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Legendary Conversations from LaCienega Design Quarter’s Legends 2019 | 9 | Why It’s Worth It

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 Hammer & Spear, featured moderator, Tony Freund, Editorial Director at 1st Dibs and showcased designers Jamie Bush, Nate Berkus and Verre Grenney.

Jamie, Tony, Nate and Veere talk about collectable treasures, their place in design and how luxury collectables or entire collections can enhance the overall design.

This is “Why It’s Worth It” from the Hammer & Spear Showroom during Legends 2019.

Convo By Design

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!st Dibs

Insta: @1stdibs

Jamie Bush

Insta: @jamiebushco

Nate Berkus

Insta: @nateberkus

Veere Grenen

Insta: @veere_grenney

This was another Legendary Conversation from LCDQ’s Legends 2019. Thank you for listening to this episode of Convo By Design’s Legendary Conversations. If not already, please subscribe to the show anywhere you find your favorite podcasts. You can also check out videos from some of your favorite conversations on our YouTube channel as well as the Convo By Design Instagram feed. Search Convo X Design with an “x”. Thank you Tamar Mashegian, LCDQ President and longtime friend of the show, Patrick Dragonette, Special thanks to the amazing LCDQ showroom owners and managers and of course you because without you listening, there is no Convo By Design. Until next week, keep creating.

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Genevieve Trousdale is the founder and principal designer at Circa Genevieve, her Los Angeles based design firm. I had not yet met Genevieve before this chat, but I was aware of her work. Genevieve was born and raised in Louisiana and her southern roots are always present in her work and her philosophy behind the work. 

When I host these conversations, While I do  a lot of research, I don’t come in with a list of questions. I like to go into these conversations with a strong understanding of the work but I also like to focus on the replies to questions and shift the conversations based on that. My conversation with Genevieve took a really interesting turn. Genevieve received mentorship working under two world-class designers, Timothy Corrigan and Michael Berman. I think you will find this part of the interview captivating. She details how this changed the course of her career trajectory. This led to a follow-up conversation with both Michael and Timothy. All there will be joining me for a keynote panel at the WestEdge Design Fair in October to talk about this very topic.

This is Circa Genevieve’s, Genevieve Trousdale recorded LIVE in the Living Kitchen Studio A request before we get going. If not already, please subscribe to the show so every episode is sent as soon as they are published. You can find a subscription button everywhere you find your favorite podcasts.

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Stephen Block is the owner of Inner Gardens, he is an exterior landscape designer, antiques dealer and a practitioner of wabi-sabi. What is wabi-sabi you may ask. It’s the practice of finding the art in imperfection. It’s way more than that actually, but that is a basic explanation and I will let Stephen explain it further. 

I spent a day with Stephen at the Inner Gardens showroom in Culver City. It is an oasis, literally and figuratively. You walk in off busy Fairfax or busier LaCienega and the world seems to stand still as you enter a calm serene environment surrounded by pottery, foliage, trees and amazing objects at every turn.

It takes a master of landscapes to do this, especially as the concrete jungle grows around you, literally, from one week to the next. Stephen and I talked about a lot. I broke the conversation down into segments so you can hear Block’s story, directly from him. This is Stephen Block.

So this is how Stephen got started. More now on his philosophy on design. Important to note that Stephen has a firm understanding of what he is looking for in his own design, I think this makes him a tremendous asset to others who might not be so sure. Clients and designers alike. This is Stephen Block explaining that philosophy.

From finding perfection in an imperfect career comes an a love for finding art in the imperfections around us. Stephen discusses his love for wabi-sari and how he applies it to life and work. I love this and I hope you do too.

So there you go. Now you know Stephen Block of Inner Gardens. Go meet him and talk to him about wabi-sabi and let him show you around the Inner Gardens showroom. That is a wrap on this episode of Convo By Design, thank you Stephen for the time, thank you Snyder Diamond and SubZero Wolf for your continued support and of course, thank you for listening because if not for you, there would be know Convo By Design. Until next week, keep creating.

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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

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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