Business of Home Podcast

How did Harry Styles end up on the cover of Better Homes & Gardens?

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With stints at Domino, House and Garden, and Martha Stewart Living, Stephen Orr is a publishing veteran who has seen most sides of the shelter media i...

Zak+Fox founder Zak Profera on the power of details

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A decade ago, Zak Profera started his company—Zak & Fox—a decade ago as a small line of printed linens. Through great design, determination and a ...

Can rugs be innovative? Brian Erden thinks so

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After years in the textile industry, Brian Erden had a series of innovations: One was to weave metals like bronze and brass deeply into the background...

Shanan Campanaro of Eskayel on creating a cult favorite textile brand

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After a breakup left Shanan Campanaro in a near-empty apartment, she decided to tap into her fine art background and create some bespoke wallcoverings...

Jonathan Miller on real estate as a spectator sport

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Miller, the president and CEO of real estate appraisal and consulting firm Miller Samuel, discusses what rapidly rising interest rates will m...

Thibaut is proudly old school

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Originally founded as a wallpaper maker in the 19th century, Thibaut has grown over the decades to become a powerhouse brand that now produces wallcov...

Martin Brudnizki: "If you can design a restaurant, you can design anything"

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A truly cosmopolitan interior designer, Martin Brudnizki was raised in Sweden, started his business in London, and now operates an office in New York....

Brigette Romanek on a rocket-fueled design career

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The daughter of singer Paulette McWilliams, interior designer Brigette Romanek was always destined for a creative path, but it was a winding one. She ...

Lindsey Adelman: "If it's fun, do it."

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lighting designer Lindsey Adelman went out on her own in 2006 and scored a hit right away. Her debut piece, the now-iconic branching bubble chandelier...

Material Bank is just getting started, says Adam Sandow

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Launched in 2018, Material Bank offered designers a unique promise: Order samples from an online platform and they’d show up on your desk the next m...

Leanne Ford: "Don't major in the minors"

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An interior designer, product designer, author and HGTV star, Leanne Ford has carved out her own unique path in the design industry. From the beginnin...

Sebastian Brauer wants Crate & Barrel to explore the Metaverse

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sebastian Brauer, the senior vice president of product design at Crate & Barrel, was recently given a new task: helping Crate & Barrel explore the met...

How Four Hands went from the fringes of the industry to the mainstream

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Founded in the late nineties, Four Hands was originally a modestly sized furniture importer. After starting to design its own pieces, the company grew...

Emily Henderson is done chasing likes and follows

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Designer, stylist, blogger, influencer and author, Emily Henderson is the wearer of many hats. Her big break came after winning the fifth season of HG...

Jean Lin on walking the fine line between idealism and business

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Driven by idealism and a desire to support independent makers, Jean Lin started the New York design gallery Colony in 2014 with a uniquely cooperative...

How Alexa Hampton learned the language of design

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alexa Hampton is, by any definition, a lifer in the trade. The daughter of celebrated designer Mark Hampton, she grew up in the business, and took ove...

What do venture capitalists think of the design industry?

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Forerunner Ventures is one of the premier venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, having led major investments in companies like Glossier, Bonobos, S...

Why Veranda is betting big on print, with Steele Marcoux

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Though Veranda has moved from Atlanta to New York then back to the south in Birmingham Alabama, the publication has never lost sight of its graceful t...

Holly Hunt's second act

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 1983, Holly Hunt took over a struggling showroom, and over the course of three decades transformed it into a powerhouse of the industry. After sell...

Kerry Joyce on the balance between beauty and business

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard to find a designer more celebrated than Kerry Joyce—his work has landed him on the cover of top shelter magazines and earned him a regul...

Gachot Studios on putting design first

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John and Christine Gachot are the husband-and-wife team behind the design studio that bears their name, Gachot Studios. The two first met while workin...

Modsy CEO Shanna Tellerman on how technology and design fit together

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shanna Tellerman, the CEO of e-design platform Modsy, has a background in tech. She worked at Autodesk and Google before the frustration of decorating...

Summer Thornton starts with a dream and designs backwards

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A rising star of Chicago’s design scene, Summer Thornton has won national acclaim for her bold, playful take on traditional style—her work has bee...

