Category Archives: The Showroom

UpCycled, Repurposed, Local and Fabulous Specifying and Sourcing Local | 466 | WestEdge Wednesday No. One

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I’m Josh Cooperman with Convo By Design and this is the first of a 10 part series called Convo By Design presents WestEdge Wednesday’s with conversation held at the WestEdge Design Fair in late November, 2023 from Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California. 

This conversation features Moya O’Neill of Moya Living,Nancy Russert of Les Beaux Interiors and Twist Custom, Lenora Aguilar and Judy Davis of Vintage Junktion and moderated by Luxe Magazine’s Kelly Phillips Badal. This is a conversation called, Up-Cycled, Recycled, Repurposed, Local and Fabulous; Specifying and Sourcing Locally. The idea here is that design has entered a new era. One that is not defined by beauty or expense alone. We have entered an experiential phase of interior design, landscape design, exteriors and architecture. One that places a greater value on the experience and enjoyment of materiality, objects and usefulness of things as opposed to simply how expensive, luxurious or rare things happen to be. 

Thank you for listening to this episode of the podcast. For more, please make sure you are subscribing to the feed and check our IG often for new conversations. This chat was amazing and was held live on the stage designed by Marbe Designs and presented by BR Home.

For those not familiar …   The Banana Republic lifestyle brand portfolio is known for delivering timeless ready-to-wear styles, and BR Home signals the brand’s transformation into a leading destination for the modern explorer.  Expanding across living room, bedroom and dining room furniture as well as lighting, bedding, and home décor, BR Home showcases materials and craftsmanship from around the world, showcasing signature design details, warm, textural layers, natural materials and traditional production techniques.

For links to everything associated with this conversation, please check the podcast episode notes accessible from the “podcast” tab from Convo By Design. 

Thank you Moya, Judy, Lenora, Nancy and Kelly for your incredible insights, knowledge base and willingness to share your gifts. So, let’s get to it. Here’s Kelly Phillips Badal.

A Family Owned Company Putting Designers First for Over 65 Years | 465 | Mitch & Murray Altman + the 2023 Steam Shower Contest Winners

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In October, I headed out for Round Rock, Texas to help celebrate ThermaSol’s 65th anniversary. A few thoughts before I share the details of this happening. If you have listened to the show for any amount of time over the past four years, you have heard me telling you about ThermaSol, they are the presenting partner of the podcast and I have had the good fortune to both tour the factory and spend some time with Mitch Altman, 3rd generation president and CEO of ThermaSol. On this most recent trip, I also had the opportunity to sit with Murray Altman, 2nd generation president and CEO, and Mitch’s father. 

I am a fan of ThermaSol for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that we have been working together for quite some time. I have seen how Mitch runs his company, how he treats his employees, his customers and the design talent who specify ThermaSol for their projects. I am also a fan of ThermaSol for the manner in which they make their products. With care, with skill and with both the best engineering practices as well as a policy of line testing every unit before it leaves the factory. No other company in the space that I know of provides the same level of pride in manufacturing and then stands by the product for life. It just doesn’t seem to exist elsewhere. But it does at ThermaSol, and you are about to hear why.

The story behind the design is what designers are looking for on behalf of their clients now and that is a great thing. Product quality should be rewarded, business should be awarded to companies who look out for their clients and customers. Offering the best in the industry should warrant designer and client loyalty, I believe this, full stop. If you haven’t yet looked into ThermaSol, this episode is for you. And if you are one of the premier designers who specify ThermaSol, I hope you enjoy this episode as well because it will give you a deeper and more nuanced narrative to share.

In this episode of the podcast, you are going to first hear my conversation with Mitch Altman, then you  will hear from Murray Altman. Following that, you are going to hear from two extraordinary creatives who were the recipients of ThermaSol’s design awards for their work in bathroom and steam shower design. Nadja Pentic of Knock Knock Design and Allison Cottet of House of Cottet created some amazing designs and I am really happy to share them with you. So let’s get to it, right after this.

So, there you go. The story comes full circle when you hear what the goal was at the company’s  founding 65 years ago and what it has become since. Innovators, creators and purveyors of the finest steam generators on the market today. Crafted with purpose and precision. Each tested on the line before it leaves the factory and comes with a lifetime warranty. Hopefully you understand why I am such a fan. Thank you Mitch, Murray, Allison and Nadja for sharing your story and exquisite work. Thank you to my partners and sponsors, ThermaSol, Design Hardware and Moya Living for your continued and unwavering support of the show and for the design community.

