I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a conversation with Daniel Ian Smith of Village West Design. Here is a quote from Daniel, “I believe everyone deserves to be surrounded by beauty, it is integral to what makes us human.”
That which is integral to making us human. Think about that for a moment. That which makes us human. The part that enriches us, makes life worth living. Meaning, purpose, form and function. I started this podcast because I love design. I love art, architecture, music and the that which enhances the experience of living. I will never forget the pandemic. I still think about it, a great deal. It was the medical community that repaired our minds and bodies, but it was the design community that repaired our souls. Mine anyway. I don’t just love design, I have worked with designers. For my wife’s birthday in 2018 or 19, I hired Nancy Russert, whom you have heard on this show. I wanted her to create a meditation space in the front yard of our Manhattan Beach home. She crushed it. As much as my wife enjoyed that space, it saved me during the pandemic. That space became a muti-hyphenate space, outdoors when the indoors became too confining. Daniel is a master architect with a distinct set of skills. Skills that better the lives of those he serves. And we talk about that and a number of other issues relating to the humanity of great design.
Daniel and I cover topics rarely discussed like generational nuance as it relates to the way clients feel about and approach design. We’re exploring new ground here and this was really fun. I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you, Daniel. Loved our time together. Architecture and Italian. Love that. Thank you to my partner sponsors, ThermaSol, Pacific Sales, Monogram and Design Hardware, for not just supporting Convo By Design but for supporting the design and architecture community. Thank you, yes you…for taking the time to listen, download, subscribe and engage with Convo By Design. If you have a design friend that doesn’t know about the show, send them a link to this episode. They might enjoy it as well. If you want to connect, please do, convobydesign@outlook.com and on Instagram, @convoxdesign with and “x”.
I will have something interesting for you next week, so make sure you are subscribing to the podcast which you can find everywhere you find your podcasts. Thank again. Until next week, be well and take today first. -CXD
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with another installment of the Design Icon Registry. An icon for sure. A 2 time guest on Convo By Design and a very cool individual and an extraordinary decorator. This is Alex Papachristidis.
If you have heard these segments before, you know, I don’t do contests and I most certainly don’t do lists. Lists are gimmicks designed to capture clicks. They are, click bait pure and simple. You cannot tell me that a list of 50, 75 or 100 designers and architects are the absolute best at what they do without providing context. Lists are created in the hopes that those who are being listed will promote the accolades and that attention will be driven back to the author of the list. And contests where creatives have to reach out to their base to get them to vote for them is just wrong in my opinion. Because, if someone is amazing at what they do… Celebrate that, no strings attached. And that is what we are going to do here.
Now, the criteria… Each inductee has been a guest on Convo By Design. They have a body of work that is exceptional in their various disciplines and there is no justification required for their world class status. They give back to the industry, they are innovators, givers and make our industry better than they found it. This project is called the Convo By Design Icon Registry, because that is what this is, tantamount to a hall of fame, but more. What is an ICON? Described as an icon; A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration. A registry is a well curated list. You can consider this a venerable who’s who in our industry with gifts to offer and a willingness to share. Pablo Picasso is credited with saying, “the meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away”. Now, I am not suggesting that those enshrined in the Icon Registry have all just been giving away their gifts. These are professionals of the highest order and part of being a professional is knowing your worth and understanding your value. Each of these individuals have appeared on Convo By Design, shared what they know for the betterment of others, and I am deeply appreciative for that. This is the most authentic way that I can express my gratitude for that. As deeply appreciative as I am for their sharing, I am equally grateful for your taking the time to share a few moments, an hour out of your busy schedule each week to listen to the show. Again, the most authentic way that I can express that gratitude is to give you an opportunity to hear them again. Every month, the last Thursday of the month, unless it’s a holiday week, in which case I will publish a week sooner, I will share a new inductee with you.
This weeks inductee is Alex Papachristidis who is one of the most amazing interior decorators for the wok he does, yes, absolutely. Beyond that though is his base of knowledge. Material and practice. This allows Alex to understand, fuse and commingle new, traditional and other styles to fit his vision and client desires. What is truly special about Alex is his willingness to listen to his clients, hear their wishes and process those wishes into a sophisticated version that they themselves couldn’t even envision. And he’s a dog lover. So, add that to the long list of things I admire about Alex. Which is also why it is my privilege to induct Papachristidis into the Convo By Design Icon Registry. This is Alex Papachristidis.
