Design Pool’s 2021 Highlights

As the year winds down we’re spending time reflecting on 2021 and looking forward to 2022. Recently, Kristen and Kristin chatted about the year and thought about the 2021 highlights. Getting a new business off the ground has had a lot of surprises. Yet, we both feel proud of the year we had and want to share our favorite parts of 2021 with you.

2021 Highlights

NeoCon

It was a blast to finally get out of the studio and introduce Design Pool to the interior design community. After many years of attending NeoCon, it was special to be there as an exhibitor. We heard a lot of valuable feedback from interior designers as well as other exhibitors, and enjoyed roaming the showrooms and booths looking for trends. We felt energized by the excitement people had for on-demand manufacturing in commercial interiors and are already looking forward to heading back to Chicago in June!

HiP Award & Metropolis Likes

Speaking of NeoCon, it was an honor to be named a HiP Award winner for our upholstery collection Knowledge is Power, as well as a HiP Award Honoree for our wallcovering collection Classified and acoustic collection Radio Waves.

Metropolis Magazine also named us a #MetropolisLikes for Radio Waves. Being recognized by two national magazines at our NeoCon debut gave us an extra shot of motivation for 2022!

HCD Expo + Conference

In addition to NeoCon, we had a valuable experience at the HCD Expo + Conference in Cleveland. This event was unique in that it had such a specific focus and we learned a lot from their informative sessions. Bonus: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!

The Cryptology Collection

Designing The Cryptology Collection was so fun and full of surprises. Who would have thought picking up a new book to read would be the spark of inspiration for an entire collection of pattern designs? This collection involved an intense amount of research and Kristen’s enthusiasm for code and respect for the women codebreakers she got to know was infectious. Elizebeth feels like an honorary part of the Design Pool team!

It wasn’t all about work though.

As for life outside of work? There were some highlights there too.

Eight in Maine

Both Kristen and Kristin exhibited work in the exhibit Eight in Bath, Maine with six other artists. Each created eight pieces of work and were exhibited at the Chocolate Church Arts Center. This creative process was both grounding and exciting and we’re both looking forward to exhibiting our artwork more in 2022.

To all of you reading our blog and supporting our business, thank you! We can’t wait to see where 2022 takes us.