This is Lone Star House of Design, a podcast about all things design and architecture from the Great State of Texas. This week, you are going to hear from Beth Bender, co-founder of the Dove Agency, a strategic planning firm based in Dallas. If the name sounds familiar, it is. Beth Moderated a recent panel for Lone Star House of Design and I invited her back because the work she and her firm does deserves some love. The Dove Agency provides back office support for design professionals. They are good at what they do and I thought you should hear more about them. This conversation covers all of the topics that keep design professionals up at night. Beth and I explore financial health of a design firm, social media and marketing… And the, Beth explains much of how she attacks these issues to help their clients achieve by not having to focus on these issues.
Thank you for listening to this episode of Lone Star House of Design. Are you subscribing to the podcast, if not, please do so you get every episode automatically when they are published. You can findLone Star House of Design and Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts and now, you can find us on DesignNetwork dot Org, a destination dedicated to podcasts, all things design and architecture so make sure to check it out.
Thank you, Beth, much appreciated. Thank you Walker Zanger and ThermaSol for your support and Thank you for subscribing and downloading the show and If you are not already, please subscribe so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of design and Convo By Design the moment they are published. You can also ask your smart speaker to play Convo By Design.
And if you REALLY want more, follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign@outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.
This is Lone Star House of Design, a podcast about all things design and architecture from the Great State of Texas. Following is another installment of The Wellness and Design Thought Leadership Series presented by ThermaSol.
This conversation, as previously mentioned is from the Wellness and Design Thought Leadership Series presented by ThermaSol. This conversation features designers; Cindy Aplanalp-Yates, Allison Jaffe and Cheri Etchelecu. It is moderated by Dove Agency founder, Beth Bender. The Wellness and Design Thought Leadership Series presents the opportunity to gather a curated group of design masters and execute a targeted focus on specific issues affecting the industry today.
This cohort discusses the current state of design in Texas, opportunities, trending ideas and the ultimate pursuit of sublime design. It is presented by ThermaSol. I am incredibly proud to partner with ThermaSol on this initiative called the Wellness and Design Thought Leadership Series. These panel conversations feature smart, innovative design thought leaders talking about issues affecting us all in the business today.
I’m working with ThermaSol for the second year now and I have had the opportunity to get to know Mitch Altman, third generation of this family owned and operated business. This company was built on innovation. Their origin story is impressive and the products are innovative, they showcase not only the increased interest for wellness in todays ground breaking design but the need for smart showers, steam and spa-like luxury in the bathroom. If you are not incorporating smart steam showers into every bathroom you design, you are missing out on an opportunity to increase the per bathroom budget and provide clients with something they desperately want.
Brilliant! Thank you, Beth, Cindy, Cheri and Allison. Thank you Walker Zanger and ThermaSol for your support and Thank you for subscribing and downloading the show and If you are not already, please subscribe so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of design and Convo By Design the moment they are published. You can also ask your smart speaker to play Convo By Design.
And if you REALLY want more, follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign@outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.
This is Lone Star House of Design a showcase of divine design from the great State of Texas featuring Allison Jaffe, an Austin designer whose cerebral approach to design is nothing short of genius. We talk about the psychology of design quite often on the podcast because it isn’t easy to understand what someone really wants the design to ‘feel’ like. Allison didn’t start as a designer, to the contrary, she started by pursuing the sciences, specifically, a degree in neuropsychology from the University of Pittsburgh. You are going to hear how Allison modified her pursuit from the scientific to the creative and used her education to drill down with clients to reach their subconscious desires as it relates to the manner in which they wish to live. Sigmund Freud said, “The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one-seventh of its bulk above water.” To me, this is one of the true assets of interior designers. The truly talented ones have different means and methods for discovering what the client’s true desire is. We all know clients that have said one thing only to later discover they mean something entirely different.
