MDI’s weekend in NYC at Sunbrella’s Perspective New York event was, well, eventful! It was such an honor to be invited to participate in this national platform. MDI was an early adopter of using Sunbrella fabrics in our designs — indoor and out — and the Perspective event was a wonderful opportunity to not only share more of our visions, but to also see other designers’ creativity at work.

Last week, we shared with you how far back our connection with Sunbrella reaches. This week, we’ll give more insight into our work that was featured over the weekend.

The Design Board

Margaret was one of 8 designers asked to create a design board demonstrating how we would design a New York loft using Sunbrella fabrics. The board, which hung inside the event space, was designed for a Manhattan penthouse overlooking Central Park. MDI imagined its occupants to be a globetrotting young couple with a menagerie of dogs.

We described the design like this: Always happy to entertain their many friends, the couple increased their living space by using a wood plank ceramic tile as the flooring for both the living room and the adjoining balcony.  Identical neutral rugs are used indoors and out, further enhancing the feeling of one seamless room. The large glass doors recess fully into the wall to join the spaces, allowing for plenty of space to entertain both two and four-legged friends.  Sheer fabrics encase the floor-to-ceiling glass, framing the spectacular view while providing privacy when needed. Our clients and their canine companions can live in harmony in this carefully curated home.

Filled with thoughtfully collected pieces from around the world, the space includes a 1960s hand chair from 1stdibs and a traditional African bird statue. We obtained the Porpianong statue from Cedarburg Auction and Estate Sales. The statue sits on a petrified wood pedestal by Palecek. To the right of the sofa, we sat a Formations Bulles table lamp on a Hellman-Chang z-shaped side table.

Pops of color, pulled from the sofa fabric Pindler and Pindler Tiburon Fiesta, bring a burst of life to the room. We loved the curves and comfort of the Mesa sofa from Holly Hunt. Draped over it is a Textillery handwoven throw from the Joe Ruggiero Collection, which uses Sunbrella yarns and chenille twill. We were thrilled to find the perfect round nesting tables from Urbia and the scallop bowl planter from Formations. The shell accent chair by Hans Wegner is from Design Within Reach, and its fabric is Calypso in plumberry from Silver State.

For the sand-colored draperies, we used a Donghia fabric. The papyrus-colored living room rug and balcony rug are from the Renaissance Collection at Colonial Mills.  Adding cheerful bursts of color are the tangerine floor pillows, which were custom made using Donghia St Barts I. The pillow’s blush piping and button is done in Sunbrella canvas from Silver State. 

Careful not to forget the balcony, the bronze Dedon Hemisphere outdoor chairs complement the soft lines and colors from the living room. The ivory chair fabric is from Weitzner‘s collection of Sunbrella fabrics.

The husband’s love of modernism is reflected in the clean lines of the furnishing while the wife’s love of pattern and texture are showcased in the grey zebra-print Donghia Penache fabric on the Donghia club chair and the colorful geometric fabric on the sofa.

Which piece from our design board stands out the most for you?

Editor At Large

During Perspective New York, Margaret was able to take part in an interview with the Editor At Large, which has been referred to as the CNN of the design world. The site provides news and resources on upscale interior design to its readership of designers, manufacturers, editors, publicists, and design bloggers. How exciting!

Want more? Don’t worry, we aren’t done boasting about how inspired we are from our little trip to the Big Apple. Stay tuned next week for a look at five vignettes created by some incredibly talented interior designers from across the country.

You can also check out MDI’s Instagram for more pics from the weekend!

Also, stop by the Sunbrella site soon, where Margaret will, as a guest blogger, give advice on using Sunbrella fabric. A big thanks goes out to Gina Winkler at Sunbrella and Hearst Design Group for such a wonderful event.