Category Archives: Uncategorized

Paul McClean | 308 | A Master of Modern Architecture

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This is Convo By Design with an architect that is single hardly redefining what is possible in modern residential architecture, this is Paul McClean…

Paul McClean is one of those rare individuals who knew what he wanted to do at a very young age. Rarer still is growing up to change that space into your vision of what it should be. McClean grew up in Ireland and made his way to Southern California by way of Sydney, Australia. His work uses clean lines, site-specific features that make the most of water features, and the given space available, sometimes more, sometimes less. Always distinct, you can see McClean’s fine lines woven through space and structure in the most seamless and unapologetically spectacular ways. McClean’s work is inspirational, aspirational, and if nothing else, makes you wonder, ‘what if’.

Thanks for downloading, streaming, and subscribing to this episode of the podcast. If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do so you don’t miss a single episode of the show, like this one with master architect, Paul McClean.

Thank you, Paul. Thank you Walker Zanger for your extraordinary partnership and thank you for listening. My goal is to bring you the stories behind sublime design wherever that may be. To share those stories, bring you business strategies to help you build a stronger firm and inspire you to do your most creative work.

For more, please follow us on Instagram @ConvoXDesign with an “X”, check us out at Convo By Design dot com. Until next week, be well and keep creating.

Lone Star House of Design | 3 Design Firms Changing The Way We Think About Design in Texas

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This is Lone Star House of Design, a showcase of amazing design and architecture from the Great State of Texas. This is a look back at some of the talents making Texas a hotbed for new, amazing, and world-class design.

The first episode featured an amazing designer and a really good friend. Tracy Martin Taylor is the principal designer behind Eleven 11 Design. She is also a former boss of mine when I lived in Dallas. Tracy is a creative mind like none I have met before. Her creativity is immense, her compassion, even greater and her skill as a business owner is why Tracy is so successful in this, her second career. Tracy and I discuss our past which led to her design firm, the tough choices she made to get where she is and how the state of design is growing across the Metroplex and beyond.

Cindy Aplanalp-Yates is the Principal of Chairma Design Group, an award-winning design firm in Houston. Cindy goes into the game a bit later than most. The family came first, then the business. Cindy and I sat down at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas to talk design, trade shows, and the uniqueness of Texans which makes designing in Texas so much fun. This is Cindy Aplanalp-Yates.

I had a great chat with Allison Crawford, founder and principal designer of her eponymous firm Allison Crawford Design in addition to HOTELette, a design/ vacation-rental company. Allison is a highly praised, Austin based designer with a truly unique background and a story about design, business, and real estate. Allison is active in design and real estate investment. She is both a creator and entrepreneur. I truly enjoyed this conversation with Allison and I hope you do as well. Allison is a master creator who blends and bends style to create livable luxury.

Thank you, Tracy, Cindy, and Allison, that was fun and I truly appreciate the time. Please subscribe to the show so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of design and Convo By Design, ask Alexa or Siri, say, “Hey Siri, Play Convo By Design” and she will. Thank you for listening to this episode of Convo By Design. Please make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.

You can also follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship, and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign at outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.

The Showroom featuring Gail Davis | 307 | From Fashion to Interiors with a Focus on Balance & Perspective

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Gail Davis is an extraordinary designer. She is equally talented a conversationalist. I don’t say this lightly. If you know me, if you have been listening to the podcast for any amount of time you know that I take great pride in bringing you conversations that inspire you, challenge my guests, and provide takeaways that showcase the stories behind sublime design. That being said, Gail is sharp as a tack, she and I share a low tolerance for BS and a fondness for a good bourbon. Sometimes, they go very well together. While no bourbon was consumed during this conversation, it might be in the future, we’ll see.

This is another episode of The Showroom, a partnership between Convo By Design and Walker Zanger featuring conversations with extraordinary design talent and a deep dive into their work and the business of design. Enjoy this conversation with designer, Gail Davis. A publisher’s note, due to tech issues, this conversation was abruptly and shockingly ended due to a Zoom collapse. Whatever, it happens. Fortunately, it was at the end… Honestly, you might not even notice it.

