Business of Home Podcast

Born in a small town in Japan to a family of doctors, artist and textile designer Kazumi Yoshida was always something of a free spirit. He made his way to London as a young man, then New York, where he met Robin Roberts, the extravagant, larger-than-life founder of Clarence House. The two were a match made in heaven, and Kazumi’s creations saw the company reach new heights. Edgy, artistic, colorful and opulent—for a time Clarence House was the fabric brand you simply couldn’t ignore.  

Roberts passed away in the early 2000s, and Clarence House went through a quiet period. But now it has a new owner and Kazumi is once again working on new designs as artistic director. On this episode of podcast. He tells host Dennis Scully some incredible stories from Clarence House’s heyday, and explains why he’s optimistic that the brand is entering an exciting new chapter.  

This episode is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Artistic Tile.

LINKS
Clarence House
Kazumi Yoshida
Clarence House's Madeline Pattern
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

Founded in 1946 in the suburbs of Chicago by Meganne Wecker’s grandfather, Skyline Furniture has always been a family business. It’s also always stood a little bit apart from the crowd for a willingness to try new things. Wecker joined at an opportune time, just as e-commerce was beginning to take off—ever since, she’s pushed Skyline to master the nuances of making furniture to sell online.  

On this episode of the podcast, she speaks with host Dennis Scully about why she launched a startup— Cloth and Company—within Skyline; why she’s betting on digitally printed fabrics; and why she thinks we’re living through a major tipping point for e-commerce. 

This episode is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Artistic Tile.

LINKS
Skyline Furniture
Cloth & Company
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

Russell Towner, the president of Lee Indstries, is a lifer in the furniture business, with almost three decades spent at companies like Henredon, Baker and Theodor Alexander. Now he’s at the helm of one of North Carolina’s most venerable brands at a peculiar time. A COVID-inspired boom in home spending has filled Lee’s order book, but the pandemic—and a shock foam shortage—has made it harder than ever to meet demand. On this episode of the podcast, Towner talks with host Dennis Scully about why the furniture business is so dependent on two chemicals, what the concept of spressetura means to Lee, and what things will look like in the design business when the pandemic is a thing of the past.

This episode of the show is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Artistic Tile

LINKS
Lee Industries
Lead Times
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

During COVID lockdowns last year, Jake Arnold, a rising young interior designer based out of Los Angeles, teamed up with Leo Seigal, an entrepreneur. Together they built an ingeniously simple platform, The Expert, that connects clients with top designers for hour-long video consultations. So far their creation has been a hit, and designers, including Amber Lewis, Leanne Ford and Martyn Lawrence Bullard, have flocked to the site, where they charge up to $2,500 for 55 minutes of their time. 

On this episode of the podcast, Arnold and Seigal speak with host Dennis Scully about the story behind their venture, why bringing trade brands onboard is the next step, and how an elevated take on e-design could change the industry as we know it.

This episode is sponsored by Baker + Hesseldenz and Serena & Lily 

LINKS
The Expert
Jake Arnold
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

Started out of a pushcart in the early 1900s, today fabric brand Maharam is a giant of the industry, sending out over 2 million samples a year. It hasn’t all been steady growth—the company underwent a major reinvention in the 1990s that saw employee turnover surge and profits drop. But it paid off, and Maharam was acquired in 2013 by Herman Miller for 156 million dollars.  In this episode of the show, president Tony Manzari tells host Dennis Scully about how COVID is causing another reinvention at Maharam, the future of sampling, and what the residential design industry can learn from the contract side of the business.

This episode is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Baker+Hesseldenz.

LINKS
Maharam
Business of Home
Dennis Scully

Ben Soleimani’s story is a dramatic one—the son of a prosperous rug dealer in Iran, his family escaped the country in the thick of the revolution that transformed the middle east. Soleimani eventually found himself in Los Angeles and wasted no time getting into business, first as a teenager, establishing his family’s operations in California, then branching into contemporary design and partnering with Gary Friedman to establish RH’s rug program. Now Soleimani has a whole home brand of his own, selling everything from the rugs he’s famous for to textiles, furniture and accessories. 

On this episode of the Business of Home podcast, he speaks with host Dennis Scully about how the design industry’s attitude towards rugs has evolved over the years; why he thinks in-stock, quick-ship product is the wave of the future; and why he loves taking on a challenge.

