Tag Archives: convo by design

Beautiful Together | 257 | Product Partnerships Designed to Succeed

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Every week, you and I go on this journey through the inner workings of the business of design and architecture together. Actually, that’s not completely accurate, it’s not just the business, it is the inner workings of a big complex machine of which the business is an integral part but certainly not the entirety of what we talk about every week. The very DNA of this world is design and architecture. Within that are many detailed and complex inner workings that aren’t always what they seem. I had an opportunity at the WestEdge Design Fair to sit and talk with some people of whom I am extremely fond. They include New Zealand born, Brooklyn based interior and product designer, Pietta Donovan and Walker Zanger Marketing Director, Erika Egede-Nissen. We talked about partnerships.

I get asked about this subject quite often and discuss it on the show equally often, what makes a good partnership between designers, showrooms and manufacturers? What is the best way to approach a line of products while trying to both hit a spot in the market, maintaining brand identity while simultaneously breaking new ground and being innovative. All these things are difficult to do in isolation but combined in a product launch. It’s hard, it’s complex but is also something that is best done in a collaborative framework. You don’t know when I was recording this intro and it’s immaterial to the point of the story but today I had a conversation with a showroom manager and their director of showrooms who was in from out of town. I was explaining how Los Angeles is different than New York, and how we are different compared to Houston, Dallas, Miami and Chicago. Of course we are, and those differences are not just regional, local or national. Design today is all about making our spaces truly unique to us as opposed to making our spaces exactly like the projects found in the trade publications. Listen, as the associate publisher and online editor for Modern Luxury Interiors California Magazine, I see the challenges the industry faces when trying to differentiate themselves from everyone else. Manufacturers, showrooms, designers and architects all face those very same challenges. You listen to the show, and if your new, welcome, you’ll be up to speed very quickly, I believe in brand, differentiation, innovation and that the true value of design lies in the talent of the individuals who create. Today, I offer a story that will touch on all of the above. The collaboration, partnership, innovation, promotion and execution is based on a few universal truths.

Nobody does this alone, you need others to help you succeed
Luck is something earned by working hard so that you are in the right place at the right time
More is learned by listening than by speaking
True mastery is displayed through application than description, in other words, show me, then tell me.

Todays story is told in two parts, first with Pietta and Erika. They are going to explain the anatomy of this unique and special partnership. Following that, you’ll hear from Jonathan Zanger and his perspective on the same subject.

The Christopher Kennedy Compound in Turlock, CA | 256 | Hosted By Nancy Russert of Les Beaux

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Design houses are one of the elements unique to interior design and architecture. It’s like our version of the runway show in fashion, or the car show in the auto industry. Christopher Kennedy has become quite adept at ideating the design house and executing them. Christopher is a regular fixture in Palm Springs during Modernism Week and you have heard about some of those here on the podcast and even seen some of the interviews on our YouTube channel.  As a side note, before I started the podcast, I produced a design house in Hollywood I called Small Space, Big Style and Christopher was a featured designer on the project. He masterfully designed a 70’s inspired living room and was an absolute pleasure to work with. So when I heard that Christopher was creating a design house in Central California, I really wanted to cover it for you.

I had another idea at the time, I wanted to assign this project to someone who could cover its from a designer’s perspective so I reached out good friend, previous guest and fabulous design talent, Nancy Russert of Les Beaux and Twist Custom to go and see this project. She did, and in the process, created what is really a travel journal to the Central California Valley City of Turlock, definitely NOT a hotbed of design to see this project.

Convo By Design is presented by Walker Zanger….A fantastic company and an equally dependable design partner.  While the Walker Zanger brand was built on the promise to inspire designers and architects to do their best work, there is far more to it than that. Yes, that promise is fulfilled everyday through a commitment to provide the best ceramic, glass, stone, porcelain, quartz and concrete surfaces and finishes but at the heart of this is a family owned and operated business that provides stunning surfaces for a well designed home. Walker Zanger started in 1952 and they are absolutely one of the best trade partners a designer can have. Check out their newest collaborative line with designer Pietta Donovan. A collection of Cement and Ceramic tiles inspired by the the patterns and colorways of the 1970’s and created with a comfortable modernity. Walker Zanger is on the cutting edge of design featuring products for every style and architectural feel you can create and they provide homeowners with the materials that dream kitchens and baths are made of. Check out any of their 14 showrooms across the country or shop online, Walker Zanger dot com.