Backdrop wants to reinvent paint from scratch

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Natalie and Caleb Ebel are the husband-and-wife team behind direct-to-consumer paint brand Backdrop. The Ebels started Backdrop in 2018, inspired by a...

Why did Food52 buy Schoolhouse?

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda Hesser—CEO of kitchen-oriented content-meets-commerce brand Food52—and Sara Fritsch—president of Portland-based manufacturer Schoolhouse—...

Rethinking the rules of the design trade with Stephane Silverman

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The last time Stephane Silverman—founder of the fabric brand Castel and the president of the Decorative Furnishings Association—was on the podcast...

John Pomp's quest for self-reliance

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As a young man, John Pomp fell in love with glassblowing. What started as an obsession soon became a thriving business, one that eventually grew to in...

No showrooms? No problem. How Maker & Son is building a furniture brand on the road

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alex Willcock and Felix Conran are the father-and-son team behind the direct-to-consumer furniture brand Maker & Son. Founded in the UK in 2018, the c...

How Meridith Baer built a staging empire

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A successful actress and screenwriter for decades, Meridith Baer got into staging by chance. In the late 1990s, one of her friends needed help with a ...

Douglas Friedman photographed your favorite room

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve opened up a design magazine in the past decade, you’re familiar with Douglas Friedman's work. As one of the premier interior and archite...

Orlando Soria wants to expose the messy reality behind design TV

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Two years ago, designer Orlando Soria was riding high, with a hit book, buzzy brand partnerships and a new show on HGTV. In 2020, it all came crashing...

Custom furniture is booming. Grant Trick knows why

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Grant Trick’s custom upholstery workshop is a little off the beaten path: He operates in Irondale, Alabama, just outside Birmingham. But that hasn’...

The education of a designer, with Suzanne Tucker [Rebroadcast]

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Suzanne Tucker earned her stripes working first for Peter Hood in London, then for iconic California designer Michael Taylor. Now she leads Tucker & M...

Looking back on an eventful year in the design industry

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Business of Home’s editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen and executive editor Fred Nicolaus have spent the past 12 months reporting on the highs and lows...

Transparency is the way forward, says Eric Chang of Hellman-Chang

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Chang started his company—high-end furniture brand Hellman-Chang—in 2005 with his childhood friend Daniel Hellman. At first, it was a hobby, ...

Alex Shuford of Rock House Farm on the war for the future of furniture

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The last two years have been a rollercoaster for Alex Shuford. His company—Rock House Farm, a group of furniture brands ranging from Century to High...

Sunbrella is making the most fabric it ever has. The market wants more

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Founded in 1880, Glen Raven has a deep history manufacturing fabrics of all kinds. In the 1960s it began producing a waterproof textile used for awnin...

Humanscale wants to own the home office

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bob King founded Humanscale in the early 1980s, just as personal computers were becoming common in the office, and workers had no idea how to sit prop...

How Jan Showers learned to trust her instincts

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With a bustling interior design business, a popular Dallas showroom, and a product line sold all over the country, Jan Showers wears many hats. She’...

Katie Ridder and Peter Pennoyer on the power of partnership

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Interior designer Katie Ridder and architect Peter Pennoyer make for unique partners—they’re married, and they do occasionally collaborate, but th...

The Novogratz on the hard work of building a home brand

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Robert and Cortney Novogratz are the husband-and-wife design duo collectively known as ‘The Novogratz.’ In the 1990s the two bought a condemned to...

High Point highlights with Kaitlin Petersen and Warren Shoulberg

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Twice a year, thousands of designers, manufacturers and retail buyers flock to a small city in North Carolina for the biggest furniture trade show in ...

Do independent showrooms have a future?

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Garry Martin, founder of The Martin Group multiline showroom, is a veteran of the industry and the longest-lasting tenant of the Boston Design Center....

Thomas Lavin: "There will always be multiline showrooms"

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thomas Lavin—founder of the Los Angeles multiline showroom that bears his name—got his start working in another showroom, Kneedler Fauchere, where...

The lead time crisis isn't over yet. Bew White of Summer Classics explains why

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bew White started Summer Classics in the late 70s, almost by chance. After coming across a tag in a shop with the words “Summer Classics' ' written ...