Speaking of discovering true desires…you have needs too. Find some inspiration and new perspectives so you can see, in real time how the industry is changing so quickly. To aid you with that, Please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode of Convo by Design, Lone Star House of Design or some really exciting and entertaining new shows coming your way later this year. You can find the show everywhere you find your favorite podcasts, and now you can find Convo By Design and other design and architecture podcasts at DesignNetwork.org .
Thank you, Allison, well done. Thank you Walker Zanger and ThermaSol for your support and Thank you for subscribing and downloading the show and If you are not already, please subscribe so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of design and Convo By Design the moment they are published. You can also ask your smart speaker to play Convo By Design.
And if you REALLY want more, follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign@outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.
This is Lone Star House of Design a showcase of divine design from the great State of Texas featuring Beth Dotolo and Carolina Gentry, the design team behind Pulp Studios.
When a design team captures market share in two states, typically, it’s New York and LA or San Francisco. This design team behind Pulp Studios has targeted Dallas and Seattle. Two cities with gaining momentum and exploding populations prior to COVID, but post-Covid, these two cities are pulling in new residents from the likes of LA, New York, and San Francisco. Beth and Carolina have established their brand with a mission. That is to deliver style and luxury to those living in such unique metropolitan cities.
For me, this was a really fun conversation because I went to college in Washington state and spent 9 years living in Dallas so this was a fun journey for me. This conversation delves into the details and logistics behind building a multi-city design firm.
Speaking of building your design business, you need to get new perspectives so you can see, in real time how the industry is changing so quickly. Please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode of Convo by Design, Lone Star House of Design or some really exciting and entertaining new shows coming your way later this year. You can find the show everywhere you find your favorite podcasts, and now you can find Convo By Design and other design and architecture podcasts at DesignNetwork.org .
Thank you, Carolina, thank you Beth, I loved this. Thank you Walker Zanger and ThermaSol for your support and Thank you for subscribing and downloading the show. Please subscribe to the show so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of design and Convo By Design, ask your smart speaker to play Convo By Design.
You can also follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign@outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.
This is Lone Star House of Design, a podcast about legendary design from the great State of Texas featuring creative icon, Kyle Bunting.
Kyle Bunting transformed the idea of Hide rugs into a symbol of luxury. Such a simple idea, but not easily done. The original source for rugs and decor that Bunting has reimagined into objects with intricate design, shocking colors, masterful production and turned into bespoke objects of design luxury. This is truly an example of something so simple turning into something truly unique and wonderful. This is a conversation with Kyle Bunting about crafting objects of art for the home, true Texan style and building a design business.
Speaking of building your design business, you need to get new perspectives so you can see, in real time how the industry is changing so quickly. Please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode of Convo by Design, Lone Star House of Design or some really exciting and entertaining new shows coming your way later this year. You can find the show everywhere you find your favorite podcasts, and now you can find Convo By Design and other design and architecture podcasts at DesignNetwork.org .
Thank you, Kyle, this was fun. Thank you Walker Zanger and ThermaSol for your support and Thank you for subscribing and downloading the show. Please subscribe to the show so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of design and Convo By Design, ask your smart speaker to play Convo By Design.
You can also follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign@outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.
This is Lone Star House of Design, a showcase of amazing design and architecture from the Great State of Texas. This is a look back at some of the talent making Texas a hotbed for new, amazing, and world-class design.
Mike and Bryan created Yates Desygn in 2015 and have been practicing in Dallas ever since. Important to know, and you will hear how they hung a shingle in Texas without knowing anyone in Texas. They are going to share how they networked and built their firm from scratch. This is one of those rare firms that offer both interior and landscape services with equal mastery. You will find both southern charm and big-city sophistication in their work. I think that is important right now. I believe that the renewed interest in those moving from highly congested cities like LA, New York and Chicago is growing. I think in the next 3-5 years you will see an absolute explosion in the Texas population. Dallas being its biggest beneficiary. Folks moving in will be looking to blend their contemporary sensibilities with southern charm and The Yates’ are in a very good spot to benefit. This is Mike and Bryan Yates of Yates Desygn.