For more stories like these from the design community, please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast, so you receive new episodes automatically when they are published. That way, you never miss an episode. Convo By Design is available everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. -CXD

The Gratitude You Deserve | 463 | Putting A Bow on 2023

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. I have no interview to share with you today. No spectacular chat about design, no upcoming promotion, no BOOKLOOK, nope. Just two simple words followed by a few more to expand on the thought. Thank you. 

Thank you for taking the time to listen to the show, email me with guest suggestions and show ideas. Thank you for coming out to Convo By Design events, watching and liking the silly videos on IG, subscribing to the show and for supporting the sponsors of the show.

Speaking of which, thank you to my partners and sponsors, ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware. Your support of the show is what allows me and our editorial team to do this. Your support of the design and architecture community is special and I’m thankful for you.

Thank you to the guests who take the time to share a bit of themselves, their skill and that special something that has catapulted them to the levels at which we find them. Thank you to Soho Home in West Hollywood for serving as the location for our 10th anniversary celebration. 10 years. Cannot believe I have been doing this show for that long. Like any success, nobody does it alone. No one. We all have help form friends as well as the generosity of strangers. I have never met most of you who listen to the show. But you listen, and I’m thankful. I have met a number of listeners at events where I attend and speak. This year alone, Las Vegas Market, KBIS, West Hollywood Design District, ASID Orange County, the A&D Building in New York, Dallas Market Center and WestEdge Design Fair. To all my publicist friends, thank you for trusting me with your clients. To the brands I work with, thank you for trusting me with your messaging and content production. To the designers and architects with whom I have spoken this year and the previous years, thank you for making the time to tell your stories on the show. 

To all of you within the sound of my voice, thank you and I hope this holiday season is everything you want it to be. I hope you get the chance to slow down a bit, maybe even stop for a few days, spend time with friends and loved ones because at the end of the day, that’s what is really important. Well, I promised short. Happy holidays. Be well and until we meet back here, next year, take today first. – CXD

Reflecting on Summer Vibes and 4 Incredible Designers | 456 | Design Leadership LIVE from Design Hardware featuring; Lorena Pulichino, Jeanne Chung, Stephanie Hatten and Kim Colwell

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. This Summer, I spent some time back in LA visiting with some very talented designers and I wanted to share some of those conversations with you. 

But first, you should know that if you are in LA and listening to this episode the week it was released, November 14th, the WestEdge Design Fair is happening RIGHT NOW and you should come down to Barker Hangar in Santa Monica and take in some of the incredible conversation being produced by yours truly. These are highly curated conversations that were crafted specifically for those in the trade as well as those who love design. So check out @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on IG and message me for more details and tickets. If I have any left, they’re yours for the asking. We’ll be right back with this weeks episode, right after this.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

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

Thank you Stephanie, Kim, Lorena and Jeanne for your time, loved this. Thank you to Michele Solomons and everyone at Design Hardware for making this space available for having these important conversations. Thank you to my partners and sponsors ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware for your continued support of both Convo By Design and the design community. A side note, the sponsors and partners you hear on CXD are more than companies with a product, each of the partners I work with have been fully vetted, they are owned and operated by people who love what they do and have dedicated themselves to serving the design community and customers by providing the best products and services available. If you would like to know why I am so proud to have them part of Convo By Design, email me at convobydesign@outlook or on IG @convoxdesign with an “X”. I would be happy to share my experience. Please make sure you are also reaching out with show ideas and guests you would like to hear on the podcast. I love hearing them and it has given me the chance to meet new creatives not already on my radar, so thank you. Thank you for taking the time to listening to the show and share in the experience, until next week, be well and take today first. – CXD

Following A Clear Path to Design Mastery | 453 | Helen Bergin

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with balmy breezes and sublime design as we visit with Palm Beach designer, Helen Bergin. This is the story of a tremendous creative who rose to prominence the “old fashioned” way. Bergin studied her craft, working as a designer from some very talented studios and when it was right, she went out on her own.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

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

That is a clear path to success for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that as Bunny Williams once told us on this very show, that while working for Sister Parish, she learned what she wanted and what she did not want in her own firm. You are going to hear about Helen’s journey and what makes her so highly sought out in South Florida as well as what makes her work so unique. And it is. Before we move on to that, something you should know about Helen. After our conversation, she sent me two of the most beautiful bowls from Katharine Allsopp Pottery. Beautiful, surprising and greatly appreciated. You should know that when I received them, the episode had already been recorded. I was already a fan. Helen is amazing, here is a link to her projects… Follow along as we explore together.

