19 Oct High Point Market with Deborah Main Designs

“Team Work Makes the Dream Work” is the theme of Deborah Main Designs’ blog post today about two talented designers, Carisa Marie and John Strauss, debuting their collaborative works of art in John Strauss Showroom at High Point Market (#hpmkt) in North Carolina. High Point, the largest furniture show in the country, started Friday, Oct 18^th and runs through this weekend until Wednesday, Oct.23^rd. (The wonderful quote above was Tweeted today by Carisa Marie, an interior designer and stylist from Seattle.)

And team work is exactly what these two fabulous designers did to make their dream work: this gorgeous chandelier below!

John Strauss Showroom, G-7013, Salon Suites at Market Square, High Point. Beautiful clusters of glass hang over the bed from John & Carisa’s NEW chandelier design their debuting this weekend at High Point! Artwork by Mary Nutter.

I first met this beautiful, witty woman, Carisa Marie, on Twitter. Then, I met her “In Real Life” (#IRL, as we say in TwitterVille) when she came to Austin in 2011 for Austin City Limits.  She was my first Twitter pal to meet in person, and I remember being very nervous.  I’d only been on Twitter a little while and we’d chat back and forth so freely late at night, and she’d make me laugh. I mean REALLY laugh!! That’s what I LOVE about Carisa, she always makes me smile and feel great.  So when I met her in person for the first time, it was no surprise that we hit it off and have been friends ever since.

Deborah Main and Carisa Marie at Deborah Main Designs studio, Austin, TX, 2011.

It’s funny how Twitter is its very own little community.  I love my friends on Facebook, with so many of them dear to my heart here in Austin, Texas, my home,  and where our studio is, Deborah Main Designs. But there’s something very special about meeting your Twitter friends.

It’s unique to know Twitter pals for a long time through just 140 characters, and then, when you meet #IRL, it’s like you’ve been friends forever! 

It truly is an AMAZING community of talented artists, designers, and people from all over the world.  If you’re not already on Twitter, you should definitely give it a try.  I feel very blessed to make such wonderful new friends, from Seattle to London, in the international interior design community on Twitter.  I would never have met Carisa and John if not for Interior Designer Chat.

So check out Twitter group, #IntDesignerChat, every Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. CST to meet incredibly talented designers who share a wealth of knowledge and experience.

In last week’s post: The Art of Wood & Water Part I, I introduced you to Ohio furniture maker John Strauss. John, a trained sculptor, has been making furniture for over 20 years and has found great success at High Point Market. I talked with him further about his market experience versus my recent experience at the International Gift & Home Furnishings Market in Atlanta. He was so helpful in sharing the path of his career and the similar important decisions he’s made in his journey as a small business owner.  For example, to achieve the growth he wanted he needed to have others assist him in making his furniture, so he works very closely now with the Amish community.

Walnut end table, by John Strauss, with blackened steel and satin lacquered doors.

John’s been showing at High Point for about 5 years, but this year he and Carisa have teamed up and have something exciting up their sleeve. They collaborated on a fabulous chandelier and Carisa styled the entire showroom featuring John’s handcrafted furniture. As John Tweeted today,

“It’s all coming together with Carisa Marie’s design sensibilities”.

I don’t even know ALL the details, but I do know that when you mix two very talented artists together, one can only imagine the exciting designs ahead, like this one example below,  for their new company CMJSCreativ. (read about the making of the table mobile here). Carisa Tweeted today, and well deserved I must say:

“Fab morning at #hpmkt! So excited about all the compliments John and I receiving regarding showroom, accessories, and furniture.”

John Strauss Showroom. End table and coffee table by John Strauss.  Regarding mobile on table detailed in above link, Carisa tweets “I dream this up and John Strauss made it”. Great collaborative team at John Strauss Showroom, G-7013, Salon Suites, Market Square. Painting by Mary Nutter.

So over the next week please check out the Twitter streams of these two talented designers,  @carisamarie11 and @johnstrauss, and please enjoy these fabulous images below they provided me of  their collaborative work LIVE at the John Strauss showroom.  And check out wall art by Mary Nutter (@mcraneart) And if you’re lucky enough to be at High Point Market this weekend,

Please stop by John Strauss showroom for champagne & cocktails to celebrate their newest collection, Sunday, October 20^th at 4:00 p.m. (EST). In Salon Suites at Market Square, G7013.

Until next week, we at Deborah Main Designs wish you a fabulous weekend and wish John and Carisa a fantastic and successful High Point Market (#hpmkt).  And follow us on Twitter @deborahmain to keep up with the latest #hpmkt chat!  XO, PG

Note: Professional photography by, and with permission from, CMJSCreativ.

Lakeshore Dining Table & Buffet in Walnut by John Strauss. Chandelier by Carisa Marie & John Strauss of CMJSCreativ. Wall art by Mary Nutter.

John Strauss Showroom. Lakeshore Buffet, by John Strauss, in walnut, blackened steel and with satin lacquered doors, with pullouts.

John Strauss Showroom, G-7013. Burl wood nesting tables in foreground. Tall armoire in back corner SOLD before market even opened. Chandelier over bed by Carisa Marie & John Strauss of CMJSCreativ.