Sinopse
Talking the Business of Interior Design Podcast
Episódios
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Interior Design and Proactive Marketing with Pamela Durkin | S30E13
08/07/2022 Duração: 49minWelcome once again to the Chaise Lounge Podcast. It has been a great honor to speak to so many talented and passionate designers over the course of the show. To close out our 30th Season, Nick May sits down with interior designer and marketing specialist Pamela Durkin. Pam's design career began with the usual wide variety of clients and projects. Over the years, her favorite types of projects became increasingly more common. Not wanting to let go of this momentum, Pam set out to study marketing strategies in the world of design. She found that many designers do not pay enough attention to their own marketing; some do not take full advantage of digital tools, and others struggle to decline unfulfilling projects. Today, with 30 years of design experience, Pamela assists other designers in elevating their business through effective marketing tactics. It's not just about making more money. It's about improving your clientele and making your job more blissful. You can check out Pamela's portfolio and marketing s
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Alex Alonso of Mr. Alex Tate: Not a Firm, But a Studio | S30E11
01/07/2022 Duração: 47minHello! Welcome once again to the Chaise Lounge! This week, Nick May sits down with Alex Alonso, a designer and proud leader of a studio in Miami, Florida! Throughout his life, Alex has experimented with many different interests. He initially pursued engineering, then switched to Spanish Literature. Starting from his senior year, Alex worked and developed in the entertainment industry. One of his friends invited him to start a small studio together, a venture that wouldn't last long. Feeling that their dynamic could not work with them apart, Alex closed that studio and started his own from scratch. He worked heavily on establishing the identity of his solo studio, building up a strong portfolio, and refining his branding. Alex emphasizes that Mr. Alex Tate is not a firm - cold, impersonal, even intimidating - but a studio; an active working and learning environment. He wants to take the client on a journey to learn and explore together, and believes in being knowledgeable rather than putting up an image. For
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French Designer and Architect Julien Legeard: Discovering Beauty | S30E11
18/06/2022 Duração: 45minWelcome once again to the Chaise Lounge Podcast! This week, Nick May sits down with Julien Legeard, a residential and hospitality designer with a powerhouse team in Miami. Julien was born and raised in France. He studied business in university to extend his range of possibilities for a successful career. His interest in the field diminished, but he discovered a passion for craftsmanship, a fascination with people who strive to be exceptional, and an interest in architecture and design. Much to our surprise, Julien did not receive formal education in architecture or design. He educated himself working for several companies in high-end residential projects, learning the ins and outs of structural design from raw experience. After years of developing skills, Julien started his own firm, Legeard Studio, and works in residential and hospitality. Legeard Studio's team of talented designers from all over the world provide a richness to the experience for clients. To Julien, the most exciting thing of the job is un
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Miami’s Fernando Alvarez of Le Jeune Upholstery | S30E10
03/06/2022 Duração: 47minWelcome back to the Chaise Lounge Podcast! This week, Nick May chats with a designer, but not an interior designer. Fernando Alvarez and his family own an upholstery business that has existed since the 1960's: Le Jeune Upholstery. Fernando's parents, Consuelo and Osmundo immigrated to Miami from Cuba. They opened a furniture upholstery business, working from sunrise to sunset for several years. As the business grew, they opened a second location, followed by a third one a decade later. Today, Le Jeune is operated by Fernando and his brothers Alex and Gerry. Each brother takes charge of a separate division of the company - sales, marketing, and design - and incorporates order and passion, following the steps of Consuelo and Osmundo. Fernando puts his engineering experience to use when designing furniture. He is very technical when approaching his craft. He draws sketches of the furniture and patterns, takes scale and proportions into consideration, asks his clients about colors, where the piece will be place
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Kate Lester Returns: Bigger And Stronger | S30E9
27/05/2022 Duração: 49minWelcome! In this week's Chaise Lounge, Nick May sits down with a returning guest: interior designer Kate Lester! In her previous appearance, Kate walked us through her story of how she worked to become an interior designer and business woman. A few years have passed since then, and despite the odds, she has not slowed down one bit. Covid caused many of her employees to leave; staff turnover remained unbearably high for a while. Kate picked herself up by the bootstraps and pushed on. Once the dust settled, she rebuilt her team and established procedures to put the business back on track. Kate Lester Interiors now has, not one, but two retail locations. She also opened an online shop, and even an online education platform called Home Skool! In case that is not enough, Kate will make her first visit to Market, where she will present the world with an exciting announcement! Do not miss out! Be sure to follow Kate on Instagram @klinteriors, and check out her stunning portfolio on her website katelesterinteriors