Luxury living and livable design can both share the same space and designer Traci Connell shares her strategies for making sure both concepts get equal focus in her work. Traci shares her design philosophy and walks us through a few of her projects. You are going to hear how high-end luxury meets easy living. Traci also shares some time and money-saving strategies. Enjoy this conversation with Traci Connell of Traci Connell Interiors.
Sara Malek Barney, founder of Bandd Design. Sara is a remarkable talent who brings a number of unique elements to her incredible rise in design, that of a first career in sports and entertainment. She worked for Hollywood powerhouse talent firm CAA, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and then came home to Austin to launch her design firm, Bandd Design. Sara and I talk about her journey and her work, work that is influenced by her Hollywood experience and Texas roots, equally and balanced which makes her work truly unique.
Thank you, Mike, Bryan, Traci and Sara, that was fun and I truly appreciate the time. Please subscribe to the show so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of design and Convo By Design, ask Alexa or Siri, say, “Hey Siri, Play Convo By Design” and she will.
You can also follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign@outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.
This is Lone Star House of Design, a showcase of amazing design and architecture from the Great State of Texas. This is a look back at some of the talents making Texas a hotbed for new, amazing, and world-class design.
Ann Edgerton is an interior decorator and stylist from Austin and we spoke about wide-open spaces that seem appropriate when talking about ideas emanating from Texas. Ann has a very unique design signature that maximizes space, proportion, and product blending to create unique environments. We talk about her approach to this blending of large spaces and cozy design, modern lines with rustic materials, cosmopolitan ranches, and living room offices. I think Ann has a unique talent for blending and molding space, materials, and color to achieve unique moments in design.
Kim Armstrong is a designer out of Dallas. She is fearless with color, surgical in her blending of materials and styles. I became familiar with Kim’s work through a friend in Dallas who is also a designer. When one designer tells me that I have to check out the work of another designer, that is a suggestion to which I cannot say no. And I am glad that I followed up because our conversation was fun, colorful and I think you are going to enjoy it. This is Kim Armstrong in episode number 5 of Lone Star House of Design!
Studio|Ten|25 is the Dallas based firm owned and operated by Abbe Fenimore. Abbe has earned a reputation for her playful style and unique interiors. She has earned the nickname, “queen of sorority houses.” I have never before spoken with a designer who specialized in sorority houses. I can tell you, having lived in a fraternity, college housing can take some serious abuse. Abbe has figured out how to preserve the beauty and high performance. She applies these same ideas to her residential and office projects. Abbe and I had a very cool chat about these and other issues that shape design and architecture in the Great State of Texas.
Thank you, Ann, Kim, and Abbe, that was fun and I truly appreciate the time. Please subscribe to the show so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of Design and Convo By Design, ask Alexa or Siri, say, “Hey Siri, Play Convo By Design” and she will. Thank you for listening to this episode of Convo By Design.
You can also follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship, and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign@outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.
This is Lone Star House of Design, a showcase of amazing design and architecture from the Great State of Texas. This is a look back at some of the talents making Texas a hotbed for new, amazing, and world-class design.
The first episode featured an amazing designer and a really good friend. Tracy Martin Taylor is the principal designer behind Eleven 11 Design. She is also a former boss of mine when I lived in Dallas. Tracy is a creative mind like none I have met before. Her creativity is immense, her compassion, even greater and her skill as a business owner is why Tracy is so successful in this, her second career. Tracy and I discuss our past which led to her design firm, the tough choices she made to get where she is and how the state of design is growing across the Metroplex and beyond.
Cindy Aplanalp-Yates is the Principal of Chairma Design Group, an award-winning design firm in Houston. Cindy goes into the game a bit later than most. The family came first, then the business. Cindy and I sat down at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas to talk design, trade shows, and the uniqueness of Texans which makes designing in Texas so much fun. This is Cindy Aplanalp-Yates.
