Tatiana Mandelli created Tidelli in Brazil and now lives here in Los Angeles. The Tidelli brand is growing rapidly because their rope outdoor furniture is fun, vibrant, comfortable and different. The company has a fearless approach to furnishings through the styles, colors or designers they embrace. I met Tatiana through Cesar Giraldo. Cesar is one of my absolute favorites. You have heard him on the show and if you came to visit me at WestEdge Design Fair where Convo By Design presented the programming lounge, the Tidelli lounge was just outside and there was this video of Cesar dancing in a gold suit, it was this crazy dream sequence video and after three days, it was permanently burned into memory. That presentation is the same approach Tatiana takes to the whole business. She is fearless. And that is great, there should be more people like Tatiana. I hope you enjoy this conversation. if you do. Please share the show with a friend who might enjoy it as well.
You are listening to my conversation with Tidelli founder, Tatiana Mandelli . Tatiana has an amazing company with unique designs, vibrant colors and a fearless approach to design. Fearless is not easy, no matter how some creatives seem to make it appear. You need a good team supporting you, you need resources. I hope you consider Convo By Design as one of those resources.
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If You like Mid-Century Modern architecture and everything that goes along with it, Modernism Week is for you. Well, I love Mid-Century Modern and I love Modernism Week. The home tours are great, the parties are so much fun and catching up with friends is the best. I had the chance to catch up with more than a few friends on this trip and I am going to share some of those conversations. One of my favorite things about publishing Convo By Design is that the SoCal design community is so strong and comprised of an amazing group of professionals. It’s a tight group and a group that values more than just creating beautiful design and meaningful architecture, but preserving what is already existing. Ron Woodson and Jaime Rummerfield created a fantastic brand in Woodson and Rummerfield’s House of Design. The firm displays mastery of luxury, Hollywood regency and LA opulence in every project. But their passion for significant and meaningful design has led them to found SIA, Save Iconic Architecture. This charitable organization is desiccated to doing just that. Jaime, Ron and I caught up at their event during Modernism Week at Villa Paradiso, a world-class estate in the heart of Palm Springs. A place that used to serve as Cary Grant’s hangout amongst a bevy of other celebs during Palm Springs heyday. Jaime and Ron are going to fill you in on SIA and ways to get involved. As with any good party, there are more drop-ins and guest to talk to including set decorator and SIA board member, Peter Gurski. Why does saving iconic architecture matter? Who decides if it’s “iconic” and where does one start… Right here with Ron and Jaime. But first… Patrick Dragonette, who will tell you a bit about this years LCDQ Legends event which you do NOT want to miss as well as other fun stories from around the quarter.
Have you made your plans to attend Legends, Convo By Design is an official media partner and I will be around so come say hello.
We were catching up at Villa Paradiso in Palm Springs. Cary Grant hung out there and named it Villa Paradiso because he said, “It was all that and more.” Palm Springs is all that and more if you love Mid-Century Modern, clean lines and beautiful furnishings.
I have been telling you about Article for a few weeks now. Article is an online only furniture company inspired by mid-century style and Scandinavian simplicity. As a design trade professional, you are going to love the style and the quality of Article furniture. Here is the best part, Article has created a trade program specifically for busy designers. Check this out, joining the Trade program is FREE and there is no minimum for you to start receiving trade discounts. NONE. Exclusive designer pricing that cannot be found for less elsewhere. They offer a standard one year warranty on all Article furniture AND the shipping… You are going to LOVE the shipping. Flat rate, in most cases, if not free and it’s fast, stock items ship in 2 weeks or less. What are you waiting for? Sign up for this and make your job easier by working with partners who get you, understand your challenges. They handle special invoicing, tax-exempt purchasing and the customer service is staffed by design professionals. These are real people who know what you are trying to accomplish and have the authority to help you get what you need. So, sign up for Article’s trade program right now, go to CXD dot Article dot com. C-X-D as in Convo By Design, CXD dot Article dot com.
Thank you, Article. This is Ron Woodson and Jaime Rummerfield from beautiful Villa Paradiso.
I spoke a bit with Catarina Monnier, from Tidelli. If you are a designer with a brand, a product designer, manufacturer or showroom manager in need of direction when it comes to getting involved with trade and consumer focused shows, Catarina is a wealth of information. This is how Tidelli approaches consumer and trade engagement at industry events.
I want to thank Ron Woodson, Jaime Rummerfield, Patrick Dragonette, Peter Gurski, Catarina Monnier for appearing on the show. And I want to thank you for listening. I appreciate you and hope you enjoyed this episode. I also want to thank Snyder Diamond, Sub-Zero, Wolf, VONDOM and Article dot com for making the show possible. See you next week.
