Big things are going on in the Dallas Design Center this week. The Inspire! event, hosted by the Dallas Design Center, is a “must do” affair for in-the-know interior designers. Design professionals can also get continuing education credits for attending these seminars that focus on leading-edge trends and issues facing interior designers.

Sadly, the workshops are not open to the public. But ace cub reporter here, moi, plans to sneak in a couple of the seminars and blog about them — for all us “interior design wanna-bes.” So stay tuned.

Today I had a chance to catch up with Robyn Griggs Lawrence, editor of Natural Homes Magazine, to get a preview of her two presentations for Inspire!: “America goes Green” and “Creating the Nurturing Home.” She is excited about the Inspire! event and was impressed with the topics and the Dallas Design District’s efforts to encourage sustainable design.

America Goes Green
America Goes Green will take participants on a fast-paced, lively tour of some of Ms. Lawrence’s favorite sustainable homes that have been featured in the magazine. Using these featured homes as examples, Ms. Lawrence hopes to open up a conversation with designers to discuss tangible, concrete examples of different building methods, delving into environmental and health benefits, energy savings, building costs, and climate considerations. For instance, the home pictured above, which is located in Martha’s Vineyard, is constructed entirely of salvaged wood from around the posh, East Coast island. Hmmm. I wonder what Dallas designers are doing in this realm?

Creating the Nurturing Home

Can a home make a difference in its occupant’s overall health: mind, body, and soul? I have always thought that your surroundings can greatly affect how you feel, how you think and maybe even how you act.

Ms. Lawrence will lead a discussion regarding the integration of modern solutions and nontoxic materials, and drawing on wisdom from ancient cultures including Native American, Japanese, eastern Indian and Celtic. Throwing in a dose of good old-fashioned American ingenuity, Ms. Lawrence promises to show designers how to design a home that is both beautiful and healthy.

Inspire! will be held October 7-8 in the Dallas Design Center. To register or for more information visit the Dallas Design Center website.