Feb 1, 2013

Design Icon Award Celebrates Alexa Hampton at Winter Las Vegas Market

For her hallmark blending of classic-meets-comfort, Alexa Hampton of Mark Hampton LLC received the Design Icon award today, presented by International Market Centers and Las Vegas Design Center during Winter Las Vegas Market, Jan. 28-Feb. 1, 2013. Hampton is the first woman to receive the Design Icon award, which honors modern-day design legends and their significant contributions to the industry.

Paul Watson, vice president of design for International Market Centers, said the Design Icon award gives honorees a platform to share their stories, while inspiring and educating future designers. “Alexa is known around the globe for her classic, traditional and eclectic work,” he said. As the daughter of legendary designer Mark Hampton, Alexa who is the president and featured designer with Mark Hampton LLC, has worked hard to build a remarkable reputation, in her own right.

Bob Maricich, CEO of International Market Centers, said he’s honored to have Hampton join the ranks of previous Design Icon award winners, such as Vladimir Kagan, Juan Montoya, Vicente Wolf, Christopher Guy, Larry Laslo, Roger Thomas and Jamie Drake. “She is just so fantastic,” he said. “What a sense of humor, a sense of creativity and a sense of self. I can’t think of a better Design Icon as we look to the future of the furniture business.”

Hampton was humble about the honor. “I’m flabbergasted and astonished,” she said, when asked about receiving the award. “I’m happy and thrilled. I felt particularly honored to be the first female Design Icon when there are so many outstanding women designers out there. I can’t say enough.”

In her acceptance speech, Hampton’s sense of humor came through, “Thanks to all of my peers,” she said. “My husband will have to call me Madame Icon.” She added that she has received great inspiration from her contemporaries and talented designers before her.

A presentation by Hampton, which included stunning photos of past projects, ranging from a 30,000-square-foot Tudor-style home to her own New York City apartment, was followed by a book signing and a trunk show featuring her newest fabric and trim collection with decorative fabric and furnishings manufacturer Kravet.

A perennial member of Architectural Digest and House Beautiful’s top designers’ list and Elle Décor’s A-List, Hampton has received countless recognition from other premier outlets, from The New York Times to Cosmopolitan to Cottages and Gardens, as well as from international publications. She is a trustee for the board of the New York School of Interior Design, a published author, a contributing columnist to the Wall Street Journal and was one of three interior designers who launched Gilt Group’s Home Design Boutique. Additionally, she has designed a number of successful eponymous collections of furniture, fabrics, trimming, lighting, rugs and mantels.

About Las Vegas Market and International Market Centers, L.P. Las Vegas Market is an international furnishings showcase that combines style, inspiration and productivity in an unrivaled, world-class destination. Situated on World Market Center Las Vegas’ state-of-the-art campus, Las Vegas Market features a comprehensive array of new product from thousands of leading manufacturers and lines in furniture, mattress, lighting, decorative accessories, floor coverings, home textiles and more—delivering Today’s Total Marketplace. Retailers and designers can shop product offerings from trendsetters in all home furnishings categories as well as benefit from complimentary educational, networking and hospitality events. With two markets each year, Las Vegas Market is the only major home furnishings market in the western U.S. offering a unique cross-section of suppliers and buyers spanning the home furnishings, décor and gift industries. For more information, visit www.lasvegasmarket.com.Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

World Market Center Las Vegas is a property of International Market Centers, L.P. (IMC), the world’s largest operator of premier showroom space for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. International Market Centers owns and operates 11.5 million square feet of world-class exhibition space in High Point, N.C. and Las Vegas. IMC’s mission is to build and operate an innovative, sustainable, profitable and scalable platform for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. For more information on IMC, visit www.imcenters.com.