 |
 |
Vail Valley Magazine, winter 2007-08 Slifer Designs: Still leading the way Local design firm continues to set industry leading looks and standards Beth Slifer first made her mark on the local design scene by creating a look that was as distinctive as it was irresistible. Her design style became an instant hit and synonymous with mountain elegance. That style, neither static nor one-size-fits-all, became so popular, not only because of its creativity and innovative approach, but also because it was intuitive, meeting a homeowner’s desire for comfort and functionality in a relaxing getaway that reflected the mountain environment. During the past two decades, Beth Slifer has parlayed that design style into a highly successful design corporation. But what has made Slifer Designs, formed in 1984, so enduring and successful has never been about holding on to the past, but looking toward the future. Whether it’s decorating a Chicago high-rise or a Nantucket seaside getaway, with clients all over the world, it is talent, prescience and vision that has kept Slifer Designs at the forefront of the resort design industry and, most important, responsive to its clients’ dreams. From her worldwide headquarters in Edwards, Slifer Designs has grown from the traditional four-to-five member design studio into an organization that prides itself on being cutting-edge, utilizing a wide range of styles and sustainable products to satisfy all its clients. Today, Slifer oversees a staff of 75 people, including a renowned design team and retail operation that continues to make its mark. “What makes Slifer Designs an extremely unique design firm is that we are staffed with the talent and resources to respond to almost any need in the design world,” Slifer said. “Despite our size, I think that passion and excellence has not been lost.” Over the years, operating and working in a resort community has offered both unique challenges and incredible design opportunities for Slifer and her firm. “There’s no comparison in the industry to Vail. No comparison to the people who come here.” People who come to Vail and make their home – particularly their vacation home here – have a level or sophistication and extensive travel experience that most communities don’t experience on a day-to-day basis. Vail’s clientele come not only from all over the United States, but all over the world. Slifer Designs has customers from Hawaii to the Canadian Rockies, from the Eastern U.S. seaboard to Cabos San Lucas. Consequently, they have experienced a wide variety of designs and styles through their travels. “People have seen everything, been everywhere,” which creates a high level of expectation when it comes to what they want in their own homes. That can be challenging, but a good thing. “Their expectations push us to be ever more creative.” And it can be a win-win situation: “They come to us for guidance, and we get to pick their brains as well.” It provides her designers with multiple perspectives and a wide range of experiences and inspiration. Resort living, she explains, no matter where in the world it is, has the same basic requirements of comfort and beauty and enhancement of the owner’s lifestyle. This wide base of experience in resort design is just one of the reasons clients usually return to Slifer Designs to have their second, third and fourth home designed. That is why keeping current in design is crucial, and Slifer visits at least four design markets each year, and not just retail shows. Little catches Slifer Designs off balance, and few client requests surprise them, though some have been more unusual than others. One time, a client asked if the firm could do a “Malibu Meets the Mountains” décor, and they did. Then there was the time they were asked to furnish a 10,000-square-foot house in three months and everything had to be custom, nothing off-the-shelves. Despite the additional time pressure, they accomplished that, too. Once, a couple asked the firm to make sure every fabric to be used in the home was devoid of any kind of texture and super soft so it wouldn’t irritate the skin of their infant. But perhaps the firm’s most unusual request was to decorate a million-dollar recreational vehicle driven here for just that purpose. “The most fun thing for a designers is when they are asked to do something they have never done before. It gives them that freedom to exercise their creative energy.” The key to her design success these days, says Slifer, is not her own inspiration alone, but that of her design teams. Having her designers work in teams creates a mutual sharing of ideas. “They are constantly challenging and stimulating each other.” Slifer Designs currently employs 11 design teams, six of which are dedicated to designing residences, and five who are dedicated to designing hospitality and commercial projects. To make sure her designers remain dedicated to the creative process, coming up month after month and year after year with great ideas and designs, Slifer takes the hassle out of the process. Too often, she observes, designers are bogged down with the nitty-gritty of having to order, track and unpack the fabrics they just envisioned adorning a sofa or window. At Slifer Designs, every design team of two or three designers is assigned at least one production assistant whose job it is to price, order and follow through with delivery and installation of all the design elements. That, notes Slifer, frees designers up to do what they do best. “What makes Slifer Designs unique,” she observes, “is that we hire the most talented designers we can find, and train them in organizational skills and provide them with support staff. That’s very unique in the industry.” That, in turn, makes Slifer Designs a desirable place to work for young, upcoming and the most experienced designers. Although Slifer and her design teams far prefer to create trends than follow them, it is a must in their industry to keep abreast of them. There are several they have observed both