Thank you Alex for making this world a more beautiful place than you found it. Congratulations on your addition to the Convo By Design Icon Registry. And thank you for listening and subscribing to the show. Thank you to my partner sponsors Design Hardware, ThermaSol, TimberTech and Pacific Sales. these are amazing partners all, they support the trade and I love sharing these amazing resources with you. Thanks again for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. – CXD
I’m Josh Cooperman, this is Convo By Design and today you are going to be hearing from Amanda Cimaglia, VP of Corporate Communications and ESG for TimberTech and interior designer, Olga Naiman. TimberTech is a new partner sponsor of the show this year. I wanted to share the TimberTech story with you.
More than that, really. I wanted to share the story and feature a designer who uses the product to share the experience of both the why and how this product is revolutionizing the decking industry. By now, you have probably heard me telling you some of the coolest things about TimberTech. This is an in depth look and both the why and the how. Enjoy.
Thank you Amanda and Olga for coming on the podcast. I love these conversations. I love sharing these stories with you. Please continue to email me with your guest and show suggestions. Convo by design@outlook.com and reach out via Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”.
Thank you to Convo By Design partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales and Design Hardware. For more information about and links to these incredible companies and to learn more about their products, please check the show notes.
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. – Convo By Design
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a very special episode. Part of a new series of the show and something that I have been considering for quite some time but I specifically wanted to complete year 10 of the show before I rolled this out.
Do you know that in the 11+ years of Convo By Design, I have published over 500 episodes, spoken with over 6500 creatives, produced over 5 dozen panel conversations for design events across the country. From all of these amazing conversations with the worlds greatest creative talent, I wanted. to start enshrining some of these individuals into the Convo By Design Icon Registry, a hall of fame if you will.
I don’t do contests and I most certainly don’t do lists. Lists are gimmicks designed to capture clicks. They are, click bait pure and simple. You cannot tell me that a list of 50, 75 or 100 designers and architects are the absolute best at what they do without providing context. Lists are created in the hopes that those who are being listed will promote the accolades and that attention will be driven back to the author of the list. And contests where creatives have to reach out to their base to get them to vote for them is just wrong in my opinion. Because, if someone is amazing at what they do… Celebrate that, no strings attached. And that is what we are going to do here.
Now, the criteria… Each inductee has been a guest on Convo By Design. They have a body of work that is exceptional in their various disciplines and there is no justification required for their world class status. They give back to the industry, they are innovators, givers and make our industry better than they found it. This project is called the Convo By Design Icon Registry, because that is what this is, tantamount to a hall of fame, but more. What is an ICON? Described as an icon; A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration. A registry is a well curated list. You can consider this a venerable who’s who in our industry with gifts to offer and a willingness to share. Pablo Picasso is credited with saying, “the meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away”. Now, I am not suggesting that those enshrined in the Icon Registry have all just been giving away their gifts. These are professionals of the highest order and part of being a professional is knowing your worth and understanding your value. Each of these individuals have appeared on Convo By Design, shared what they know for the betterment of others, and I am deeply appreciative for that. This is the most authentic way that I can express my gratitude for that. As deeply appreciative as I am for their sharing, I am equally grateful for your taking the time to share a few moments, an hour out of your busy schedule each week to listen to the show. Again, the most authentic way that I can express that gratitude is to give you an opportunity to hear them again. Every month, the last Thursday of the month, unless it’s a holiday week, in which case I will publish a week sooner, I will share a new inductee with you.
Brownhill is an incredible talent. A serious multi-hyphenate and an extraordinary person. A Loeb Fellow from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design where she co-founded the African American Student Union, founder of SAW, Sweeten Accelerator for Women and so much more. Her accolades are many and deservedly so. Jean and I spoke back in 2019.
Thank you Jean for making this world a better place than you found it. Congratulations on your addition to the Convo By Design Icon Registry. And thank you for listening and subscribing to the show. Thank you to my partner sponsors Design Hardware, ThermaSol, TimberTech and Pacific Sales. these are amazing partners all, they support the trade and I love sharing these amazing resources with you. Thanks again for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. – CXD
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a conversation that is on the minds of just about every designer this time of year. How can I go to HighPoint, see everything, do everything in the few days while I’m there? The simple answer is, you can’t. High Point Market is the big game, the championship level event for designers in North America. It’s big, it’s spread out and it can be sensory overload. So, you can’t do it all. But, if you plan it right, do your homework and listen to the following conversation with Tammy, you can make it work for you.
