I’m Josh Cooperman and this is the July 2024 installment of the Convo By Design Icon Registry featuring another absolutely incredible creative who graced the show with her presence. This designer is a multi-faceted creative who seamlessly weaves music, art and drama into and through her work with grace and style. This months inductee is the incomparable, Brigette Romanek.
I met Brigette in a very special place on a very special day. We met at the Soho Home showroom in West Hollywood the afternoon before the Convo By Design 10th anniversary celebration. I was already super excited, nervous about the event and when I sat with Brigette, all of that went away for an hour. We had this super chill, highly elevated conversation about inspiration, influence and creativity. I imagine that is how her clients feel when they first sit down with her. A tranquil ease and that allowed me to do some really great work. And I am going to play that conversation for you as we celebrate together the induction of Brigette Romanek into the Convo By Design Icon Registry for July, 2024.
Thank you, Brigette for making this world a more beautiful and dramatic place than you found it. Congratulations on your addition to the Convo By Design Icon Registry. Thank you for listening and subscribing to the show. Thank you to my partner sponsors Design Hardware, ThermaSol, TimberTech and Pacific Sales. these are amazing partners all, they support the trade and I love sharing these amazing resources with you. Thanks again for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. – CXD
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a conversation about integrated and spectacular kitchen design. This conversation was recorded live from the Monogram kitchen inside the Pacific Sales showroom in Torrance, California. An absolutely gorgeous day inside and out.
ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom.
Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!
– Where service meets excellence
On a beautiful Spring day in May, I was in Southern California to meet an extraordinary group of design creatives to talk about the revolutionary changes taking place in American kitchens from coast to coast, but specifically in California, where the dreamers have always come to explore, dream, and try new things.It’s really extraordinary to think about the circular creative vision that begins with designers trying new things which in turn motivates manufacturers to innovate and provide those designers with was to push boundaries. We met at the Pacific Sales showroom in Torrance, a beautiful showroom with established vignettes where designers, architects and their clients can put their hands on the latest technology and appliance advancements.
Pacific Sales and Monogram are partner sponsors of Convo By Design. I am absolutely thrilled with this partnership and I’ll tell you why. I speak with designers and architects from coast to coast and beyond and one of the issues that keeps creatives up at night is finding and maintaining strong relationships with industry partners. And it’s getting more challenging to find good partners. Pacific Sales has been supporting the design trade for decades. Their trade partner program is robust with amazing incentives and their staff isnon-commissioned. That means you direct the process. Combine that with Monogram, another partner sponsor and you have quite the team. Monogram is built on performance and innovation. Exceptional products allowing designers to create exceptional spaces inside and out. All with the one goal of making your clients happy. Because that is what designers desire.
So, what are some of the most talented creatives doing with their kitchens? This is why we gathered, and you get to hear it all. This conversation features;
And you are going to hear all about it, right after this.
Thank you Cory, Anne, Pam and Joe. Amazing. Thank you to my partner sponsors, ThermaSol, Pacific Sales, TimberTech, Monogram and Design Hardware. These partners are amazing companies all who have made a concerted effort to support the design community through education, incentives, events, media and exposure, not to mention a collection of extraordinary products and service to match. Check the show notes for links to each of them so you can see first hand how they can make your design business thrive and your projects exceed expectations. Thank you for listening, downloading, subscribing and sharing the show with your friends and colleagues. Thank you for your emails, show and guest suggestions. Please keep them coming, convobydesign at Outlook dot com and on Instagram @ConvXdesign, with an “x”.Until the next episode, be well and take today first. -CXD
I sought out Erin after learning about her father, Craig Ellwood, architect behind the Zimmerman House. Said house was recently demolished at the hands of actor, Chris Pratt and his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger. We’ve talked about this already in a previous episode and the following conversation isn’t about saving iconic design. We touch on the subject but this is really about Erin’s journey, of which her father’s architecture is a large part. As is the work of her mother, Gloria Henry. An actress with an incredible career spanning from 1947 through appearances on Parks and Recreation as recently as 2012. Which featured, yep… Chris Pratt, so it all comes full circle. Erin’s story is an amazing journey of self discovery and expression. Lessons learned and applied. And you are going to hear all about it, right after this.
