Most of our customers know Merida as the company that’s been providing the highest quality, beautifully designed custom sisal rugs for over three decades. What many are not aware of, however, is that we have also been designing, developing and producing custom wool rugs out of our own local Massachusetts manufacturing facility. This fall we will introduce new “Made in USA” products, including exciting variations of the hugely popular Sweater Collection, and our first-ever reversible wool rug. The launch is quickly approaching so stay tuned for more updates. In the meantime, please enjoy this sneak peak of the “behind the scenes” of the development and production process.

Read what Tobi Fairley has to say about Merida’s wool rugs >

Many of you may find yourselves wondering…what exactly is this Design Leadership Summit I’ve overheard whispers of in the past few weeks? For those of you that aren’t familiar with the Summit, it is an annual gathering of ~250 of the world’s top design talent to openly discuss trends, challenges, and fore sights related to the design industry as a whole. Held in cities across the globe, the event is structured to encourage open communication and engagement amongst participants.

This year’s summit was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, which was a wonderful selection on many levels. The city takes pride in their craftsmanship and celebrates local manufacturing. They pay great attention to quality design work, but they also innately think about sustainability and design as one common unit. As Merida CEO Catherine Connolly noted, the Danish are actually “living the idea that sustainability and design are inextricably linked – this is a belief we have at Merida and pursue in our design process, but it was incredible to see it played out at a societal level.”

A key part of the conference included extremely accomplished speaker’s addresses to the entire group, however, there were also plenty of opportunities to break into smaller groups for more intimate discussions and sight-seeing activities. As a platinum sponsor of this year’s event, Merida was able to send three of our biggest players to the event — Creative Director Maegan Fee, Director of Sales Roxanne Hanna, and CEO Catherine Connolly – and each had their own unique take-away.

One thing that all three of them absolutely agreed on was how powerful, electrifying and moving Bjark Ingles’ talk about hedonistic sustainability was. Ingles painted a progressive picture of a future that is at once beautiful, fun, and sustainable without the negative associations of how much we need to change and how difficult it will be to get there.

Below please find Merida attendee’s intimate experiences from and personal thoughts about the summit.

Roxanne Hanna – Director of Sales

On the first full day of the summit we were given a variety of guided tours to choose from – ranging from furniture making to museum tours — to facilitate smaller group connections while taking advantage of everything Copenhagen has to offer. I chose the guided bike tour to get a real sense of the city and cover a lot of ground. It was fantastic learning about the city’s architecture from a very knowledgeable architecture student. The landscape was diverse and we made our way through the bustling city into the countryside. It was exhilarating to ride alongside the Danes as they seamlessly weaved in and out of our large group. At one point, I was riding alone and it captured the essence of what it would be like to live in the gorgeous city of Copenhagen. I got lost in the moment and was entranced by the experience. Even though I didn’t know the group on a personal level, I felt a sense of community that I’ve never experienced before in a larger group setting. It is that sense of community that was the common thread of all that was experienced together that made it so magical.

I had the pleasure of biking with industry talents Celerie Kemble of Kemble Interiors, Jay Jeffers of Jeffers Design Group, Sonu Matthew of Benjamin Moore, Zak Graff of Granet & Associates, and Amanda Nisbet of Amanda Nisbet Design to name a few.

On the second night, we broke out into small groups and had the privilege of dining in the homes of local Danes. I had the opportunity to have dinner at the sleek and modern flat of our host Jesper Ryadahl. He is a partner in a new, hot restaurant in Copenhagen called 42 Raw. He served delicious food from his restaurant and was able to tell us the ingredients of everything we ate. Jesper explained that the raw food restaurant concept is fairly new and innovative in Copenhagen. This particular restaurant focuses on organic food and utilizes local ingredients whenever possible. Dinner guests included Peter Frandsen of Verpan, Gary McBournie of Gary McBournie Inc, Amy Rochester of Sunbrella, Heidi Bonesteel of Bonesteel Trout Hall, and Andrew Flesher of Andrew Flesher Interiors. It was an unforgettable night as we discussed Danish art & design, the food industry, and sustainability practices within business – and of course we also shared many laughs.

Maegan Fee – Creative Director

I was thrilled to be apart of such super design talents! I was on sensory overload the entire time… I couldn’t take enough in, as every moment and interaction was priceless.

My experience in Copenhagen helped me see how I, as a Textile Designer, can help support future sustainable design.

