Episodes
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Linda Kafka + Mike Peterson: Meet the design industry folks behind the upcoming virtual Science in Design Summit, why now is the time to bring information about the convergence of science and design to the forefront, and why architects and designers should take advantage of what science and medicine tells us- that good design improves health! Go here for more details: https://visionarydesignmarketing.com/science-in-design-summit/
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Born in Haiti and presently a citizen of Kingston, NY, Maryline Damour, partner in the design-build firm Damour Drake, took on design as a second career, following ten years in corporate PR and marketing. In her quest to create an amazing and sustainable business upstate, she dug deep in her local creative community which wasn’t unified at all, and founded the Kingston Design Showhouse as a way to bring them together. On the podcast Maryline shares her journey, her experience building community, and the transferrable skills she learned from corporate crisis management. Damourdrake.com
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Don Ricardo Massenburg Jr., principal at DESiGN iNKREDiBLE, aka Mr. iNKREDiBLE and “The Bedroom King,” believes in stating and praying what you want into existence. It is how he has lived his life and is growing his design business. Also, thanks to mentors like Michel Boyd, has adopted this basic operating mode: If it doesn’t make me want to dance, I’m not doing it. From kindergarten teacher to headboard fabricator, decorator to influencer, Don Ricardo has a lot to share about his decorating start, why he still wants a career in education, his social media practices and affinity for music, and much more. http://www.designinkredible.com
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When Arjav Shah, senior interior project designer, reflects back on who he was when he first moved to New York from Mumbai to get his Masters in Interior Design he sees a very different person from who he is today, crediting the opportunities through his career at Perkins&Will and his mentors with helping build confidence and self-esteem and shaping him into a leader. In the podcast, Shah talks about what it is like to be part of a traditional Indian family while dreaming of career as a fashion designer, adjusting to New York life and a new career, his growing love of workplace design, and the evolution of his own aesthetic.
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When she was 41 — a high school teacher and mother of two — Julie Sawchuk was hit by a car while biking, and that accident resulted in a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed from the chest down, and changed her life forever. She and her husband built a new home that was fully accessible to her, and which in turn led her to a new career — helping people build better residential and commercial spaces for all. The co-author of the soon-to-be-released book, “Building Better Bathrooms,” Sawchuk thinks of accessible design as an umbrella that must include three elements: safety, independence and dignity. “It’s just not about a turning circle on the floor of a drawing [for a wheelchair] or the width of a doorway — there’s so much more to it.” On the podcast, Sawchuk talks about her journey and her mission to have people rethink home design. Go to juliesawchuk.ca to discover more.
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Since she was a girl, Robin Baron felt different. She had big dreams, chased them, and dove in. Thirty years into her interiors practice, Baron is energized by the recent launch of her multi-faceted ecommerce platform, robinbarondesign.com, which allows her to utilize her relationships, share her knowledge, and exercise her creativity in different ways. In this podcast we discuss the new site as well as how she got started in the biz, her indispensable sidekick, the notion of having it all, spiritual routines, and the benefits of joining industry groups.
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Lucy Penfield, of Lucy Interior Design based in Minneapolis, has a BFA in Art History and Interior Design, certificate in business, and an MA in Design Thinking. She chose a career in interior designer because, for her, it checked all the boxes and encompassed all that she loved to learn about – culture, psychology, philosophy - and do – travel, art, write. Her projects veer toward modern and are infused with color, art, and optimism. With a full plate of projects, philanthropic commitments, a recent pillow collection debut, and new ideas in motion for 2021, Penfield discusses her circuitous path to design and the wonder of it all – with a sweet-sounding Midwest accent which makes it all the more heartening. Check her out at www.lucyinteriordesign.com.
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Meet Lorna Gross, a Washington D.C.-based interior designer who was always determined to create an independent life and arrived at interior design, after a journey of introspection, as a second career. In addition to being the principal of Lorna Gross Interior Design, she is also Designers Today’s first guest editor in chief, a role that aligned perfectly with a declaration she made for the year – that this would be the year of unapologetic visibility. In this podcast, Gross speaks to the intricacies of design work, how design is like a spiritual offering, getting into the creative flow and why designers need to be selective about clients. Along with DT’s managing editor Andrea Lillo, we reflect on Gross’ editorial debut and discusses the similarities between magazine work and design. And lucky us, Gross also serenades us with a few notes from a classic Whitney Houston song.
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Kia Weatherspoon, the captivating and straight-up founder of Determined by Design, is a passionate advocate for design equity, busting myths and preconceived notions of what affordable housing communities should be. Weatherspoon creates aesthetic environments for all regardless of socioeconomic level and shares her message generously. In this podcast, we discuss how past experience informs her design and inspires her direction, why design equals empathy, and the importance of storytelling in interior design. Weatherspoon also shares the way she prospects for new partners, the keys to staying positive, and the relationship between mental health and the success of her business. If you ever need a pick me up, go to Weatherspoon’s personal Instagram and watch her dance, and discover more about her at www.determinedbydesign.com.