This episode is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Baker + Hesseldenz

LINKS
The Iranian Revolution
Ben Soleimani
RH
Gary Friedman
Dennis Scully
Business of Home
 

Like so many leaders in the design industry, Thomas O’Brien began his career working for Ralph Lauren. When he went out on his own in the early nineties he found quick success with Aero, a buzzy shop in SoHo that led to designing stores for Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani. O’Brien also found great success in product—his lines for Waterworks, Hickory Chair and Visual Comfort have all been runaway bestsellers, and his collaboration with Target paved the way for high-end designers to partner with mass market brands. 

On this episode of the podcast, he speaks with Dennis Scully about the passion that’s missing in the industry today, the importance of fighting for choices you believe in, and why, despite the blue chip licensing deals, he considers himself a shopkeeper at heart.

This episode was sponsored by Serena & Lily and Baker + Hesseldenz

LINKS
Thomas O'Brien/Aero 
The  Rhinelander
O'Brien's Osiris light for Visual Comfort
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

In a special bonus episode of the Business of Home podcast, we're sharing  the first episode of BOH's new show, Trade Tales. Hosted by editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen, the podcast features interviews with interior designers about nurturing creativity, finding a firm’s financial footing, setting goals and discovering their own version of success as a result. In the first episode, Philadelphia-based designer Nile Johnson shares the story of a dream client who recommended him to a nightmare client—and the lessons he learned.  Subscribe to Trade Tales on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. 

LINKS
Trade Tales
Nile Johnson
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

On this episode of the podcast, host Dennis Scully speaks with Business of Home’s editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen. Petersen began her career in journalism covering everything from food and culture in Chicago, to true crime in Texas. She ended up in New York in the design media world at Hearst, working for Veranda and helping to relaunch Metropolitan Home before decamping to BOH. Now Kaitlin is launching a podcast of her own, Trade Tales, focused on great stories and business lessons from working designers. In the show, she talks about the out-of-control lead times plaguing the industry today, what it’s like to cover RH up close, and the challenges of bringing real journalism to the design trade. 

This episode is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Baker+Hesseldenz

Links
Business of Home
Kaitlin Petersen
Kaitlin’s article on lead times in the design industry
Kaitlin’s profile of RH Chairman and CEO Gary Friedman
Dennis Scully 

Asad Syrkett studied architecture in school but soon found himself more comfortable writing about it. After stints at Architectural Record, Architectural Digest and Curbed, he briefly decamped to the brand side to work for Swedish furniture brand Hem. Now Syrkett is back in media in the top spot at Elle Decor, and the first issue he’s supervised cover to cover just hit newsstands. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, he speaks with host Dennis Scully about a bold cover concept that reimagines an iconic room, the future of print magazines, and why he wants Elle Decor to tackle the difficult conversations about race, politics and design head on. 

This episode is sponsored by The Shade Store and Sidedoor.

Links
Asad Syrkett
Elle Decor 
Nancy Lancaster's Yellow Room
Dennis Scully
 

Jim Druckman grew up in the furniture industry. As a young man he followed his father into the family distribution business and learned the trade. Then, in the 1990s Druckman took over at the New York Design Center and began transforming the building into the high-end, design-driven destination it is today. In that role, and as president of the board at Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, he has helped build the interior design industry as we know it. 

In this episode of the podcast, coinciding with the 95th anniversary of the New York Design Center, Druckman speaks with host Dennis Scully about how showrooms and design centers need to keep offering designers a reason to come shopping, what the lasting effects of COVID might be, and why the biggest challenge the industry faces has little to do with pricing or transparency, and everything to do with educating the public on the value of great design. 

This episode is sponsored by The Shade Store and SideDoor.

Founded in San Francisco in 1948, Kneedler Fauchere was among the first multiline showrooms in the country. By elevating future icons like Jack Lenor Larsen as well as burgeoning giants like Clarence House and Glant, it came to define the look and shape of the 20th century design industry. Today, Kneedler Fauchere is still going strong, with showrooms in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Denver, and a “house” brand under its umbrella, the home furnishings company Gregorius Pineo. 

On this episode of the podcast, the leadership team of George Massar and Doug Kinzley tell host Dennis Scully the story of their company, and talk about its plans for the future. They explain how Kneedler survived a rebellion among some of its biggest brands, why the rise of Restoration Hardware doesn't concern them and how the company has stayed strong by sticking to the basics, focusing on designers, and keeping things simple. 

