In life, you will cross paths with truly unique people, and if you are like me, you relish those moments. You want them to last. This is how I describe my conversation with designer Susan Ferrier. She is an award-winning creative, check. Her work is well-published, check. Ferrier is a member of the Design Leadership Network, check. She has all the credentials that make her the sought after, highly creative master of style upon which her reputation is based. But hold on…there’s more.
She is southern charm and artistic poetry. Her work embodies the emotion and depth of a true artisan and she is completely authentic in her work and in the following conversation. Susan isn’tjust a designer, she is an artist. A master craftsman in the area of space, and atmosphere. It’s one thing to space pieces and art in a space, perfectly balance the large and accessories alike, master color and texture. It is something entirely different to bend light and shadow among that same design to create mood and atmosphere that accentuates not just the space but the experience. That is what Susan Ferrier does and that is what we are talking about in this episode of Convo By Design. This is part of The Showroom is a highly targeted focus on some of the most incredibly talented design professionals working today. This is one of those creatives, Susan Ferrier.
Are you subscribing to the podcast, if not, please do so you get every episode automatically when they are published. You can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts and now, you can find us on DesignNetwork dot Org, a destination dedicated to podcasts, all things design and architecture so make sure to check it out.
This conversation was amazing. Susan, thank you. Thank you Walker Zanger, Erika for your work here and behind the scenes. And thank you for listening. Without you, there is no joy in doing this, you are appreciated. My hope is to bring you inspiration and sublime design through these conversations. To give you that extra push to be the most creative designer you can be. I think we did that here. Please make sure you are subscribing to the show so you don’t miss a single episode. You can also follow us on Instagram, @ConvoXDesign, with an “x” and convo by design dot com. Be well and remember to take today first.
This is Convo By Design with a new type of resource for design creatives from the Hudson Valley in upstate New York.
The Beck is a creative resource and the brain child of Ana Claudia Schultz of Ana Claudia Design and her husband, Aaron Smyle, a tax professional. Located in downtown Rhinebeck, here is how Ana Claudia and Aaron define their business. “The Beck amplifies local creative voices and engages with the Hudson Valley community. Dutchess County’s new creative hub serves as a multi-purpose event space and gallery that displays local artists’ works to inspire creators and embrace the Hudson Valley community as well as house the founding duo’s office spaces.
This is a mix use space providing creative and business resources in an up and coming design city. This is a boutique community with a major design house which you heard about recently here on the podcast. 2021 is going to be an amazing year for designers. You know this already and if you are going to keep up with the sheer amount of work, keeping up with clients, tracking down orders, sourcing new product… Hey, with PPP, the Cares Act, business loans and all the other money matters, how are you handling the flexible tax issues of 2020? Relax, we the following conversation might shed some light on the business side of things as well as inspire you a little bit. This is husband and wife team and founders of The Beck, Aaron Smyle and Ana Claudia Schultz.
Thank you Ana Claudia, thank you, Aaron. Thank you Walker Zanger for your extraordinary partnership. Thank you Thermasol for your partnership. Please make sure and catch every one of the upcoming Wellness and Design Leadership Panel Series featuring amazing creatives talking about issues that most affect you and your business.
Thank you for listening. My goal is to bring you the stories behind sublime design wherever that may be. To share those stories, bring you business strategies to help you build a stronger firm and inspire you to do your most creative work.
For more, please follow us on Instagram @ConvoXDesign with an “X”, check us out at Convo By Design dot com. Until next week, keep creating and remember to take today first.
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with an exploration of luxury design through the lens of Montage Hotels and Resorts and a focused look at the new Healdsburg residences.
If you love luxury travel, a visit to one of the global Montage Resorts is probably on the list of things you long for. Montage has earned a reputation for crafting unique experiences that are authentic to each resort location. Montage International is a company built to provide ultra-luxe, unique lodging experiences to their guests. That is essential to know as I set up these next two conversations. You are going to hear from Earl Wilson of BAR Architects and then, Tina Necrason, EVP of Residential for Montage. This conversation revolves around the new Healdsburg Residences, a part of the Montage Resorts residential portfolio.
How do you transfer that feeling of peaceful relaxation from a world-class hotel experience to a residence where the home owner can experience it daily? When you have the weight of a global, luxury hospitality firm behind you, what can you do with each residence which is essentially a blank canvas? These are just a few of the things I wanted to know, but there is way more than that.