Thank you Helen, I really enjoyed our time together. Thank you to my partners and sponsors ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware for your continued support of both Convo By Design and the design community. A side note, the sponsors and partners you hear on CXD are more than companies with a product, each of the partners I work with have been fully vetted, they are owned and operated by people who love what they do and have dedicated themselves to serving the design community and customers by providing the best products and services available. If you would like to know why I am so proud to have them part of Convo By Design, email me at convobydesign@outlook or on IG @convoxdesign with an “X”. I would be happy to share my experience. Thank you for taking the time to listening to the show and share in the experience, until next week, be well and take today first. – CXD

The Showroom featuring Pride of the ATL, A Masterful Design Team Crafting Incredible Hospitality Work| 452 | C+TC Design Studio

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design featuring a return of The Showroom, a conversation series with amazing design talent from across the US and around the world.  

In this episode of The Showroom, you are going to hear from C+TC Design Studio heads; William Cox, Billie Thorne and James Culpepper. If not familiar with them you should be and you will be over the course of the next hour. Their work is exceptional and you are going to hear a master-class in hospitality design. Billie, Jim and Bill are a rare combination of artisan creativity, craftsman skill and as a team, they posses this ability to create spaces that cater to feeling, emotion and giving guests a feeling of home while they are away. You are going to hear how they do it, right after this.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

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

Thank you Billie, Jim and Bill for joining me in The Showroom, I really enjoyed our time together. Thank you to my partners and sponsors ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware for your continued support of both Convo By Design and the design community. A side note, the sponsors and partners you hear on CXD are more than companies with a product, each of the partners I work with have been fully vetted, they are owned and operated by people who love what they do and have dedicated themselves to serving the design community and customers by providing the best products and services available. If you would like to know why I am so proud to have them part of Convo By Design, email me at convobydesign@outlook or on IG @convoxdesign with an “X”. I would be happy to share my experience. 

As in every episode of The SHowroom, we have imagery of thier work. Please head over to ConvXDesign with an “X” on Instagram to check it out.

Thank you for taking the time to listening to the show and share in the experience, until next week, be well and take today first. – CXD

Kitchen and Bath Evolution | 451 | Tiffany Cassidy of Lagnappe Interiors on the Modern Kitchen and Bath Design

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. I offer you a conversation with a previous guest about what is transpiring in the kitchen and bath space, in real time and the developments are extraordinary. This is Tiffany Cassidy of Lagnappe Interiors.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

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

I really do have a special place in my heart for return Convo By Design guests. It means a few things. One, they came back to do it again which means it was a good experience for them the first time. Second, and more important, there is a familiarity that you and I both share with this individual. That shared experience allows for a deeper level of conversation. In this episode, Tiffany shares her experience working on projects that are leveling up the form and functionality in the kitchen and bath spaces. This is important because there are some dramatic changes afoot and you are going to hear all about it, right after this.

Thank you Tiffany for taking the time to talk, I really enjoyed our time together. Thank you to my partners and sponsors ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware for your continued support of both Convo By Design and the design community. A side note, the sponsors and partners you hear on CXD are more than companies with a product, each of the partners I work with have been fully vetted, they are owned and operated by people who love what they do and have dedicated themselves to serving the design community and customers by providing the best products and services available. If you would like to know why I am so proud to have them part of Convo By Design, email me at convobydesign@outlook or on IG @convoxdesign with an “X”. I would be happy to share my experience. Thank you for taking the time to listening to the show and share in the experience, until next week, be well and take today first. – CXD

Repping ATL with Beautiful Work in an Emerging World-Class Design Destinations | 447 | Andi Morse of Morse Design

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design Today, I’m speaking with Atlanta based designer, Andi Morse about balance, vibe and having it all. Or getting as close to it as one can.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Andi is married to her college sweetheart and the mother of three daughters. Family comfort is the central influence to her interior design philosophy, and one of the core values of Morse Design. One’s home must reflect the lifestyle of the occupants and resonate with both beauty and functionality. Her passion for creating comfort and style with a southern elegance and grace drive her creative vision. Nothing makes Andi feel better than the happiness on a client’s face at the end of a project. That’s in the bio. What isn’t mentioned in the bio are the finer nuances in her approach to the work. There is a fun-elegance to the work that appears to be evident in every space regardless of size or color palate. Her approach is layered and collected. You will see an active pursuit of joy and that is one of the things I think I love most about her work. I think you will too.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

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

The Oasis Alliance – Providing design to those in need.