These are the rules you cannot ignore if you want media coverage of your work. Rules to follow. Break them and you could miss your big break.
I sat with Modern Luxury Media Group Publisher, Chris Gialanella and Modern Luxury Editor-In-Chief, Laura Eckstein-Jones. We talked about the publishing industry, specifically as it relates to the design community. With multiple titles, how does this dynamic team cover an eternally changing city like Los Angeles? How do they separate trending from trendy and provide users (readers, sponsors and the subjects of the content itself) with the experience they demand? In an era with fewer media titles, and fewer media owners, how do designers and architects set them selves apart and secure coverage.
What do these changes hold for designers, architects, pr reps and brand managers? With so many questions and so few answers available, I went to the source so you can hear exactly how they process this and turn it into action.
Before we get into this conversation with Chris and Laura, I want to thank you for listening and invite you to join in the conversation. You can find us @ConvoByDesign on twitter and @ConvoXDesign with an ‘X” on Facebook and Instagram. You can also find videos from these conversations on our YouTube channel, again search Convo By Design and you will find over 150 videos from some of your favorite guests, including the following. If you like the show, please send it to a friend so they can join our design community. Thanks for listening, enjoy the show.
Dan Whitmore possesses some of the rarest books on the planet. The art of publishing and design around a first edition.
“A first edition book, for me, is representative of where I was in my life at the time and who I was when I was reading it” -Dan Whitmore
There are design books, books about design, about designers. Designers use books in their designs and then there are the types of books from which designers might design an entire room. Dan Whitmore is the proprietor of Whitmore Rare Books. He is a true fan of books, yes. But he is both a collector and purveyor of first editions, rare books and artistically bound treasures. I made the journey to Old Town Pasadena which really is the perfect place for his store. When I walked in, I got a little ‘Harry potter’ kind of feeling. The smell of aged paper and leather. Dan is an interesting guy. Starts his business out of a lifetime passion for old books, collecting and pursuing. For Dan, his pursuit of first editions and collectable books is much like that of an art collector, wine collector or any true collector for that matter. Some of these can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars if not more. Dan and I talk about what is inside, outside and throughout some of the most rare and sought after in his collection. This is the story of a trained and formerly practicing attorney who decided to turn a page in his career and chase his passion for rare books. This is Dan Whitmore.
Before we get into this conversation with Dan, I want to thank you for listening and invite you to join in the conversation. You can find us @ConvoByDesign on twitter and @ConvoXDesign with an ‘X” on Facebook and Instagram. You can also find videos from these conversations on our YouTube channel, again search Convo By Design and you will find over 150 videos from some of your favorite guests, including the following. If you like the show, please send it to a friend so they can join our design community. Thanks for listening, enjoy the show.
I have a really fun conversation from the Programming Lounge presented by Convo By Design at the WestEdge Design Fair. This talk is called Colormix Forecast 2019. The conversation features Sue Wadden and Michael Plank from Sherwin Williams. As directors of Color Marketing for Sherwin Williams, they put together an amazing presentation and you can hear it here. Now, this talk was a challenge for me to put together for you because Sue and Michael have the visual presentation of color and striking images over music. As this is a podcast, it would be odd to have you listening to music and trying to visualize what the images actually are. I was there for this talk and watched it live and what I noticed while editing this was that something amazing happened. I have experienced this before, but this time was more extreme for me. Listening to Sue and Michael explain their color palate was more expressive to me than hearing and seeing it together.
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There have been studies that suggest that the brain is malleable in that when one sense is lost, others become stronger to compensate. I tried something here and listened to the recording of this talk and after, tried to compare the experience. What I found was that the colors I visualized while listening to Sue and Michael were more vivid AND more personal to me because I attached suggested colors like “dark rich blues” and “vivid yellows” to my own experiences as opposed to the images provided in the presentation. I’m not sure what’s happening here, but it was a really wonderful experience and I hope you can feel the same sensations, it was pretty cool and the best part for me was that I left feeling truly inspired. Color can do that.
Before we get into this conversation with Susan and Michael from Sherwin Williams, I want to thank you for listening and invite you to join in the conversation, you can find us @ConvoByDesign on twitter and @ConvoXDesign with an ‘X” on Facebook and Instagram. You can also find videos from these conversations on our YouTube channel, again search Convo By Design and you will find over 150 videos from some of your favorite guests, including the following. If you like the show, please send it to a friend so they can join our design community. Thanks for listening, enjoy the show.