Brian McCarthy: 'You're only as good as the time you put in'

27 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Brian McCarthy began his career with a bang—right out of design school he was hired on at the legendary firm Parish Hadley, where he worked alongsid...

Interior design is getting faster. Victoria Hagan is ready

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A celebrated interior designer whose work has graced the cover of countless shelter publications, Victoria Hagan, who is often described as the reigni...

The state of design publishing with Suzanne Slesin

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Editorial coverage of design wasn’t always meant for the masses—that is, until reporters like Suzanne Slesin started writing about it. Beginning i...

Tapping into the design zeitgeist with Minted CEO Mariam Naficy

30 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A little more than a decade ago, the world of digital printing was a different place, dominated by manufacturers and largely devoid of artists and des...

The art of exterior decoration with John Danzer of Munder Skiles

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

John Danzer, the founder of exterior furniture brand Munder Skiles, has always approached his work with an academic rigor—he spent years researching...

The architect's perspective with Tom Kligerman

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Kligerman is a co-founder of the award-winning architectural firm Ike Kligerman Barkley. His work, often on shingle style homes, has been featured...

40 years ago Boyd Lighting changed everything—they're still tinkering

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jay and Schuylar Sweet are the father and son duo at the helm of Boyd Lighting. Their story begins a century ago when Jay’s grandfather founded the ...

Timur Yumusaklar wants Schumacher to keep trying new things

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Timur Yumusaklar joined F. Schumacher and Co. in 2015, when the company still consisted of its heritage fabric and rug brands. He quickly set to work ...

How David Kleinberg learned from the best to build his own institution

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Though David Kleinberg came from humble beginnings in suburban Long Island, an early interest in interiors and a chance encounter with decorators Robe...

The California Collective on shaking up the showroom model

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Paige Cleveland, Brook Perdigon and Alexis Hartman began meeting for coffee in the early days of the pandemic, they didn’t realize that their c...

1stDibs just went public. CEO David Rosenblatt says it's only the beginning

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

1stDibs has come a long way from its origins as an online marketplace for antique dealers—the platform now offers everything from jewelry to art to ...

Holly Hunt's new president is sticking with the trade

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Marc Szafran is the president of Holly Hunt. Szafran took on the role in a strange moment—just weeks before the pandemic turned the world on its hea...

Jiun Ho is Mr. Overachiever

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jiun Ho's life story has been an incredible journey—one that took him all the way from Kuala Lumpur to Ames Iowa. Today he oversees a thriving inter...

Will our obsession with outdoor living outlast the pandemic? Janice Parker thinks so

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

www.businessofhome.comA veteran of the trade and a master of her craft, Janice Parker has crafted exquisite landscapes for countless high-profile resi...

The leaders of the Black Interior Designers Network: "Real change takes real work"

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Founded in 2011, the Black Interior Designers Network provides support, mentorship and advocacy for black designers in the industry. In this episode o...

The internet makes it easy for designers to get shopped. SideDoor is working on that

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A unique challenge of the digital age: As more and more product is sold online, it’s easier and easier for designers' clients to shop around, cuttin...

There's never a dull moment with Justina Blakeney

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Justina Blakeney is a designer, author, artist, and creator of Jungalow—a lifestyle brand that celebrates bright colors, lively patterns, and indoor...

Can Poltrona Frau make it big in America?

17 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A hundred-year-old company with plenty of heritage under its belt, Poltrona Frau took English furniture and gave it an Italian twist. Now the company ...

Robin Petravic of Heath Ceramics wants to build a business that can last 200 years

10 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Originally founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1948 by potter Edith Heath, over the course of fifty years Heath became an iconic dinnerware and t...

The education of a designer, with Suzanne Tucker

03 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Suzanne Tucker earned her stripes working first for Peter Hood in London, then for iconic California designer Michael Taylor. Now she leads Tucker & M...

Gary Wheeler of the ASID: "Interior design is at a crossroads"

26 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Gary Wheeler is the CEO of the American Society of Interior Designers, or, as it’s more commonly known, the ASID. A professional membership organiza...

