Tag Archives: design hardware

Top SoCal Talent Spill the Tea on Elevated Design | 441 | What You Need to Know Right Now

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with another installment of the Design Leadership Series and this week, I am going to share with you. This group was recorded live from the Design Hardware showroom on Third Street in LA. This was an amazing group and with 12 creatives there, it was the biggest event we recorded to date.  Keep listening, you’re going to enjoy this.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

The Oasis Alliance – Providing design to those in need.

ICAA Southern California – SoCal is Southern California’s preeminent resource on classical architecture and the allied arts.

I started hosting these events in 2017. I realized after a design festival, that the panel conversations, while interesting, did not contain the same power as the conversations that followed. Groups of creatives getting down to the brass tacks, sharing what they really think without the audience. These gatherings are more “happening” than anything else. It places the creatives in a safe space with colleagues free to discuss what is really happening, get a little commiserating in and then getting to the challenge of addressing these issues. These events are powerful and I’m really proud to share them with you. This conversation has also aired on Doctoring Up Design, the Design Hardware podcast. You are about to listen in on a real workgroup discussing the issues designers, architects and builders face today. The following conversation is between 12 creatives and at times, it gets complicated, just like conversations in the real world. 

This conversation was not intended for you to blow through while multi-tasking. There is a great deal of material here and it is intended to be listened to over time and re-listened as well. It is worthy of saving and added to your resource library.

This is kicked off by Michele Solomons with Design Hardware asking about the experience designers have with their showroom partners. It’s an important question and one on just about every designers mind. From there, this chat takes on a life of its own and if you follow closely, there are nuggets of design business gold to be found.

Before we listen in, I thought you would like to meet the participants: 

Andres Gonzalez – Cali Renderings

Christine Jahan – Christine Jahan Designs @christineJahanDesigns

Crickett Kenser – Kitchen Places @KitchenPlacesVentura

Huma Sulaiman – Huma Sulaiman @HumaSulaimanDesign

James Hernandez – James Hernandez Interior Design @jameshernandezinteriordesign

Joan Barton – Dirty Girl Construction @dirtygirlconstruction

Kara Piepmeyer – Studio Kosma @studiokosma

Leslie Delli-Venneri – Aquabella @aquabellatile @leslie.dee.vee

Marbe Briceno – Marbe Designs @marbe.designs

Mark Hermogeno – Hermogeno Designs @hermogenodesigns

Nicole Michael – Nicole Michael Designs @nicole.michael.designs

Rydhima Brar – R/Terior Studio @rteriorstudio

So those are the participants. This is the full conversation. Enjoy listening in.

That was a fun and incredibly talented group. Great job, designers! Thank you for your time. Thank you to my partners and sponsors, ThermaSol, Moya Living, Design Hardware, The Oasis Alliance and the ICAA SoCal chapter. And a special thanks to you. Thank you for downloading, streaming and supporting the show. If you have anything to suggest for a future episode of the show or a guest from whom you would like to hear, email me Convo By Design at Outlook dot com or on Instagram @ConvoX Design with an “x”.  Thanks again for listening. Until next week, be well and take today first. -CXD

The Natural Desire to Create Pushed this Former Publicist Back Home Again to Her Love for Design, and It has Paid Off | 439 | Meghan Bassinger of Stevie Interiors

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a conversation about transformation, both in interior spaces and individuals themselves. Meghan Basinger of Stevie Interiors spent the first part of her career in public relations before launching her firm in 2020. Great timing right? But it worked, and here’s why.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

The Oasis Alliance – Providing design to those in need.

ICAA Southern California – SoCal is Southern California’s preeminent resource on classical architecture and the allied arts.

Meghan Basinger launched Stevie Interiors in the summer of 2020. Do you remember the summer of 2020? I do. Not the best time to launch a new design business, or was it? You are going to hear all about it. Pay close attention to the ideas that embody the idea of blazing your own trail, making your own path and rushing towards something as everyone else is running away. The early months following the beginning of the pandemic, many designers thought they were going to go out of business. Then came the design revolution as everyone realized at the same time that their home was dysfunctional and needed the services of professional designers to fix it. This is a good place to leave it and let Megan take it from there. Enjoy this episode of Convo By Design featuring Milton, GA. designer, Meghan Basinger of Stevie Interiors.

Thank you, Meghan for the time. Thank you for listening, downloading and subscribing to the show. If not already, please make sure you are subscribing to the show. You can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. 