Thank you, Erin. Thank you for the time and sharing your extraordinary journey. If you are a bit surprised that Erin is not mad about the Zimmerman House destruction, I was too. That is until I heard her rationale, then I understood.Thank you to my amazing partner sponsors, ThermaSol, Design Hardware, TimberTech, pacific Sales and Monogram. Your support for the design industry is strong and lasting. For that I thank you. And thank you for taking the time out of your busy day. Thank you for listening, downloading and sharing the show. And for your emails to convo by design at outlook dot com and following along on IG @convoXdesign, with an “X”.
I’m looking forward to next week and another story about sublime design. Until then, be well, and take today first. -CXD
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is another installment of the CXD Icon Registry. A gentleman and creative legend, Dakota Jackson is the June 2024 Icon Register inductee. Jackson was my guest on episode 241. That episode aired back in October of 2019. While much of the actual recording of conversations tends to blur, this session remains crystal clear in my mind. Dakota and I met in person at a gallery on La Cienega Blvd in West Hollywood.
What I remember most vividly is the manner in which the conversation took place. I have long held a fascination with artistically designed furniture and I recall this sense of wonder as Jackson shared his upbringing in a family of magicians. How this background in magic and performance shaped his ideas about furniture and how that same sense of showmanship could be applied. We spoke about the desk commissioned by Yoko for John Lennon. This idea that a piece of furniture could be commissioned upon which love letters and music were written, but that it also possessed a secret known only to the designer and recipient. That type of connection far exceeds the typical design relationship. Therein lies another remarkable lesson about how design talent can elicit the same type of trust that a magician can. Suspending logic in order to truly believe the performance taking place in front of you. That same type of magic is what great designers do. Their clients suspend logic in order to believe the story the design is telling. That type of trust does not come easily.
And not every piece must contain secret compartments, the work is beautiful, elegant and of superior workmanship. This is also evident in the pianos he has crafted for Steinway & Sons. Instruments, to me are similar to the tools used by magicians. The ability to pull sound from an instrument is a gift, as is creating art through furniture. Enjoy this re-airing of my conversation with designer and creator of furniture, Dakota Jackson.
Thank you, Dakota for making this world a more magical place than you found it. Congratulations on your addition to the Convo By Design Icon Registry. Thank you for listening and subscribing to the show. Thank you to my partner sponsors Design Hardware, ThermaSol, TimberTech and Pacific Sales. these are amazing partners all, they support the trade and I love sharing these amazing resources with you. Thanks again for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. – CXD
Crafting Exquisite Outdoor Spaces Designed to Withstand the Harshest and Taxing Environments and Looking Great As They Do and Developing them for the Greatest Possible Value. Social, Restorative Retreats and Blending them Seamlessly with Indoor Design.
The days of treating indoors and outdoors separately are over because clients have experienced a new level of performance through travel and hospitality. These higher demands are creating demand for material innovation, groundbreaking creative thought and thinking differently about design and architecture. From outdoor kitchens, ADU’s, transitional spaces that bridge one space to the next. How have these new demands changed the way creatives think about the work, reworked site plans, innovative expansion of ideas. This discussion will cover these ideas and more as they are explored in real time. Thank you Ganahl Lumber for your generous donation of space for this group to meet!
Sam Toole, Chief marketing Officer | The Azek Company: This is TimberTech, a composite product that takes the best characteristics from natural wood and uses technological advancements in manufacturing to incorporate recycled plastics to form and inner core that not only provides a superior performance compared to wood but also provides a use for these are recycled plastics and keeps them out of oceans and landfills.
Gemma Hartigan, Pro Channel Marketing Specialist | TimberTech: Using the research, manufacturing and best practices to assist professionals in the trade specify TimberTech products to create amazing spaces for their clients. Amazing spaces that utilize TimberTech in was that increase performance space while being sustainably responsible. Doing well and doing good while crafting stunning and performative spaces is the new meaning of luxury.
