Monthly Archives: April 2025

The High Points, Everything You Need to Be Ready for the Spring High Point Market | 582 | Victoria Holly

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If you are listening to this episode the week it’s published, that would be the week of April 22nd, and you are planning on attending the Spring High Point Market, lucky you… You are going to hear from Victoria Holly, founder of her eponymous firm and one of this years Style Spotters at High Point Market, the Spring 2025 edition. What does it mean to spot style, differentiate emerging style from trend and further differentiate trend from trendy? Trendy, ugh.

Designer Resources

Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise.

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

 – Where service meets excellence

TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep

Something can be trending and have lasting impact on design, but that separation of lasting impact vs ephemeral interest has been dogging the industry for quite some time. Victoria and I talk about this in detail as well as how she prepares for a show like High Point Market and what conversations she will be having as it relates to supply chain, pricing, tariffs and potential brand partnerships. The following is a master class on event prep. A conversations that was a joy to participate in and that I am incredibly proud to share with you in the hopes that you can prep if your going this time or perhaps in the fall. This conversation is absolutely jammed with actionable ideas for design talent at every level because Victoria knows her industry well. It is clear that she has studied her craft and knows how she wants that knowledge and insight to serve her. An idea that we don’t talk about nearly enough. But we do today and you will hear it all in the next hour.

Thank you Victoria, loved this. Thank you to my incredible partner sponsors, TimberTech, Pacific Sales, and Design Hardware. Amazing companies and great friends to the trade so please give them an opportunity for your next project. Thank you for listening, subscribing to the show and sharing with your colleagues. If not already subscribing, please consider that so you receive every new episode automatically to your podcast feed. 

Please keep those emails coming convo by design at outlook dot com and follow the conversation on Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”.

Until next week, thank you for sharing this time together, until the next episode, be well, stay focused and now that it has arrived in earnest, try to rise above the chaos. – CXD

KBIS Confidential: Kitchen ReVOLUTION or Evolution, You Decide | 581 | Christine Vroom, Arianne Bellizaire, Jonah Kilday

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The kitchen rEvolution is here…But is it more evolution or revolution.  Are designers developing contemporary kitchens based solely on new ideas or looking to the past for inspiration? Is it a wholesale revolution or a patchwork of ideas creating a whole new set of ideas and opportunities?. How is the evolving nature of kitchen design changing the way we think about the heart of the home? How are changing technologies and desired functionality reshaping the modality of kitchen use and design. We explore how new opportunities in appliances and technology have evolved the programming of a kitchen suite. How sous vide, various mode appliances, Wi-Fi enabled appliances, water saving faucets and features combined with revised floor planning have forever altered these spaces making the kitchen, once again the place where everything happens and from which life takes shape.

This conversation features; Christine Vroom | Christine Vroom Interiors, Arianne Belazaire | Arianne Bellizaire Interiors, Jonah Kilday | MK Workshop. Topics of conversation include;

  • Multi-Kitchen homes
  • Resurgence of butler’s pantry, scullery, wine bar, coffee bar
  • Increased appliance packages and programming
  • Programming changes in kitchen spaces
  • What defines luxury and how does that manifest itself
  • For show or hidden?
  • Definition of “luxury”
  • Triangle Vs. Zones
  • Inside out and the rise of luxury outdoor kitchens
  • Modern definition of function
  • En suite kitchenette

What a remarkable experience. I believe that KBIS is one of the annual must-attend events. Not just for all the reasons listed above, but so many others as well. KBIS is the pulse of the industry in America. It represents a true cross section of disciplines. You will see architects, landscape architects, designers, contractors, design-build firms, hospital, education, prison design specialists all looking for new products to specify and unique ways to use them. 

Thank you to the NKBA, KBIS, Emerald, Flying Camel, AJMadison and all of the amazing creatives who came on the show. The KBIS Podcast Studio was  just extraordinary. 

Thank you for listening to Convo By Design Presents KBIS Confidential. As always, please join in the conversation on Instagram @convoXdesign with an “X” and, if you would like to reach me with a note, show or guest suggestion, please do. Email me, convo by design @ outlook.com.

Until next time, stay focused and rise above the chaos. – CXD

Technical & Bold, the Transformative Nature of Design | 580 | Lauren Reyes Lim , LVR Studios

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Topics that keeps bubbling up in conversations industry wide is burnout. Exhaustion. Dealing with the daily and unrelenting chaos. These feelings are coming from the stresses caused by the constant price increases, subscription increases, the lost art of customer service and yes, the overall chaos caused by a litany of factors and you know what I’m talking about.