This episode was sponsored by The Shade Store and SideDoor.  

Kathy Kuo got started in the aftermath of the great recession, back when selling furniture online was still something of a novelty. Over the past decade she’s grown her business by taking a nimble, catch-all approach: when customers come to her site shopping for a few sconces, often they end up buying an e-design package. And if they come looking for an e-design package? Well, Kuo’s company is happy to recommend a few good sconces too. On this episode of the podcast, she speaks with host Dennis Scully about the challenges of reaching clients who don’t know they need an interior designer yet,  why she thinks trade pricing will disappear someday, and why she’s betting that, post-COVID, the demand for home goods is going to get even stronger.  This episode is sponsored by The Shade Store and SideDoor.  

Artist and activist Malene Barnett and designer and artist Leyden Lewis are two of the twenty-two creators behind the Black Artists and Designers Guild’s new project, Obsidian, a virtual concept house designed to celebrate innovation from black creatives—and to craft a home around the past, present and future needs of black families. On this episode of the podcast they chat with host Dennis Scully about why the Obsidian House is more like an innovation-driven car show than a typical designer showhouse, the challenges of creating meaningful partnerships with sponsors, and why the design industry needs to get beyond diversity as a goal, and start focusing on equity. This episode is sponsored by Chairish and Universal Furniture.  

As a young art student on a trip to India, John Robshaw fell in love with the technique of hand block printing. He began learning the craft and making his own fabrics, and almost by chance, they were discovered by blue chip designers like Peter Marino and Michael Smith—Robshaw’s career took off. He still makes fabric today, but his company has since expanded into bedding, art, apparel—and he’s revamping its furniture line in the coming year.

On this episode of the show, Robshaw speaks with host Dennis Scully about standing out in a crowded market for fabric, working with artisans from around the world, and why he’s opening up a new shop that he hopes will bring back a quirky, personal approach to retail. This episode is sponsored by Chairish and Universal Furniture. 

Roman Alonso of Los Angeles design firm Commune got his start in the world of fashion, working for Barney’s and Isaac Mizrahi. Seeking a change of pace, he and three friends started a truly unique company, one that did a little bit of everything: interiors, products, branding, graphic design and more. Today, Commune is known as one of the country’s most influential interior design firms, but Roman has kept the company true to its multidisciplinary roots, and he still likes to take on projects that stretch the definition of what design can do. On this episode of the podcast, he speaks with host Dennis Scully about how he carried on after a split with his original partners; why he craves more input from clients, not less; and how Commune creates feelings, not looks. This episode is sponsored by Chairish and Universal Furniture.

For decades, Alessandra Branca has been a fixture in the upper echelons of the interior design profession, with her buoyant style gracing shelter magazines and showhouses alike. Now she has a new venture, Casa Branca, a brand and e-commerce platform that sells fabric, wallpaper, tableware and vintage pieces. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, she speaks with host Dennis Scully about what it’s been like to launch a new business in the midst of a pandemic, why the convenience of online shopping can’t replace personal relationships, and why she advises young designers to slow down, take their time, and learn something new every day. This episode is sponsored by Chairish and Universal Furniture.

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Not many designers can count Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen and Marilyn Monroe as clients, but Jack Lenor Larsen is no ordinary designer. A legend of the textile business, Larsen started his own studio in New York in 1952. His vivid early work convinced a once-skeptical Florence Knoll, who commissioned Larsen to create fabric for her furniture. From then on, Larsen’s business  and reputation grew and grew. Drawing on extensive travels around the globe, he introduced ikat and batik to the American public, designed upholstery for Pan Am, authored over a dozen books and championed traditional craft wherever he went. Today, his work is studied in textbooks and displayed in museums around the world. At 92, Larsen has a lifetime's worth of stories—in this episode of the Business of Home podcast, he shares a few of them. 

Tapping into an overseas manufacturing boom, Andy Singer started Visual Comfort in the mid 80s, but it wasn’t until he partnered with master lighting designer Sandy Chapman ten years later that the company took off—now it’s one of the industry’s most recognizable brands, producing well known collaborations with designers like Thomas O’Brien, Alexa Hampton, Kelly Wearstler and many more. His sister Gale worked with Andy in the early days, but in the 90s split off to form Circa as a separate showroom business, which has also grown explosively—she’s opened eight new locations in 2020 alone. In this episode of the podcast, the Singers discuss using data to make design decisions, the opportunities and challenges of selling trade products online, and why Visual Comfort wants to be the Frank Sinatra of lighting companies. This episode was sponsored by Rebecca Atwood Designs.