Don’t make the common mistakes when working ‘California Crafted’ style into your design project. Let Sue guide you through the key steps to making it all work together. She also explains how designers can create signature lines that are true and authentic to the designer’s vision.
Every designer I speak with has their own unique talents and set of skills. That is what allows them to stand out and achieve a high level of success. People gravitate to creative types like a moth to light. I find it fascinating and I have been trying to see if I can isolate some of the quality as it relates to design and architecture and one thing has come to my attention recently that stands to reason but is still pretty interesting. Many designers are enjoying success as it relates to licensing their name and crafting partnerships with manufacturers. Designer lines is not a new concept, but the designers and manufacturers are getting better with regard to marketing, promotion and execution of marketing strategies to promote and sell. I wanted to know why and how so I sought out one of the incredible talents enjoying a high level of success. Sue Firestone.
Firestone is Chairman and founder of SFA Design. Sue has seen success as a designer, business woman and owner of her namesake product line. The Sue Firestone Collection includes a line of wall covering with Kravet and furniture line through A. Rudin. What you will find is that her line is completely on brand with her signature philosophy that California style that exemplifies the organic approach by which she built her reputation as a designer.
Sue talks about her inspiration. Her travels and what led her to where she is today. This is a case study in authenticity as a person and a brand. This is a case study in creative perception and application of skill. When these are aligned, anything is possible.
Thank you for listening to this episode of Convo By Design. Have you subscribed to the podcast? Are you checking out the videos on YouTube? You can see videos from the episodes like all three of the products featured on this episode. I know I am asking for a lot here, please also join in the conversation on twitter, instagram and facebook. As always, if you have a question about the show, a submission or idea for an upcoming episode, you can reach me at convo by design at outlook dot com. If you need links to everything mentioned above, you can find it in the show notes. Thanks for listening.
I thought about making this one long episode and thought better of it. You are busy and don’t have time for a three hour production. This is part two of our 200th episode retrospective. You heard from some remarkable designers, architects, set decorators and chefs. I wanted to share another side of the podcast in part two. A series of creatives that don’t necessarily fit into a specific category when talking about design and architecture.
The Triforium is a public art project that had seen better days in 2016. I met the people trying to save it, members of the Triforium project including members of the Portland based band Yacht… Claire Evans and Jona Becholt. They are bringing this amazing musical sculpture back to life…
Speaking of finding new passions. Jihan Zencirli of Geronimo Balloons explains how taking an idea and building a business out of it completely changed her life!
Then there are the fine artists who found their calling and built life around it. Artist like Hunt Slonem.
What is art without likeminded souls to share it with? Haily Zaki is the co-founder of the LA Design Festival. A showcase for LA’s creatives from virtually every discipline. Haily is smart, crazy talented and driven.
Speaking of remarkable events. Troy Hanson and Megan Reilly of the WestEdge Design Fair have put together a world class design and architecture focused event. They do so much to help connect the industry. This is a recap from 2015. Troy and Megan talk about the origins of the show.
This leads me to the ideas we need to talk about that aren’t always easy. Emile Nicolaou is an intellectual property attorney. Why should we be hearing from him? Because he is crazy smart and if you listen to what he tells you, you can protect your ideas. That doesn’t mean you can keep them from getting stolen… it means you know what your options are. Choosing not to defend your intellectual property is a choice, not knowing your rights is a crime…
Now, some random quotes that I really enjoyed and I think you will as well. Here is architect, Anthony Poon…
Designer and showroom owner, Patrick Dragonette…
Just for fun, this is a clip from episode number one from 2014 with artist Douglas C. Bloom…
This seems like a good time to share some of the things that have made an impact on me after doing this for five years. And keep in mind, I am neither a designer, nor and architect, not a chef or set decorator. However, I have produced design houses, hosted design industry events, published thousands of hours of content, both my own for Convo By Design as well as that for some of the biggest names in design. Because of this, here are some of the most impactful lessons I’ve learned.
1. Say “yes”.
2. Be open to new ideas, even if they are completely opposite to your own.
3. Collaborate whenever possible.
4. Experiment. Try something different.
5. Mix metals.
6. Use that color, you know the one. You can always re-paint, re-cover and re-design.
7. Take your intellectual property rights as well as those of others seriously. Choosing not to act is still a choice, know your options.