Designer Resources

Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise.

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

 – Where service meets excellence

TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep

I say, “you know what I’m talking about” instead of saying it, because, yeah, I’m sick of talking about it. Sick of thinking about it. I want to feel like I did back in 2022. That was a good year. The pandemic was behind us and blue skies ahead. So, your tired. Yeah, me too. The thing that recharges my batteries? The interpersonal conversations that you hear on the show. I started Convo By Design to tell the stories behind design. To showcase the very design that makes me happy. It’s that feeling I used to get when a new issue of Metropolitan Home arrived in the mail. It would be sitting there in the mailbox. I would spend a minute just looking at the cover, through the poly bag. I would spend a minute trying to imagine what will be in there. Then I would save it. Force the anticipation to build. Then put it down for a while and come back when I had a full hour or more to really dig in, read the Editors Letter, Pub Note, the Masthead, scour the ads. Did you know the advertising is really the best way to determine the forthcoming trends? The marketing, not the editorial is where you learn about future-thought.  But the editorial is what has been happening for the past 3 months to 2-years while the projects were in process.

I don’t think I have ever spoken with you about how I hope you use Convo By Design. This show is offered as both product and service. My hope is that you will take me with you on your walks, runs, trips to discover at local design centers or at the airport as you are on your way to the next big event. 

I tell you this in support of the conversation you are about to hear with Lauren Reyes Lim, principal and founder of LVR Studios. Lauren’s work, and that of her firm is both throwback and futuristic in thought and delivery. Pattern, color, texture, styling and presentation. That is very much how this chat goes as well. I hope you enjoy it. It’s coming up, right after this.

Loved this. Thank you Lauren. Thank you to my incredible partner sponsors; TimberTech, Pacific Sales, and Design Hardware. Amazing companies and great friends to the trade so please give them an opportunity for your next project. And, thank you for listening, subscribing the show and sharing with your colleagues. If not already subscribing, please consider that so you receive every new episode automatically to your podcast feed. Until next week, thank you for sharing this time together, until the next episode, be well, stay focused and now that it has arrived in earnest, try to rise above the chaos. – CXD 

KBIS Confidential: Luxe for Less | 579 | Achieving Perfect Results on Budget in a More Expensive Environment with a Cost Conscious Clientele

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Many if not most clients will confess that the reason they employ the services of a designer, architect and landscape architect is because the way they live is not congruent with the way they wish to live. What many clients don’t realize is that a superpower great designers bring to every project is the ability to reduce costs through product knowledge and application of skill. Explore the rapidly changing design space and learn how to craft that perfect environment on a budget through strategic choices, waste reduction, strategic customization and an understanding for how the industry is changing. Stay ahead of the curve and thrive. We will explore how tariffs, supply chain snags and inflation continue to drive costs as well as specification strategies to value engineer every project and achieve that desired look for less.

This conversation features Alena Capra, Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer | Alena Capra Design, Jessica Petrino Ball, Director of Trade and Education | AJ Madison and Tony Disilvestro Topics of conversation include;

  • Providing a Bespoke Experience
  • Value Engineering & Building Value Through Strategic Specification
  • Does Luxury REALLY mean Expensive? Breakdown strategic approach
  • Activating the Designer/ Showroom/ Manufacturer Partnerships
  • Brand Loyalty Vs. Mixing to Achieve Expectations
  • Psychological Approach to Design
  • Appliances Beyond the Kitchen
  • How Appliances Spark Joy
  • Using these and other strategies to raise design to meet expectations for less

What a remarkable experience. I believe that KBIS is one of the annual must-attend events. Not just for all the reasons listed above, but so many others as well. KBIS is the pulse of the industry in America. It represents a true cross section of disciplines. You will see architects, landscape architects, designers, contractors, design-build firms, hospital, education, prison design specialists all looking for new products to specify and unique ways to use them. 

Thank you to the NKBA, KBIS, Emerald, Flying Camel, AJMadison and all of the amazing creatives who came on the show. The KBIS Podcast Studio was  just extraordinary. 

Thank you for listening to Convo By Design Presents KBIS Confidential. As always, please join in the conversation on Instagram @convoXdesign with an “X” and, if you would like to reach me with a note, show or guest suggestion, please do. Email me, convo by design @ outlook.com.

