Dwell on Design 2016: America’s Largest Design Expo

07/11/2016 | Grace Lennon |

The eleventh annual Dwell on Design, a massive gathering (the largest in the country, in fact) of all things architecture, interior design, and home gadgetry, descended on the Los Angeles Convention Center June 24th – 26th. The three-day event was broken into two parts: one Trade Day (June 24), which was only open to those in the design and architecture industries; and two Consumer Days (June 25 and 26), which was open to the public. Mammoth in both physical size and ideas to absorb, the event featured hundreds of booths, tours, lectures, meet-and-greets, presentations and consultations, each showcasing the year’s most innovative design ideas, products and services. A roster of world-class orators gave talks, exhibitions and home tours.

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Photo by Grace Lennon

Dwell on Design Aerial View ; Photo provided by Dwell on Design

Here are some of the standouts from the weekend!

REPETITION
A new trend popping up at Dwell on Design was repetitive patterns, contrasting mixes of paisleys, geometrics, florals and stripes with energizing textures. The Brizo Faucet display featured a gold chevron wallpaper contrasting green turf, while Luzi Sleep’s Booth boasted a bold leaf patterned wallpaper. At Signature Kitchen Suite booth, a new brand of luxury built-in kitchen appliances, pop artist Donald Robertson created a painting of repetitive objects, inspired by the connectivity and flow of modern life and Signature Kitchen Suite.

Brizo Display; Photo by Grace Lennon

Donald Robertson was painting live every day at the Signature Kitchen

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Luxi Sleep Booth; Photo by Grace Lennon

DYNAMIC COLOR
Vivid colors dominated Dwell on Design this year, from small accents to large and dramatic displays. Franz Veigener’s booth echoed Andy Warhol with repeating images in different, bright colors. Koncept’s ingenious wall-mounted discs in rainbow colors flipped ope and rotated, while the Color Cord Company’s booth featured brilliantly colorful cords, parts, and kits.

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FRANZ VEIGENER Booth; Photo by Grace Lennon

Koncept’s Gravy wall sconces; Photo by Grace Lennon

Color Cord Company; Photo by Grace Lennon

DWELL BETA
This week, Dwell launched its new digital platform—the most engaging iteration of the brand to date—at hello.dwell.com. Attendees of Dwell on Design were invited to sign up to the platform from the show floor and explore four unique modern photo booth vignettes recreated from rooms and landscapes featured in the pages of Dwell magazine. The vignettes were brought to life with products from brand partners Resource Furniture, TOTO, FLOR, Carl Hansen & Søn, and Petrolicious Marketplace, which is supplying the 1966 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider automobile for the outdoor vignette.

1966 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider Photo Booth ; Photo by Grace Lennon

Neorest freestanding bathtub Photobooth; Photo by Grace Lennon

DWELL OUTDOOR
The 30,000-square-foot outdoor showcase is a popular destination at Dwell on Design, and this year’s event was no different. Garden designer and TV host Jamie Durie signed on to curate Dwell Outdoor. Using collections that range from Danish-inspired teak furniture and vertical gardens, to transterior textures, Durie delivered his unique philosophy of “taking the outdoors in, and the indoors out” by designing this one-of-a-kind show feature, infusing exhibitor installations with hundreds of plants and trees – crafting a lush, green oasis. Dwell Outdoor also featured hand-picked full-size prefab homes, equipped with the latest solar power and water-efficient fixtures, sustainable home decor and furniture, an Outdoor Cinema, and the infamous Beer Garden, where attendees were able to meet, relax, and enjoy a beverage.

Dwell Outdoor; Photo by Grace Lennon

DUNN-EDWARDS®

The Dunn-Edwards ® booth showcased a wide variety of paint colors, located just a few steps away from the front entrance. Dunn Edward’s INSTACOLOR app was featured, as well as the Then, Now & Forever® color collection, a curated collection of 300 new colors. 142 colors were inspired by architecture of the American West and are historically accurate as verified by Architectural Resources Group, an architecture firm focused on historical preservation and renovation. The other 158 colors are trending today and offer a greater range of grays and browns, as well as blues and oranges.