Business of Home Podcast
Episodes
The Thursday Show: Sophie Donelson wants to free the kitchen, the AI interior design gold rush and more
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus joins host Dennis Scully to discuss the biggest news in the design industry, from Tiffany's new headquarters to the...
Thom Filicia has always followed his own path
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Thom Filicia rose to fame after his appearance on the breakout hit Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but his career began in the rarified world of New Y...
The Thursday Show: Looking back on High Point Market with BOH editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen, the rise of "quiet luxury" and more
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus joins host Dennis Scully to discuss the biggest news in the design industry, from Bed Bath & Beyond's bankruptcy to...
Jeremiah Brent wants to shift the narrative on the design industry
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At 38, Jeremiah Brent is a young designer. But from building a bicoastal firm to an appearance on the AD100 list to product lines to TV shows with his...
The Thursday Show: Live from Milan Design Week with Dan Rubinstein, MillerKnoll's PR crisis and more
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus joins host Dennis Scully to discuss the biggest news in the design industry, from MillerKnoll's PR crisis to some g...
How Romo is conquering America, one market at a time
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Though Romo’s history goes back to 1902 in England, in the U.S. the company was relatively unknown for its first century in business. That changed w...
The Thursday Show: Schumacher's Nashville experiment, the scourge of damaged product and more
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus joins host Dennis Scully to discuss the biggest news in the design industry, from a client rejection note that went...
Sarah Sherman Samuel puts passion over business, every time
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A multitalented creative, Sarah Sherman Samuel has occupied many roles in the industry: Interior designer, product designer, TV star, social media cre...
The Thursday Show: Wunderkind stylist Colin King, RH's wild earnings call and more
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the debut episode of The Thursday Show, BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus joins host Dennis Scully to discuss the biggest news in the design indus...
The Modern House publishes beautiful homes—then sells them
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Originally a design and architecture journalist, in 2005 Matt Gibberd and his childhood friend Albert Hill started building a site that not only profi...
The mother-daughter duo behind Sister Parish Design are putting "faith over fear"
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sister Parish was one of the 20th century’s most iconic designers. Working for presidents, celebrities, socialites and titans of industry, she and h...
How the duo behind Nickey Kehoe built a modern, multifaceted design business
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a chance meeting in Brooklyn brought them together, Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe forged a partnership that has survived a cross country move and tw...
Orior's approach has always been bold (and a little crazy)
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Irish furniture brand Orior has an improbable history: Started in the late 1970s by the husband-and-wife duo of Brian and Rosie McGuigan, the company ...
Martyn Lawrence Bullard's intuition has never let him down
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Once an aspiring actor, Martyn Lawrence Bullard left his native England for Hollywood in the 1990s and quickly switched professions. He’s since beco...
Why did Havenly buy Interior Define?
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Once a buzzy DTC furniture brand, last year Interior Define hit hard times and stopped paying its vendors, leaving thousands of customers in limbo wit...
Can Design Holding become the LVMH of home?
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You may not be familiar with the name “Design Holding,” but you know the brands in its portfolio, including Flos, B&B Italia, Louis Poulsen, Maxal...
The Expert starts its next chapter
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Jake Arnold and Leo Seigal launched The Expert in 2021, the online design platform quickly took the industry by storm, connecting clients with el...
Mary McDonald embraces interior design's "never-ending learning curve"
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Interior designer Mary McDonald rose to prominence in the early aughts, as her work began to show up on the cover of shelter magazines. She’s stayed...
At Pierre Frey, creativity comes before business
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Founded in 1935, Pierre Frey has become one of the most admired names in the world of high-end design, revered for its inventive, colorful creations. ...
Stephen Burks wants to open the doors of the design industry
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Industrial designer Stephen Burks career started in the early 2000s, when he became one of the first Americans to design furniture for European powerh...
Society Social wants to be every Grandmillennial's favorite brand
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2011, Roxy Owens left behind a marketing career to start a furniture and decor brand dedicated to playful traditionalism. Eight years later, the ri...
Sophie Ashby wants to fight back against 'unidentifiable global chic'
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A member of the UK’s rising generation, Interior designer Sophie Ashby has achieved widespread attention for her colorful and eclectic projects. Dur...
How Alexa Hampton learned the language of design [Rebroadcast]
02 Jan 2023
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...
Looking back on an eventful year in the design industry
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the podcast host Dennis Scully is joined by BOH’s editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen and executive editor Fred Nicolaus. Together they lo...
American Leather's president knows why the home industry is slow to change
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Though American Leather may be an unfamiliar name in the design trade, the company is a powerhouse of furniture manufacturing, with 800 employees in...
Amber Lewis sees the glass half full
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
To the outside world, Amber Lewis is an interior designer. Behind the scenes, her business is a complex operation with more than 100 employees, tackli...
Athena Calderone likes to prove the doubters wrong
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2011, Athena Calderone was a young mother in Brooklyn, looking to turn her considerable creative energy into a career. She started a blog, Eyeswoon...
Timothy Corrigan: "Designers are brands"
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A fixture in the top tier of the international design scene since the late nineties, Timothy Corrigan has been on every magazine’s honor roll, won n...
Lori Weitzner: "Ask for what you want, not what you think is possible"
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s difficult to sum up Lori Weitzner’s career quickly. From her partnership with fabric icon Jack Lenor Larsen to her longtime relationship with...
Is there room for another online antiques marketplace?
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the likes of 1stdibs and Chairish have embraced a transactional, click-to-buy model for buying and selling online, Carmine Bruno is going in the ot...
What happened at High Point Market?
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Twice a year, thousands of designers and retail buyers descend on a small town in North Carolina for High Point Market. A trade show, a conference, a ...
Beth Webb: "Too many designers discount themselves"
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After starting her career in the art world, a chance encounter at a dinner party got Beth Webb into design, and she hasn’t looked back. With project...
Fortuny has had a wild century. Its owners are thinking about the next 100 years
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With a 19th century inventor, a countess, and a tragic car crash, the story of Italian fabric brand Fortuny feels like an epic novel. Here, Mickey and...
Jenni Kayne's CEO says the brand is just getting started in home
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the Business of Home Podcast, host Dennis Scully is joined by Julia Hunter, the CEO of the lifestyle brand Jenni Kayne. Founded in 2002 b...
Gabriel Hendifar of Apparatus is embracing the fantasy
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Founded in 2012 as a lighting studio by then-partners Gabriel Hendifar and Jeremy Anderson, Apparatus has quickly become one the industry’s most tal...
Suzanne Kasler on why the design business is better (and harder) than ever
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A midwestern native trained in commercial design, Suzanne Kasler made two big pivots in the mid-1990s: she moved to Atlanta, and began working exclusi...
Billy Cotton tried to quit interior design. The universe had other ideas
19 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From creating a line of tableware to design projects that landed him on the AD100, Billy Cotton’s career has seen him apply his talents to a wide ra...
Can you balance idealism and business? Connie Matisse is working on it
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Founded in 2010 by Connie Matisse, her husband Alex, and their friend John Vigeland, East Fork began as a small pottery studio. The company has since ...
How two friends named John reshaped the design business
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
John Edelman and John McPhee met by chance while working for Edelman’s brother, Sam in the footwear business—their partnership would ultimately re...
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...