When we participate in an antiques show, we know the show will be an overall success if we see interior designers shopping with their clients. At some point in the future we might be able to systematize this, but suffice to say there is a direct relationship between the frequency of designer-client ‘shopping units’, shall we call them, and the number of sales on the show floor.
Certainly, this applies to the recently completed Los Angeles Antiques Show, and, frankly, the show was generally considered a financial success. By the by, the financial distribution followed the typical curve- some dealers had terrific at-show sales, and some not at all, and varying degrees of sales success in between. My sense is, though, that the bell curve is a bit lopsided, with the sales distribution tilted toward the successful end.
Given the look of the show, its success should come as no surprise. I know that Los Angeles is the home of ballyhoo, but, in a word, the show looked fabulous. The material at the show is always great, but, this year, many more people than in the past cottoned on to the notion that to sell, a dealer’s stand has to look inviting, and they did. Show chairman Ray Azoulay was a notable showman amongst these, with black lacquer walls adjacent to redwood bat and board making a striking backdrop for the eclectic mix of material his gallery, Obsolete, is known for. 
Ed Hardy was a new exhibitor, though hardly new in the trade. One of the highlights of the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show is Ed’s booth there, always a feast for the eyes. In Los Angeles, Ed’s signature grass cloth walls and rough plank flooring joined with butterfly cleats, made the perfect setting for some magnificent period pieces, in the midst of which was a 20th century Fornsetti center table in faux malachite. All wonderful!
I’ve nearly lost my train of thought, and will wax lyrical in tomorrow’s blog about other dealers, other stands. The digression, though, just goes to point out how potentially successful a designer junket to an excellent fair can be- for the designer, the client, and the dealer.