Thank you to my wonderful partners and sponsors, ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware. Without you, I would not be able to do this and for that, thank you. Thanks again for listening. Be well and until next week, take today first. -CXD

The Importance of Exquisite Outdoor Spaces | 438 | James Doyle Design Associates

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. Today on the podcast, we are taking it outside for a conversation with James Doyle principal and Justin Quinn, partner of James Doyle Design Associates.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

The Oasis Alliance – Providing design to those in need.

ICAA Southern California – SoCal is Southern California’s preeminent resource on classical architecture and the allied arts.

James and Justin have the stated goal to create beautiful and innovative landscapes that deliver world class design while enriching the lives of those fro whom the space was crafted. And to do so with clear vision as it relates to creating an authentic sense of space. A while back, you probably heard the BookLook review I offered on their absolutely stunning tome called Intersection of Art and Nature. This is a firm that lives and delivers upon the promise behind the work and because of that, I am really thrilled to share this conversation with you. This is James and Justin from James Doyle Design Associates. We’ll get to that right after this.

Thank you James and Justin for your time. Loved our chat as much as I do your work. Thank you for listening, downloading and subscribing to the show. If not already, please make sure you are subscribing to the show. You can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. By the way, with over 450 episodes, perhaps you’d like to check out some of the past episodes.

Thank you to my wonderful partners and sponsors, ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware. Without you, I would not be able to do this and for that, thank you. Thanks again for listening. Be well and until next week, take today first. -CXD

Kitchen Design Thought Leadership | 437 | Seven Creatives Define the New Concepts in the Next Generation of Kitchen Design

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. Following is another installment of the Wellness & Design Thought Leadership Series presented by ThermaSol.

In May, 2023, a special gathering took place at the Friedman’s Home Experience showroom in Long Beach, California. This gathering presented an opportunity to get some of Southern California’s most dynamic and creative designers together for a conversation about kitchen design. Our group engages in an open forum about how the kitchen has changed in form and function since the pandemic began in 2020. This idea started as an exploratory look at what has changed, but developed into an overarching dialogue about what it means to be a designer today. Further, how the design community has learned to lean in on each other for support, direction, inspiration and in the case of showrooms like Friedman’s Home Experience, how to provide designers and architects with opportunities to discover new product and specify with confidence to best serve the client.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

The Oasis Alliance – Providing design to those in need.

ICAA Southern California – SoCal is Southern California’s preeminent resource on classical architecture and the allied arts.

You are about to listen in on a real workgroup discussing the issues designers, architects and builders face today. The following conversation is between 7 creatives and at times, it gets complicated, just like conversations in the real world. The conversation was not intended for you to blow through while multi-tasking. There is a great deal of material here and it is intended to be listened to over time and re-listened as well. It is worthy of saving and. added to your resource library. 

Before we listen in, I thought you would like to meet the participants: 

Long Trihn – Managing Director of Friedman’s Home Experience – @friedmanshomeexperience

  • Panel ready
  • Pops of color
  • Coffee systems
  • Under-counter wine units and columns
  • Induction increases over gas
  • Refrigeration integrated look
  • NEW – Countertops as the full cooking surface with embedded induction elements

Lea Biermann – Principal, Lea Biermann Design – @lbkbdesign

  • The joy of coffee systems
  • Adding secondary color
  • Backsplashes that pop
  • Maximizing spaces for experiences
  • Resale considerations
  • The in-home coffee bar experience is here to stay

Cheryl Kaye – Principle, Cheryl Kaye Design Studio @cherylkaye

  • Hospitality, front of house focus
  • Kitchenette for commercial projects including hospitality
  • Visual arts are given and now the ‘function’ and artistry is in meeting client lifestyle demands
  • Dining areas away from tables and more on islands
  • Exposed kitchens, not just functional but decorative and artistic
  • Wet bars for juicing now so they are taking on a different vibe
  • More outlets and charging stations
  • Kitchens more as work spaces

 

Paul Fernandez – Principle, @kitchenkoncierge

  • Look to new, unexplored appliances
  • Speed Oven: Microwave + Convection
  • Steam ovens
  • Steam oven + oven in lieu of the double oven to maximize functional opportunity
  • Cooking with moisture
  • Refrigerators with cameras, use the app to aid with shopping
  • What is next in countertop materials? What is the most durable material? 
  • Custom options in wood products. This is an incredible time to be designing kitchens!

