In mid-October, designers flocked to Santa Fe, N.M., for Mohawk Group’s annual Future Workplace Design (FWD) Event. The three-day summit packed in an engaging speech by IxIDA’s Cheryl Durst; a sneak peek at Mohawk’s upcoming releases; presentations by Trend Union discussing what’s on the horizon for 2018; tours of the Museum of International Folk Art and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture; a panel discussion on inspiration; and, as it always is when designers come together, a lot of fun and networking.
Kicking off the event was a beautiful rooftop cocktail hour, framed by New Mexico’s phenomenal sunsets while a Mariachi band accompanied the festivities. In a spectacular choice of scheduling, Durst kicked off the program with a discussion on communication in the age of technology. One part dinner theatre, one part riveting lecture (with a spattering of debate about whether or not cats have any opinion of us as humans that they want to communicate), Durst’s talk started the week in the right direction by introducing guests to the fact that they would be active participants in the inspiration, discussion, and trends they could look forward to.
The thing about the Mohawk FWD event that stands out is that it is an aesthetically stunning event which digs deeply into the onus of designers’ commitment to transforming inspiration into projects. The discussions revolve not only around new product, but the trends which are emerging and can be expected for several years to come, putting attendees at the forefront of the latest designs.