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Up-And-Coming New York Residential Designer Todd Raymond + Design Coach & Author Gail Doby | S30E8
20/05/2022 Duração: 01h11minHello, and welcome to the Chaise Lounge! Today we have a double-feature episode for your. This week Nick May sits down with Todd Raymond, a young residential designer on the rise. Furthermore, Nick catches up with our dear friend Gail Doby. Todd's interest in design began in his childhood, when his grandmother gifted him an AD magazine. Growing up, he faced many obstacles that prevented him from studying architecture, as well as other endeavors that caught his interest. After many years of distractions, Todd returned to college go pursue a career in architecture. He went on to work on several design firms and participate in ambitious projects. This experience gave him the confidence to open his own firm, Studio Todd Raymond. Todd is big on networking to market himself. He will seize any opportunity to form a connection that can lead to a successful path. One of his focus points is the customer experience, as great service allows for loyal clients. To help in making that experience flow, Todd makes sure to b
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Elizabeth Gill Interiors: Love Your Craft, Love Your People | S30E7
13/05/2022 Duração: 46minWelcome back to the Chaise Lounge! This week, Nick May chats with Elizabeth Gill from Elizabeth Gill Interiors in New York! Elizabeth attended George Washington University to study International Business, then later acquired a Master's Degree in Interior Design and Architecture. After graduating, she worked at a traditional design firm in DC, where she learned a few aspects of the trade that seldom are taught in school. A few more years passed before Elizabeth took a risk and started her own company in 2018. One of Elizabeth's inspirations to keep going is people. She always yearned to meet new people every day, form meaningful connections with strangers, and seeks out memorable experiences with others. She is a goal-oriented visionary, always thinking big-picture. Elizabeth determines her success by the variety of markets she gets to work in, and all the people that accompany in her journey. Connect with Elizabeth by following her on Instagram @fromtherugup, and check out her work on her website www.eliza
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Denver Designer and Renovator Anna Smith of Anna Bode Talks Sustainability | S30E6
21/01/2022 Duração: 49minWelcome back to the Chaise Lounge! This week, Nick May sits down with Anna Smith, owner of Anna Bode located right here in Denver Colorado! Anna grew up in New Hampshire. She found an interest in historic preservation, although science and chemistry were not her strong suits. She then moved to studying history of decorative arts in London, focusing on historic homes and the history of interior design. Eventually she worked for an interior design studio in New York, and later moved Colorado to open her own. Because of her background in historic preservation, Anna often works on older homes, specifically residential renovations; the idea of restoring a piece of architecture to its former glory is exciting to her. She also highlights how her team puts a strong emphasis on sustainability and reducing material waste, hoping to influence the industry in a significant way. Running a design business is not just about being a good designer. Of course there's the business side of thing, and Anna shares how she learne
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Team-building and Flexibility with Nicole Salceda of Eye For Pretty | S30E5
14/01/2022 Duração: 48minWelcome! In this week's Chaise Lounge, Nick May sits down with Nicole Salceda, interior designer and owner of Eye For Pretty in Danville, California! Nicole attended St. Mary's to earn a teaching degree. She later got married and the couple purchased a house, which she would decorate and re-decorate. Visitors would ask her if she was an interior designer. She played around with the thought and did design work for friends and family while teaching part-time. After becoming popular on Instagram, Nicole decided to drop her teaching career and officially become an interior designer. She opened her studio Eye For Pretty on the bay area of Danville, and her team is comprised of hard-working moms. Nick and Nicole discuss the business and operations side of running a design firm - or any kind of business. They go into hiring the right people, being flexible with our employees, and building a strong team. Nicole reminds us to keep ourselves in check; establish what kind of business we want to have and who we want to
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The AD100 List, The WOW List, and Streamlining the Architectural Digest Experience with David Kaufman | S30E4
07/01/2022 Duração: 38minWelcome back to the Chaise Lounge podcast! It is now 2022 and to start the new year motivated, Nick May sits down with global Digital Director at Architectural Digest David Kaufman! David has been featured in the show a few times before. For those who missed out, he worked as editor for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and other giants in the world of journalism. As his current title suggests, he is in charge of translating AD's print content to digital platforms. Aside from reminding us about the new AD100 list, David introduces us to Architectural Digest's first ever Works Of Wonder (WOW) List, which features a curated selection by their international editors of the best projects in the world. Furthermore, AD's editors are also working to slowly make the AD experience more visual and less verbal, removing the need for the extra translation work and incorporate the universal language of images and icons. If you’d like to learn more about David, you can contact him at david_kaufm