Pam Barthold | Pazzam Designs: Inside out can best describe Pam’s philosophical approach to interior and exterior spaces. Gone are the days when interior designers could afford to ignore the outside spaces as they have now become inextricable tied to the overall residential design approach. @PazzamDesigns
Juan Ospina | Hoffman Ospina Landscape Architects: How international exposure at a young age informs his creative approach to outdoor spaces. Using that exposure to art, culture and history to create a meaningful outdoor experience. Using those memories to craft and create complex site evaluation and drawing out best use of spaces. @HoffmanOspina
Stephen F Jones | SF Jones Architects: Bringing Outside In and specifying the appropriate materials to accommodate changes in environmental behavior. Social spaces are now one of the most highly sought out spaces and the design community is addressing this demand in new and unique ways through application of specialized spaces using modern materials designed to perform and protect against environmental destructive forces. @SFJonesArchitects
John Fledman | Ecocentrix Landscape Architecture: Exceptionalism in Exterior Landscape Projects. The roles have changed in much the same way tastes for indoor outdoor living have. Creatives are providing clients with exceptional spaces inside and out to speak to not only client desires but by pushing the boundaries of deign and landscape architecture. @Ecocentrix.Landscape
Anna Hoffman | Hoffman Ospina Landscape Architects: Taming the Wild Outdoors. Anna shares her thoughts regarding taming the outdoor spaces while still allowing for living on the edge in a well design and individually crafted space. That ‘touch of wild’ puts an extra level of demand on products and materials used. It has become more important than ever to focus on materiality suited for more extreme conditions. @HoffmanOspina
Anthony Laney | Laney LA: Passion and emotion are key principles applied to the firms work. It is a part of the company culture, owned and applied to all the firm’s projects. That passion and emotion provide clients with unique outdoor spaces that rival the indoor design regardless of size. Because many of the firm’s projects are on the coast, this requires matching that emotion with materials that can stand up to and thrive in adverse conditions. @LaneyLAInc
Lauire Haefele | Haefele Design: An outdoor space requires thoughtful consideration regarding both form and function. The ideas of how outdoor spaces are being used also requires a more thoughtful approach considering that the level of use and application has changed due to a significantly higher level of functionality and purpose. This purpose is expanding the homes from living spaces indoors to that of the outdoors in much the same way. All while requiring a lasting approach to materiality. Laurie share some of her ideas and projects that utilize this approach masterfully.
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. The episode today features, Susanne Csonger of SLC Interiors. Susanne has spent decades honing her craft and taking the lessons learned and reinvesting that knowledge back into her design company. Usually, only discussions talk about the capital reinvested into the company. Susanne has adopted a unique approach that takes from personal experiences and lessons learned along the way to personalize her approach both personally and professionally. So, you might ask, what’s so unique about that?
I’ll tell you. First, great question, one that I pondered myself. The answer is simple, but not easy. Susanne has taken lessons from personal experience to self-reflect, understand what is important to her and apply that philosophy to the work product and design ethos. From this conversation, I took away an understanding that Suzanne doesn’t just read the trades, go to shows and look online to capture tends and adapt them to her firm’s stylistic approach to design. Many successful designers do just that. And that works for them. But Suzanne is more of an artisan in her approach. One whose focus is on the shared experience of well-designed spaces. We discuss a number of other issues as well affecting design firms today like AI, social media, media attribution and regional differentiation. By the way, that last one is going to be a very big issue in the coming years as designers who expended from their traditional areas of work.
Thank you Susanne for a wonderful chat. Thank you to my partner sponsors ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sale and Monogram for you constant and consistent support of both Convo By Design and the industry. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to listen to the show. This thing of ours is amazing. 11 years strong and I could not do this without you. Please keep those emails coming, Convo By Design at Outlook.com. Reach out on Instagram as well. Tell me if there is a designer you would like to learn more about and we’ll see if we can make that happen. Thank you for listening, downloading and subscribing. Until the next episode, be well, and take today first. -CXD
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with another installment of the Design Icon Registry. The Icon Registry inductee for May 2024 is the incomparable, Susan Ferrier. Here is how Susan describes her work, “Our interiors are meant to be experienced, to take you beyond the expected and into the extraordinary. We design lush, romantic spaces that are at once bold and refined, imbued with drama and meaning.” I’m going to suggest you might want more of this. Well, here it comes.