John Feldman – Owner, @ecocentrix

  • Discovering the opportunities in outdoor spaces
  • What is possible in an outdoor kitchen
  • How a project can maximize function through discovery of untapped space unlike inside the home where walls define spaces
  • Working with better educated clients (product)
  • Incorporating outdoor kitchens into complex hillsides
  • The joys of outdoor living
  • Sturgianni.com, A new company representing family owned and operated Italian faucet lines

Pam Barthold – Owner, Pazzam Designs @pazzamdesigns

  • Searching for perfect materials
  • Acrylic in shelving and cabinetry that is mainstream and not exclusively modern
  • Durability and warmth means more wood products and because hybrid wood products offer a more wide ranging product selection
  • More durability, cleaner product and sustainable
  • Rise of smart appliances
  • Convection ovens and better educated clients
  • Seamless flat countertops that are the entire cooking surface
  • Less exposed stainless. Color-full and unique in design
  • Adding color to the island

Donna Johnson – @luxedesigner

  • Luxury kitchen design is more about form and function, but feel
  • Accessorizing in the kitchen is more  important than ever before and in more ways than is seen. Dividers and separators for sectioning the functions
  • The feel of the space is based on treating the kitchen as another living room with a different skill set
  • The return of the “triangle”? To this designer, it never left

Now that you have met the players, let me share the conversation that ensued. They were talking about materials. Brass, brushed gold and chrome.  Understated glamour. Stamped wood, wood islands with nautical finishes.We are talking about custom organics. Luxury and organic. 

Dust is a big issue with open shelving in kitchens now, as is clutter.

Thicknesses and finishes. Technical design details. Products for outdoor uses. 

The art of sales and how designers can engage more efficiently with trades and showrooms.

Working with educated clients and the “Amazon Effect”, training customers to just buy and return if they don’t like it as opposed to buying right the first time. 

Evaluating new lines and products. 

Induction, new tech and new ideas, but what does that mean by way of new upgrades like the electrical panel? Government regulations, utility company specifications…How does this affect the design. 

Steel cabinetry is becoming more of a standard in lieu of wood, stone and cement board outdoors and indoors. Durability is becoming more important as temperatures increase. 

You are going to hear an honest conversation about supply chain, lead generation for products and materials.

I started hosting these conversations in 2017 following an event at a design festival. What I found was the moment the mics were off, the conversations started to be real. These real conversations have led to actionable steps and techniques designers can use in a real world scenario because at the end of the day, we are all dealing with the same issues. Some better than others. Enjoy this conversation from Friedman’s Home Experience in Long Beach, California on a sunny day in May, 2023.

Celebrating 10 Years of Convo By Design Live from the West Hollywood Design District | 436 | Soho House Design’s Candace Hickman

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with the third installment from a live event at the Soho House studio in West Hollywood, California. Candace Hickman of Soho House Design has has followed a really interesting path along the way to a 15+ year career in hospitality design, from boutique restaurants in Hong Kong, to flagship properties for Soho House & Co.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

The Oasis Alliance – Providing design to those in need.

ICAA Southern California – SoCal is Southern California’s preeminent resource on classical architecture and the allied arts.

I met Candace in the living room of the Soho House – Melrose studio, a building that has some serious design history after serving as home base for Rose Tarlow in the West Hollywood Design District. The building itself deserves mention for a few reasons. It is the only showroom of its kind that I know of in the design districts of Los Angeles with an A-Frame built into the architecture placing windows in want is similar to a central atrium allowing for natural light to flood the space. This makes the showroom bright during the day and moody at night allowing designers and clients alike to see the furnishings in different types of light and space. The Soho House line is create, unique and designed to foster conversation and silent enjoyment alike. Candace and I sat to talk about this and other topics on an afternoon in May when Soho House so generously offered to host the Convo By Design 10th anniversary party. An event for a small, incredible group of industry insiders, designers and architects, most of which who have appeared on the show. The event was also sponsored by SoCal Design Magazine, Southern California’s premier design publication.

In 2005 Candace was approached by Soho House to lead design for the Soho House Hong Kong development, given her established prominence in the Hong Kong interior design world. Relocating to Soho House’s New York design studio, she became established as the Design Director for North America, soon completing her first project at Little Beach House, in Malibu.

Candace has since led interior design for seven Soho House properties, each project noteworthy for its crafted references to locale. Significant examples include Dumbo House – a club space perched above the historic Empire Stores building in Brooklyn, NY – and Soho Warehouse at the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles – an adaptive reuse of a former warehouse, to a 40-bedroom hotel compound. As Lead Designer, Candace has liaised directly with high-profile private clients, bringing Soho House design nuance to their personal residences. Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, The New York Times and Elle Décor as well as others. We talk about this and so much more, right after this.