Thanks for downloading, streaming, and subscribing to this episode of the podcast. If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do so you don’t miss a single episode of the show, like this one with designer Gail Davis.

Thank you Gail, loved this. Thank you Walker Zanger for your extraordinary partnership and thank you for listening. My goal is to bring you the stories behind sublime design wherever that may be. To share those stories, bring you business strategies to help you build a stronger firm and inspire you to do your most creative work.

Lone Star House of Design | Ashley Moore of Moore House Interiors on Intentional Design

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What does that really mean, intentional design? Isn’t all design, ‘intentional’? I really thought so prior to speaking with Ashley, but, as I always do through these conversations, I learned something. Intentional has many different meanings to different people. The intent of crafting space with a purposeful goal of blending old and new while crafting a unique space specifically with the individual for whom the space is crafted is an art form that requires a great deal of focus and applied craft. This is Ashley Moore.

Thank you, Ashley, I appreciate you. Thank you for listening, I appreciate you as well. Please subscribe to the show so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of Design and Convo By Design, ask Alexa or Siri, say, “Hey Siri, Play Convo By Design” and she will. You can follow the show on the socials as well, @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram, and check out the YouTube channel for videos from some of your favorite episodes. Thank you for listening and until next week, be well and keep creating.

@MooreHouseInteriors @ConvoXDesign

#ConvoByDesign #LoneStarHouseofDesign #AshleyMoore #MooreHouseInteriors #Texas #InteriorDesign

2020 Kingston Design House | 306 | High Style and Ingenuity in the Hudson River Valley

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This is Convo By Design with a virtual visit to the Kingston Showhouse. Hey, are you as tired of the word ‘virtual’ as I am?

As tired of the word ‘virtual’ as I am, without the ability to have these conversations, we would not have access to designers and showcase houses in parts of the country like the Hudson Valley in upstate New York. The 2020 showcase includes work by; Ana Claudia Design, Ariana S. Winston, Jennifer Salvimini, KD Reid interiors, Patrick Ryan’s Office, Stone Ridge Landscapes, Damour Drake, Hendley & Co., Krishna Fitzpatrick, Lava Interiors,  This and That, and Jen Dragon. Maryline Damour of Damour Drake is the founder of this project and this is the third offering of this showcase home. 

On a personal note, 2020 presented all of us with a choice. Crawl up in a ball and shut down, or figure out how to reinvent ourselves, over and over again while we all struggle to figure out how to work through this and get back to life on the other side of this thing. This joint struggle has brought some of us closer together. Convo By Design has been reinvented over eight years of production. I was able to cover this relatively new design house and I’m really proud and happy to share this with you. 

Thanks for downloading, streaming, and downloading this episode of the podcast. If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do so you don’t miss a single episode of the show, like this one from the Kingston Design House.

Thank you to all of the remarkable creatives that fought through extreme circumstances to bring this project home. Thank you Walker Zanger for your extraordinary partnership and thank you for listening. My goal is to bring you the stories behind sublime design wherever that may be. To share those stories, bring you business strategies to help you build a stronger firm and inspire you to do your most creative work. 

For more, please follow us on Instagram @ConvoXDesign with an “X”, check us out at Convo By Design dot com. Until next week, be well and keep creating.

@AcDesignStudio @HendleyandCo @LavaInteriors @KDReidInteriors @KrishFitzy #PatrickRyansOffice #DamourDrake #JenniferSalvemini @Ariana.S.Winston @ThisandThatDehli #CrossContemporaryPartners  @StoneRidgeLandscapes

Maggie Griffin | 304 | Designing Atlanta with Southern Charm and A European Flair for Style

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Maggie Griffin is a fabulous Atlanta based designer who has mastered the feel of Southern charm, yet fine-tuned her craft in Europe while studying in Florence, Italy. Her studies included the history of fabrics, retail marketing, and merchandising. With an obvious passion for her work and institutional knowledge and mastery of textiles, Maggie is able to craft her spaces for southern living with a European flair and that is evident in her work. Maggie, as a designer, has what I call the ‘full range of motion’ as it relates to the work from her Modern Atlanta Farmhouse to a charming Dutch Colonial with southern accents. You are going to meet Maggie, hear her story, and learn how it all comes together.