That’s really what it comes down to, learning how to custom tailor the experience for you. Making the few days you have work in terms of seeing what you want to see, meeting with whom you want to meet and leaving a bit of time for the unexpected. All while wearing comfortable shoes and making sure you have snacks and a portable battery fro your phone. Tips, trick and hacks to make the HighPoint Market experience everything you want it to be. That’s what we are talking about today with HighPoint Market Authority CEO, Tammy Nagem.
Thank you Tammy for your time, loved this. I love these conversations. I love sharing them with you. Please continue to email me with your guest and show suggestions. Convobydesign@outlook.com and reach out via Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”.
Thank you to Convo By Design partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales and Design Hardware. For more information about and links to these incredible companies and to learn more about their products, please check the show notes.
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. -Convo By Design
This is a new series of the show called The Design Messengers. A Monday episode of the show sharing design trade info you need to know. Sometimes it’s not really what you need to know but should know. This is an audio essay shining a light on a few simple ideas that make this industry so amazing.
I have a long held passion for and fascination with the set decorators that craft the sets for some of our favorite TV shows, movies, live performances and yes, even commercials. I’m not sure if I told you this before, but Hollywood set design runs in my family. Not as set decorators but as prop house owner, purveyor and provider of objects meant to decorate sets. My Uncle Earl was the founder and owner of EC Props. Now known as E. C. Prop Rentals. They provide the less glamorous, gritty objects you might find on an industrial set, a back alley, commercial environment or city street.
I remember him telling me how he got into the business. He was a Teamster driving for CBS. He found a few dirt mats. These are rollable rugs that look like dirt, the ground that set decorators would use to dress an outdoor set, like a campground. A much younger me asked if I could see one, he laughed and said no, because he never sees them. They are always rented out. They went from one set decorator to the next, always rented, always making money. I never even thought that was away to make money. But he did. And instead of finding beautiful objects you might find decorating the sets of the time, like Hart to Hart or Designing Women, he was the purveyor of objects like dumpsters, transformers, tools and lockers for a 1988 episode of Ohara starring Pat Morita and decorated by Robin Royce or Crime Story, a show starring Dennis Farina, featuring the acting talents of Gary Sinise, David Caruso, Andrew “Dice” Clay, Pam Grier, Ving Rhames and Miles Davis, as himself of course!Produced by Michael Mann with set decoration by Linda Lee Sutton. Sutton, by the way…still a working set decorator with 2023 credits that include NCIS: Hawaii.
My Uncle Earl is sadly no longer with us, but his legacy and prop house remain. That is one thing I find so interesting. Legacy as it pertains to design and architecture. Architecture is a little different because a Falling Water or Disney Concert Hall will always garner attention while the interior design of an amazing Manhattan apartment, unless published, might get no such love. I want to share the stories of some incredible set decs with you. How they do what they do, why they do it, where you might have seen their work, what they love about it and what they would like you to know.If you love entertainment, this will be enjoyable for you…If you are a designer, this will be invaluable. To change the thought process from work to lasting legacy. From a project, to a story telling set that makes better the characters who inhabit a real-life environment.
What I find so incredible about set decs is their ability to read literally between the lines to uncover the true essence of each character as defined by their environments. What does the decor say about the character? How does the character live, why, how does that affect their relationships with the other characters. Without set design, there is no story. You can have dialogue. You can have stage direction and acting,but there is no context. Set decs create the environment, often in very difficult and challenging situations. Can you derive a set through AI? Sure.Can you create a piece of graphic art through AI? Yes, but 2 things to consider. Those are a complex derivative of many other preexisting works and it is based on prompts, not soul. Set decs are truly givers-of-life in very much the same way as the writer or actor. They create the environment for a director to mold and craft their vision for a finished product. But we don’t celebrate the set decorators the same way, with the same passion as actors, directors or even writers. And I get the sense that many of them are perfectly fine with that provided you let them continue to work the way they do and compensate them fairly.
This is going to be an ongoing addition to The Design Messengers. Thank you to the Set Decorators Society of America for helping set this up. You are going to hear from Jan Pascale, David Smith, Julie Drach and Claire Kaufman, but first up is Don Diers…
Thank you Don, Jan, David, Julie and Claire. Thank you to the SDSA. These conversations were recorded LIVE from the WestEdge Design Fair on-set designed by Marbe Designs featuring Banana Republic Home. Special thanks to them as well.