Kazumi Yoshida and the incredible story of Clarence House

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 wa...

Meganne Wecker of Skyline Furniture thinks we're living through an e-commerce tipping point

12 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 s...

Russell Towner of Lee Industries on lead times and the future of furniture

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Russell Towner, the president of Lee Indstries, is a lifer in the furniture business, with almost three decades spent at companies like Henredon, Bake...

You can't do high-end design online? The Expert begs to differ

29 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

During COVID lockdowns last year, Jake Arnold, a rising young interior designer based out of Los Angeles, teamed up with Leo Seigal, an entrepreneur. ...

Maharam's Tony Manzari on the power of completely reinventing your company

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 has...

Ben Soleimani built his name on rugs. Now he's going after the whole home

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Thomas O'Brien: "You have to fight for the things you're passionate about."

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 nine...

Bonus Episode: Trade Tales with Kaitlin Petersen

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 chie...

Business of Home's editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen thinks the design industry deserves great journalism

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 jou...

Asad Syrkett wants Elle Decor to start conversations

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Asad Syrkett studied architecture in school but soon found himself more comfortable writing about it. After stints at Architectural Record, Architectu...

"The best spot to buy furniture in America." Jim Druckman on the past, present and future of the New York Design Center

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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. The...

Kneedler Fauchère is a 73-year-old showroom. "Nothing has changed" say its leaders

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Founded in San Francisco in 1948, Kneedler Fauchere was among the first multiline showrooms in the country. By elevating future icons like Jack Lenor ...

"Absolutely explosive growth." How Kathy Kuo built a digitally nimble design business

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 deca...

Malene Barnett and Leyden Lewis on why BADG's Obsidian project is no ordinary designer showhouse

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Artist and activist Malene Barnett and designer and artist Leyden Lewis are two of the twenty-two creators behind the Black Artists and Designers Guil...

John Robshaw on standing out in a crowded industry

18 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Roman Alonso of Commune cares about how a project feels, not how it looks

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 p...

Alessandra Branca is trying something new

04 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, Alessandra Branca has been a fixture in the upper echelons of the interior design profession, with her buoyant style gracing shelter maga...

[Rebroadcast] Jack Lenor Larsen defined 20th century textiles

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

"The Frank Sinatra of lighting" — Visual Comfort and Circa have no plans to slow down

21 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tapping into an overseas manufacturing boom, Andy Singer started Visual Comfort in the mid 80s, but it wasn’t until he partnered with master lightin...

How Studio McGee became a phenomenon

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

Buildlane wants to bring custom furniture online

07 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Frank Eybsen started online custom furniture platform Buildlane after working in a furniture factory himself and seeing firsthand how frustrating and ...

Barry Dixon sees everything as a learning opportunity

30 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For an interior designer known for classic American style, Barry Dixon’s childhood was surprisingly international—his father’s career took the f...

Robert Couturier's charmed career

23 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Born in Paris and raised by his grandparents, interior designer and architect Robert Couturier is a living embodiment of a more formal, genteel era. H...

An online furniture brand with a twist—it's for designers only

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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’...

Can Farrow & Ball grow while keeping what makes it special?

09 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Eric Edelson of Fireclay Tile on the 'Jerry Maguire' moment that turned his business around

02 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As a former Lehman Brothers associate and Stanford MBA, Eric Edelson was an unlikely candidate to take over Fireclay, a small tile company struggling ...

The founders of Aphrochic on putting the mission first

26 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 includi...

Six months later, how have makers and manufacturers weathered the pandemic?

19 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 the...

Bigger is better for Furnitureland South

12 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Will 3D modeling change the design industry forever?

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 li...

John McDonald of Semihandmade is looking beyond IKEA

28 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Semihandmade started as a small woodworking shop in LA, but after founder John McDonald experimented with making custom doors for IKEA kitchen cabinet...

Joe Lucas on the LA design scene, knockoffs and the future of showrooms

21 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

CB2 president Ryan Turf wants to keep pushing the envelope

14 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Retelling the story of leather with Sackett Wood of Moore & Giles

31 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Forty years ago, Moore & Giles was supplying the material to make shoes. But after the footwear industry disappeared abroad, the company reinvited its...