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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 24, 2007--"Dreaming Eyes of Wonder,"that was the theme of a table-top display designed by Joanne DePalma that went on display at the Spring International Art & Antiques Show, which benefited the Lenox Hill Neighborhood Association, April 26. In selecting a theme, which represented childhood and a child's connection to the natural world, for DePalma the display makes an important statement.

"With global warming taking place, as part of the benefit's theme, 'The Time of Your Life,' I chose this venue to honor our children and their future, and to help foster an awareness of the environment and a social consciousness in the world," notes Joanne DePalma. "In this regard, 'Dreaming Eyes of Wonder,' delivers an important message. It speaks to the charity itself rather than a social event."

Drawing on key elements of the environment and traditional interior design, DePalma constructed the treehouse and miniature furniture with storm felled oak branches, acorn cap finials gathered from the woods in New York. She selected the materials in keeping with a new company she is developing to utilize forest waste. The textiles used for the tablecloth contained natural unbleached plant fibers were all hand-dyed with plant-based colors. In addition, DePalma designed them for reuse, as well as the textiles in the seat cushions of the chairs that surrounded the table. Another key feature of the table setting included photographs of children that the designer integrated into the tablecloth thereby reflecting the table's theme. As a key element of her current work, DePalma also chose a company to sew the textiles on the basis of its commitment to sustainability.

"Because we are living in a relatively finite system, the respectful harvest of resource is as important as how we use it," says one of Joanne DePalma's associates, Matt Lou, and the builder of the treehouse. "Therefore, the use of natural materials, as well as the environmentally-friendly companies and artisans with whom we choose are key elements of our work."

As a designer, part of DePalma's efforts to combine elements of the environment into her work, represents an important step for her. It reflects a turn she has made as a designer. Her presence at the show, therefore, reflects the emphasis she places on sustainability. "Antiques are about as green as you can get," she says. In addition, through the use of materials and colors that bring attention to the natural, elemental and organic, DePalma's intention is to create designs that reconnect us to our innate feelings of being a part of nature. The new products she is creating, which includes a hemp carpet line, a recycled carpet line that will debut at NEOCON in June with Bentley Prince Street, a sustainable furniture line and a transitional hardware line, will make use of these principles.

DePalma attributes the decision to her shift when she became disillusioned with business in the nineties. And, in part, to the simple act of walking with American Indian tribal peoples, a nine-hundred kilometer trek in Western Europe, and her solitary moments in the wilderness, which started as a very young child with her grandfather in the Adironack mountains in New York State. "Be still and observe and the answers will come," says DePalma.

DePalma believes that given the current concerns in the environment today, the residential, hospitality and corporate markets will appreciate the concept of this new perspective. "We have no choice but to base all of our decisions on environmental and social responsibility," says DePalma. "The industry of design is changing. With residences that are no longer supported with large staffs, our responsibility as designers remains with conscious buying. We are seeing a shift from out of nature and into luxury. As an artist with my eye on the future, this mindset is where the industry is now and is headed," she says.

Joanne DePalma Incorporated is located on Columbus Circle in New York City. Her former design work includes high-end residential and commercial clients such as Four Seasons and Tiffany & Company. Her current work combines her career in interior design and decorating, sustainable product design and production, stimulating rural communities, and a dedication to the environment and working with existing companies by transforming outdated business models.

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Copyright Business Wire 2007

Joanne DePalma Incorporated

Joanne DePalma Incorporated

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