I cannot tell you how thankful I am to Soho Home for hosting this event, thank you Candace for making the time to speak with me. Thank you to all the amazing designers, architects, insiders and publicists who came out to celebrate with me. Thank you to my sponsor partners, ThermaSol, Moya Living, Design Hardware  for your continued support, I greatly appreciate you. And thank you for listening, subscribing and downloading the show. My goal is continue bringing you the stories behind sublime design as well as a podcast that allows those in the industry to up your design game through inspiration, information and opportunity. Until next week, be well and take today first. -CXD

The Showroom feat. Brigette Romanek | 435 | Music, Passion & Interior Design Magic

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with another installment of The Showroom featuring another exceptionally talented member of the design community. One of my all-time favorites for the little things she does. Her attention to detail and the manner in which she tells her stories through the work are exceptional. We talk abut music too, one of my favorite topics and hers as well. Love this chat and I know you will too, this is Brigette Romanek, live in the showroom.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

The Oasis Alliance – Providing design to those in need.

ICAA Southern California – SoCal is Southern California’s preeminent resource on classical architecture and the allied arts.

The Showroom was a feature segment created during the pandemic as a way to showcase designers in front of an audience when no gatherings were possible. The Showroom has evolved and I had the opportunity to sit down with Brigette in the newly opened Soho Home Studio in the West Hollywood Design District. Soho Home was also gracious to sponsor the Convo By Design 10th anniversary party and served as the location for what was an extraordinary afternoon seeing friends, many of which I had not seen in person in years.

This conversation with Brigette covers her creative journey and how she has worked to become one of the most exceptional creatives working today. I don’t say this lightly. I think her work is, truly exceptional. Her work, through Romanek Design Studio is layered, contextual and subtly situational. You will hear more about that in addition to ways music has shaped her life and therefor inextricably tethered to her work. We talk about her collections and other facets to the business that allow her to create her art. I could go on, I really could, but I won’t. Instead, I’ll let Brigette tell her story.

Thank you Brigette for your time, I loved this. Thank you Soho Home Studio for hosting this conversation and our tenth anniversary party. Thank you for listening, downloading and subscribing to the show. If not already, please make sure you are subscribing to the show. You can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. 

Thank you to my wonderful partners and sponsors, ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware. Without you, I would not be able to do this and for that, thank you. Thanks again for listening. Be well and until next week, take today first. -CXD

Martyn Lawrence Bullard | 434 | Legendary Human and Fabulous Designer LIVE from The Showroom

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Martyn and I first spoke in 2019. We spoke at his showroom in the West Hollywood Design District and we spoke about set design, of which Martyn and I are both very fond. We talked about Tony Duquette and how the art of stagecraft allows Martyn to transcend the design with ideas and strategies for feel and emotional spaces. Use of non-traditional materials in unusual ways to create now objects. That is quintessential set decoration, masterfully employed. In this episode, Martyn and I have more time to really explore the ideas, history and experience behind his work.

We recorded this conversation live from the brand new Soho Home Studio on Melrose Blvd. in West Hollywood. They are actually Martyn’s showroom neighbor in an iconic space serving formerly as the Rose Tarlow showroom. Just an exquisite space that made for the perfect setting for our chat. Enjoy this edition of The Showroom, a one on one with Martyn Lawrence Bullard. 

Thank you Martyn for your time, I loved this. Thank you Soho Home Studio for hosting this conversation and our tenth anniversary party. Thank you for listening, downloading and subscribing to the show. If not already, please make sure you are subscribing to the show. You can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts.

Thank you to my wonderful partners and sponsors, ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware. Without you, I would not be able to do this and for that, thank you. Thanks again for listening. Be well and until next week, take today first. -CXD

London Calling. Mother & Daughter Firm Ward & Co. Balance, Brilliance and a Story Well Told | 432 | Sarah & Rosie Ward

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a different perspective today. We’re hopping across the pond to hear from one of my new favorite design firms. From London, this is the mother and daughter team, Sarah and Rosie Ward from the Chelsea, London design firm, Ward & Co.

You will notice a few things about the following conversation. Strong design is universal. Good design relies talent, skill and a willingness to divorce oneself from their own personal style in favor of understanding what lies at the center of a client’s desires. Sarah and Rosie do that and it’s evident in their work. It’s also fun to have a conversation that spans international boundaries because while as humans we have similarities in needs and desires, the differences geographically are significant. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Sarah and Rosie of Ward & Co.

