162 – #IwannagotoSpain with Eloy and Nina

#IwannagotoSpain with Eloy and Nina XXIV International Architecture & Interior Design Exposition in Spain In the world of porcelain, stone and ceramic wall & floor design, there are two key international exhibitions that take place every year - Cersaie in Bologna, Italy during the close of September and Cevisama in Valencia, Spain. Earlier this year, The Chaise Lounge along with sponsor Porcelanosa visited the Spanish Group’s exhibition which ran concurrently with Cevisama. The following shows recap some of the highlights of the tour with guests sharing their individual and collective experience from the trip, the inspiration for which was the Chaise Lounge’s social media competition #Let’sGoToSpain. Eloy Selles Eloy Selles is the General Manager of the West Coast of the United States for Porcelanosa. A native of Madrid, he can now be found in the company’s Southern California offices. Eloy Selles and Nick discuss the itinerary that sees guests take in three major cities and eight factories over a whirlwind five day period, where the emphasis plays to enjoying all that Spain has to offer in culture, hospitality, gastronomy and of course, great design. Some of Porcelanosa’s newest product launches that were displayed on the trip included Tono by Foster + Partners, Vitae by Zaha Hadid, K-LIFE by KRION®, and the Seedwood collection by VENIS. It is clear that Eloy Selles could not be happier or more proud than when he’s hosting clients and guests in his homeland. The experience of touring the most modern High-Tec manufacturing facilities and artistically designed showrooms leaves visitors with lasting memories and inspiration. Nick recounts some of the highlights which included Santiago Calatrava’s modern City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, the work of Antoni Gaudí’ in Barcelona – from La SagradaFamília to Park Güell – and the countless restaurants and boutique hotels enjoyed along the way. Above: from left: Tomas Palomar: Porcelanosa International Division, Nick May: The Chaise Lounge, Nina Magon: Contour Interior Design, Pratibha Naware: Marriott International, Maria Jose Soriano: President of Porcelanosa Group, Kelli Ellis: Kelli Ellis Interior Design, Andrew Pennington: Porcelanosa USA, Lina Goldberg: HBG Design, Jessie Clayton: Jessie Clayton Designs Nina Magon Nina is the Principal of Contour Interior Design and was familiar with Porcelanosa before the trip but was not aware of the extent of the company’s offering beyond tile. Nina chats with Nick about the value she gained from the experience, the sincerity of the customer service and absolute absence of any agenda to overtly promote product to the group at any point. Nina enjoyed everything on the trip during the group’s hectic days together. One outstanding memory was the timely coincidence of joining the crowds in Valencia during the Las Fallas Festival. Enroute to Madrid the group had just finished touring the last factory in time to witness daytime fireworks with what seemed to be a million people celebrating Valencian culture in the center of the city in the early afternoon. Nina’s undoubted opinion is that anybody who has the opportunity to join a Porcelanosa design trip to Spain is blessed, high praise indeed from a former guest on The Chaise Lounge. Currently, Nina and Contour Interior Design are working on a multitude of projects - including the owner suites at Minute Maid Park for the Houston Astros, a medical center and a 42,000 sq. ft. office building. Nina was also chosen as a blogger for the 2017 High Point Market to talk about her favorite products as a trend spotter for the new season. Her blog, Live Stylish Daily was awarded Best New Design Blog during the National Design Bloggers Conference in Atlanta and she’ll join Nick on the Chaise Lounge High Point panel Hospitality Insiders Share All: What it Takes to be a Designer in the Hospitality Sector.