The Winds of Change Are Blowing In A New Era of Design Thought Leadership | 587 | Steph Schlegelmilch of Studio Seva

Things are changing. Can you feel it? I can. The mood in the design, architecture, built space is changing in response to external factors. Those external factors are being felt in numerous ways. I’ll give you an example and we don’t about this much, not nearly enough. Hardening of the enclosure in architecture is leading to new ways architects are approaching the exterior envelope of projects to address the threats brought on by climate change. Remember ‘global warming’? That was a misnomer, it’s climate change. Design has and in large part is still focused on aesthetic, but that too is changing. Are you changing with it?

Designer Resources

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

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TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep

Change is hard. All change is hard. But without change, there is no evolution. Without evolving, we do the same things over and over regardless of the outcome. I have changed, Convo By Design has changed. Seemingly everyone has a podcast now, and it feels like every editorial headline is ‘something’ by design. 12 years ago, neither was that way. I see how my own editorial approach has changed, these conversations we share each week have changed and the industry is changing as well. Not by choice, but because, as the quote from Moneyball goes, “Adapt or die”. Today, you are going to listen in on my conversation with Steph Schlegelmilch, founder and chief creative director of Studio Seva. This Westport, Connecticut based creative blends a holistic approach with technical application. Steph shares her thoughts on a number of ideas affecting the business of design today, and these ideas are not going away any time soon. They include; 

  • An appreciation of and learning form failure
  • Experience and collaboration
  • Exploration of style, techniques and materials
  • Styling and photography
  • Trend translation , modification and the edit process
  • Home styling challenges
  • Lighting design
  • Partnerships

All of these ideas should be taught in a formal design education. Sadly, they are not. But you can find them explored here. So, enjoy this episode with Studio Seva’s Steph Schlegelmilch.

Thank you, Steph. Enjoyed this. Thank you to my incredible partner sponsors, TimberTech, Pacific Sales, and Design Hardware. Amazing companies and great friends to the trade so please give them an opportunity for your next project. Thank you for listening, subscribing to the show and sharing with your colleagues. If not already subscribing, please consider that so you receive every new episode automatically to your podcast feed. 

Please keep those emails coming convo by design at outlook dot com and follow the conversation on Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”.

Until next week, thank you for sharing this time together, until the next episode, be well, stay focused and now that it has arrived in earnest, try to rise above the chaos. – CXD