If you have heard these segments before, you know, I don’t do contests and I most certainly don’t do lists. Lists are gimmicks designed to capture clicks. They are, click bait pure and simple. You cannot tell me that a list of 50, 75 or 100 designers and architects are the absolute best at what they do without providing context. Lists are created in the hopes that those who are being listed will promote the accolades and that attention will be driven back to the author of the list. And contests where creatives have to reach out to their base to get them to vote for them is just wrong in my opinion. Because, if someone is amazing at what they do… Celebrate that, no strings attached. And that is what we are going to do here.
Now, the criteria… Each inductee has been a guest on Convo By Design. They have a body of work that is exceptional in their various disciplines and there is no justification required for their world class status. They give back to the industry, they are innovators, givers and make our industry better than they found it. This project is called the Convo By Design Icon Registry, because that is what this is, tantamount to a hall of fame, but more. What is an ICON? Described as an icon; A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration. A registry is a well curated list. You can consider this a venerable who’s who in our industry with gifts to offer and a willingness to share. Pablo Picasso is credited with saying, “the meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away”. Now, I am not suggesting that those enshrined in the Icon Registry have all just been giving away their gifts. These are professionals of the highest order and part of being a professional is knowing your worth and understanding your value. Each of these individuals have appeared on Convo By Design, shared what they know for the betterment of others, and I am deeply appreciative for that. This is the most authentic way that I can express my gratitude for that. As deeply appreciative as I am for their sharing, I am equally grateful for your taking the time to share a few moments, an hour out of your busy schedule each week to listen to the show. Again, the most authentic way that I can express that gratitude is to give you an opportunity to hear them again. Every month, the last Thursday of the month, unless it’s a holiday week, in which case I will publish a week sooner, I will share a new inductee with you.
As stated, the May, 2024 inductee is Susan Ferrier. She appeared on Convo By Design during the pandemic and I instantly understood her philosophy. Pre-pandemic, there was a shiny sheen over design. There was a focus strictly on how the look. Then, when the world changed, the focus became centered on how it works and yes, it still had to have the look, and the performance but also the feels, all of them. Susan Ferrier, was already doing this. Designing lush, lavish, romantic spaces for not just what might look good in a magazine but would also elicit an emotional response. Susan’s portfolio is a compendium of collected works that blend elegant concepts with earthy and opulent materials alike. Her work is special, not just because I or others think so, yes, important that her client’s think so. But in my conversation with Susan, you are going to hear that she thinks so. This isn’t a job to her, it’s a calling. A series of passions curate and collected, then elegantly molded and pressed together to create an experience as much as a designed space. That is what’s so truly special about Susan Ferrier and why she is in the Convo By Design Icon Registry.
Thank you, Susan for making this world a more beautiful place than you found it. Congratulations on your addition to the Convo By Design Icon Registry. Thank you for listening and subscribing to the show. Thank you to my partner sponsors Design Hardware, ThermaSol, TimberTech and Pacific Sales. these are amazing partners all, they support the trade and I love sharing these amazing resources with you. Thanks again for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. – CXD
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with an illuminating conversation about creativity, design and making things.
It’s that last part that I find so intriguing both Ethan Streicher of Streicher Goods. Anyone who has made something. I mean really made something as in a thing from a block of wood or multiple parts that were not designed to be put together knows that there is magic in crafting something from nothing. It’s what I imagine it feels like fro a designer or architect to take a space and turn it entirely into something else. Ethan Streicher is a maker of objects, an art director ceramicist and artist.
Ethan and I shared some time and swapped ideas about makers and making. I feel as thought the design industry in all disciplines woke up in the summer of 2020. The greatest take away from that time is in two parts; 1. Once something happens, it can happen again. and 2. When an occurrence takes place that affects the entire planet and every person on it at the same time, there will be fallout, changes, disruption upon disruption. That has what happened. Many have returned to what they perceive as normality. But we are still in the midst of vast changes in the way way think and the manner in which we live. If you want to seewhat that looks like, turn to creators, makers, artists and writers. Put down the magazines and news, they can only tell you what was and perhaps what is. But not what will be. Look to the makers for that.
Be skeptical. After all that is what guards against the dreaded trendy next big thing.
Be curious. Without curiosity, there is no possibility of discovering that which might change your life in unimaginable ways.