For my guided tour I chose to go to the Danish Museum of Art & Design where I got to explore an impressive collection of Danish furniture classics such as Kaare Klint, Hans J. Wegner, Arne Jacobsen to name a few. We also stopped by the Rud. Rasmussen where we got the rare opportunity to go behind the scenes into their design studios and factory. I was fortunate enough to share the experience with other talented designers, including Steve Elton & Martha Lopacki of Brown Jordan, John Edelman of Design Within Reach, Amy Rochester of Sunbrella, Ron Woodson of Woodson & Rummerfield’s House of Design, Designer Shae Soucie of Soucie Horner, Ltd., and Pamela Shamshiri of Commune Design just to name a few….

The second night we broke out into small groups of 5-10 people and traveled to local homes in the greater Copenhagen area for dinner. I ended up at a beautiful home in the country with a group of 7 other designers and architects. It was an amazing night getting to know each other on a more personal level. A local Dane owned and designed the home himself — he was very proud to have top design talents see his creation! I was personally inspired by his ability to mix Japanese culture with Danish style. From the koi pond housing more than 20 fish in the front yard, to the teak windows and wrap around porch, it was a very unique blend of cultures. It was also a statement of clean lines, sleek architecture and simple yet sophisticated design that spoke to the environment while enhancing his life with smart design.

Other dinner attendees included (pictured above) Jim & Laura Smiros of Smiros & Smiros Architects, John Danzer of Munder-Skiles, Mark McInturff of McInturff Architects, Yvonne C. Jacobs of Slifer Designs, and Edie van Breems & Rhonda Eleish of Eleish Van Breems

Final Reflections — Catherine Connolly – CEO

For my tour, I chose the walking tour, where we had a marvelous peak at how well Copenhagen has woven the old architecture with new in a way that celebrates both and creates a cohesiveness that seems inexplicable. I walked with Hope Dana of Platt Dana Architects, Suzanne Kasler of Suzanne Kasler Interiors and Stephen Elrod of Lee Jofa.

For the dine around, my group enjoyed a magnificent evening at the home of Neils Rahum, CEO of Zupa, and Christina Ornstrand, director of New, an executive network for women executives – two talented and successful entrepreneurs. They were gracious hosts and we had a marvelous evening with renowned designers Martha Angus of Martha Angus Inc, Beth Slifer of Slifer Designs, Dan Campbell of Holly Hunt, Hilton Perry of Fenestration Partners and talented editor and publisher Suzy Slesin of Pointed Leaf Press.

Overall I had an incredible and unforgettable experience. I want to thank Meg, Keith and Peter for putting together such an extraordinary event. Their foresight in developing the Design Leadership Summit and their leadership in creating such a powerful meeting is inspirational.

The opportunity to work together and collaborate at the Design Leadership Summit was invaluable. The design industry is at an exciting crossroads as the combination of the Internet and the recession are changing the way in which people think about design, engage with the design community and purchase their services and products. While change is inevitable, I think in the end the overall pie is growing yet it is different from the previous world. Business models are changing, customer’s expectations are changing and design is emerging as a more vital part of our world and not as a luxury for the very wealthy. As someone thoughtfully told me at the beginning of the recession, “Don’t let a good recession go to waste. It will clear the decks and the remaining companies will be stronger.” I have absolutely found that to be true here at Merida and I think it will be true for the design community. The need for great design talent will continue to grow but the way in which consumers engage designers and architects might change.

Throughout the summit I noted a very exciting yet subtle undercurrent of focusing on the deeper, more meaningful aspects of design and architecture. As designers talked about educating consumers about their value, there was a real sense of harnessing design talent, innovation and ingenuity to capture our spirits and provide deeper meaning. Perhaps in the end, that will be the best thing to come out of all of this change. We will forever put to bed the idea that design is frivolous. Instead, there will be recognition of the importance of design to the human spirit and for a meaningful life.

To read more about the summit check out the fantastic recap on one of our favorite blogs ~ All the Best.

This month’s May-June 2011 issue of Veranda magazine details a gorgeous 10-page spread featuring the renovation of the Marwood Estate located on the Potomac River just outside of Washington, DC. Headed by renowned designer Mary Douglas Drysdale, the project included the redesign and reconfiguration of the 30-room house – not an easy feat, even for a seasoned design expert.

Drysdale stepped-up to the challenge and proved her ability to embrace the rich historical background of the house (four U.S. presidents dined at the home!) while still brining it up-to-date and making it both beautiful and livable for a modern family. We particularly love the classic, elegant dining room overlooking the river!

Drysdale shared some of her inspiration for this and other projects with Veranda’s online publication — including her list of “top ten” products that she loves working with (one of which is Merida!).

Check out Mary Douglas Drysdale’s complete “top ten” list here >