Architecture, Design & Photography

In this episode, Trent Bell sits down with Lee Schneider to explore the role storytelling plays in creativity, architecture, and the way we understand the places around us. They discuss imposter syndrome and creative confidence, why stories help communicate complex ideas, and how architects and designers can use narrative to make their work more meaningful and engaging. The conversation expands into city branding, the identity of place, and even the ways architecture can communicate ideas about culture and gender. At its core, it’s a conversation about how stories shape not only the things we create, but how we experience the world around us.

About Lee:

The award-winning author of novels, screenplays, teleplays, stage plays, and audio drama podcasts, Lee has written for Good Morning America and been a producer for Dateline NBC. He has created hit TV shows, and produced, directed, edited, and written documentaries for the History Channel, the Learning Channel, CourtTV, Discovery Health, the Food Network, and ReelzTV. 

Website: https://www.redcupagency.com/
Personal Website: https://leeschneiderbooks.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docuguy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeschneiderbooks
YouTube:  @leeschneiderpodcasts 

In this episode, Andrew James Gregor joins Trent Bell for a thoughtful conversation on homelessness, wealth disparity, empathy, art, and the deeper societal structures that shape American life.

About:

Andrew James Gregor is an architect and author whose work explores the fragile systems that shape everyday life, from fear and social division to homelessness, dignity, and the meaning of shelter. Raised in Beirut and later based in the United States, Andrew brings a deeply personal and cross-cultural perspective to his writing. His debut novel, Them, examines paranoia, prejudice, and the ways fear can corrode a community, while his latest novel, Roscoe, offers a compassionate look at homelessness and how quickly stability can disappear. Alongside his writing, Andrew has spent years working in architecture and design-build construction, giving him a grounded understanding of shelter not just as a structure, but as a basic human need.

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In this episode of Architecture, Design & Photography, Trent Bell sits down with curator, writer, and arts leader Suzette McAvoy.

Suzette reflects on her career at the Farnsworth Art Museum and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, along with Maine’s long history as a place where artists come to live, work, and find space to think. 

The conversation explores why art matters beyond beauty or market value, how it can build empathy and connection, and why some work takes time to understand. They also discuss contemporary art, creativity, spirituality, artistic risk, AI, and why artists may become even more important as technology continues to shape how we think and create. 

It’s a thoughtful conversation about learning to look, staying curious, and the role art plays in helping us better understand ourselves and others.

About Suzette: 

Website: https://www.suzettemcavoy.me 

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In this episode of Architecture, Design & Photography, Trent Bell welcomes back architect Rick Staub, co-founder of Your Modern Cottage and partner at Point One Architects, for their first in-studio conversation.

Together, Trent and Rick explore how homeowner expectations have shifted in the age of HGTV, Pinterest, Instagram, DIY culture, and AI. They discuss the growing gap between what people think design is — often a collection of images, trends, and wish-list rooms — and what it actually requires: strategy, discipline, budget awareness, trust, and a deep understanding of how people live.

Rick shares why good residential design goes far beyond aesthetics. From the emotional impact of a home to the importance of proportion, balance, natural light, privacy, flexibility, and long-term livability, he makes the case that architecture should help people feel grounded, calm, and supported in their daily lives. 

The conversation also touches on the value of working with architects and builders early in the process, the danger of designing from superficial trends, why budget conversations need to happen sooner, and how homeowners can become better prepared before building, renovating, or buying land.

Our previous episode with Rick: https://youtu.be/gvrBtOeAzfU 

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In this episode of Architecture, Design & Photography, Trent Bell sits down with architect and author Danish Kurani to discuss his latest book, The Spaces That Make Us: Why Design Is Broken and How We Can Create a Happier, Healthier World. 

Trent and Danish explore the powerful ways architecture and environmental design shape our psychology, behavior, relationships, and overall well-being. From the spaces we grow up in to the cities we move through every day, the discuss how thoughtful design can influence how we connect, feel, and live.

The Spaces That Make Us: Why Design Is Broken and How We Can Create a Happier, Healthier World: https://www.amazon.com/Spaces-That-Make-Us-Healthier/dp/1400249120

About Danish Kurani: Danish Kurani sees how buildings are failing to nourish people. After witnessing how poorly designed environments hold back people across the globe – from the middle of Manhattan to villages in India – he’s made it his mission to remake architecture for human flourishing. His groundbreaking designs for New York City, Google, and communities on four continents prove that thoughtful architecture can unlock human potential.

Named one of the World’s Most Innovative Architects by Fast Company, Kurani has pioneered a human-centered approach that’s transforming lives worldwide. His work spans from floating homes in disaster-prone areas to schools in informal settlements, always focusing on one question: how can architecture solve our most pressing social challenges? 

A Harvard-trained architect and urban designer, Kurani’s architectural ideas have been shared at leading institutions including Stanford, MIT, Harvard, and Columbia, and featured in TIME, World Economic Forum, and the Wall Street Journal. National governments recognize him as a leading voice in social impact architecture – not because he builds beautiful buildings, but because he builds spaces that work for real people.

More from Danish Kurani: 

Website - https://danishkurani.com 

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Website: www.adppodcast.com 

In this episode of Architecture, Design & Photography, Trent Bell sits down with Mike Corsie of Terrapin Landscapes to talk about building a business from the ground up, evolving from lawn care into high-end design-build work, and creating landscapes that feel deeply rooted in Maine. 