This is Nancy Russert starting off where most good travel stories begin, the airport. #Design #Interiors #MidCenturyModern #NancyRussert

Epic Spaces & Favorite Places | 254 | Bringing Inspiration Home

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This is a conversation from the WestEdge Design Fair called Epic Spaces and Favorite Places… Here’s the idea… Online access has made the world a smaller place. It has brought us closer together and created the opportunity to see amazing things in wonderful and far away places. For some, that’s just not good enough. Travel, treasure hunting and using that as inspiration to create magnificent spaces is their true desire. This is a conversation about amazing places in exotic places and bringing it home moderated by USModernist.Org founder George Smart and featuring, Assembledge+ David Thompson, Massimo Buster Minale from Buster and Punch, interior designers Alison Pickart and John McClain and Fettle’s Tom Parker. This is a great chat about design, inspiration, travel and putting it together in pursuit of epic spaces!
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#design #inspiration #travel #Assembledge+ #BusterandPunch #JohnMcClain #AlisonPickart #USModernist

The Future of Real Estate for Those That Love Design | 250 | SUPRSTRUCTUR

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design… with an episode featuring a company proposing a new concept in architecturally significant real estate. While this is not a new idea, theirs is a new approach. I sat down with Jack Byron Founder & CEO and Charlie Byron, Founder and Marketing Director. We discussed the business and we also talk about the challenges that face the design and architecture communities here is Southern California as it relates to the availability of architecturally significant properties, their value, scarcity and the value of the dirt underneath them. When the dirt is worth more than the structure, treasures will be lost, and they are, at a na alarming rate.

This is an interesting idea when you consider that the company was not created to drive pure real estate deals, it was created to specialize in design differentiation, significance and specialty.

Jack and Charlie know if what they speak. Jack has worked for Sir Norman Foster, Phillipe Starck and Dame Zaha Hadid while Charlie worked in marketing shops for brands like BMW, Google, Hulu and Procter & Gamble. So, understanding that Real Estate is equal parts passion, psychology, commodity and marketing, these two understand the basis for founding a company like this. In this conversation, you will hear each concept explained as it relates to this endeavor, they is Suprstructur.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Convo By Design. Make sure you subscribe to the show and follow us on the socials so you don’t miss any of the latest developments in So Cal architecture and design. You can also ask your smart device to play it for you, just say, “Hey Siri, play Convo By Design.” Thank you again for listening, until next week, keep creating.

You Will Love This – The Best Italian Inspired Modern Design | 249 | Jules Wilson

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This episode features one of my favorite Southern California designers, Jules Wilson. Jules is the president of her eponymous San Diego design firm and like many of the designers and architects that I have spoken with over the years, she knew early on that this was something she was supposed to be doing. Growing up in rural, Rockford, Illinois she began dreaming of what she wanted her world to look like. It started with Legos and took her out of Illinois and to Italy to learn how classic cities were built. She subscribes to Picasso’s idea that modern philosophy begins with a basis in history. This is something you have heard on the show before. As I write this, I can recall hearing that from a few of the more successful creators I have spoken with so there must be something to it.

Jules Wilson and her design studio are crafting some of the most extraordinary California inspired design you will find anywhere. This is not to typecast or style-cast her work, those are my words. As I study her firm’s work, and I encourage you to look at the work as well… You see residential, commercial, multifamily, retail and it is all different but with some universal consistencies. Use of varied materials and products that all seem to have been coordinated to their environments from the foothills in Tempe, Arizona, the North Shore of Hawaii or a high rise apartment in Atlanta.

You wouldn’t know from her work, but she would rather be working in Rome or Milan, which I find fascinating. For someone at the top of her game, truly a master of the modern aesthetic within multiple sub-settings, living and working in San Diego, one of the most beautiful locations in the world to long for somewhere else… Well isn’t that what truly motivates us all to do our best work. I would say that anyone who is truly and completely satisfied in their current setting is not challenging themselves to reach their full potential. Not trying to get to philosophical here, but I do believe there is some truth to that. That is also what makes this conversation so fascinating. I hope you agree, this is Jules Wilson.

Thinking Local and Global Design | 248 | Scott Utterstrom

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Scott Utterstrom, Principal at XTEN Architecture in Los Angeles. Scott was born in Portland, Oregon, graduated with a BA in Architecture from Cal Poly and spent a year in Copenhagen studying architecture. He got his Masters in Architecture from UCLA and, as mentioned, since 2007, he has been with XTEN Architecture working with previous Convo By Design guest, XTEN President, Monica Haefelfinger.

If you are new to the podcast, welcome. Those who have been subscribing for a while know, I only speak with guests whose work I admire. I started the podcast because I am a huge fan of design and architecture so it would be odd for me to speak with a guest whose work doesn’t move me. This being said, I spoke with Monika and Scott at different times because while the firm appears clear and comfortable in its direction, both Monika and Scott have different views on the work. I really enjoy that part of these conversations and my hope is that you do too.