Thank you for listening to this episode of Convo By Design. Are you subscribing to the podcast, if not, please do so you get every episode automatically when they are published. You can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts and now, you can find us on DesignNetwork dot Org, a destination dedicated to podcasts, all things design and architecture so make sure to check it out.
Thank you Tina and Earl, thank you Walker Zanger for your continued support and thank you for listening, without you, what’s the point. If you are not already a subscriber to the show, what are you waiting for, it’s easy. You can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Ask your smart speaker to play Convo By Design, it’s really that easy. Follow along on the socials and check out our YouTube channel for videos form some of your favorite episodes. Thanks again for listening to the show, be well and until next week, keep creating.
This is Convo By Design Today, we are saying goodbye to a friend and celebrating an amazing person and giant in Southern California’s design community, Rocky LaFleur.
There are some people you encounter in life who make you feel better, they make you better and they lift up those around them. Rocky LaFleur was the embodiment of that. As long as I knew him, he always had a smile on his face and a word of encouragement. Rocky had a passion for his longtime friends and an openness to make new ones. We lost Rocky this past week and this flood of memories came back to me.
There have been so many fun and wonderful events and I cherish the time this tight knit Southern California design community gets together. The last time I saw Rocky in person, it was to see him speak to up and coming design students at UCLA Extension. Eleanor Schrader handed the mic to Rocky and his partner in comedy, Gary Gibson and the two of them led a journey into the wonderful world of design that made these prospective designers eyes twinkle. Not just the good, but the challenging and the hard work that comes with it.
Rocky was a phenomenal ambassador for the all of us in the industry, he was a dedicated mentor who gave freely of his time to help others and he always had a smile on his face. That sweet smile.
Rocky’s story is special and it doesn’t end here. When you influence and positively impact the lives of so many people, your spirit endures. I was blown away in 2018, seeing Rocky recognized at the Pacific Design Center in front of so many people who were there for no other reason than to shower Rocky with the love and the recognition he deserved. A Lifetime Achievement award, given to him by the ASID, the first of its kind.
“Rocky joined Kneedler Fauchère almost 16 years ago and I joined one year later. Believe it or not, I sat in front of his desk and every morning when I arrived he serenaded me with show tunes. That pretty much told me everything I needed to know about Rocky. He’s been one of my closest and most meaningful confidants ever since,” said Gina Dewitt, President of Kneedler Fauchère after the gala event.
I sat down with Rocky in 2019. Rocky told me his story, how he, “found his people.” I could continue to gush on about how wonderful this man was, but instead, I would like to replay my conversation with Rocky, recorded in 2019 from the Kneedler Fauchere showroom in the Pacific Design Center.
I want to thank Walker Zanger, presenting partner of Convo By Design, for your partnership. The work that they do and their support of the show makes it possible for me to to this. This podcast has kept me connected to the industry, to you for the past eight years and the last has definitely been the most challenging. As we start moving back to events, showcases, design houses, CEU’s and trade shows, we will have the chance to reconnect and I am so appreciative to Walker Zanger for their support of Convo By Design.
My hope here is that you can take some time to sit back, turn off the phone for a few minutes and let Rocky make you feel good again. I challenge you to hear that laugh and not laugh with him, it’s impossible. I hope hearing his voice, that laugh, those stories takes away your pain for a moment.
Thank you, Rocky…for everything, and thank you for listening. Until next week, be well and remember to to take today first.
This is Lone Star House of Design, a podcast about all things design and architecture from the Great State of Texas. This week, you are going to hear from Beth Bender, co-founder of the Dove Agency, a strategic planning firm based in Dallas. If the name sounds familiar, it is. Beth Moderated a recent panel for Lone Star House of Design and I invited her back because the work she and her firm does deserves some love. The Dove Agency provides back office support for design professionals. They are good at what they do and I thought you should hear more about them. This conversation covers all of the topics that keep design professionals up at night. Beth and I explore financial health of a design firm, social media and marketing… And the, Beth explains much of how she attacks these issues to help their clients achieve by not having to focus on these issues.
Thank you for listening to this episode of Lone Star House of Design. Are you subscribing to the podcast, if not, please do so you get every episode automatically when they are published. You can findLone Star House of Design and Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts and now, you can find us on DesignNetwork dot Org, a destination dedicated to podcasts, all things design and architecture so make sure to check it out.