This is The Design Messengers, an audio essay crafted to get your week of to a great start by sharing ideas to launch you into being the best you can be in all your endeavors but specifically, as a creative in the design and architecture space. Thank you for listening. If you are not already a subscriber, please consider subscribing to the show so you receive every episode of The Design Messengers and Convo By Design automatically when they are published. If you are listening to us for the first time, you can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. If you are so inclined, please also consider following on IG @ConvoXDesign with an “X”. Thanks again for listening. Be well and take today first. -CXD
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is another installment of Convo By Design presents WestEdge Wednesday, a look back at all of the incredible programming from the 2023 edition of the WestEdge Design Fair held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. These conversations were held on the stage designed by Marbe Designs and presented by BR Home. This is part 9 in our series and features a conversation with Interior designer, adjudicator, showroom owner, lover of fashion and authentic objects Cliff Fong, whose firm, Matt Blacke, inc., have earned critical acclaim for their authentic and meaningful design. Fong’s new showroom, faire du vert, features indoor and outdoor garden space with an emphasis on architectural vessels and rare plant material. This one-on-one conversation explores form + function leading to spaces that inspire and improve the quality of life. I loved this conversation and I hope you do too. This chat with Cliff was the final talk of the show and it really was the perfect way to put a bow on the experience that was WestEdge this yer. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you to Convo By Design partners and sponsors ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware for making the podcast possible and thank you for listening and watching these episodes of the show. For links to all our partners, guests on this episode, WestEdge Design Fair, Maybe and 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.
Please check the podcast show notes for links and you can find that at Convo By Design dot com and click the podcast tab. Thanks for watching and listening.
I’m Josh Cooperman with a very special episode of Convo By Design. We’re recognizing and celebrating the life’s work and accomplishments of an amazing individual. Were welcoming a young new mind into the architecture community and remembering another friend that we lost way too soon. All in one night. Laughs, tears, joy…all from the ICAA Southern California chapter’s Legacy Dinner honoring architect, Tim Barber.
For a few years now, I have had the privilege and the honor of emceeing the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, Southern California Chapter’s annual Legacy Dinner recognizing the life’s work of a member of our community. This year, it was to recognize Tim Barber, a wonderful man, amazing architect, previous guest on the show and liver of life. He’s an absolute gem. This was a special night and I wanted to take you there with me so you could hear everything that transpired. You are going to hear from ICAA SoCal president, Daren Franks. UCLA architecture student, Delia Mizrahi, who went through one of ICAA’s fantastic programs. You are going to hear Marc Appleton’s sweet remembrance of Suzanne Rheinstein and much more. Everything that happened…almost, from this years Legacy dinner. We’ll get to that, right after this.
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Amazing. What a wonderful night! Amazing. Thank you ICAA for allowing me to be a part of this. Thank you to all who participated in this incredible night. If you would like to attend the event this year or join the ICAA SoCal chapter, which I highly recommend,check the show notes for links.You can hear why I love doing this and this is why it is so rewarding for me to share these stories with you.Thank you to my partners and sponsors, ThermaSol and Design Hardware 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
Hello. I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with another virtual trip to Dallas Ft. Worth to talk about exceptional design in and amazing, vibrant metroplex…
If you have been listening to the show for any amount of time, you probably know just how fond I am of Fort Worth/ Dallas. A thriving market that has absolutely exploded in the past 20 years. With that population explosion, came an influx of new art, food, design, architecture, music. When this happens, it usually means gentrification, higher housing costs, infill projects, destruction of older dwellings to make room for new ones.
Dallas and Fort Worth have seen all of the above. Which is why it is so important for good stewards, talented creatives, really smart designers to be present as well. That is where Angeline Guido Hall comes in. She’s a Dallas native. Studied interior design at TCU. Angeline knows what makes the Metroplex so special. Designs to the strengths… and because of this, she’s leaving her mark on the design landscape. And you’re going to hear her story. Right after this.
What a great chat. You can hear why I love doing this and this is why it is so rewarding for me to share these stories with you.Thank you to my partners and sponsors, ThermaSol and Design Hardware 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
I’m Josh Cooperman, host and publisher of Convo By Design and this is a new series of the show called The Design Messengers. A Monday episode of the show sharing design trade info you need to know. I have three items of interest for you. The loss of another design industry brand, a new Booklook. Call this something old and something new, about something old.