When I try to imagine what design and architecture firms will be “of note” and studied, I consider XTEN to be one of those. Swiss roots, clean lines, minimal and modern but not stark. I like their work so much because I love LA and have always admired work that allows itself to be noticed yet compliments the beauty of Southern California. They do that.

Before we hear from Scott and get into this episode of the podcast, I want to thank you for downloading and subscribing to Convo By Design. Did you know that there are other ways to get the show. Let’s say you’re in the car, driving and don’t want to look at your phone. Ask your smart device to get it for you, say, “Hey Google, play Convo By Design.” You can also ask Siri. We are available through every smart device and on just about every podcast platform. Okay, this is XTEN Architecture’s, Scott Utterstrom.

What Every Interior Design Trade Professional Needs to Know | 247 | The Design Influencer Group

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In 2019 I started the Design Influencer and Innovation Group. This is a series of trade only events at Southern California. This gathering was held at the Ornare showroom on Beverly Blvd in West Hollywood.

First up is Rozita Nazarian with the benefits and challenges of design showcase houses. 

Gary Gibson is unique in that he is a designer with his own showroom so he has to be cognizant of what other designers really want as well. Gary also talks about industry events and the challenges of  expanding into new categories.

Leslie Shapiro Joyal has a unique view on the up cropping of designer workrooms allowing for creators to settle in a space that allows them to craft their own product. She talks about her workroom, her showroom and how she uses this experience to, in turn provide that experience to other designers. She describes it as a “circle in which the ecosystem thrives.” This is Leslie Shapiro Joyal.

Josh Borris with Core Development Group addresses the fundamental issue. How can the industry help busy design and architecture professionals. How can companies provide marketing and sales materials to help you along the way. Josh hits some really interesting points.

Longtime friend of the show, architect Takashi Yanai. Takashi opened the firm’s San Francisco office. He talks a bit about opening new territories. This is critical for design and architecture firms.

Julia Wong talks about design shows and the importance of support for design professionals.

Aaron B. Duke shares his thoughts about something that comes up all the time…. The pivot. What happens when you figure out that you need to change the carrier direction to accommodate for live direction? You don’t hear many talk about it in raw, honest terms.

Back to the issue of trade shows and inspiration, Nicolette Akiko from Studio Akiko has some strong opinions. I have had the pleasure of working with Nicolette and I value her perspective on establishing a local base for the firm and expanding outward, I think you will too.

Laurie Haefele, she is clear on what she needs and wants from the industry. Hey, design trade shows, manufacturers and showrooms… Do you want to know what design pros want from you…. here you go.

Wrapping this up is an outsider, for very good reason. Alex Abramian is a freelance journalist who has covered the design and architecture industry for quite some time. This is where trade editorial and design trade meet. And sometimes that meeting is a violent collision. Want a smooth transition? Listen to this from journalist, Alex Abramian.

That’s a wrap on this episode of Convo By Design featuring the Design Influencer and Innovator group. A collection of Southern California’s best and brightest in design and architecture. Thank you Rozita, Gary, Laurie, Julia, Josh, Aaron, Takashi, Nicolette and Alex. Thank you Cynthia and the Ornare showroom staff for making us feel so at home in your amazing space. Thank you Snyder Diamond, Vondom, SubZero, Wolf and Cove for your generous support and most of all, thank you for listening, downloading each episode, rating the podcast on iTunes and engaging in social media. You are the absolute best and I truly appreciate you. 

That is a wrap on this episode of Convo By Design and until next week, keep creating.

Inimitable Style From Inside Out | 246 | Alison Palevsky

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Alison Palevsky, interior designer and art consultant spoke with me about the career reboot, the pivot. She started her career as a talent agent trainee, for three years before realizing that was not what she wanted to do with her life. Alison shares her experience working with and for Trip Haenisch, Oliver Furth and Martyn Lawrence Bullard. This is more than a coming into ones own in the industry. This is about a focus on what one truly wants to be and then going out and getting it.

This is about the reboot, refocused energy and attention on what you really want to be and then going and getting it. This is Alison Palevsky.

#Palevsky #ConvoByDesign #Design #Architecture #LosAngeles

World Class Design with Monika Haefelfinger | 235 | XTEN Architecture

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Monika Haefelfinger is the president of XTEN Architecture. She is Swiss born, daughter of an architect, alum of USC and Columbia and holds a Master of Science degree in Advanced Architectural Design. I absolutely loved my chat with Monika and I hope you do as well. This journey you and I take each week together allows us to explore all avenues of design and architecture. I always learn something from these and this. Monika and I talk about Swiss/ California compare and contrast, diversity in design and some of her remarkable projects.

Thank you for listening to Convo By Design. Please subscribe to the podcast and receive every episode as soon as it’s published, for free, delivered directly to your mobile device. You can also find the show everywhere you already get your favorite podcasts.