8. Ask more questions.
9. Listen to the inner voice.
10. Know your value.
11. Demonstrate the same level of responsibility you ask of others.
12. Change the conversation.
13. Tell your story everywhere you can.
14. Be your brand. Live it.
15. Be authentic.
16. Stress is pointless, it’s all going to work out.
I have also benefitted from learning about the superpowers of others… My favorite…
Architects see the minute details and plan for all potential outcomes
Designers have creativity oozing from every pore
Set decorators don’t say ‘no’. They are Macgyver like in their abilities to create options and fabricate ideas
Chefs are truly creative warriors who literally battle using knives
Trade Show Producers see the direction the business is going and try to hit it at a future point, not the present
Publishers see the big picture
Editors see through the obvious
PR Pros tell amazing stories
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the first 200 episodes not the least of which are all of my guests for sharing your stories, projects, ideas and time. Thank you to everyone behind the scenes who have assisted in booking, coordination, load in, load out, parking image clearance, and so much more.Thank you to everyone at Snyder Diamond for your partnership. Russ Diamond, Dana Joy, Flavia, Becky… it is a joy working with you and I hope we are still working together for the next 200 episodes plus. Thank you to Miele for being a sponsor of the show. Thank you, VONDOM for your partnership and use of product and location for recording.
And, as we opened, thank you. You made a choice when you started listening to the show and watching our videos. I appreciate your time, your input and the support over the past five seasons of Convo By Design.
Thank you for getting us to 200 episodes! Thank you for listening to the podcast, watching our videos on YouTube, coming out to the events, design houses and remote recording sessions. Thank you for reaching out on social media and better yet, in person to tell me you like the show, disagreed with me about something I said or make a suggestion for a future guest or topic. The show is now in its sixth year and this is episode 200.
I wanted to do something special this week and for the past few months, I have been listening back to past episodes starting with the very first episode of Convo By Design, recorded in early 2014 with artist. Since then, I have recorded over 300 individuals in one-on-one interviews, panel discussions, group conversations and project tours. The show has been all over Southern California. We have recorded from Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, the Grand Canyon, Marfa, Texas and Big Sky, Montana. Convo By Design has taken you to the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, Wattles Mansion, WestEdge Design Fair, WestWeek, Modernism Week, LA Design Festival, Fall Market and tours of homes with some of the worlds greatest and most talented creatives. I am not going to name them all here and of course, I can’t mention everyone but if you keep listening to the podcast, you will, at some point, hear from them again.
I have scoured through past episodes so you can hear again from some amazing, interesting, thought provoking and wonderful people. We revisit moments with architects, designers, set decorators, musicians, chefs, makers of policy and others who are leading the way as it relates to the way we live.
Before we get into this episode, I wanted to tell you why I do this podcast. I have been asked about the story in the past and I do love telling the story because this show was created using the ashes of one of my greatest failures. I am a brand manager by trade. After many years in brand development with companies like CBS and iHeartRadio, I was consulting for California Home and Design Magazine. After a lifetime loving design and architecture, I was thrilled to be working in the industry. At that time, I got the chance to produce my first design house called Small Space, Big Style. We had designers: Molly Luetkemeyer, Azadeh Shladovsky, Brian Patrick Flynn, Erinn Valencic, Christian May, Anette and Mary from Potted, a really amazing group. After the penthouse opened, we had events, parties, meetings, all kinds of really intriguing content. And I recorded not one moment of it. Sure, I have the leave behind books and a box of the issues showing the 12 pages of edit… and if you look for this design house, you will find two videos produced by the magazine. I remember feeling like all of this work went into a project and it just disappeared int the ether.
That was in 2012. The design house closed in 2013 and I spent all of 2013 planning and working on Convo By Design. I had another podcast project prior to this one, but it wasn’t what I wanted. Further proof that our first concept or idea is rarely the final product. And along that same line of thinking, Convo By Design hasn’t stopped changing since the very first episode. There are a couple of things that have remained constant, one of those is the partnership of our presenting sponsor, Snyder Diamond.
Over 200 episodes, we have heard from many designers. I love being around designers because the ideas rarely stop flowing and when talking about design, there are so many different styles and personalities, here are a few of the designers you have heard from over the past five years:
Estee Stanley
Jaime Rummerfeild
Kyle Schuneman
Ryan Saghian
Timothy Corrigan
Cesar Giraldo
Ryan White
Cliff Fong
Lori Dennis
Is LA Losing It’s Cool… This clip is one of my absolute favorites. First, it features moderators Mallory Roberts Morgan and Frances Anderton. I am a huge fan of both ladies. Second, their guests this panel are hilarious and make me laugh, I think even when they aren’t trying. Third, DIEM, Design Intersects Everything Made was an annual series presented by the West Hollywood Design District. I’m not sure the reason they don’t host it any longer, but I wish they did. Anyhow, we recorded almost all of the panel conversations between 2014 and the last year, 2017 from WestEdge. This features comments from Anderton, Darren Gold and then Christopher Farr as they discuss the status of LA and it’s relative “hotness” or “coolness” seemingly as always, according to media outlets that reside well east of the LA area.