Thank you, Beth, much appreciated. Thank you Walker Zanger and ThermaSol for your support and Thank you for subscribing and downloading the show and If you are not already, please subscribe so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of design and Convo By Design the moment they are published. You can also ask your smart speaker to play Convo By Design.
And if you REALLY want more, follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign@outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.
This is Convo By Design and in this episode of the podcast, we feature another installment of The Showroom, a partnership between Convo By Design and Walker Zanger featuring designer, Tamara Avila, the creative force behind Tamara Rene Designs in Seal Beach, California.
Tammy is the rare designer who also owns and operates a design showroom. Many designers think about opening a showroom, or more precisely, thought about it prior to COVID, but will be thinking about it again when things return to some sense of normalcy, whatever that means.
Erika Egede-Nissen, Marketing Director with Walker Zanger and I speak with Tammy about her firm, design style, trends in the design space and explore her work from a designers perspective. This is a deep dive into the industry and an exploration into the unique world of design and architecture.
Are you subscribing to the podcast, if not, please do so you get every episode automatically when they are published. You can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts and now, you can find us on DesignNetwork dot Org, a destination dedicated to podcasts, all things design and architecture so make sure to check it out.
Thank you Tammy, thank you Erika, thank you Walker Zanger for your continued support and thank you for listening, without you, what’s the point. If you are not already a subscriber to the show, what are you waiting for, it’s easy. You can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Ask your smart speaker to play Convo By Design, it’s really that easy. Follow along on the socials and check out our YouTube channel for videos form some of your favorite episodes, like this one with Tammy Avila of Tamara Rene Designs. Thanks again for listening to the show, keep creating and remember to take today first.
This is Lone Star House of Design, a podcast about all things design and architecture from the Great State of Texas. Following is another installment of The Wellness and Design Thought Leadership Series presented by ThermaSol.
This conversation, as previously mentioned is from the Wellness and Design Thought Leadership Series presented by ThermaSol. This conversation features designers; Cindy Aplanalp-Yates, Allison Jaffe and Cheri Etchelecu. It is moderated by Dove Agency founder, Beth Bender. The Wellness and Design Thought Leadership Series presents the opportunity to gather a curated group of design masters and execute a targeted focus on specific issues affecting the industry today.
This cohort discusses the current state of design in Texas, opportunities, trending ideas and the ultimate pursuit of sublime design. It is presented by ThermaSol. I am incredibly proud to partner with ThermaSol on this initiative called the Wellness and Design Thought Leadership Series. These panel conversations feature smart, innovative design thought leaders talking about issues affecting us all in the business today.
I’m working with ThermaSol for the second year now and I have had the opportunity to get to know Mitch Altman, third generation of this family owned and operated business. This company was built on innovation. Their origin story is impressive and the products are innovative, they showcase not only the increased interest for wellness in todays ground breaking design but the need for smart showers, steam and spa-like luxury in the bathroom. If you are not incorporating smart steam showers into every bathroom you design, you are missing out on an opportunity to increase the per bathroom budget and provide clients with something they desperately want.
Brilliant! Thank you, Beth, Cindy, Cheri and Allison. Thank you Walker Zanger and ThermaSol for your support and Thank you for subscribing and downloading the show and If you are not already, please subscribe so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of design and Convo By Design the moment they are published. You can also ask your smart speaker to play Convo By Design.
And if you REALLY want more, follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign@outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.
This is Convo By Design with a two part special about The Magic City…Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In the 1920’s, Tulsa Oklahoma was called the ‘magic city’ because of the things that were happening as a result of the oil boom. The Cushing Field was discovered at the beginning of the 1900’s which saw the population explode fromjust over 7,000 in 1907 to over 72,000 in 1920. Names like Waite Phillips, J. Paul, Getty, Henry Sinclairand John D. Rockefeller came to Tulsa and built a world-class city around the oil industry, and creating companies like Texaco and Phillips 66. With the influx of money and came high-society, culture and the arts along side extraordinary architecture and design.