Syd and Shea McGee, the married couple behind design firm Studio McGee, are enjoying a period of phenomenal success. Their debut book is a bestseller, their new Netflix show is a hit, and their e-commerce business McGee & Co. is experiencing explosive growth. On this episode if the podcast, they talk about how what looks like an overnight success has actually been a long journey, the resistance they’ve encountered from an old-school industry, and how confronting their own limitations led to their biggest breakthrough.  This episode is sponsored by Rebecca Atwood Designs.

Frank Eybsen started online custom furniture platform Buildlane after working in a furniture factory himself and seeing firsthand how frustrating and opaque the experience could be for designers. He made it his mission to bring the process entirely online, and has built a network of factories and a digital platform that connects the trade to the craftsmen who build their furniture. In this episode of the show, Eybsen and COO Heather Zeilman talk about why makers have been slow to embrace change, what it’s like to pitch investors who may never have even heard of the interior design industry, and what Domino’s Pizza has to do with ordering a custom sofa online.  This episode is sponsored by Rebecca Atwood Designs.

For an interior designer known for classic American style, Barry Dixon’s childhood was surprisingly international—his father’s career took the family all around the world, and as a young man he lived everywhere from India and Pakistan to South Africa and New Caledonia. Today Dixon is one of the profession’s most respected designers, with high-profile collections through Arteriors, Fortuny, Vervain and others. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, he chats with host Dennis Scully about the COVID adaptations he’s planning to keep forever, his unique philosophy on product licensing, and what it’s like to work for both republicans and democrats in a charged political atmosphere. This episode is sponsored by Rebecca Atwood Designs.

Born in Paris and raised by his grandparents, interior designer and architect Robert Couturier is a living embodiment of a more formal, genteel era. He came to New York in the seventies, and after working for Adam Tihany, established his own firm and began working on projects that would land him on the covers of magazines and take him around the world. In this episode of the podcast, he shares a personal recollection of his young life, then discusses why he likes to have friends as clients, why he never got into product licensing, and whether interior design as a profession will live on. This episode is sponsored by Moore & Giles and the This Old House podcast.

With a focus on e-commerce and no showrooms or traveling reps, at first glance Saltwolf looks like any number of online furniture startups. But there’s a twist: it’s a to-the-trade company founded by interior designers, for interior designers only. On this episode of the podcast, founders Lindy and Jordan Williams talk about the frustrations they experienced in their own firm that led them to start Saltwolf, why younger clients don’t tolerate long lead times, and the secrets of reaching interior designers online.  

Started in 1946 in Dorset, England, Farrow & Ball makes paint that has become known for its chalky matte finish, its use on historical British estates, and quirky color names, like Elephant’s Breath, Nancy’s Blushes or Sulking Room Pink. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, CEO Anthony Davey and head of creative Charlotte Cosby tell host Dennis Scully about their quest to highlight Farrow & Ball as a performance option, that SNL sketch, and the challenge of preserving the brand’s heritage while reaching out to new audiences. This episode is sponsored by Moore & Giles Leather and the Ask This Old House podcast.

As a former Lehman Brothers associate and Stanford MBA, Eric Edelson was an unlikely candidate to take over Fireclay, a small tile company struggling through the 2008 recession. However, he led it through a rough patch, and has grown the company into a thriving operation. In this episode of the podcast, he speaks to host Dennis Scully about the “Jerry McGuire” moment that led him to completely reinvent his company, a surprising approach to sampling, and why focusing on ethics and sustainability makes good business sense. This episode was sponsored by Moore & Giles Leather. 

Originally started by academics Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason as a blog in 2007, over time Aphrochic has grown into a lifestyle and media brand including an interior design studio, product lines, a podcast and a magazine that celebrates black creatives in the home industry and beyond. On this episode of the podcast, they spoke with host Dennis Scully about how their growth has been organic—not easy, their new book project, and whether the national reckoning on race will lead to real change in the design industry. This episode is sponsored by Universal Furniture and Resource Furniture.  