In 2016, WestWeek from the Pacific Design Center included a conversation entitled Rebels of Design moderated by Erika Heet of Interiors Magazine and featured Eric Chang, Patrick Tighe (tie) and Cliff Fong. First, you’ll hear Eric Chang on bravery and making mistakes, then Cliff on experience and finally Patrick and Eric offer their views on diversity in design. These concepts all come together to form a real interesting idea abut taking risks, making mistakes and breaking through, and isn’t that what rebels do?
To Live and Design in DTLA, again from 2016 from West Week was a fun panel with a lot of participants but a very good topic was To Live and Design in LA featuring Spencer Nikosey, Erin and Ian Besler, Loryn Napala Danielle Rago, Monica Opaskar, Lawrence Azerrad and moderated by Carlo Caccavale. This clip features a brief chat about adaptations one must make when choosing to live and or work in any downtown but LA in particular.
When you cover design in LA, you have to talk about Set Decorators. They Not only cover the landscape, but they also design for a page, a script, real or imaginary characters, set decorators don’t have, in most cases, a real person to question about their style so they create the characters style from within. Here is set decorator KC Fox whose work you ave seen in Speed, Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and 40 Year Old Virgin talking about what goes into creating the character.
If you were not sure what the set decorators do, Rosemary Brandenburg talks about the business itself and what set decorators do within the production. Not just the production but the creation of the concepts like an interior designer would. If you are an interior designer, this might change the way you view your own process.
William DeBiasio is a set decorator who has worked on shows like Pretty Little Liars that went on to have a huge stylistic appeal. What’s really interesting is how set decorators can take the story and make the style popular. What if we thought about our homes and offices not as simply places to live but sets that tell our story. How might the narrative change? Here, William is talking about his approach to sets, props and the story.
We have spoken with some of the best and brightest minds in architecture today. Of those, there are some standouts, like Stephen Francis Jones discuss design challenges in restaurant development and new options in manufactured buildings like shipping containers.
Cliff Fong on opportunity, available resources and the endless opportunity creativity provides.
Sarah Lorenzen gave us a tour of the Neutra VDL House in Silver Lake. Cal Poly own the property and she is not only a member of the Architecture dept at Cal Poly, she is the homes custodian and resident. Here is Sarah’s take on Neutra’s legacy.
It’s very easy to be completely happy and satisfied with the design and architecture community in Southern California, but where is the fun in that?
This conversation took place at the WestEdge Design Fair and featured designers Kelli Ellis and Barclay Butera, also present was architect Greggory Phillips. This diverse panel discussed Maison y Objet in Paris. They compare and contrast this event with other design focused events around the US.
This is a conversation about experience. While it is difficult for people to share the finer nuances of individual experience, it is really fun to hear how each experience the same show so differently. It allows one to fully recognize that experience is truly unique to the attendee and that is why everyone should experience Maison, it is on my short list, for sure.
Enjoy this conversation on international design with some giants in the business. Before we get into this conversation, I want to thank you for listening to the podcast and invite you to join in the conversation, you can find us @ConvoByDesign on twitter and @ConvoXDesign with an ‘X” on Facebook and Instagram. You can also find videos from these conversations on our YouTube channel, again search Convo By Design and you will find over 140 videos from some of your favorite guests, including the following. If you like the show, please send it to a friend so they can join our design community. Thanks for listening, enjoy the show.
I have told you a number of times why I started this podcast and how much I love these conversations. Following is one of my favorites for a number of reasons. I had the chance to sit with Anthony Poon, musician, artist, teacher, award-winning architect and IIDA interior designer. Poon received his Bachelor of Arts from Berkley and his Master of Architecture from Harvard.
So, we talk about architecture but we also discuss music and art, compare and contrast these disciplines and explore ways to incorporate new ideas into traditional applications using untraditional methods.
I loved this conversation and I hope you do too, but before we get into this conversation with Anthony, I want to thank you for listening and invite you to join in the conversation, you can find us @ConvoByDesign on twitter and @ConvoXDesign with an ‘X” on Facebook and Instagram. You can also find videos from these conversations on our YouTube channel, again search Convo By Design and you will find over 120 videos from some of your favorite guests. This is architect Anthony Poon.
