first picture below, Karina’s back is to the camera), and the next day Karina brought us a dozen fresh Krispy Kremes. Heaven….
Okay back to the vignettes! First up, a nursery with an owl theme by Litto Kids. Absolutely beautiful freehand cut wall treatment by Karina:
The amount of time it took for Karina to do the wall treatments is amazing. Karina used to live in the Bay Area, but moved down to Los Angeles, where she has a showroom and runs Litto Kids, a very cool modern children’s design company. Here theme was to do a ‘retro’ look (it’s hard to see in these pictures, but the lamps, cuckoo clock, and even wall fabric are vintage 60s design).
Next, is Boodalee. I have to say that Jeanice, founder and creative director, has an impeccable sense of styling. Her room vignette is so polished and nicely put together:
Boodalee’s theme was ‘Under the Trees’ which she captured really well through her use of color, natural materials for the wall, floor and accessories, and of course her tree themed bedding. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the beautiful handmade tree wall treatment in this room, which really was one of the key features (sorry!).
Finally, Nurseryworks. This is a company we’ve all heard of and I was dying to see their vignette. Their vignette definitely had the most ‘lived in’ look with real kid drawings tacked onto a cork wall. Their color palette was also quite bold:
And the winner was….
everyone. Yes, in the most democratic fashion possible, every vignette won an award. kukunest won ‘Most Colorful’ and Litto Kids won ‘Most Earth Friendly’, Boodalee got ‘Most Creative’, and Nurseryworks? Well, they won ‘Most Practical’. An interesting assortment of awards; ‘Most Beautiful’ went to a muralist who did a mural of fairies, toadstools and castles, a very traditional look.
Lessons learned: bring more than you think you need (and don’t forget your level!). It’s easy to edit, but it’s impossible to create additional decor items or furnishings out of thin air. Teri and I were wishing for just a couple of more room items on Friday evening. Also, an important, overlooked feature: proper lighting. It makes all the difference, as you can see how Nurseryworks used it to light up their vignette. Right now we’re planning our booth at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas in September. We’re in the Modern Child Pavilion and we’re really excited to get our booth look nailed down.
Have a great week!
Cheers,
Laura