Mike reflects on 25 years in business, the turning points that helped shape Terrapin’s identity, and the importance of craftsmanship, trust, and doing what you say you’re going to do. The conversation also explores how landscape can tie architecture to place, why native plants and stone matter, and how great outdoor spaces become part of the experience of home. 

They also get into the bigger picture: the realities of running a seasonal business, the pressures of creative work, the changing character of coastal Maine, and the tension between thoughtful development and preserving what makes a place feel authentic.

About Terrapin Landscapes: 

Today, Terrapin is recognized as one of Southern Maine’s premier landscape companies, with a full-time crew of landscapers, masons, and horticulturists, a fleet of hard earned trucks, and a gorgeous design office in Arundel, ME.

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In this insightful interview, Bruno Carvalho discusses the invention of the future, urban development, and the impact of technological and societal changes on cities from Lisbon to the US. Trent and Bruno explore how history, religion, law, and innovation shape our cities and societies, with a focus on creating sustainable, inclusive, and adaptable urban environments.

The future has always been inextricable from urban planning. As the sea level rises and the effects of climate change become harder to ignore, plans for futuristic urban centers like Saudi Arabia’s mirrored megacity (The Line) and a floating city in the Maldives make for splashy headlines. Our modern cities—sources of greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution, overcrowding and urban sprawl—pale in comparison. Bruno Carvalho argues in THE INVENTION OF THE FUTURE that while modern-day New York City may not be designed for a period of climate emergency, its nineteenth-century architects certainly had the future in mind when laying out the plans.

The future may appear bleak from our vantage point, but “there is a lot of space for reinvention,” Carvalho writes, “and if we must reinvent, there might be no better place to look than the history of the future.”

Bruno Carvalho is a professor at Harvard University, where he teaches courses on cities. He is the author of Porous City: A Cultural History of Rio de Janeiro. 

Website: www.adppodcast.com 

Architectural photographer Patrick Rogers joins Trent and Tim in the studio for a wide-ranging conversation about composition, client relationships, lighting, editing, pricing, publications, and the challenge of building a sustainable creative career. This episode is full of honest insight on the craft and business of architectural photography.

In this episode, Trent sits down with longtime collaborator Eric Ratinoff of Story First to explore the power of storytelling — in film-making, business, and everyday life. 

Eric shares how his work helping organizations tell meaningful stories goes far beyond simply “making a video.” Instead, it’s about uncovering the deeper narrative: the problem, the stakes, and the transformation that makes a story resonate with an audience. 

Together they discuss the curse of knowledge, why experts often struggle to communicate what they know, and how curiosity and asking the right questions can unlock powerful stories hidden inside organizations and individuals. The conversation moves from filmmaking and editing workflows to the psychology and evolution of storytelling — and why humans are wired to understand the world through narrative.

More From Eric:

Eric Ratinoff is the founder and Chief Storyteller of Story First, a strategic storytelling firm that helps companies and organizations get clear about their story and tell it more effectively. 

Story First works with a wide range of non-profit, corporate, educational, and political clients from across the United States, and Eric brings deep experience as a writer, editor, director, strategist, speaker, teacher, and coach. He’s been invited to speak and teach about storytelling in a variety of corporate and college settings, including presenting multiple times at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)/National Public Health Information Coalition National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media.

Two recent Story First projects, Still Separate, Still Unequal, which examines education inequity in St. Louis, and Transforming 911, which tells the story of what happens after you call 911 in St. Louis, received Gold Telly Awards.

Additionally, Eric has taught Technical Writing in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis; served as the Executive Editor for the Ferguson Commission report, Forward Through Ferguson; co-authored A Seat at the Table, an award-winning column on diversity and inclusion in the New Hampshire Business Review; served as the lead organizer and a speaker coach for TEDxAmoskeagMillyard in Southern New Hampshire; and delivered a talk on storytelling and organizational culture, titled “Once Upon a Time At The Office: How Stories Shape Culture At Work,” at TEDxCapeMay in New Jersey. He’s also the head boys’ track and field coach at Manchester West High School in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Website: https://www.storyfir.st 

In this episode, Trent sits down with Lauren for a candid conversation about what it really takes to build a sustainable and fulfilling career in interior and architectural photography. From breaking into the industry to navigating client relationships, creative burnout, and the emotional side of making a living as a photographer, they dig into both the craft and the psychology behind the work. 

About Lauren Andersen Lauren Andersen is the founder and creative director of S•E•N Creative, a boutique creative agency specializing in capturing stunning interior and architectural visual assets. As creative director and the team’s strategic cheerleader, Lauren brings a distinctive vision to each project. With a sharp eye for detail, she uncovers insights into every design, product, and architectural feature, ensuring that each image—whether still or moving—tells its own compelling story. Lauren’s leadership and creative approach are key to S•E•N Creative’s success and its strong industry reputation. 

With a background in fine art, an easygoing demeanor, and over a decade of experience in interiors, Lauren attracts clients seeking a personal touch. She understands the challenges clients face and helps them save time and money by solving problems quickly and efficiently. Today, Lauren and her team at S•E•N Creative offer a comprehensive range of services, including photography, video, graphic design, styling, and public relations. This unique combination enables them to provide clients with a complete, holistic creative experience. 

More from Lauren: 

Website: https://www.sencreativeco.com 

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Website: www.adppodcast.com