Trade Tales
Episodes
Katie Vance on the secret to synching up a design/build firm
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Katie Vance kicked off the current phase of her career a decade ago, as the sole interior designer at an architecture firm. Since then, a lot has chan...
Ahmad AbouZanat on the power of treating clients like guests
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ahmad AbouZanat’s early design gigs took him from Beirut to Houston and back again, before he finally settled in New York to launch his own firm. Wh...
Kelly Collier-Clark on paring down her offerings to give her business room to grow
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kelly Collier-Clark scaled up her business quickly, tackling full service projects, e-design, real estate services and podcasting in short order, all ...
How Katie Monkhouse rescued herself from burnout
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Katie Monkhouse’s firm was moving along at a rapid pace—taking on new employees, new clients and new real estate before she even had a chance to e...
Christine Vroom finally started prioritizing her own health—and her business transformed
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Christine Vroom embarked on her design career at the ripe age of 16, and stuck with it through job detours and personal struggles alike. After recover...
Byron Risdon on the luxury of slowing down
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Byron Risdon has always known how to rise to the occasion—whether it was landing his first design job with no prior experience, or launching his bus...
Why Sarah Goesling isn’t comfortable with being comfortable
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Sarah Goesling entered the design industry, she was intent on learning it all: from plumbing to project management, no aspect of the job was too ...
How Pure Salt’s cofounders turned a signature look into a successful brand
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pure Salt designers Aly Morford and Leigh Lincoln were always on the same page when it came to interiors. In building out their portfolio and executin...
Why Jenny Wolf isn’t afraid of ambitious employees
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jenny Wolf spent nearly a decade at her dream job before realizing her true passion was for design—so, she decided to go back to square one and star...
How Studio Heimat went from a twosome to a team
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Even though Eva Bradley and Alicia Cheung Lichtenstein grew up halfway across the world (hailing from Switzerland and California, respectively) their ...
Nina Magon on letting go to grow [Rebroadcast]
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nina Magon entered the interior design industry with an instinct for the business side of things—whether it was employing her design school professo...
Erin Gates on finding your voice [Rebroadcast]
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Erin Gates has a special talent for identifying untapped potential: She started her own firm geared toward young professionals in Boston in 2007, find...
Why clients are the essential piece in Rachel Halvorson’s creative work
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel Halvorson started her firm in the wake of the recession, and found sudden success with celebrity clients and magazine covers all in the first y...
Why leveling up means longevity for Delia Kenza
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Delia Kenza rose quickly through the world of design when a chance encounter landed her home in the pages of a magazine. While her business benefited ...
The pandemic almost shut down Meg Lonergan’s business—here’s how she revived it
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Meg Lonergan embarked on her design career, it seemed that her biggest hurdle was demonstrating to the rest of the design industry that despite h...
Two decades in, Michael Cox's firm is still a work in progress. He likes it that way
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After launching Foley & Cox in 2002, Michael Cox and his partner Mary Foley led the business through every high and low the industry had in store—in...
How Shaun Crha found his boundaries
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Shaun Crha’s career kicked off with a steady rise into the high-stakes world of banking. When the stress of the job nearly pushed him to a breaking ...
How overcoming imposter syndrome transformed Lucy O’Brien’s business
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy O’Brien has never been afraid to go after what she wants—before she’d even booked her first clients, she showed up to High Point Market ent...
How Amy Sklar overcame the fear of charging for her services
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Amy Sklar’s early career was a full-circle journey that took her from design to show business and back again. When she finally landed at the helm of...
Authenticity is everything. Just ask Ashley Ross
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Like many designers, Ashley Ross left a successful corporate career in order to pursue her dreams of design—a history she’s shared with her dedica...
Why Rydhima Brar always asks clients 'the cocktail question'
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As an expat born and raised in Kuwait, Rydhima Brar’s career was defined in large part by visa restrictions for more than a decade. Working in marke...
Nina Magon on letting go to grow
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nina Magon entered the interior design industry with an instinct for the business side of things—whether it was employing her design school professo...
Why Clara Jung is cultivating personal freedom and employee growth
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Following a first career in law, Clara Jung became accustomed to a cutthroat, high pressure work environment. When she left her life as an attorney fo...
Why Lauren Caron decided to ‘Marie Kondo’ her clients
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lauren Caron’s visual merchandising career kicked off with a long-term plan for climbing the corporate ladder at elite department store Bergdorf’s...
Gala Magriñá filters her design business through a holistic lens
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gala Magriñá’s early career years taught her to think about design as it applied to a wide variety of spaces. As a visual merchandiser by day and ...
Kevin Isbell on finding success with a small firm
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For years, Kevin Isbell was the right-hand man for top interior designers from coast to coast. Eventually, it came time to take what he’d learned an...
Alvin Wayne on making social media the bedrock of his business
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alvin Wayne spent years juggling a double career in luxury retail and interior design. But when the pandemic happened, he was hit with a realization: ...
Why Tina Ramchandani wants a “soul connection” with her clients
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When searching for a potential career, Tina Ramchandani set off in search of an “aha” moment—and she finally found it in the stunning interiors ...
Meagan Camp quit Instagram. This is what she learned
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Interior design was basically the family business for Meagan Camp, whose mother, grandparents and even great-grandparents all worked as design profess...
How DuVäl Reynolds attracts team members who share his vision
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When DuVäl Reynolds realized interior design was the career path for him, he went all-in—working a full time day job, attending design school at ni...