Back in April, when the coronavirus pandemic was still in its early stages, host Dennis Scully spoke to three makers and manufacturers to hear how they were weathering the disruption. Six months later much has changed. In this episode, he checks in with the same three—Sara Fritsch of lighting and lifestyle brand Schoolhouse, Jonathan Glatt of handmade furniture company O&G studio and Andrew Crone of furniture maker Chaddock—to find out what they’ve learned from an unprecedented time and what lessons they’re carrying forward. This episode is sponsored by Resource Furniture and Universal Furniture. 

For those unfamiliar, Furnitureland South is both a local North Carolina institution and a world-record holder: at 1.3 million square feet, it’s the largest furniture store on the planet. On this episode of the podcast, host Dennis Scully chats with CEO Jeff Harris about the lessons his company shares with interior designers, why he’s skeptical that High Point will become a year-round destination, and why, despite the rise of e-commerce, he thinks great furniture will always be sold in person. This episode is sponsored by Resource Furniture and Universal Furniture. 

Amra Tareen is the founder of ALL3D, a new startup that aims to bring affordable 3D modeling to the design world. Tareen's background straddles the line between technology and home. She helped build e-design platform Decorist, and acted as the head of innovation at Bed Bath & Beyond—two experiences that convinced her of the transformative power of digital renderings. On this episode of the podcast, she chats with host Dennis Scully about why she believes photography is on the verge of disruption, why an improvement to the iPhone will change everything, and whether artificial intelligence can replace interior designers. This episode is sponsored by Resource Furniture and Universal Furniture.  

Semihandmade started as a small woodworking shop in LA, but after founder John McDonald experimented with making custom doors for IKEA kitchen cabinets, it grew explosively, becoming a national brand with over seventy employees and millions in revenue. Now McDonald is thinking beyond IKEA, with a new direct-to-consumer brand he’s betting will change the way Americans buy kitchens.  On this episode of the Business of Home podcast, he chats with host Dennis Scully about Semihandmade’s scrappy beginnings, a complicated relationship with IKEA, and why he hired veteran publishing executive Beth Brenner to take his company into its next chapter. This episode is sponsored by The Shade Store and Universal Furniture.   

On this week’s episode of the show, host Dennis Scully speaks to Joe Lucas, interior designer and founder of the beloved showroom Harbinger. Lucas began his career working for Michael S. Smith, but quickly built his own business, which has evolved to include multi line showrooms in New York and Los Angeles. On either coast, Joe has his finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the design world. He chats about the tension between street level shops and the design center in LA, the prevalence of lookalikes and knockoffs in the industry today, and why he believes that multiline showrooms will always have a role to play. This episode is sponsored by The Shade Store and Universal Furniture.  

In the early 2000s, Ryan Turf started on the sales floor of the company’s first store. Now he’s president, and has been leading an effort to carve out a unique voice for the brand that stands alongside—but distinct from—parent company Crate & Barrel. Under Turf’s leadership, the CB2 continues to make more and more adventurous design choices—including a range of capsule collections with unexpected partners like Lenny Kravitz, Goop, Fred Segal and most recently, Kara Mann. In this episode, he chats with host Dennis Scully about why CB2 is hoping to do more business with interior designers, what lessons he takes from Ralph Lauren, and why, pandemic or no, brick and mortar retail will always be part of the equation. This episode is sponsored by The Shade Store and Universal Furniture.

Forty years ago, Moore & Giles was supplying the material to make shoes. But after the footwear industry disappeared abroad, the company reinvited itself and pivoted to the furniture business. Now, it’s a major force in the design industry, supplying leather to everyone from Universal to Steelcase to RH. On this episode of the Business of Home podcast, president Sackett Wood tells host Dennis Scully why he’s reconsidering the impact of trade shows, what the next big market for his product is, and how he’s choosing to focus on leather as a sustainability product. This episode is sponsored by The Shade Store and Universal Furniture.  

You may not be familiar with the name CW Stockwell, but you know its most iconic pattern: Martinique, the banana leaf print that graces the walls of the Beverly Hills Hotel.  Martinique was first released in 1942 - over the next eighty years it has become one of the world’s most recognizable wallpapers, but the company itself fell into neglect. Last year entrepreneur Katy Polsby relaunched the brand, and is in the process of bringing Martinique, alongside a fresh collection of patterns, to a new generation. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, Polsby speaks with host Dennis Scully about how a career at West Elm, Serena & Lily and Warby Parker prepared her to be an entrepreneur, the legal challenges that come with owning a frequently copied pattern, and why she’s prioritizing a great website over showroom representation.  This episode is sponsored by High Point Market and Paintzen. 

