Thomas O’Brien

Glorious Gardens
Saturday, October 4 | 11 a.m.| Followed by book signing

Thomas O’Brien is an interior and home furnishings designer based in New York City. He is the founder and president of Aero Studios and the proprietor of home design stores Aero Ltd. and Copper Beech. His work spans from the design of private residences to distinguished product partnerships to the curated lifestyles of his stores. His mix of modern and traditional ideas extends to his Thomas O’Brien home furnishings, with furniture, lighting, tableware and giftware, carpets, and plumbing fittings made for both fine and daily living. He has created lighting for Visual Comfort & Co., one of our show sponsors.

He is regularly named to top editorial design lists such as the AD-100, and his work has been featured in various leading publications, including Architectural Digest, ELLE Decor, House Beautiful, The New York Times, Time, Town & Country, and VERANDA. He is the author of three design books: the best-selling American Modern, AERO: Beginning to Now, and Library House. He lives in Manhattan and Bellport, New York.

IG: @aerostudios

Sponsored by Cobbs Allen and PURE Insurance

Dara Caponigro

Moderator—Glorious Gardens
Saturday, October 4 | 11 a.m.| Followed by book signing

Dara Caponigro is the creative director of Schumacher and editor in chief of FREDERIC magazine. Previously, she was editor of VERANDA, style director and a founding editor of Domino, and design director of ELLE Decor. She is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Domino: the Book of Decorating, and author of Decorate Like a Decorator, and FREDERIC: The Last Word in Chic, both published by Monacelli.

She lives in the Bronx with her husband, David Steinberger, and their two children, Sofia and Stefan. Their homes have been published in House Beautiful, ELLE Decor, VERANDA, Domino, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and FREDERIC. Her latest book is Glorious Gardens: Private Edens of the World’s Leading Interior Designers.

IG: @dara_caponigro | @fredericmagazine | @schumacher1889

Sponsored by Cobbs Allen and PURE Insurance

Elaine Griffin

Hospitality: Then & Now
Saturday, October 4 | 2 p.m. | Followed by book signing

Interior designer and tastemaker Elaine Griffin is the former contributing editor, design, for Better Homes & Gardens; designed the Good Works Makeovers for Oprah’s O at Home; was a contributing/special projects editor at ELLE Decor; and is a contributing editor at FLOWER magazine. Her eponymous design firm, Elaine Griffin at Home, operates from the Golden Isles of Coastal Georgia—St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Jekyll Island and Brunswick—and New York City. She began her design career in the office of renowned architect Peter Marino. She is the author of the best-selling how-to book, Design Rules: The Insider’s Guide to Becoming Your Own Decorator. A graduate of Yale University with an honorary Ph.D. from the New York School of Interior Design, Elaine divides her time between her native Coastal Georgia and New York City.

IG: @elaine_griffin

Sponsored by FLOWER

Margot Shaw

Moderator—Hospitality: Then & Now
Saturday, October 4 | 2 p.m. | Followed by book signing

Margot Shaw is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of FLOWER. As the nation’s only floral lifestyle publication, FLOWER inspires, educates, and entertains readers with a point of view that stems from seeing the world through a botanical lens. Now in its 19th year, the magazine has grown to include features on homes, gardens, entertaining, and lifestyle. Margot is a sought-after speaker at antiques and garden shows, museums, botanical gardens, interior design centers, and more. She is the author of the book, Living Floral: Entertaining and Decorating with Flowers.

IG: @margotrshaw | @flowermagazine

Sponsored by FLOWER  

Marshall Watson

Defining Elegance
Sunday, October 5 | 11 a.m. | Followed by book signing

A subtle blend of transatlantic and American design philosophies suffuses New York-based designer Marshall Watson’s work. Classic elegance is his hallmark. A native of Kansas City, Marshall Watson received his bachelor of arts from Stanford University and founded his design firm, Marshall Watson Interiors, in 1986. His designs have appeared on the covers of Architectural Digest, VERANDA, Traditional Home, Ocean Home, and Hamptons Cottages and Gardens, and his interiors have also been richly explored in publications including House Beautiful, LUXE Interiors + Design, The New York Times, Interior Design, and many others. He also received Traditional Home’s “Designer of the Year” award. Marshall is the author of The Art of Elegance and the recently released Defining Elegance. Marshall will be introduced by Jennifer Boles, Senior Editor, Southeast and Features, LUXE Interiors + Design.

IG: @watsonreiddeaneganes | @marshallwatsondesign

Sponsored by Christopher Collection and LUXE Interiors + Design

Jon Carloftis

Creating a Livable Home: Inside & Out
Sunday, October 5 | 2 p.m. | Followed by book signing

Nationally renowned garden designer Jon Carloftis prides himself on his Kentucky roots and sincerely believes that the Bluegrass state is home to some of the world’s most enchanting and inspired gardens. He returned to Kentucky after creating rooftop gardens in New York City for over two decades. His work has been featured in many publications, including Garden & Gun, Southern Living, Country Gardens, Country Home, Garden Design, House Beautiful, Martha Stewart Living, and Metropolitan Home. He received a landscape design award from the City of New York and is the author of First a Garden, Beyond the Windowsill, Beautiful Gardens of Kentucky, and Jon Carloftis Fine Gardens. He lives with his beloved yellow Labrador retrievers in a restored circa 1851 home in downtown Lexington, surrounded by an acre of gardens.

IG: @joncarloftisfinegardens

Sponsored by River Brook Design & Construction, Visual Comfort & Co., and SOUTHERN HOME