Design is the new food

"Design is the new food, " said Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan at November 11th's R.Home for the Holidays. After greeting the audience, and thanking LaDiff "as I hear they are called" (swoon!), Maxwell explained his statement: years ago, no one talked about food as 'cuisine'. Now, women, men, even kids talk about the garlic infused marinade, what body of water your oysters lived in, or the local farm that supplied your greens. What was once simply food on the table has now become a major topic of conversation for dinner tables, kitchens, and water coolers everywhere.

This is the future for 'design', too, says Maxwell. He believes that 10 years from now, we'll all know the names of designers the way we know the names of chefs on the Food Network today.

Maxwell's statement was part of a speech that captivated an audience of about 250, gathered in LaDiff's low-lit parking-garage-now-banquet-hall. Before taking questions and signing his book, Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces, Maxwell told us how his business, blog, and website, Apartment Therapy, came to be.

A former elementary school teacher, Maxwell talked about how he had noticed that children from 'beautiful homes' - homes where the inhabitants showed they cared about the surroundings - did better in school. They appreciated art, music, language more.

Maxwell called creating a room as a "recipe with ingredients" that requires "careful curation." Maxwell noted that most Americans are collectors not editors when it comes to their "stuff." It is when we learn how to edit, move, subtract, change the space around us that the "stuff" becomes more meaningful.

Maxwell quoted occasionally from Terence Conran, the English born design guru, known for his Conran Shop, London restaurant designs, and many books on the subject. He is also an obvious idol of Maxwell's (and of ours). In the preface to The House Book, Conran wrote, "Having a warm home that looks good and that you and your family and friends enjoy must be one of the most worthwhile things in life."

For Maxwell and his team, Apartment Therapy is a community of idea sharing and inspiration. Last Thursday, he shared those ideas with Richmond, Richmond Magazine, and LaDiff.

Thanks, Maxwell.
Come again soon!


***pictures by Melissa Martin Molitor***

Co-Founder of Apartment Therapy blog is coming to LaDiff

We are SO EXCITED at LaDiff!

A few weeks ago, Brandon Fox, editor of R.Home Magazine (a subsidiary of Richmond Magazine) emailed me to see if LaDiff would be interested in hosting their annual R.Home for the Holidays event. When I heard that Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, co-founder of the national blog Apartment Therapy would be the guest speaker, I gave a resounding yes!

So, together with one of our favorite suppliers American Leather, who are joining us as co-presenting sponsors, we are hosting this terrific event THIS WEEK!

Why would a *furniture* store who wants & likes to *sell stuff* be thrilled to host an outspoken, self-professed minimalist who lives in an under 300-square foot NYC apartment (with his wife and child, I might add)? Because Mr. Gillingham-Ryan and his blog team help us see the new and different in the world of home furnishings.

On the blog, they show how modern works with traditional, how ethnic works with glamor, how one small item can change the way a room breathes... and he does it all in an uber-organized fashion (ooh, that alone makes me giddy).

So... without further ado, we hope you will join us on Thursday, November 11th from 6pm to 9pm. You can meet and listen to Maxwell, drink some wine, nibble on some food, bid on special wreaths created by members of Richmond's design community (including one very cool wreath by Megan Pluim, Jennie Kam, and Melissa Molitor of LaDiff!), learn some holiday decor ideas, and... of course... shop at LaDiff!

Tickets are available here, and all proceeds benefit the fabulous Richmond Ballet.

See you Thursday!

photos courtesy of Richmond Magazine