RECAP: Fall Design Preview Night @ the IDC!

Posted on under Site News

Modern style maven, Jamie Sangar, is the creator of Mod Abode, an online design haven curated by Jamie’s discerning eye for design. In this blog series, Jamie visits the IDC showrooms to photograph and tell us what inpsired her at the Fall Design Preview Night event on August 24.

Last night was an exciting evening for Central Indiana design enthusiasts and consumers! The Indiana Design Center hosted its Fall Preview Night, which featured many local interior designers and retailers. Guests had an opportunity to mingle and browse table top vignettes displayed by each designer while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Showroom doors were also open to allow guests to explore the latest trends in the design world. It offered the perfect opportunity to speak with design professionals and look through their portfolios. It was a pleasure meeting so many talented professionals, and here are just a handful of experts I got to learn from last evening.

Amy Kreutz, senior designer and partner at Conceptual Kitchens & Millwork, radiates style. Only a few minutes into our conversation about the kitchen and bath design industry, and I could tell that Amy is truly delivering her passion to her clients on a daily basis. With such a broad understanding of design, extending well beyond just kitchen and bath designs and finishes, she has crafted some amazing works of arts in peoples’ homes.

When asked what new things excite Amy in the design world as it pertains to her industry, it boiled down to details; tone on tone fabric on the face of kitchen cabinet doors, black bamboo cabinet pulls decked with gold trim, integrated lighting in shelving, just to name a few.

After learning about a few of her current projects, it leaves me excited to see the final outcome and unique details that Amy adds to the projects.

Image courtesy of Conceptual Kitchens & Millwork.

Tom Vriesman, principal of Design Studio Vriesman, shared a sampling of some simple and texture-driven textiles. It was a true pleasure speaking with Tom and learning about the style that best represents his business. A modern minimalist myself, I flipped slowly through his portfolio, taking in all of the beautifully simple and timeless interiors that he has crafted over his many years of experience. A purist when it comes to mid-century modern design, Tom loves to bring the outdoors in by balancing abundant daylight with modern comforts for the family.

Judy Bates, principal of JB Designs, has fall colors and decor on her mind. Her adorable vignette included warm tones and textures complimenting the gorgeous autumn months we experience here in Indiana. A popular finish she showcased was kiln-dried wooden paneling that is made from the hulls of antique ships. Her clients have enjoyed this unique product on feature walls, and Judy said it can be applied differently on a smaller scale to act as a piece of artwork above a sofa or mantle. Aside from fall trends, Judy shared that Crypton fabrics are a must-have in your custom upholstery selections to avoid dirt and stains.

In today’s modern tech world, it was nice learning from the professionals at One-Touch Automation. Home automation is on fire right now! Brock Ackerman of One-Touch Automation shared that the popular trends include integrating Sonos speakers into home automation systems, such as Savant, as well as using the popular Amazon Echo as another means of controlling the system by voice commands. He shared that people are looking for ways to not only simplify their lives, but also to minimize the number of different control points for televisions, lighting, home security, speakers, etc. Products like Savant become a consumer’s central hub for their home controls.

Ready to fall in love with your home? Visit the Indiana Design Center Monday through Saturday, or call the concierge at 317-569-5975 to set up your personal tour. The IDC also offers complimentary Designer On Call appointments where you can enlist the professional advice from a designer during a 50-minute consultation in the building. The IDC is located at 200 S. Rangeline Road in Carmel

About Mod Abode by Jamie Sangar:



Mod Abode was started out of a passion for three things; photography, architecture and design. A photographer by trade, I figured, what the heck–why 
not combine all of my passions into one. Thus, Mod Abode was born! For as long as I can remember, I have loved design. I’ve always been particularly drawn to modern design. It has always been a favorite pastime to pick up the latest issue of Dwell Magazine and gawk over the stunning modern architecture and clean, minimalist interiors. And every store catalog I receive in the mail containing simple yet bold interior accessories, has a rather long shelf life in my home, because I love to study the featured rooms photographed so beautifully inside the issue. Since starting my photography business in 2006, I’ve had many opportunities to photograph our travels, our home, and lots and lots of happy moments in peoples’ lives. After being a general contractor on the build of our own modern home here in Indianapolis, Indiana, I gained an even stronger appreciation of modern craftsmanship and functional homes built with form in mind. So here you have it, Mod Abode is a broad range of things that interest me, related to modern homes, for modern enthusiasts.