WestEdge Rewind | 529 | Sustainable and Timeless Recorded Live in 2015

I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a conversation from the past but no less relevant today and that is why I love producing the main stage at the WestEdge Design Fair. WestEdge, it’s coming up this November 14th through the 16th in Santa Monica at the Barker Hangar. This show is very special to me. I have been working with principles Megan and Troy, and co-founder Troy for years. This is a special show, my favorite show in California and that is saying something. It’s a labor of love and its with gratitude and appreciation to Megan and Troy that I get to do this every year.

 Designer Resources

Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise.

Monogram – It’s the details that define Monogram

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom.

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

 – Where service meets excellence

TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep

I wanted to share some past programs with you and it seemed like a good time as we lean in on this years show. One of the things that I have always loved about WestEdge is how it represents a celebration of design and a yearning to help elevate the industry in the future. For me, that desire to elevate has taken the form of freedom to curate panels, interviews and concepts that speak to the ever-changing and evolving nature of the design and architecture space. Troy and Megan have always supported my ideas and encouraged me to pursue the unique, undiscussed conversations in the same way I have always tried to do for you on the show.

For the past 2-3 years now, you have been hearing a lot of conversations about sustainability in design. The importance of sustainable consciousness in the industry. You have also been hearing a great deal about the story behind materiality and product. A true desire for narration in the design and materials that comprise it. It’s important. And I thought I would share our conversation discussing these very issues, recorded live, at WestEdge… In 2018.

Before we get to this, some thoughts on sustainable design and panel programming over time. The panel program you are about to hear was recorded in 2018. While not many were talking about this subject, we were and you are going to notice how far we have come since 2018 with regard to sustainable design practices. In large part due to conversations like this one. This is one of the reasons why the SoCal design community and beyond love this event so much. You are going to hear it here, first. The ideas and concepts that are shaping our industry now and well into the future. This year, we have an extraordinary slate of talks featuring amazing talent scheduled for the show. Find out more at WestEdge Design Fair dot com.

But first, It’s such a joy to look back at these and share them again.  Sustainable and Timeless Design featuring; Whitney Tinsley, Bret Englander of Cerno Group and Catherine Richardson of Libeco Linen. This program was moderated by Erika Heet of Interiors Magazine.

We’ll get to it, right after this.

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Thank you, Erika, Catherine, Bret, Whitney. Thank you, Megan and Troy from WestEdge. I enjoyed our conversations so much. Thank you to my partner sponsors, ThermaSol, Pacific Sales, TimberTech, Monogram and Design Hardware. These partners are amazing companies all who have made a concerted effort to support the design community through education, incentives, events, media and exposure, not to mention a collection of extraordinary products and service to match. Check the show notes for links to each of them so you can see first hand how they can make your design business thrive and your projects exceed expectations. Thank you for listening, downloading, subscribing and sharing the show with your friends and colleagues. Thank you for your emails, show and guest suggestions. Please keep them coming, convobydesign at Outlook dot com and on Instagram @ConvoXdesign, with an “x”.  Until the next episode, be well and take today first. -Convo By Design

The Art of Turning Something into Something Else | 528 | Simon Hamui

I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a conversation about potential. Potential is defined as having the capacity to become something in the future. Think about that. I’ll give you six seconds.

Designer Resources

Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise.

Monogram – It’s the details that define Monogram

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom.

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

 – Where service meets excellence

TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep

Potential, the most optimistic word in the human language next to the word optimism. Potential is only an idea until its activated. Simon Hamui is a Mexico City based design studio founded by Hamui and works in natural materials like wood, stone, upholstery and metal for truly unique spaces. Potential in this instance refers to both the artisan and his team in addition to the materials in which they work. Turning a piece of raw wood into a piece of artisan cabinetry on a yacht, earthen pulled stone into a stunning dining room floor. One of a kind works for one of a kind spaces by a one of a kind artisan and studio. I also asked Simon about his musical tastes, those responses. The top 10 he’s loving right now; Gustav Mahler, Paul Simon, Claude Debussey, Melody Gardot, Johann Sebastian Bach, Genesis (early years), Milton Nacimiento, Sergei Profofiev, Pat Metheny and Juan Manuel Serrat. Love these! This is what we’re discussing today with Simon Hamui. We’ll be right back.

Why is it So Hard to Build in California | 527 | How to Prepare in Other States for the Coming Changes

I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a detailed conversation about why it is just so hard to build in California. It’s important to say in advance with listeners all over the world that picking California is the canary in the coal-mine. Which is to say that it is an early indicator of potential issues elsewhere because I think it is fair to say that California tries things first, as a rule.

Designer Resources

Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise.

Monogram – It’s the details that define Monogram

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom.

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

– Where service meets excellence

TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep

It’s somewhat comforting to know that the Golden State remains a place where new ideas are tested. Unless you happen to be one of the brave individuals who is testing those boundaries. My friend Joan Barton is the founder of Dirty Girl Construction and SheSpoke Studio, a place for creative women to tell their stories. So today, this a Convo By Design takeover featuring Joan and an amazing group of women general contractors telling their war stories about building in Los Angeles in particular and California in general. And if you are in New York, Miami, Atlanta, Texas, well, maybe not Texas, but everywhere else, the concepts are on their way to your town soon so give this a listen. Thank you Joan for lading this amazing talk with some extraordinary GC’s, all women and some of the best in the business including; Shannon Sheehan, Laura Howley, Catherine Springer, and Catie Casazza. This was recorded live during the winter 2024 Day of Design event at Design Hardware  and you are going to hear all about it.

My friend and the moderator of the following conversation is Joan Barton of Dirty Girl Construction. Not only is Joan a multi-hyphenate creative. She a GC, musician, creative thinker, futurist, but she is also a terrific person. Wonderful and talented people are often surrounded by other wonderful and talented people, birds of a feather… as the saying goes.  I’m not going to get into introductions , I’m going to let Joan do that part, but here’s what II will say about the following episode of the show. This is an important conversation because many of the reasons it is so challenging to build in California are due to the popularity of the state. This popularity and resulting overcrowding combined with a movement toward self-preservation combine with over zealous governance and natural disasters have led to bloated yet dysfunctional metropolitan management and over-regulation combined with material shortages. It’s a lot and it takes someone very special to articulate it and get to the bottom of it and you’re going to hear from her, them actually, right after this.

Thank you, Joan, Catie, Shannon, and Lauren for taking the time to share your thoughts. Thank you to my partner sponsors, ThermaSol, Pacific Sales, TimberTech, Monogram and Design Hardware. These partners are amazing companies all who have made a concerted effort to support the design community through education, incentives, events, media and exposure, not to mention a collection of extraordinary products and service to match. Check the show notes for links to each of them so you can see first hand how they can make your design business thrive and your projects exceed expectations. Thank you for listening, downloading, subscribing and sharing the show with your friends and colleagues. Thank you for your emails, show and guest suggestions. Please keep them coming, convobydesign at Outlook dot com and on Instagram @ConvoXdesign, with an “x”.  Until the next episode, be well and take today first. -Convo By Design