It wasn’t just rich white money. Black Wall Street was within the highly successful, self-contained black community of Greenwood. This is a success story with a horrific ending that resulted in the Greenwood Massacre. To understand how this happened, one needs to fully understand that Black Wall Street, as it was called, wasn’t isolated, it was a community crafted out of necessity and developed into a highly functioning community of black-owned, black-run businesses, by design. O.W. Gurley, a wealthy man of color bought 40 acres of land and called it Greenwood. He and others created a center of commerce built by and for the black community and it is a success story with a tragic ending. After years of success, and years of publicly, well documented jealousy, the result was the Black Wall Street Massacre which saw the entire community destroyed by a white mob. 36 Greenwood residents lost their lives, 800 were injured, 6,000 were held unlawfully and the entire community was burned to the ground.If interested in the whole story, which is an incredible and tragic story will be linked here. And today, you can find influences of Black Wall Street imbued within the city itself through design and architecture.
This is not the end of the story and there is so much to explore in how Tulsans have respected the Black Wall Street story and are making sure it is told to future generations much of which can be seen through the design and architecture. Speaking of architecture, this AMAZING art deco and mid-century modern, the gothic cathedrals and a city plan straight out of mid-town Manhattan. This is part of the story of Tulsa, an amazing story and one I wanted to share with you from the architecture, design and city planning perspective. To understand the origin and evolution of Tulsa, I spoke with two community experts, Grant Bumgarner with an organization called Tulsa Remote and architect Ted Reeds, both of whom know this city and her history intimately.
Grant Bumgarner is Community Manager with Tulsa Remote. If not familiar, Tulsa Remote is a community development program designed to bring talented people to Tulsa, Oklahoma. People who work remotely that can bring a fresh perspective to the city. This two-year old initiative will be further explained by Grant. This is a story about regrowing a (formerly) modern city, city planning with people at the center of moving forward smartly into the future.I love studying American cities. I am a huge fan of cities like Austin, Texas…Memphis, Tennessee and yes, Tulsa, Oklahoma. You can learn a lot about how cities respect their past and nurture their future. Some of the most successful cities are those that respect their past and keep an eye on ever moving forward and Tulsa is one of those. You have no doubt heard about Tulsa recently, and for all the wrong reasons. The Trail of Tears, the destruction of Black Wall and massacre of its residents. This city has a mixed past and you are going to hear about much of it. You are also going to hear about a city that was built on some of the countries best architecture.
You heard me correctly, some of America’s best Art Deco architecture is in Tulsa, Oklahoma. One of these structures is the Boston Avenue Methodist Church, designed by master architect and prodigy, Bruce Goff. Goff has significant SoCal ties as well. He designed the Al Strucks House, if not familiar, search it…this house is… extremely interesting. Goff also designed the Japanese Art Pavilion at LACMA, a legendary structure that, for me, is in the collection of significant Los Angeles architecture. But back to Tulsa. I visited the city and Grant gave me a walking tour of the city. We had a chance to reconnect and talk.
By the way, are you subscribing to the podcast, if not, please do so you get every episode automatically when they are published. You can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts and now, you can find us on DesignNetwork dot Org, a destination dedicated to podcasts, all things design and architecture so make sure to check it out.
Ted Reeds is an architect and adjunct professor of architecture at the Christopher C. Gibbs School of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma. Ted is president of his eponymous firm and one of those amazing storytellers you are instantly happy with whom you’ve found yourself connected. I have often shared my opinion that architecture islanguage while design is storytelling. Ted is the rare architect that has mastered the storytelling within the architecture which is probably why he was so much fun to speak with. Ted and I spoke by phone and discussed some of the amazing structures in and around Tulsa.
3. The Gathering Place – A 70 acre private park gift to the city of Tulsa. Designed by Landscape architect, Michael Van Valkenburg. The banks of the Arkansas River is public land.
4. Cathedral District, one of 5 downtown districts. Multiple churches, Boston Avenue Methodist Church, designed by Bruce Goff. Goff also built the Al Struckus House, one of LA’s most unique homes and Japanese Art Pavilion at LACMA. Bruce Goff controversy.
11. Waite Phillips, father of modern Tulsa, Phil Tower and Philcade, Beginning of mixed use. Style of Philcade, vertical lines and dramatic shadows. All that gold! Talk about the cornucopia.
Enjoy this story about Tulsa, Oklahoma…The Magic City.
Thank you, Ted and Grant for both the tour and the chat. I cannot wait to get back to Tulsa. For images from my walking tour with Grant, check out the Convo By Design website and Instagram. You will also find links to the George Kaiser Foundation to see what they do and check out the Gathering Place. Thank you, Walker Zanger for your support of Convo By Design and thank you for listening to the show. Please make sure you subscribe so you get every episode of the podcast the moment it’s published. Until next week, be well and take today first.