Toledo Geller on how to survive a crisis (or two)
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Virginia Toledo always knew she was fated for a career in interiors. Jessica Geller, meanwhile, took a more winding road into the industry. When the t...
How Linda Hayslett started designing on her own terms
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a decade in the fashion industry left her feeling unfulfilled, Linda Hayslett was looking for a new way to channel her creativity. When she fi...
Erin Gates on finding your voice
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Erin Gates has a special talent for identifying untapped potential: She started her own firm geared toward young professionals in Boston in 2007, find...
Nicole White on having the grace to grow
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Nicole White left her first career in journalism to go all-in on design, she ran straight into a scenario even more frightening than hurricane-ch...
Refine and repeat: Park & Oak on navigating early-career obstacles [Rebroadcast]
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Following first careers in different industries, Christina Samatas and Renee DiSanto joined forces to found their firm, Park & Oak, with a flexibility...
Nile Johnson on making space for creativity [Rebroadcast]
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Philadelphia-based interior designer Nile Johnson scored a dream client, one so good that she recommended him to all her friends. One in particula...
How Emilie Munroe shows clients that she won’t let them fail
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After rising through the ranks at an established design firm, Emilie Munroe felt the pull to start a firm of her own. But instead of rushing out the d...
Rasheeda Gray switched to design mid-career. You can too
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rasheeda Gray was successfully climbing the corporate ladder when she realized she needed to make a change to find her passion and purpose. She went b...
Ramey Caulkins on bypassing supply chain hurdles
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From building a team to navigating the industry’s supply chain challenges, Ramey Caulkins draws on lessons learned from her early career in sales at...
Dan Rak on getting the money talk right
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
During his first career as a tax lawyer, Dan Rak didn’t have much bandwidth to dip his toes into interior design. Instead, he focused on the one spa...
Michel Smith Boyd on why a flat fee lets him focus on creativity
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Modeling, acting, nursing and beauty school—Michel Smith Boyd tried it all before an encounter with an interior designer sealed his fate and sent hi...
How a better contract made Katie Hodges a better designer
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Katie Hodges’s first big client felt like a dream come true—a gorgeous luxury home, flexible clients and a project that ultimately landed a glossy...
Design, real estate and contracting—Keisha Gilchrist's triple threat
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
During her first career in marketing, Keisha Gilchrist slogged through a series of bad jobs. Between unlivable wages and male-dominated workplaces, th...
Peggy Haddad on the radical accessibility of e-design
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Peggy Haddad had every intention of hiring an interior designer to transform her own home—until she made a few calls and realized just how expensive...
Stephanie Sabbe on the path to creative freedom
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A career in design was the only route Stephanie Sabbe ever considered. In this episode, the Nashville designer gets candid about how the unexpected ch...
Why Traci Zeller is cultivating distance (in a good way) with her clients
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With an early knack for aesthetics, Traci Zeller seemed destined for design from a young age. Instead, she took a substantial detour, finding success ...
Sean Leffers on bringing your worldview into your work
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After turning a house-flipping side hustle into a budding design practice, Sean Leffers started to grow his team—and reconsider his definition of le...
How Eneia White started charging what she’s worth
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After leaving a job with tons of creative freedom to start her own firm in 2018, Eneia White had one speed: busy. The New York–based designer was sa...
Heidi Caillier and the art of leveling up
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Heidi Caillier didn’t take the traditional route into the home industry. Instead, she pursued careers in public health, as a scuba diving instructor...
How Alison Giese is growing her firm without staffing up
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Alison Giese has never followed a conventional design career path—she did medical sales and studied law before her husband’s career took the coupl...
Why Everick Brown Design talks to clients about return on investment
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everick Brown is no stranger to reinvention. His career began in the retail sphere, working for several luxury labels before a round of executive layo...
Park & Oak on setting client expectations: "You might cry"
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Following first careers in different industries, Christina Samatas and Renee DiSanto joined forces to found their firm, Park & Oak, with a flexibility...
How Noz Nozawa learned to invest in herself
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When Noz Nozawa left her 9-to-5 marketing job to start her design business, she took a major gamble with her career. It was in that precarious state t...
Why Victoria Sass puts the story first
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria Sass had a bustling career as a commercial designer—a job she liked, but didn’t love. After the birth of her second daughter, the Minneap...
Max Humphrey on rewriting the rules of design
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Max Humphrey’s first career didn’t exactly lend itself to well-designed spaces. As a musician in a touring band, Humphrey spent most of his time t...
How Eche Martinez turned a small project into a big break
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Just as San Francisco–based designer Eche Martinez was putting the finishing touches on a small pool house project, he began to hear about the clien...
Beth Diana Smith on leaving the corporate world behind
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It took designing her own home in earnest to make Irvington, New Jersey–based interior designer Beth Diana Smith realize that, despite working her w...
Why Amanda Teal completely changed the way she charged
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For years, Menlo Park, California–based interior designer Amanda Teal did what many designers do—she charged an hourly rate for her services, plus...
Nile Johnson on making space for creativity
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Philadelphia-based interior designer Nile Johnson scored a dream client, one so good that she recommended him to all her friends. One in particula...
Trade Tales: Coming soon!
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Business of Home, the interior design industry's daily news source of record, is launching a new podcast. Hosted by BOH's editor in chief Kaitlin Pete...