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Positive Energy In A Space, With Boulder & Aspen Interior Designers Joe McGuire and Matthew Tenzin | S30E3
31/12/2021 Duração: 55minWelcome! In this week's Chaise Lounge, Nick May chats with fellow Colorado designers, Joe McGuire and Matthew Tenzin, principal designers of Joe McGuire Design in Boulder and Aspen. Joe and Matt enjoyed rearranging furniture and decorating their rooms at an early age. Joe studied Art History and started his design career in New York right out of college. Matt on the other hand earned a degree in philosophy and became a Buddhist monk. He later met Joe - who was an already-established designer - and pursued design himself to be part of the journey. Joe McGuire Design puts a strong emphasis on the importance of space. They make it clear that interior design is not just a job. It's an experience; a deep exploration of a person's spirituality and their connection to a space and its contents. Joe and Matt take everything into consideration to ensure that their work plays into a client's well-being and enhances serenity. Check out Joe and Matt's portfolio on their website joemcguiredesign.com, and be sure to foll
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Heather Weisz and Lisa Hynes of Florida’s HW Interiors: Setting Expectations | S30E2
24/12/2021 Duração: 53minWelcome once again to the Chaise Lounge! This week, Nick May invited Heather Weisz and Lisa Hynes, dynamic duo and founders of HW Interiors in Wellington, Florida! Heather grew up in New York, and moved to Florida when she was 13. While attending the Art Institute of Miami, she married and bought a house in Miami to raise her first child. Lisa, an English major, grew up in Connecticut and eventually moved to Florida as well. Both ladies met while playing tennis and instantly became best friends. Lisa approached Heather for help with furnishing a custom home she was building. They enjoyed working together and decided to make it official by acquiring an office. Heather with her creative talents, and Lisa with her organizational skills, founded their own firm, HW Interiors. Heather and Lisa share their experiences and challenges building their company as single moms. They managed to establish a balance between work and home life that their children could work with. This no-nonsense attitude carried over to HW
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Award-Winning Denver Interior Designer and Passionate Leader Andrea Monath Schumacher | S30E1
17/12/2021 Duração: 44minWelcome back for a new season of The Chaise Lounge Lounge Podcast! To kick things off, Nick May goes local and invites Andrea Schumacher, a high-end residential designer based in Denver, CO. Andrea and her family traveled around the world since she was kid. Her childhood in Nigeria greatly inspired her design work today, as evidenced by the vivid and exotic colors of her projects. Having grown all over the place, even going to a different high school every year, she developed an ability to make friends and better understand people. All these experiences influenced how Andrea built her company and team. She focuses on people, culture, and relationships, both for her clients and her team. Things are looking quite exciting for Andrea Schumacher Interiors. This year, the team grew from 7 designers to 17. They are working on developing product lines of wall covering and textiles. What's more, Andrea recently wrote a book; It's called Vibrant Interiors: Living Large at Home and it features some of her best works,
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Interior Designer Chad Esslinger: A One-Man Team Armed With Passion, Processes, & Experience | S29E12
17/09/2021 Duração: 50minWe have reached the end of Season 29 of The Chaise Lounge! This week, Nick May chats with Chad Esslinger in Downers Grove, Illinois! Chad grew up in Jacksonville, Illinois. As a kid he was into creating things with LEGOs and drawing houses and floor plans. He studied Industrial Design at the University of Illinois and moved to Chicago after graduating. He went through a few décor jobs over the years, even one where he got to travel. The corporate life became unappealing after a while, however. With enough experience under his belt, Chad set out to start his own business, Chad Esslinger Design, in 2010. Chad is a one-man team. He refers to himself as an "imperfect perfectionist," and recognizes his bad habit of doing too much on his own instead of sharing responsibilities. Despite that, his past experience aided him in establishing systems and processes early on to make the experience smoother for himself and his clients. He also knows to be picky when choosing his clients, enabling a flow of enjoyable proje
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United Kingdom Interior Architect and India-Native Charu Gandhi | S29E11
10/09/2021 Duração: 56minWelcome to The Chaise Lounge! This week, Nick May sits down with Charu Gandhi of Elicyon in Kensington, United Kingdom!Charu studied at the Architectural Association in the United Kingdom and worked in several architectural firms. After getting involved with interior designers, she loved the idea of combining the structure of architecture and the creativity of interior design. In 2014 Charu founded her own studio Elicyon, where she and her team blend architecture and interior design to create beautiful projects all around the world.To Charu, architecture is not a one-and-done deal, it's a lifelong apprenticeship. Even with all her experience, she is excited and open to learn something new every day. She encourages her interior designers to become involved in the architectural elements of their projects and vice-versa. Joining her team means going through a rigorous hiring process, and Charu is not at all afraid to bring in people she considers more skilled than herself. Elicyon strives to create a place of b