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Jennifer Grace is a transformational coach who has a lot to share about mindset and mindfulness as it relates to your creativity and output. An ace at leading others to breakthroughs, in this keynote, which was delivered live at the Designer Experience, Grace shares techniques and tools that can help you move through setbacks, sadness and fear to get back in the flow. Her monologue is followed by a brief Q&A with Designers Today’s Jane Dagmi. Learn more about Grace at her website, jennifergrace.com.
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Join Jane Dagmi and her colleagues from Furniture Today (Thomas Russell and Powell Slaughter), Home Accents Today (Thomas Lester) and Casual Living (Adelaide Elliott) as they discuss what they saw and heard at the fall 2020 extended High Point Market. Visit each publication's website for a deeper dive.
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Brad Clinard is a certified financial planner at High Point Financial Design, his family’s practice that caters to interior designers seeking financial abundance. Skilled in empathetic listening and fueled by authentic connection, Clinard believes personal finance is more personal than finance and that the most gratifying saving and spending is derived from our values. The podcast touches on topics such as the challenges business owners face, emergency funds, grief, family financial discussions and much more. Additionally, listeners can download three handouts and ABA – Ask Brad Anything –by going to his site, www.hpfinancialdesign.com/designerstoday.
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In August, after 25 years of working at one of Philadelphia’s well-respected interiors firms, Nina Pritzker Cohen launched her own firm, Nina Pritzker Designs. Looking back and ahead, Pritzker paints a frank picture of the opportunities and challenges that came with working for an established mid-size company and also discusses how it’s been, so far, to start a business in a pandemic.
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Spokane, WA-based Erin Haskell Gourde, the big cheese at Design for the PPL, is a fresh face in design. In business for 3 years, with a staff of 5, her journey to being an entrepreneur is dotted with design-related posts such as working at Herman Miller – as well as other gigs, like bartending, which seems to be oddly relevant to interior design. On the near eve of opening up a new studio and showroom, Haskell Gourde shares her background, strengths and weaknesses, current project roster, and more.
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Sheryl McLean, interior designer, author and speaker, is candid about her journey, and notes that her path to interior design was laced with discovery, dedication and racism. Tracing her journey in this conversation, she is refreshingly open about her earlier careers as well as the oppressive treatment she encountered along the way. Tapping into her psychology degree, McLean is fascinated by human behavior, and speaks with joy about her passion for helping successful women understand that they deserve to live beautifully and should not feel guilty about it.
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Featuring the bold and the beautiful, inside and out, interior designers Aimee Wertepny (PROjECT), Bailey (Bailey Li Interiors) and Clodagh (Clodagh Design) share their unique design perspectives, processes, and ways in which they affect change in their client’s lives and in the world. This podcast was excerpted from a recent Las Vegas Market webinar. The podcast ends at 59 minutes into the webinar. To see the last 15 minutes, go here and pick up at :59. https://youtu.be/wauNuUR1QVE
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Photographer Ellen McDermott of Ellen McDermott Interior Photography creates beautiful imagery for interior designers, fashion and design houses, and other commercial clients. She honed her craft shooting for a San Francisco auction house – her goal there was to make the viewer want to reach out and touch the object – before landing in New York six years later. The connections she made through her work in San Francisco eventually led her to Martha Stewart where she worked with her on the “Homekeeping Handbook.” McDermott’s work has been featured in Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, The Magazine Antiques, House Beautiful, Wall Street Journal, Country Living and more and she has photographed the work of countless interior designers. She loves the collaboration and opportunity to capture their work and express the mood of a room. In the podcast we discuss the evolution of her career, her favorite tools, the joy of collaboration and the value of mentorship. Throughout you can pick up on her New England accent and a genuine thread of gratitude. Learn more about her at her website, https://ellenmcdermott.com/.
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When she realized she would not be an architect, Seattleite LeeAnn Baker beelined for the New York School of interior Design and got her interior design degree. She loved the city and made it home for a number of years, first studying and working for other creatives, and then as a founder of a trade publication for decorators. The events of 9/11 began a period of soul searching and Baker eventually surrendered to her love of design. Her first job – picking paint colors for a friend – wasn’t enough. She needed work and asked to paint the house, too. Looking back, Baker says she can trace all of her projects back to that job. In this podcast episode, Baker recounts her journey, discusses her aesthetic, her desire to overcome her fear of public speaking and how she is balancing parenting and work during COVID-19.
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Los Angeles-based interior designer Laura Muller is open about sleeping with her contractor. He is, after all, her husband, Cliff. Together the two are co-principals at Four Point Design Build, a practice they opened 10 years ago. In conversation, Muller’s passion for honoring her clients is evident as is her ardent belief in the power of brand collaborations and the importance of designing for happiness. During our conversation, we learn how growing up in the theater has served Muller well, how, as a single mother of three kids with special needs, she created a home that functioned for all, and how morning rituals and daily reconciliation creates joy and peace. Find out more about this talented and resilient woman at her website, www.fourpointdesignbuild.com.
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In his keynote speech live from the Designer Experience, interior designer and soon-to-be author, Corey Damen Jenkins, shared his method and tips for safe proofing self-esteem during especially trying times. Outlining specific ways to maintain both financial and energy reserves, stave off the urge to make debilitating comparisons, and steer clear of social viruses, Jenkins reassures us, by way of the immortal words of John Lennon, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”
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