Thank you Andi, loved our chat and truly appreciate the time. Thank you to Convo By Design partners and sponsors, ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware. You make this show possible and I truly appreciate you. Speaking of appreciation, thank you for listening, subscribing and downloading the show. Without you, what’s the point. Please keep sharing this little podcast, entering our 11th year with some truly fun things in store over the coming weeks and months. Did you catch our first episode of Drinking About Design? We’re drinking and telling design stories! More on the way. Thanks for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. -CXD

She’s Got the Magic and That is What Makes it All Work | 446 | Glenna Stone

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design exploring the work of Philadelphia interior designer Glenna Stone. A very talented creative who said this, “I think of design as a magical process where something that didn’t exist suddenly does…and that’s what I love about what I do. I love developing a complete design, a 360 vision that considers the intentions of the client, the architecture of the space, and all the while artfully combining scale, balance, proportion, texture, and hue in a way that marries beauty and lifestyle. Great design is about walking into a space, and every single time feeling one thing: this is as it should be.”

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

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

Glenna’s bio reads like this; Inspired by her mother, an artist and teacher, Glenna developed her sense of color and composition at a young age. She has always had a passion for combining color, materials and textures in an artful manner. Paralleling her creative side, Glenna embraced her strong technical skills and received a degree in engineering from Lehigh University. Upon graduation she worked for Fortune 500 companies as a consultant and project manager in the consumer products industry.

While achieving much success in this previous career, she felt the need to embrace her more creative side and began taking interior design courses at the Boston Architectural College and the Rhode Island School of Design. After much consideration, Glenna decided to combine her technical and creative skills and pursue a graduate degree in interior design. Glenna graduated from Drexel University with a Masters degree in Interior Architecture and Design. This specialized background and balance of left and right brain not only contributes to the success of Glenna Stone Interior Design, but also sets the firm apart within the industry.

Glenna prides herself on being an original thinker, a good listener with impeccable attention to detail, and someone who sees each project phase through to completion. As a cofounder of The Sustainability Nexus, sustainable design and giving back to the local community is of high importance. She finds her work as an interior designer exceptionally rewarding because it allows her to enhance the quality of others’ lives through design. (end of bio)

Thank you Glenna, loved our chat and truly appreciate the time. Thank you to Convo By Design partners and sponsors, ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware. You make this show possible and I truly appreciate you. Speaking of appreciation, thank you for listening, subscribing and downloading the show. Without you, what’s the point. Please keep sharing this little podcast, entering our 11th year with some truly fun things in store over the coming weeks and months. Did you catch our first episode of Drinking About Design? We’re drinking and telling design stories! More on the way. Thanks for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. -CXD

The Showroom feat. Brigette Romanek | 435 | Music, Passion & Interior Design Magic

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with another installment of The Showroom featuring another exceptionally talented member of the design community. One of my all-time favorites for the little things she does. Her attention to detail and the manner in which she tells her stories through the work are exceptional. We talk abut music too, one of my favorite topics and hers as well. Love this chat and I know you will too, this is Brigette Romanek, live in the showroom.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

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

The Oasis Alliance – Providing design to those in need.

ICAA Southern California – SoCal is Southern California’s preeminent resource on classical architecture and the allied arts.

The Showroom was a feature segment created during the pandemic as a way to showcase designers in front of an audience when no gatherings were possible. The Showroom has evolved and I had the opportunity to sit down with Brigette in the newly opened Soho Home Studio in the West Hollywood Design District. Soho Home was also gracious to sponsor the Convo By Design 10th anniversary party and served as the location for what was an extraordinary afternoon seeing friends, many of which I had not seen in person in years.

This conversation with Brigette covers her creative journey and how she has worked to become one of the most exceptional creatives working today. I don’t say this lightly. I think her work is, truly exceptional. Her work, through Romanek Design Studio is layered, contextual and subtly situational. You will hear more about that in addition to ways music has shaped her life and therefor inextricably tethered to her work. We talk about her collections and other facets to the business that allow her to create her art. I could go on, I really could, but I won’t. Instead, I’ll let Brigette tell her story.

Thank you Brigette for your time, I loved this. Thank you Soho Home Studio for hosting this conversation and our tenth anniversary party. Thank you for listening, downloading and subscribing to the show. If not already, please make sure you are subscribing to the show. You can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. 

Thank you to my wonderful partners and sponsors, ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware. Without you, I would not be able to do this and for that, thank you. Thanks again for listening. Be well and until next week, take today first. -CXD