I had a great chat with Allison Crawford, founder and principal designer of her eponymous firm Allison Crawford Design in addition to HOTELette, a design/ vacation-rental company. Allison is a highly praised, Austin based designer with a truly unique background and a story about design, business, and real estate. Allison is active in design and real estate investment. She is both a creator and entrepreneur. I truly enjoyed this conversation with Allison and I hope you do as well. Allison is a master creator who blends and bends style to create livable luxury.
Thank you, Tracy, Cindy, and Allison, that was fun and I truly appreciate the time. Please subscribe to the show so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of design and Convo By Design, ask Alexa or Siri, say, “Hey Siri, Play Convo By Design” and she will. Thank you for listening to this episode of Convo By Design. Please make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.
You can also follow along, ConvoByDesign.Com and @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram. For show inquiries, sponsorship, and guest inquiries, email me ConvoByDesign at outlook.com. Be well and until next week, keep creating.
What does that really mean, intentional design? Isn’t all design, ‘intentional’? I really thought so prior to speaking with Ashley, but, as I always do through these conversations, I learned something. Intentional has many different meanings to different people. The intent of crafting space with a purposeful goal of blending old and new while crafting a unique space specifically with the individual for whom the space is crafted is an art form that requires a great deal of focus and applied craft. This is Ashley Moore.
Thank you, Ashley, I appreciate you. Thank you for listening, I appreciate you as well. Please subscribe to the show so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of Design and Convo By Design, ask Alexa or Siri, say, “Hey Siri, Play Convo By Design” and she will. You can follow the show on the socials as well, @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram, and check out the YouTube channel for videos from some of your favorite episodes. Thank you for listening and until next week, be well and keep creating.
To be completely honest, I can’t really tell you which I am more excited about, hitting episode 300 or ushering out 2020. It is completely irrational to blame anything, let alone everything that happened in the year, but I can’t remember a year as absolutely traumatic as 2020. And regardless of how you feel about the outcome of the elections, the future of a vaccine, or the return to normality, whatever that means, here is what I know. When this whole COVID thing started back in March, I started talking to designers and architects, nobody knew what was happening, everyone, myself included said things like, “In these unprecedented times” followed by a statement about the obviously troubling times were in. But, here’s the thing. As the weeks passed, more conversations took place followed by even more research… I slowly learned something. These are not unprecedented times. There was a pandemic in 1918 and the Spanish Flu went pretty much the same way this one has. There were people who complained about masks, society was shut down and it had a massive effect on how life changed on the other side. In the mid-1920’s Le Corbusier was touting the benefits of cleanliness and minimalism in residential design.
Prior to and during the early 1900s, indoor bathrooms featured mostly porous wooden furniture and paneling, it held germs and bacteria. The new focus on cleanliness led to tile, linoleum, built-in bathtubs. It led to bigger closets and less cabinetry that held clothing. It led to tile in bathrooms, more specifically the use of subway tile in residential design, and revolutionized toilet and porcelain sink production.
We are seeing some very similar behaviors and it is safe to say that design and architecture will change again after this pandemic is over. Not unprecedented. We have been through civil unrest, economic recessions, depressions… we have seen trying times. These are not unprecedented times, they are new to us. In an effort to try and understand what comes next I have spoken with incredibly talented designers and architects to help shed some light on what is most likely next. Speaking of “what’s next”, that is what is the most fun for me about producing this podcast. Exploring exquisite design now and figuring out what is going to come next with the best in the business today. That is what Convo By Design is all about.
So as I present episode 300, as is tradition, we look back on some of the conversations that have transpired over the past 7 years. It would be impossible to do this as if 2020 hadn’t been a completely different kind of year. Yet, much of what you are about to hear in the following episode has led up to this. I have long said that designers and architects are futurists and storytellers. You are going to hear some of those conversations and as you do, you will notice that every one of them has something in common, the betterment of life through design and architecture.
2020 has been a trip, has it not? When this whole thing started, I ran a special series called Designing for Disaster which was an opportunity to focus on the pandemic, in real-time and it was fascinating to hear how designers and architects were adapting in real-time.