Be free with honest and probing questions. Our society has changed the way it looks at questions. A question will open the door to understanding. If someone is offended by the question, it might be because they don’t know the answer.
Makers, thinkers, writers, artists, designers will show you the state of our world in ways others can’t, or won’t. Ethan and I explore what it means to be a creator in times like these. If you are a designer, decorator or set decorator, Ethan is a new source. You’re welcome.
There you go. Thank you Ethan for taking the time to talk and sharing your work. Thank you to my partner sponsors for your continued support of the show and the design community. It’s important to the health of our industry. If you are a designer interested in learning more about my partner sponsors like Pacific Sales, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Monogram and Design Hardware, as well as any guests or concepts you heard on the show, please check the show notes for more information.
Please keep those emails coming. convobydesign@outlook.com and reach out on Instagram @ConvoXDesign, with and “x”. Thank you again for listening. Until next week, be well and take today first. – CXD
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. When I first started the podcast, a long time ago… It all started as an experience. I love design and architecture, I always have. I recently realized that if I had taken the time spent doing the show and went back to school, I could have become an architect. I say that tongue firmly planted in cheek. Not because I wouldn’t LOVE to be an architect, designer or set decorator. But, because had I done that, I wouldn’t be able to do this. This is what I love to do. I find extraordinary joy in speaking with the creatives whom I admire, exploring their journeys, telling their stories and engaging with you.
Joining me on the show today is Mathew Chaney, FAIA and Bryn Garrett, AIA with EYRC Architects. To be completely frank with you, there are a few firms of which I feel like an honorary member. EYRC is one of them. I have spoken and shared time with Takashi Yanai, FAIA over the years, the “Y” in EYRC, I spent an amazing afternoon with Steven Ehrlich, FAIA, the “E” while in Palm Springs covering the Ridge Mountain project during Modernism Week in, errrr 2017 maybe. I have recorded virtually with them, live from their offices in Los Angeles, live from Rancho Mirage at a project house. I feel close to this firm. It’s only a matter of time before we hear from the “R”, Patricia Rhee, FAIA, it’s coming. But today, we have the “C”, Mathew Chaney as well as Bryn Garrett, both partners in EYRC Architects. Bryn most recently could be heard on a WestEdge Wednesday episode of Convo By Design from his participation on a panel at WestEdge about the current state of residential architecture.
Mathew and Bryn join me on the show to talk about a number of things architecture and design related. And I am absolutely thrilled to share this conversation with you.
Thank you Mathew and Bryn for your time, talent and willingness to share. I love these conversations. I love sharing them with you. Please continue to email me with your guest and show suggestions. Convo by design@outlook.com and reach out via Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”.
Thank you to Convo By Design partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales and Design Hardware. For more information about and links to these incredible companies and to learn more about their products, please check the show notes.
For more stories like these from the design community, please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast, so you receive new episodes automatically when they are published. That way, you never miss an episode. Convo By Design is available everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. -Convo By Design
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. Today, we are heading back to Texas. If you are new to the show, I love Texas. I have family there. I lived in Dallas for 9 years. For many years, I had a spin-ff of the podcast called Lone Star House of Design. Texas is not one of the design fly-overs. It has been for a long time, but the pandemic launched a movement that has since gone parabolic.
Today, you are going to hear from Katie Davis, founder of her eponymous firm in Houston. But that is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Katie is one of those designers who took the longest route possible to interior design. And I love this so much because I love hearing the story behind and through the journey. Katie started out as an attorney. A working attorney meaning she went to law school, passed the Bar Exam. Launched Katie Davis Design in 2018 and now, you are going to hear the rest of the story as well as a guided tour through some of her projects. Love this and we are going to get to it, right after this.
Thank you Katie for your time, talent and willingness to share. I love these conversations. I love sharing them with you. Please continue to email me with your guest and show suggestions. Convo by design@outlook.com and reach out via Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”.
Thank you to Convo By Design partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales and Design Hardware. For more information about and links to these incredible companies and to learn more about their products, please check the show notes.
For more stories like these from the design community, please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast, so you receive new episodes automatically when they are published. That way, you never miss an episode. Convo By Design is available everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. -Convo By Design