locally and nationwide. One of the current, overriding principles in designing homes today is that clients are using fewer accessories. But what they are using is far more important to them, whether it’s art or collectibles. “Partly, the reason is visual,” explains Slifer. And, in part, it is to free up their lifestyles from so much stuff. “The new luxury has more to do with space and lifestyle than it does with things.” This yearning for simplicity also spills over into other design elements. Slifer Designs has seen a move toward simpler lines of furniture. “We mix a lot of contemporary furniture in with European or rustic styles,” says Slifer. This blending of periods or styles, however, is not particularly a new trend for Slifer Designs. “We’ve always been noted for blending furniture periods.” Whether it’s blending antiques with reproductions, or contemporary with the past, she notes that Slifer Designs has always been known for its transitional approach to periods and styles, that is part of the appeal. It’s just that today, contemporary is being increasingly added to the mix. However, says Slifer, “We don’t forsake the past trends: we either isolate them or incorporate them.” One of her favorite approaches is to layer looks. Currently, for instance, Slifer Designs is designing the interior of Vail Resort’s new 36-room luxury Arrabelle hotel in Vail Square at Lionshead. Set to open this winter, everything within is custom and, from the ceiling and tile to the furnishings and artwork, is designed to replicate the Old World charm of Europe’s famed resorts. “We accomplish that by layering lots of things from traditional European designs,” she explains. Increasingly, Slifer Designs is going “green.” This has been, in part, in response to the infusion of younger designers who join the firm, coming fresh and enthusiastic from school where “green” design principles are taught today. But it is a trend that is also increasingly requested by the firm’s customers, who “want it all and want us to be respectful of the earth and want us to be informed about environmentally sustainable choices,” whether its construction option, furnishings or finishes. Currently, Slifer Designs is working with Kohler, the high-end kitchen and bathroom manufacturer, to put together an advertising vignette touting the company’s latest and growing line of “green products.” All the materials are recycled or recyclable tiles woods, and every decorative piece used in the ads – from the glass to the cast iron – is sustainable. But in the end, it is not about trends at all. It’s about meeting the client’s needs and vision, whether that is contemporary, retro, mountain lodge, Tudor or green design. That is why her design teams complete extensive interviews clients before putting pen to paper. “Our clientele typically knows what they want, and we are always happy to do it for them,” she said. Slifer Designs’ store in Edwards has been a hit since it opened. Although the retail sales only represents about 10 percent of Slifer Designs’ revenue, it remains an important aspect of the design firm in several ways. “It’s a small portion with a lot of potential.” And that portion has increased significantly over the past several years due, in part, to a talented merchandise team whose sole responsibility is to find amazing products and styles for the store’s customers. The designs and styles found at Slifer Designs’ showroom, she assures, can’t be found elsewhere in the valley. “That’s very important because it establishes our brand as being a special place as far as finding furnishing.” And the size and prestige of the firm has given it access and buying power for the best products on the market, and the ability to offer those products to customers at reasonable prices for their quality. One of the store’s secrets, notes Slifer, is that all the store’s vignettes are replaced with new products and fresh ideas every Wednesday. That way, even if customers come into the store weekly, they can always see new merchandise and get fresh ideas for their own homes. Each vignette display also demonstrates a different style or trend. On any given day, you might walk through the store going from a family room featuring Old West décor to a dining area with Far East influences to a bedroom with an Old World feel to it at the other end of the showroom. The vignettes are so beautiful and effective that one day a client from Cordillera came in and bought everything in it. That’s the appeal and influence that Slifer Designs continues to have on the valley and its homeowners after more than two amazing decades.
Quick updates to your look Paint color: “The trend of the ‘90s and early 2000s for minimalism and neutral-colored rooms is a waning one,” says Beth Slifer, founder and owner of Slifer Designs. “We need color and excitement, inspiration in our homes – just as we do in the activities in our lives.” A touch of strong color adds excitement and interest to a room. In the mountains, warm or earth colors have always been popular, but, as Slifer notes, “that doesn’t exclude us from paying attention to trends, which change every five to 10 years.” The latest trends, however, have faded from brown and blue, to a more eye-catching blue and silver, or perhaps blue and gray, or even blue and gold. Slifer notes that there are many choices of excellent non-toxic, lead-free paints out there which can update your look while “greening” your environment at the same time. “People should not be afraid of color,” she advises. Whether you cover an entire wall or sofa, or add it in bright accents in pillows, it can have a dramatic effect. Try painting the ceiling a color suggests Slifer. And, she adds, there’s nothing that warms up a room like barn red – a personal color favorite. However, people will always gravitate toward their favorite colors and should, she adds. Remove clutter: Giving a new touch to older items: Just begin: Don’t skimp:
|
| ### |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
 |
|