I spoke with designer Joe Berkowitz about how design was going to change post-COVID. Joe shares his thoughts on the ‘edit’, something he already incorporates into his work, but now, is even more important than ever.
COVID was not the only major issue we dealt with head-on in 2020. A core component of social injustice is the lack of diversity in American society and our business is not exempt. Listen to Jean Brownhill, architect and CEO of Sweeten as she shares her story and her introduction to architecture. Jean is incredibly talented and driven, this is how she got her start.
On that same topic, I produced and moderated a panel at WestEdge Design Fair that covered the very issue of diversity, or lack thereof in the business. Some thoughts from Brian Pinkett, then Bridgid Coulter, and Ron Woodson.
2020 also brought a new series called The Showroom, a partnership between Convo By Design and Walker Zanger showcasing incredible work as well as an inspirational series designed to shine a light on working more efficiently within design partnerships. This is John Colanari.
Speaking of partnerships, we have a great partnership with Texas-based, Thermasol. This is Mitch Altman, the man at the helm of this family-owned and operated company doing groundbreaking work in steam showers for over 60 years.
Thank you, Lori. This is Ron Woodson and Jamie Rummerfield…
One of the events missed in 2020 that I cannot wait to come again is the La Cienega Design Quarter’s LEGENDS. In 2019 brought Convo By Design was an official media partner and as the event brought in design icon, Bunny Williams, we got a chance to hear her thoughts on what designers REALLY need to know. And then, she shared her thoughts starting out as a new designer working for the storied firm of Parish Hadley and specifically, what it was like working for Sister Parish.
This is Ryan Saghian from episode 112. Now, Ryan is another friend who has appeared more than once on the show and he never disappoints. Ryan is highly opinionated, incredibly talented, and always fun to talk to.
Thank you, Ryan Saghian. This is designer Ryan White who designer the Convo By Design Programming Lounge from the WestEdge Design Fair in 2016. It was a really special place masterfully designed by Ryan White and it could not have been executed without partners like Snyder Diamond and Warner Bros.
We wrap part one with architect Ward Jewell to whom I often refer back to when I need to be reminded of what’s really important. In times like these, look back and you will find your path for the future.
Thank you, Joan, this is Cliff Fong from episode 68. Another fine example of a multi-disciplinary designer, in this case, a fashion designer turned interior designer and entrepreneur.
Victor Zolfo, set decorator is going to tell you what it feels like to win an Oscar and a Bafta for his work on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Have you ever wondered what that feels like?
Dakota Jackson and his work are legendary within the art furniture movement. The magician turned designer turned magical designer talks about crafting a one of a kind gift from Yoko Ono to John Lennon.
This is a series of set decorators Rosemary Brandenburg first, then William DeBiasio and K.C. Fox. Set decorators are first and foremost, storytellers. Architecture is the language of design is the storytelling of design. While set decorators are not necessarily designers, they are some of the best storytellers around.
I am ending with one of the absolute best interviews around. Martyn Lawrence Bullard is highly accomplished, you know this. But if you listen to how he tells the story, you can understand how he got there.
As I wrap up this celebration of reaching episode 300 I am reminded that I did not get here alone. As a matter of fact, without the incredible creatives that appear on the show every week, you heard a small sample here but there are literally hundreds that have appeared on this show over the past 7 years. Without the trade partners like the WestEdge Design Fair, Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, ASID, LA Design Festival, Pacific Design Center, and Set Decorator Society of America, this would not be the show that it has become I am eternally grateful. A huge thank you to all the media publishers and professional publicists who bring their skills to sharing the stories of our industry and make this possible. And most importantly, thank you for listening. Thank you for subscribing to the show and engaging at our events for the past 7 years and for the last 7 months, exclusively online.
Thank you for your emails, your texts, and your show suggestions. If it wasn’t for all of you that make up this amazing design and architecture community, what’s the point? So thanks for listening and until next week, Keep creating.
