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I’m Josh Cooperman, host and publisher of Convo By Design. This is another episode of Legendary Conversations featuring the stories, events and intimate chats with legends of design. I am bringing you chats, conversations and keynotes from the magnificent showrooms of the LaCienega Design Quarter. This one is really fun, it was hosted by Circa Lighting. It’s called Breaking The Rules and features Mary McDonald, Suzanne Kasler and Thomas O’Brien. It was moderated by House Beautiful Editor-in-Cheif, Joanna Salta, who stated, and I think she was correct in her assertion that she might be the first panelist to moderate a Legends panel in overalls. And she crushed it with both the look and the conversation.

This is “Breaking The Rules” from the Circa Showroom during Legends 2019. 

Convo By Design

Instagram: @ConvoXDesign

Mary McDonald

Twitter @MaryMcDonaldINC

House Beautiful

Instagram: @HouseBeautiful

Thomas O’Brien

Instagram: @AEROStudios

Suzanne Kasler

Instagram: @SuzanneKaslerLEGENDARY Conversations From the LaCiene

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This is a look back at the 2019 Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts. A phenomenal accomplishment this year. The project reimagined the Boddy House located inside Descanso Gardens. It is a big property. One of the things that always surprises me is how  the designers can come in, apply their creative vision and somehow, it all seems to work cohesively with the work of all the other designers. This year is no exception to that phenomenon. Okay, I am keeping my commentary brief here because we have over 16 amazing designers to speak with. I am not going to try and put every designer on one episode because that would be completely exhausting for you. I am going to put this out in four parts with four designers each.

This episode features; Nicolette Akiko, Robert Frank, Stephanie Hatten and Louise O’Malley.

As has been my process for the past year or so, I have video and imagery to compliment the podcast. Listen to the episode and hear how the designers crafted their spaces. They share the stories behind the designs, then make your way over to the Convo By Design YouTube channel and see their work for yourself. My hope is that this will give you an experience that is a close as possible to actually being there, but you can’t because the 2019 Pasadena Showcase House is now closed. I hope you enjoy the tour.

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Legendary Conversations from LaCienega Design Quarter’s Legends 2019 | 7 | Inspiration From Legendary Destinations

I’m Josh Cooperman, host and publisher of Convo By Design. This is another episode of Legendary Conversations featuring the stories, events and intimate chats with legends of design. I am bringing you chats, conversations and keynotes from the magnificent showrooms of the LaCienega Design Quarter. This conversation was held at the Mansour Modern showroom, it was moderated Steele Marcoux, Editor-in-Chief of Veranda and features Colette van den Thillart, Penny Dru Baird and Martyn Lawrence Bullard.

This is an intimate chat about travel and amazing locales. This is “Inspiration From Legendary Destinations” recorded live from the Mansour Modern showroom in the LaCienega Design Quarter during Legends 2019.

Convo By Design

Instagram: @ConvoXDesign

Colette van den Thillart

Instagram: @colette_van_den_thillart

Penny Dru Baird

Instagram: @pennydessins

Martyn Lawrence Bullard

Instagram: @MartynBullard

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There is a trend developing in the design space and it is really pretty exciting. Many manufacturers and showrooms have warmed to the idea that designers and architects don’t have the time to research every company that has a product. The majority of creatives that I speak with rarely have the time to research for research sake. Most I have spoken with look for products that fit the projects they are working on at the time. The internet has brought far more input from clients who will search Pinterest or Instagram, find something they love, a color, an Eames Lounge Chair or a tile, tag their designer add an emoji and repeat a dozen more times. That doesn’t always help. Sellers are starting to do more to help on the service side and this is not going unnoticed. It’s working. It’s generating new sales which only leads to higher levels of support. That is the way it is supposed to work.

A few months ago, I started working with Article. This is an online only furniture company. You have more than likely heard me telling you about them and what they do. I invited Jillian Cross, Trade Program Manager for Article to come on the show and explain the theory behind the trade program. I wanted to know how it worked, not form a percentage standpoint but what makes a company divert assets to this type of program. And if it’s working, which clearly, it appears that it is, what’s next for designers from a customer service standpoint. wouldn’t it be nice having someone wait on you for a change? This is Jillian Cross, telling you about the development of a trade program that was crafted to generate more sales for Article by helping designers.

#ConvoByDesign #SnyderDiamond #SubZeroWolf #Article #Vondom #Interiors #Architecture #California

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It has been too long since we spoke to a set decorator here on the podcast. I love speaking with set decorators as much as I do designers and architects, want to know why? Theirs is a business where you can’t say ‘no.’ Can’t get that sofa in that color? Too bad, figure it out. Need a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired lamp for the library shoot? Go find it. At the same time, there is no specific client that is going to tell you it’s not right. Sure, there are producers, a director, a DP, actors, fans and your work is going to be seen, most likely by millions of people… no pressure.

