Areaware, a New York based distributor, is my new favorite design company.
I had the pleasure of walking the New York International Gift Fair a few weeks ago and nearly had a heart attack when I stumbled upon the Areaware booth. Familiar with some of their products, like the gilded roller-skate doorstop from Generate Design shop, I felt like I had entered the mecca of meaningful, well-thought out design. Good design stops me in my tracks. Makes me giddy. Makes me crave more, more, more.
The slideshow is a sampling of my favorite Areaware items - the pieces I kept going back to inspect. The items I wanted to slip into my bag and take home with me right then and right there.
Expressive Home Decor
Areaware Innovations Make Everyday Products More Meaningful
Trend Themes
1. Expressive Home Decor - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create home decor products that are not just functional but also meaningful and aesthetically pleasing.
2. Design Mecca - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Establish a design-focused retail destination that showcases well-thought out and unique products.
3. Giddy for Good Design - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop a platform or service that curates and showcases the best in meaningful and giddy-inducing design products.
Industry Implications
1. Home Decor - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate technology and smart features into home decor products, enhancing functionality and personalization.
2. Retail - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Leverage emerging technologies like VR and AR to create immersive retail experiences that showcase unique and innovative design products.
3. Curated Design Platforms - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Build an online platform that connects consumers with curated collections of unique and meaningful design products from various brands and designers.