There are dream clients, and then there’s the young family that interior designer Michael S. Smith helped settle in at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue back in 2008. As the official decorator of the Obama White House, he not only had a front row seat to history, but became a part of it—an experience Smith recounts in a new book coming out this Fall. In this episode of The Business of Home podcast, he chats with host Dennis Scully about how he landed the president as a client, the secret code he used to refer to the Obamas, and the unique challenges that come with designing America’s most famous house. This episode is sponsored by High Point Market and Paintzen. 

If you’ve fallen in love with an interior design book over the past twenty years, chances are Jill Cohen had something to do with it. A veteran publishing executive who started Conde Nast’s book program, she’s now an independent advisor who helps designers package their work—and themselves—for publication. Cohen’s client list reads like a hall of fame induction roster: she’s shepherded everyone from Bunny Williams, Ellie Cullman and Stephen Sills to Bobby McAlpine, Gil Schafer and Aerin Lauder through the process of creating a compelling book. On this episode of the Business of Home podcast, Cohen tells host Dennis Scully about the surprising economics behind design book publishing, how the rise of celebrity culture changed the industry, and all the ways that Instagram can be a trap for designers. This episode is sponsored by High Point Market and Paintzen. 

In the late 90s, Ann Sutherland went from long-time interior designer to first-time entrepreneur. Alongside her husband, outdoor furniture magnate David Sutherland, she developed a line of solution-dyed acrylics that combined the resilience of outdoor fabrics with the high style of to-the-trade design. Her company, Perennials, grew in leaps and bounds, and the success of the company helped usher in a new era, in which performance fabrics are used both outdoors and in. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, Sutherland speaks with host Dennis Scully about the rocky early days, Perennials’ relationship with Restoration Hardware, and what new product represents the future of her company. This episode is sponsored by High Point Market and Paintzen.

The world of high-end design can feel very far apart from the big-tent appeal of home makeover shows, but interior designer Mikel Welch has managed to break through in both. His work has been featured in premier showhouses around the country, and he’s a regular on TV, with appearances on everything from TLC’s Trading Spaces to Good Morning America to a new show for Quibi with a premise that has to be seen to be believed. On this episode of the podcast, he chats with host Dennis Scully about his circuitous career path, the surprising economics of design on TV, and the industry’s long-overdue reckoning with race. This episode is sponsored by The Urban Electric Company.

Michele Varian and Jay Norris are the founders of Guesst, a tech platform that allows brands, retailers and landlords to connect in new ways. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Michele is also the owner of a beloved New York design shop that she recently relocated from SoHo to Brooklyn to escape skyrocketing rents. As a broker in the commercial real estate world, Jay saw the rent crises unfold from the other side of the table. Together with host Dennis Scully, they discuss what effect out-of-control rents have had on the design world, why the internet broke the wholesale model, and how COVID-19 will reset the retail equation. This episode is sponsored by The Urban Electric Company.

Stephane Silverman literally grew up in the fabric business—his parents brought the French textile company Boussac to America, and as a child, he would do his homework in their D&D Building showroom. A restless intellect and a critical thinker, Silverman has been experimenting with ways to modernize a distinctly old-school industry ever since he started Castel in 1999. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, he gives host Dennis Scully a whirlwind tour through the past, present and future of fabric, explaining why the Amazon version of e-commerce doesn’t work for interior design, the future of showrooms, and the surprising reason why a yard of fabric costs what it does.  This episode is sponsored by Henrybuilt and Industry West.

Ryan Hughes and Steven Leonard are the creative team behind Atlanta showroom R. Hughes. In a time when some in the industry are questioning the multiline model, Ryan and Steven have created a destination that does everything showrooms are supposed to do—showcase product in new ways, inspire designers, and draw visitors from near and far. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, they tell host Dennis Scully why they moved from a new development to a design center, the importance of putting their own brand first, and how everything from hardwood flooring to the right Spotify playlist can make all the difference. This episode is sponsored by Henrybuilt's Primary Objects and Industry West.