Until next time, stay focused and rise above the chaos. – Convo By Design

Getting Real with Designing Women | 578 | Kim Gordon & Breegan Jane Live from KBIS 2025

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Patience. It’s hard to navigate around because everything is seemingly delivered almost overnight. Actually, it’s more like two days thanks to Amazon. So, after I return from a show like KBIS, I have hours and hours of content to cull through and produce. I want to share some of my process with you. While there is an overwhelming urge to publish everything right when I get back, I have found that a more deliberate approach to content deployment. I have actually found it similar to how many design professionals stage their work on projects. Interesting and something we will be exploring further in the future.

Designer Resources

Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise.

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

 – Where service meets excellence

TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep

Today, you are going to hear from two incredible designers and long time friends of the show.While at KBIS, I had the opportunity to speak with Breegan Jane and Kim Gordon. We discussed a number of topics that every working designer today should hear. It’s also not just about the work, the business or trade shows. Life lessons from two of the most honest and authentic people I know. And you are going to hear all about it, first from Kim and then Breegan right after this.

Loved this. Thank you Kim and Breegan. Thank you to my incredible partner sponsors; TimberTech, Pacific Sales, and Design Hardware. Amazing companies and great friends to the trade so please give them an opportunity for your next project. And, thank you for listening, subscribing the show and sharing with your colleagues. If not already subscribing, please consider that so you receive every new episode automatically to your podcast feed. Until next week, thank you for sharing this time together, until the next episode, be well, stay focused and now that it has arrived in earnest, try to rise above the chaos. – CXD

KBIS Confidential: Beyond the Blueprint | 577 | A Personal Approach to Design with Moen

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The series is called KBIS Confidential – Creative Conversations LIVE from KBIS 2025. This 7-week series will be published every Wednesday.

Many of the worlds most innovative brands began with an “aha” moment. Moen’s “aha” moment came in 1937, Seattle when Al Moen’s old fashioned handle broke off in his hand. That moment led to the inspiration for the single-handed faucet, a revolutionary moment in plumbing and the beginning of a story that continues to evolve. It’s been said that industrial designers are a combination of engineer, therapist, artisan and sales professional.

Where does the next big idea come from, how is it ideated, modeled, rendered and selected for production? How are aesthetic, functionality and materiality selected. And how do these ideas relate to trends and market data?

This is the story of brand evolution through product development. Where science and engineering collide with the playful mindset. The anatomy of brand attraction and the importance of design while respecting the products that deliver our most valuable resource, water. featuring; Sam Cahill, Lead Industrial Designer, Moen and House of Rohl Alisha Snyder, Sr. Industrial Designer, Moen. Concepts discussed include:

  • Anatomy of the Moen brand
  • The value of Trends and market data
  • Selling an idea
  • How designs are ideated, modeled, rendered and selected
  • Market data sets
  • Geographic influence
  • From draft to showroom. The process.
  • Working with the design community
  • Generating a reaction
  • Brand evolution. What’s next?

Thank you KBIS for allowing me the opportunity to host the KBIS Podcast Studio presented by AJ Madison! Loved this experience. -CXD

Favorite Places, Unique Spaces in the Coachella Valley | 576 | Elyssa Contardo

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One of my favorite places in the world is the Coachella Valley. Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells. The valley is thriving as new residents move in, the are is mountainous and arid desert blended in an oasis of mixed architectural styles blended with cultural influence from music to fashion and everything in between. I love the Coachella Valley because as a teenager, I would go to Palm Springs for spring break. Something then mayor, Sonny Bono did not care fore and eventually drove us out. Then it was the architecture, followed by Coachella Music Festival combined with Stagecoach. La Quinta Resort remains my personal favorite place to recharge and reflect.

Designer Resources

Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise.

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

 – Where service meets excellence

TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep

I am really pleased to share my conversation with Elyssa Contardo, SoCal native and Coachella Valley based designer. She actually has two offices, one in Palm Desert and the other in Park City, Utah. And we discuss both locations and their emerging status as design forward locales. Check the show notes for links to Contardo’s work. Especially as we walk through some of her projects. You are going to hear all about it, right now after this.

Thank you, Elyssa.Thank you to my incredible partner sponsors; TimberTech, Pacific Sales, and Design Hardware. Amazing companies and great friends to the trade so please give them an opportunity for your next project. And, thank you for listening, subscribing the show and sharing with your colleagues. If not already subscribing, please consider that so you receive every new episode automatically to your podcast feed. Until next week, thank you for sharing this time together, until the next episode, be well, stay focused and now that it has arrived in earnest, try to rise above the chaos. – CXD