Kelley Burney has a long list of credits including The American’s, American Made and Precious. She is a member of the Set Decorators Society of America and knows pressure. if the audio sounds a little wonky, it is at times. I had to record with Kelley via Skype and we made it work, because that is what Set Decorators do. Listen for tips and strategies used in set decoration that also ally to interiors. Very similar, really.

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I’m Josh Cooperman, host and publisher of Convo By Design. This is another episode of Legendary Conversations, stories, events and intimate chats with legends of design. This conversation, Clutter Can Be Cool, was moderated by Introspective Magazine Editorial Director, Anthony Freund and features an all-star cast of creatives including Thomas Jane, Kerry Joyce, Tom Stringer and Mary McDonald.

The panel is called Clutter Can Be Cool and you will hear a certain amount of displeasure launched at Marie Kondo. And I understand. I think Kondo’s organizational techniques and ideas have been helpful to so many, at the same time, I do understand why so many in the design community take issue with her philosophy. Listen for a great point made by Freund about Kondo’s ideas regarding minimizing the number of books one collects yet she is an author. Design is personal, design is experiential and those who love to be surrounded by things don’t want to be told that to be happy, you must limit the number of things in your life. This is a great chat about stuff and things. The type of things that make for extraordinary design. To the best of my abilities, as design enthusiast, I can’t imagine design without things. At the same time, there is beauty in the ‘edit’. Please follow the show on iTunes, YouTube and through social media. I’ll let the experts take it from here.

Convo By Design
Instagram: @ConvoXDesign

Anthony Freund
Instagram: @1stDibs

Thomas Jane
Instagram: @ThomasJane

Kerry Joyce
Instagram: @KerryJoyceTextiles

Tom Stringer
Instagram: @TomStringerDesignPartners

Mary McDonald
Twitter @MaryMcDonaldINC

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I speak a great deal about ‘modern’. Modern materials, modern architecture, and the like. I had an opportunity to sit with architect Gregory Phillips for a chat about modern with a twist. Many twists actually. Phillips is an award-winning UK architect who came to the States to build his particular brand of modern home.

This is a bit of a cultural blending and bending chat because designing for a British client can’t be same as designing for a Californian, can it. I’m guessing not, but Gregory is going to take that one. At the same time, this is an architect using modern materials and old-world craftsmanship to reimagine what a contemporary structure can be.

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Josh Borris is the President of Core Development Group. Josh and I met in the Snyder Diamond showroom and recorded in the Living Kitchen Studio. It is always fun fro me to speak with developers because they truly have their finger on the economic pulse of design and architecture. Josh has a love for the design side, knowledge of the architectural elements and a keen understanding of the business side of development. That is so important because without the economics working out, most of what we do doesn’t get done in the first place.

I also really enjoyed the conversation with Josh Borris because he loves the design side and really works to make the numbers work without sacrificing the design. This provides a great opportunity to lear how to make some small changes in your own design that preserve budget without cutting corners.

#ConvoByDesign #SnyderDiamond #SubZeroWolf #Podcast #InteriorDesign #Architecture

Please rate, review and subscribe to the show. It is greatly appreciated.

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This is another episode of Legendary Conversations. These are the conversations, interviews, keynotes and intimate gatherings form the LaCienega Design Quarter’s Legends event.

The LaCienega Design Quarter is one of the most influential industry trade organizations in the US and the annual Legends event is a beautiful example of this. For the past decade, LCDQ has been welcoming the design community and enthusiasts alike to get out of their cars and walk the district to see the amazing and wonderful creations erected in the showroom windows.

This episode features an amazing chat moderated by Pamela Jaccarino and featuring remarkable insights from James Magni, Nicole Fuller and Alex Papachristidis. The conversation is a debate about Maximalism vs. Minimalism. Pam suggested not saying versus because James thinks the world is a bit too combative now and while I don’t disagree, I think when having a debate, one must take sides or what’s the point.

This debate does get a bit heated and I think that it should. We are at a crossroads. We are a consumer based society, you know I’m right. At the same time, consumerism leads to waste, over production and tapping out vital resources. As it relates to design, many are out there doing incredible things with very little. Where’s the line? That is the basis for this conversation that was recorded live from the Tufenkian showroom on LaCienega. I hope you enjoy it. And if you do, please leave a rating and review for the Convo By Design podcast on iTunes. You can also follow the show and all the members of this amazing panel:

Pamela Jaccarino
Instagram: @PamelaJaccarino

James Magni
Instagram: @MagniDesign

Alex Papachristidis
Instagram: @AlexsVeiwpoint

Nicole Fuller
Instagram: @NicoleFullerInteriors

Convo By Design
Instagram: @ConvoXDesign

Tufenkian Carpets
Instagram: @TufenkianCarpets