Thank you, Maggie. I loved this conversation. Some of my favorite parts include project exploration. That really is what it is, a deep dive into the design itself. Amazing. Thank you Walker Zanger for your partnership. Thank you for listening, thank you for subscribing to the show. Thank you for keeping me company in 2020 through the podcast. It is amazing to receive emails of support and show suggestions. This is it, the last episode of 2020. With this, we bid 2020 farewell and look forward to what has to be a better year. I wish you health, success, and the best year ever. Be well, and until next year, keep creating.

New, Now and Next | 304 | Stunningly Beautiful Hygienic, Sustainable Bathroom Design

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This is Bob Gifford from Hastings Tile & Bath. We met at the WestEdge Design Fair in 2019 and had a nice long chat about marketing and business development in the industry. We also talked about the full-body air dryer they were promoting at the show. Ditch the towel, this mounts inside the shower. Such a simple thing really, but consider this. How often do you wash your towels?

At a time when cleanliness is of premium concern in an era where water conservation is both important and a remarkable source of financial savings. This is something that can be installed in the shower, by the pool and you can eliminate the towel completely. Bob and I met again a day later at the full-body dryer to see how it works.

Thank you Bob, that was fun. Next up is Director, North America for Franz Viegener, John Weinstein. The brand from Buenos Aires is crafting some amazing plumbing products. Check this out from John Weinstein of Franz Veigener…

Thank you Bob, thank you, John. What’s new, now and next… ways to make your bathrooms simple, efficient and like going to the spa, when you can’t necessarily go to the spa. Thank you Walker Zanger for your continued support of Convo By Design. Thank you for listening, downloading and subscribing to the podcast. Join in the conversation, follow along at Convo By Design dot com and Convo X Design, with an “X” on Instagram. Be well, and until next week, keep creating. 

The Business of Kitchen Design Mastery | 303 | Exploring Experiential Kitchen Design

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The kitchen is the heart of the home, always has been and you already know this. But this conversation features Julia Wong, Laurie Haefele and Shirry Dolgin, Barry Bredvik, and Kristi Nelson explores new directions and ideas about kitchen design. These three amazing designers come from different backgrounds but all have mastered interior design and truly understand the form and function of kitchen design. You are going to hear a high-level conversation that covers technology, layout, and specifically the use of space articulated into actionable methods for kitchen design.

Susan McFadden of California Homes Magazine moderated this panel. What you are going to find is how this conversation zigs and zags through so many topics but the through lines provide some remarkable ideas for crafting the perfect space for every home.

This panel is introduced by Megan Reilly, co-founder of WestEdge Design Fair, the fall home of Convo By Design in Santa Monica California.  

What a great chat. Thank you Susan McFadden for moderating, California Homes Magazine for your support. Thank you, Julia, Shirry, Laurie, Kristi, and Barry for your time and masterful contributions. Thank you Megan and Troy for your partnership. Thank you Walker Zanger for your continued support of the podcast.  And, thank you for listening, subscribing, and downloading every episode of Convo By Design. I miss you. I miss seeing you at WestEdge and all the other design fairs and festivals we missed in 2020. But we will meet again in 2021. And until we do, be well and keep creating.

The Showroom featuring Mikel Welch | 302 | Finding Balance, Mastering the Hi-Lo Mix and a Horse for Every Occassion

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One of my greatest joys in producing Convo By Design is the exploration for and discovery of new design and architecture talent. I was familiar with Mikel Welch and his work but we had never met. Welch is producing some amazing design work. Mikel incorporates rustic charm, modern, clean lines, hints of regency, handcrafted tribal art. This blend is masterfully worked and along with an often present horse… I mention this because if the horse was, in fact, Mikel’s spirit animal, it wouldn’t surprise me.

The horse represents a driving force in life, what carries you. It represents strength, passionate desires, and balance between the tamed and the instinctual elements of one’s personality. I’m not trying to get too woo-woo here, but I’m seeing something here and as you listen to my chat with Mikel Welch, I think you might as well.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Convo By Design. Please make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode. You can also follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. 

