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Soapbox Speaker Series: DesignBuildCincy

This year’s Soapbox Speaker Series during DesignBuildCincy has been expanded to seven sessions over two days — including a pair offering highly coveted Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for qualified design professionals. Those two sessions — The Sherwin-Williams Company’s Colormix Forecast 2019 and Formica North America’s Future Living — are among the many design-oriented draws for the show, which takes place the weekend of Oct. 27­–28 at Music Hall’s Grand Ballroom in Over-the-Rhine.

“DesignBuildCincy is a chance for attendees to meet with the city’s best designers, architects, contractors and craftsmen to take luxury residential, or small commercial projects to the next level,” says the show’s founder/owner Doug Hart, who launched the event in 2014 as a design-centric alternative to traditional consumer home shows.

“It’s a curated design industry show that’s open to both the public and to industry professionals that gives attendees the chance to take in presentations on timely topics and to meet artisans and fabricators who can build anything,” Hart continues.

The two CEU sessions are designed to enhance the show’s appeal to industry professionals, but all the programming aims to provide attendees with insights from industry thought leaders on what’s next in design trends for building, remodeling, and kitchen projects.

Below are details on Rookwood’s inclusion in this year’s don’t-miss Speaker Sessions.

Sunday, October 28:

Topic: Intersecting Art, Function, and Technology into Builds

Presenters: Mary Guanciale, art director, and Alain Pummel, CAD team lead, Rookwood Pottery

Time: 11:00 a.m.–Noon

Session Specifics: This locally based architectural ceramics and pottery icon is building a 5-foot-by-16-foot handmade tile installation for the bathroom that asks audiences to “take a shower with Rookwood” — but don’t worry, you won’t get wet.

“There’s been a recent shift from spaces that are purely functional to ones that also simultaneously incorporate fine art aesthetics,” says Guanciale. “The bathroom we created is a great example of that, as its showcases how a utilitarian space can also incorporate artistic elements that make it much more than just a place to bathe.”

Guanciale and Pummel will explore how the company’s unique approach to innovation, artistic collaboration across mediums, and exploring new ways to infuse technology into the process, can make a major difference for clients seeking something that’s truly custom.

“Based on the industry design trends we’re seeing, we’ll provide attendees with options, inspiration and ideas that are ahead of the curve,” says Guanciale.

Adult admission to DesignBuildCincy is $10; children under 13 get in free. A $2 discount on advance ticket sales can be obtained on the website.


Thank you to Soapbox Cincinnati for highlighting DesignBuildCincy’s upcoming programming and attractions.