This week’s guest is Brad Hargreaves, the founder of co-living company Common. Co-living is a relatively new phenomenon, sometimes oversimplified as “dorms for grownups.” But there’s a lot more to it than that, and in conversation with host Dennis Scully, Hargreaves explains the demographic changes and economic forces that have created a market for shared housing—at any age. In the first half of the episode, he discusses the similarities between education and real estate, why developers are getting tired of luxury housing, and how COVID might disrupt commercial real estate in unexpected ways. This episode is sponsored by Buildlane and The Urban Electric Co.

Dexter and Byron Peart are the founders of Goodee—an e-commerce site focused on design products and home goods with an ethical mission. The Pearts are twin brothers and lifelong entrepreneurs—they created the renowned fashion and accessories brand WANT Les Essentials before selling it in 2017. For their latest endeavor, they wanted to focus on selling products that are not only beautiful, but good too—and to tap into a growing audience known as the conscious consumer. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, the Pearts chat with host Dennis Scully about whether the mission or the design comes first, how the coronavirus has changed online shopping, and what makes a product good enough for Goodee. This episode is sponsored by Buildlane and The Urban Electric Company.

It’s hard to think of two fields more closely intertwined than interior design and real estate—where one goes, so goes the other. On this week’s episode of the podcast, host Dennis Scully chats with two real estate experts to hear about how COVID-19 has affected the housing market, and what comes next. First, Leonard Steinberg, a veteran agent and the chief evangelist for tech-enabled brokerage Compass, discusses whether people will really flee cities en masse. Then, Shaun Osher, the founder of boutique real estate marketing firm Core, shares some insight into what the homes of tomorrow will look like.  This episode is sponsored by Buildlane.

Andrew Cogan’s history with Knoll stretches back thirty years—he’s been with the company through changes of ownership, recessions, and now a pandemic. On this episode of the Business of Home podcas, Cogan chats with host Dennis Scully about how his strategy to move into residential categories is paying off, Knoll’s commitment to social responsibility, and why—despite what people are saying—it’s too soon to write an obituary for the office. This episode is sponsored by Buildlane and Industry West.

Over the course of almost forty years, the name Alexandra Champalimaud has become synonymous with exceptional hospitality design—her firm has worked on the finest hotels in  the world, from The Plaza in New York to the Bel-Air in Los Angeles to the recently completed Raffles in Singapore. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, host Dennis Scully speaks to Champalimaud as well as the CEO of her firm, Ed Bakos. They discuss bringing a hospitality approach to residential design, the surprising way that Zoom meetings are making designers more creative, and why it’s important to react, not overreact, to the coronavirus pandemic. This episode is sponsored by Buildlane and Industry West. 

Calling Ken Fulk an “interior designer” doesn’t do him justice—Fulk’s San Francisco firm does everything from weekly floral arrangements to branding to planning extravagant events, complete with costumes, fireworks and mariachi bands.  For the right client, he’ll even design a wedding—famously, he created a theatrical fairy-tale experience for early Facebook president Sean Parker. On this episode of the Business of Home podcast, Fulk speaks with host Dennis Scully about what silicon valley moguls want from interior design, why he’s been taking ownership stakes in his projects, and what lessons he’s learning from the era of social distancing. This episode is sponsored by Dedon and High Point Market.

It was already a tough time for magazines and digital publications—now, with advertisers on the run, and new challenges, like socially distanced photoshoots, it’s even tougher. But editors and publishers are finding ways to tackle the problems of the moment,  and with their fingers on the pulse of the industry, they know better than anyone what matters most right now. In conversations with Apartment Therapy’s Maxwell Ryan, Domino’s Tracy Cho, and Luxe’s Pamela Jaccarino, host Dennis Scully takes a look at how the design media is coping with COVID-19. This episode is sponsored by DEDON and High Point Market.

You may not know Geoff Hawkes by name, but you know his furniture. For almost two decades, his manufacturing company, Rochdale Spears, has combined high-end craftsmanship with production at scale, making collections for retailers like RH, Anthropologie, and Williams Sonoma—as well as luxury hotels, and the company’s own line, Sonder Living. In this episode of the podcast, Hawkes speaks with host Dennis Scully about everything from how RH became such a phenomenon to what the coronavirus will mean for the design industry. This episode is sponsored by DEDON and Industry West.