Thank You, Mikel. That was fun. Thank you Walker Zanger for your partnership and continued support. Thank you for listening to this episode of Convo By Design. Please make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode. You can also follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship, and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign@outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.

Aspirational Design From the Garden State | 301 | The 2020 Aspire Design House

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The Aspire House: Princeton is offering a fifth edition of this designer showcase and as design houses should, this one focuses on amazing talent and unique design. The New Jersey design house will offer live tours of the house which is a novel approach in 2020 considering almost all the other design houses this year have been forced to go with virtual tours. This was my first opportunity to cover the Aspire House: Princeton and as you will hear, this cohort of design talent is extremely diverse in style, aesthetic, philosophy and background. That is the secret to presenting a unique design experience which is exactly what the Aspire Design: Princeton house is. This episode features the following design house participants:

Dianne Durocher – Diane Durocher Interiors | Diane Durochere started her eponymous firm with the idea that a well-designed home is an investment in the quality of life. It influences the way we live. And that idea guides the way she designs.

www.dianedurocherinteriors.com
@Diane_Durocher_Interiors

Ginny Padoula – Town & Country Kitchen and Bath | Ginny Padola created her firm, Town & County Kitchen and Bath with the idea that clients should have access to luxury, bespoke cabinetry, high-end materials and finishes and work within the client’s budget and vision.

www.tckbdesigns.com
@TownandCountyKitchenandBath

Tamu Rasheba Green – Lux Pad Interiors | Tamu Rasheba Green is the principal designer behind Lux Pad Interiors. Green’s mission is to infuse society with love, one project at a time. And, in each project, she considers client, community and environment with individually tailored beauty.

Alirio Pirela – Pirela Atelier | Alirio Pirela is an east coast designer with a focus on blending artistic and technical aspects in the work. Pirela is multi-cultural and multi-lingual with Latin and European influences in his work.

www.pirelaatelier.com
@PirelaAtelier

Anna Maria Mannarino – Mannarino Designs, Inc. | Anna Maria Mannarino is an award-winning designer and principal designer of her namesake firm. The company promotes itself as transforming spaces from Cape Cod to Cape May. That span includes Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Maryland.

www.mannarinodesigns.com
@MannarinoAnnaMaria

Gail Davis – Gail Davis Designs | Gail Davis is a powerful creative with a fondness for color, texture and presenting the unexpected in a way that continues to surprise and delight. Gail has a clear vision and presents ‘lively elegance’ with a timeless traditional style and a hint of modernity.

www.gaildavisdesignsllc.com
@GailDavisDesigns

Joe Giamarese & Vivian Hung – Global Home

https://www.globalhomeny.com

Tram-And Poprik – Red Bank Design Center

Joe Berkowitz – JAB Design Group | Visionary designer, Joseph Berkowitz works to create ‘moments’ in time and space through design. Both simple and elaborate designs created through this elevated philosophy whose mission is to elevate personal and meaningful environments.

www.jabinteriors.com

Steve Mandel – Aspire Magazine | Aspire Design and Home Magazine produced and presents this design house and has enabled these amazing creatives to showcase their work in a unique format. Steve Mandel is the publisher of Aspire Magazine.

www.aspiremetro.com
@AspireDesignandHome

Thank you to all of these amazing designers for taking the time to share their spaces. Design houses are like the design and architecture industry’s version of the auto show for the automotive industry. It is a chance to present real, imagined aspirational and conceptual ideas in a real-world format. With work and a little good fortune, 2021 will be a different type of year and we can go see this house in person next year. Until then, I hope you enjoyed hearing about their work, make sure you check it out online. Thank you to Walker Zanger for your continued support of Convo By Design. Thank you to all of you listening and subscribing to the show. If not subscribing yet, please do, it’s easy. You can ask Siri for help and you can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite shows. You can also learn more about the show at convo by design dot com and convo by design with an ‘X’ on Instagram. Thanks again for listening, be well and until next week, keep creating.