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The Perks of Designing Under a Large Firm, with Pembrooke & Ives’ Brigitte Coleman | S29E10
03/09/2021 Duração: 46minWelcome back to The Chaise Lounge! This week, Nick chats with Brigitte Coleman, design director at Pembrooke & Ives in New York City.Brigitte grew up in California, and always knew she wanted to move to New York. She also knew she wanted to be an architect, getting her inspiration from Julia Morgan, the architect behind Hearst Castle. After graduating from Sci Arc in Los Angeles, she moved to New York and worked in hospitality for ICRAVE and Rockwell. Currently she is a design director at Pembrooke & Ives.Brigitte's situation caught us by surprise. She is not owner of a design firm or company, and is not an independent designer. Rather, she leads her own team in one of 6 studios within a larger firm specializing in interior architecture. She gets to pick her team members, and she is very selective, as teambuilding is crucial to her.The idea of working under a large firm may turn most designers away at first, but there are advantages that will be appealing to others. Brigitte focuses only on the design work. T
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Etching Systems & Processes Into Your Design Business w/ Jessica Nelson & Stephanie Lindsey | S29E9
27/08/2021 Duração: 48minThis week in The Chaise Lounge, Nick May sits down with interior designers Jessica Nelson and Stephanie Lindsay, owners of their own company, Etch Interior Design, in Austin, TX. Jessica and Stephanie went to design school in Texas and California respectively. Interestingly enough they both initially thought of studying business before becoming designers. After graduating, Steph and her husband moved to Austin where she met Jessica at a design firm, and became the best of friends. Some time later, they left the firm and decided to team up. The duo's work structure revolves around autonomy; they are very selective when hiring new team members and trust their team to work independently. They also established systems and processes early on to ensure efficiency and provide a good experience to customers. A big contributor to their success - something they encourage other designers to do at any point of their careers - was hiring a business coach. Jessica and Stephanie went from being involved in every single pr
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Serial Success and NYC Interior Designer Scott Sanders: Trusting Your Childhood Compass | S29E7
20/08/2021 Duração: 43minIn this week's episode of The Chaise Lounge, Nick May chats with interior designer Scott Sanders from New York City. Scott always knew he wanted to do design, but living in a small town in Ohio he couldn't quite figure out how to do it. His father and grandfather were builders and owned a real-estate company, and Scott was always fascinated by the houses they built. They embraced and cultivated this interest, and Scott eventually went to Parsons School of Design in New York, later landing a job at Ralph Lauren. After a successful two year run, he decided that he wanted to get his own name out there and made plans to exit Ralph Lauren. Not only did they give Scott their blessing, but also encouraged Scott's accounts to go with him. Scott Sanders opened in New York City in the year 2000. He has designed residences in New Jersey, Boston, Florida, California, and many other places across the country. He recently opened a second location in Palm Beach. So if you found yourself pointing out mistakes on floor plan
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Architectural Digest’s Digital Director David Kaufman and The Future of Real Estate After COVID-19 | S29E6
13/08/2021 Duração: 41minIn this week's Chaise Lounge, Nick May chats with David Kaufman, global Digital Director at Architectural Digest! David has quite the resumé, having worked as an editor for the New York Times, Quartz, New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, and many more. He went into Architectural Digest with an understanding of the real estate world. He has a particular fascination with celebrity culture and gossip, as well as recent interior design trends like personal gardens. David shares his thoughts on the future of interior design and real estate in a post-Covid world. There is plenty of uncertainty as things continue to transition to the "new normal". Millions of people were forced to work and/or study from home, and many took the opportunity to create a study room, or a Zoom office. Some created extra bedrooms and even gyms. With everyone going back to their workplace, will they keep those new rooms or will they revert? Those who bought an extra house to escape the chains of the quarantine, will they sell it? As
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Milieu Interior Designs’ Founders and Creative Power Couple: Janessa & Stephen Gertz | S29E6
06/08/2021 Duração: 52minThis week in The Chaise Lounge, Nick May interviews interior designers Janessa and Stephen Gertz, owners of Milieu Interior Design in Chicago, IL. Janessa graduated from Harrington Institute of Interior Design, while Stephen graduated from Illinois Institute of Art. By the time the couple met in 2014, they had already each started their own business. After getting engaged, Stephen convinced Janessa to merge their businesses into a single company. The Gertz's work together in every project. Janessa is stronger in the finances and Stephen brings in his experience as an electrician. The nature of their partnership offers a comfortable experience for their customers (often other married couples), and makes it so that everybody involved feels like their input is valued. This, along with raising a child, does introduce the challenge of making time and finding qualified candidates to build their team. Many of their recent projects include home-offices and children's bedrooms, as more and more people find themsel