Thank you, Sarah and Rosie.I appreciate the time and insights. Thank you CXD partners, sponsors and friends ThermaSol, Moya Living, Design Hardware, the ICAA SoCal Chapter and The Oasis Alliance.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen to the show. I hope you enjoy the show because that’s why I do this. I would also like to hear from you. I love the guest submissions and show ideas so keep them coming, email me convobydesign@outlook.com or message me on Instagram @convoxdesign, with an x.

Remember why you do what you do and for whom you do it. Let that be the thing that drives you to push the boundaries and let’s keep moving our industry forward. Be well, and until next week… Take today first. CXD

Uncovering Unspoken Design Desires Using A Psychological Approach. | 431 | Tracee Murphy of Trade Mark Interiors

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. Can you believe it has been 10 years doing this show, because I can’t. Thanks for listening and supporting the podcast. I appreciate you. Today, you are going to hear from Tracee Murphy of Trade Mark Interiors. We’re taking a deep dive into the phycology behind design. Why we do what we do, and how design informs those decisions as well as how those design decisions inform what we do.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

The Oasis Alliance – Providing design to those in need.

ICAA Southern California – SoCal is Southern California’s preeminent resource on classical architecture and the allied arts.

Tracee Murphy has built her firm on the principles of therapy and crafted a process to get to foundational basics in design. Not just an exploration in how her clients want to live but why, which can be the difference between wonderful design and transformational design. It all starts with listening, that’s the easy part. Understanding, processing what follows is where the magic lies. And you’ll hear all about that, right after this.

Thank you, Tracee. Loved our chat and appreciate the time. There is such value in the art of listening. And it is an art form. Thank you CXD partners, sponsors and friends ThermaSol, Moya Living, Design Hardware, the ICAA SoCal Chapter and The Oasis Alliance.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen to the show. I hope you enjoy the show because that’s why I do this. I would also like to hear from you. I love the guest submissions and show ideas so keep them coming, email me convobydesign@outlook.com or message me on Instagram @convoxdesign, with an x.

Remember why you do what you do and for whom you do it. Let that be the thing that drives you to push the boundaries and let’s keep moving our industry forward. Be well, and until next week… Take today first. CXD

Exquisite Objects for Experimental Design from Mexico City, A Story of Art, Family and Collaborative Vision | 417 | Sten Studio

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I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a journey south, Mexico City to be exact, to speak with Sten Studio founder Jose Miguel Schnaider. We are talking about stone, sculpture, lighting, art and so much more.

Designer Resources

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman

Moya Living –  Beautiful, durable powder coated kitchen, bath & outdoor kitchen cabinetry

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

From a family quarry to original works of art suing beautiful gifts painstakingly unwrapped from their multi-million year formation process, that is both a big responsibility and an unparalleled opportunity to create something truly unique.  Using the minerals and materials unearthed using select manufacturing techniques, Juan Miguel crafts some incredible works. But not alone. This is also a conversation about collaboration and teamwork. 

It dawned on my while writing the preamble for this episode that a consistent and constant theme that is present in every one of the 400+ previous conversations and from each of the 800+ creatives I have spoken with over the past 10 years, there is this state of wonder I feel. I was having a conversation recently with the CEO of a rather large company. We were just chatting about life in general and I realized something. My friend’s creative pilot light had gone out. As we delved deeper, it became evident that there was no joy in what he did, only obligations. The need to keep things going forward. Sales, R & D, stock price, no bad press, no scandals… Burnout will surely follow at some point, and he knows this. The goal, for him, is to hang on as long as possible. Get as close as he can to the day when he can eventually cut the cord and let go.

Think about that for a moment. Just keeping all the balls in the air versus living each breath in a state of awe and wonder. Nobody I know has reached that level of awareness, some are far closer than I but the goal is to eventually get there. Why so philosophical today? Not sure, but I think it has to do with this conversation and the idea of walking through a yard of newly unearthed minerals, geodes, and all different shapes of materials knowing that I would have the opportunity to craft them into something completely unique. Art. Isn’t that what life is all about? Taking the unknown, opportunity, discovery and crafting it into something you can be proud of?

Thank you Juan Miguel. I enjoyed our chat and love what you do. Thank you CXD partners and sponsors; ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware for your continued support. And thank you for taking the time every week to share some time together and hear the stories behind sublime design. Check the show notes for links to Sten Studio, our social media links and please keep emailing me with your suggestions and guest submissions. Convo By Design @ Outlook dot com. Until next week, remember why you do what you do and for whom you do it, be well and take today first. -CXD