First up, the loss of another iconic brand. Kelly Moore Paints. The global design business doesn’t have enough brands. Think about it, let’s just look at paint… Sherwin Williams, Farrow and Ball, Benjamin Moore, Behr, Valspar, Backdrop, Rust-Oleum. It sounds like a lot but it’s really not when you think about how many residential, commercial and industrial projects need to be served. When one is lost, you have to wonder why and what the ramifications will be.
As of this writing, Kelly-Moore has not announced its closure on the website or socials, which I find disappointing. If you are going to bail, tell your customers first, as loudly as you can. Yes, you will lose sales, but it’s the right thing to do. Thank goodness for good journalism. On Friday, January 12th, Kelly-Moore Paints in Irving, Texas let hundreds of workers go and in a press release, announced what they call a “… Plan of r Orderly, Ou-of-Court Wind Down of Company Operations.” The company pointed to a decades long legal struggle stemming from asbestos litigation. Kelly-Moore estimated legal liabilities in excess of $170 million. A number, they apparently could not overcome.
The company was founded by William Kelly and William Moore in California, 1946 and acquired by Flacks Group in 2022. Tis is a company that was founded on fair value, fair pricing and offering a designer quality paint to the masses. They were one of the largest independents in the country with over $400 million in annual sales.
From the press release in September 2022, their goals and aspirations were big. “The purchase of Kelly-Moore Paints is part of Flacks Group’s multi-stage investment thesis around industrial companies with strong manufacturing footprints and global distribution. The acquisition, when combined with its existing portfolio company Germany-based Pleuger Industries, puts Flacks Group’s industrial vertical on track to exceed $1 billion in revenues in the next two to three years.” That presser did not age well.
I have a BookLook for you. A new book by Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein. They are the founders of @CheapOldHouses and hosts of HGTV’s show by the same name. I am not a huge fan of the made for TV shows about design these days for one main reason, the are not authentic. They aren’t real when it comes to taste, style and design-build. But i’m not a hater, I just want better. And this show is a favorite of mine. I believe Elizabeth and Ethan, I believe in them. I love old houses, renovations and road trips. All of this is incorporated in the show and when I received the book, I found something more to love. The book is a series of short tories about… cheap old houses. The places, people, kids, dogs and how much these homes cost to buy and restore.
This is a big deal and I will tell you as someone who left LA for a smaller town, lives in an old home and one that is in the process of being reimagined, as you can see through the Tulsa Remote Design House segments on the show and videos on our IG feed. I can tell you, leaving the big metropolitan city for a smaller town, in a bigger and older home has been an incredible experience that pre-pandemic would not have seemed like a real possibility. This book is inspirational, aspirational and it is, above all else, authentic.
We live in a time of high housing costs, high mortgage rates, congested, hyper-competitive cities and it doesn’t have to be that way. I think the next 5-10 years is going to provide a fundamental shift in not just how we live, but where we live. The pandemic created the opportunity for us to work and live where we choose. There will be those who say, “I love nYC and I’m never leaving.” There are people like me who love LA… I mean, I LOVE LA. But I’ve moved before, I might go back. Might not… But the idea that now, technology has caught up with the wanderlust of those, like me who love roadtrips and discovery. This will shine a light on quality of life and crafting your environment to suit life instead of the other way around and this book provides story after story, real world examples of this happening. The joy of finding amazing, old, well-built homes in uncomplicated, simple cities and towns that you have never heard of. And, if you’ve never heard of it, how do you know if you will like it, or perhaps even love it.
There is residential gold in small cities and towns dappled across the country and this book is not just a showcase but a how-to through the eyes and experiences of those who have done it. I do love this book, I am a fan of the Finkelstein’s mission and I am going to try and book them for the show so you can hear from them. Until I do, get the book, because it’s a keeper. It’s published by Clarkson Potter. Check the show notes for a link.
This is The Design Messengers, an audio essay crafted to get your week of to a great start by sharing ideas to launch you into being the best you can be in all your endeavors but specifically, as a creative in the design and architecture space. Thank you for listening. If you are not already a subscriber, please consider subscribing to the show so you receive every episode of The Design Messengers and Convo By Design automatically when they are published. If you are listening to us for the first time, you can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. If you are so inclined, please also consider following on IG @ConvoXDesign with an “X”. Thanks again for listening. Be well and take today first. -CXD
