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Best of 2012 – #2!

To see the Best 5 of 2012, click here.

Entry #961, February 17, 2012

February 8-11th 2012 marks an experience that I will never forget. Me and 18 other bloggers, designers and architects, also known as the ‘Blogger 19’ joined the few that have experienced Brizo’s commitment to quality, design and hospitality at New York City’s Fashion Week.

Image – Jayme Thornton

From the moment I arrived in New York and was greeted by the driver to leaving and arriving back in Jacksonville, Florida it was top notch all the way.

Vuelo Kitchen Faucet – Image courtesy of Brizo

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It is hard to compile a snapshot of what occurred because it was multi-dimensional in the experience. From the 18 other great design folks I met, to the wonderful hospitality by the Eventi Hotel staff, to the learning the Brizo brand and where they seek design inspiration, it’s impossible for me to bottle it into words that will even scratch the surface.

Instead, I will do a re-cap of the events we enjoyed, and try to sprinkle in my fondest memories of each part throughout!

Day 1: Brizo Welcome Reception

The first night in New York City we all got to meet each other. Which I have to say is a treat in itself! Since I have turned from Associate Architect sitting in an office all day to Professional Blogger, it is no nice to meet your ‘virtual co-workers’! I am on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media with the other 18 and meeting each of them face to face was wonderful. It was also our first time to meet the Brizo team and the wonderful folks who make this event possible.

Image – Courtesy of Eventi Hotel

Image – Courtesy of Jennifer Duchene

Day 2:  – Brizo Product Session

The second day was a whirlwind of Brizo products, and it was interesting to see where much of the inspiration of the gorgeous designed faucets originated from. Judd Lord, showed each of the bath and kitchen suites and walked us through how he and his team come up with concepts that later make their way to your home.

 Charlotte Shower Head – Image courtesy of Brizo

One of the most interesting parts of the day was an interactive session with the Brizo team. We were asked to give honest feedback on products that are in the design concept stage. We even had a sneek peek into prototype concepts that may come out in the next 18 months or into the future. It was a pleasure to see a brand take an interest into the designer’s opinions, and ask for honest feedback as to whether our clients, and geographic locale would appreciate their products.

I think I speak for all of the other attendees that the information we learned from Brizo was invaluable. Learning about their testing methods, quality assurance methods, and attention to detail in every product was definitely a pleasure to witness.

Interactive Cooking Session at Sur La Table

In the evening we were driven by limousines to Sur La Table. A delightful kitchen ware store that featured culinary finds, and a great cooking class area! We were taught how to cook 3 different pastas, and it was so much fun to get a little dirty, and cook with our fellow design bloggers and Brizo team.

Erika Ward from – Blu Label Bungalow

After that it was time to head back to the hotel and rest up for Friday… the biggest day of all!

Day 3: Brizo Champagne Brunch | Jason Wu Fashion Show & After Party

Day 3 had finally arrived and the anticipation of the day unfolding was like a child on Christmas morning before you get to open your gifts! The morning started off with a round table champagne brunch in the morning. This was an opportunity for the Brizo team to pick our brains about working with bloggers, similar brand events we had attended, and how they’d like to keep the relationship going with us and ultimately you, our readers.

I find that many brands don’t do this enough. It was also nice to hear other bloggers and designers speak to their specific readers, and clients and hear what others in this industry are doing to pair up with home brands.

After the brunch we all received our invitations to the Jason Wu Fashion show. What was a huge surprise is each of us got a signed lithograph from Jason, and a keychain with Jason’s iconic owl and Brizo Baroque flower from the inspiration of his powder room collection. I had to rush to my room and take a picture!

Jason Wu Fashion Show

Next it was time for us to get dressed an meet in the lobby for photos. Here’s a few of my favorites 🙂

The fashion show was indescribable! It was set in this warehouse building that had a very industrial feel, and after the show started, it fit the military, Chinese-inspired, theme of Jason Wu’s designs perfectly. There were these huge red doors that opened up and out spilled light and mist, and powerful music was like a hip military regiment! It was awesome!

Here are a few images – all courtesy of Jayme Thornton

After Party for Jason Wu

As if that wasn’t enough, later on in the evening we headed to a penthouse overlooking New York City for an intimate chat with Jason Wu and we were able to hear him speak about his design inspirations, his gratitude for partnering with Brizo, and his commitment to quality and good design.

More pictures – courtesy of Jayme Thornton

If I had 200 more pages, I could include every event, every picture, and every wonderful moment that I took away from this experience. Meeting the other designers and bloggers, learning about Brizo and attending the Jason Wu event was a girl’s dream come true.

I’m honored to be included in the ‘Blogger 19’. I thank all of my Stagetecture readers, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, friends and family for sharing in this experience with me. For it was exciting by myself, but what is an amazing experience until you can share it? Absolutely nothing.

Thank you again, and I look forward to building more relationships and learning about Brizo and Delta Faucets as I head into the future!

Disclaimer: As a guest of Brizo, my airfare and travel expenses have been comped.