studio.chats the podcast

We had the pleasure to chat with Gregg + Jaye Buchbinder from Emeco! This powerhouse father-daughter duo is taking the furniture & sustainability industry by storm! Gregg Buchbinder is the CEO of Emeco. He received a BA in business& in 1988 became the owner of the company. Jaye Buchbinder is currently a Product Development Engineer at Emeco. She received her Bachelor of Science, SustainableDesign Engineering & her Master's degree, ManagementScience and Engineering from Stanford University. The story of Emeco is a special one. One rooted in the history of manufacturing here in America and producing products from recycled aluminum, that are built to last the test of time, since 1944. These roots, blended with the hard work, design spirit, and a vision to turn the company into the remarkable company it is today. Gregg and his late father Jay had a vision for the company from day one. Both Southern California natives and avid surfers, they shared a mutual respect for nature and a desire to make the world a better place. Through the years Emeco has achieved some very remarkable milestones in both sustainability & design. They have partnered up with numerous notable architects and designers, Philippe Starck, Jasper Morrison, Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry, and Sir Norman Foster, to name drop a few! They partnered up with Coca-cola to create an upcycled chair from the iconic red plastic tops. And now have a chair that is "made with 90% industrial waste material" SO COOL Fast forward to the present day, Gregg + Jaye share what it's really like to work with each other, the ever-growing role that sustainability plays at Emeco, new exciting things they are working on, and lessons learned along the way! Their innovation is avid, their purpose is strong, the facts are hard, and their story and heart are inspiring. Thank you Gregg + Jaye for allowing me to share your story & I cannot wait to come tour the factory one day!;) This one left me questioning my own view on sustainability and pointing the finger right back at myself and asking, what can I do better? What can we do better? Every bit counts and we for sure are all on this big beautiful planet together. See you in the chat! C O N N E C T + @emecochairs + [email protected] + [email protected]

Today's studio chat is with Dylan Howe! A Kansas native and a graduate from Kansas State University with a Master's Degree, Interior Architecture & Product Design. After graduation he traded one Manhattan for another and is now a NYC based Interior Architect/Design, with around 7 years experience at large commercial design firms in the city! He shares with us his hot tips on professional development, beyond passing exams, the importance of fostering relationships, failing fast & early and most importantly being authentically you! Make sure to stick around til the end to hear his favorite portfolio tips!

Today's chat is a cozy one! Alyse Eisenberg, shares how she prioritized the NCIDQ and after a few years working in commercial design, she pivoted to opening Studio Alyse. Within this shift, she highlights the importance of local makers & artisans along with tips for making strong connections in the industry.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Stephanie Castillo! Owner & founder of Rumble Interiors based in Ellensburg, WA, Stephanie shares with us so many good tips & brings all the good energy! From what it was like to make the transition from being a hairdresser for 30 years to pivoting & getting her online degree in interior design, to what it is like running a business in a small town, how she infuses feng shui design into her process, and other tips to her success!

Today we are switching things up & chatting about something less design related but so crucial to your career as a designer, finances. Tanveer Dhody, a finance and investment professional, shares with us all his tips on how to build a solid financial foundation and investments 101! From tracking your spending, to knowing your credit score, signing up for your 401K, and starting small in the investment world. Even though designers typically aren't rollin the dough from day one, it is possible to grow a strong financial health & mindset from day one!

Katie shares with us her experience at Gensler and how she pivoted and became a workplace strategist! For her, it was always about the bigger picture of how the space can be a resource for companies success! Leaning on different networking groups, CoreNet for her, she then was exposed to the different facets and opportunities for designers on the real estate side!

An architect by training, Ciera is one of the most driven and multi passionate humans I know! Originally an Idaho native, we went to school together at @uidaho . Currently she is working at @boardandvellum in Seattle. She shares with us the value of having a passion project that fills you up on the side of your job, and how her passion of doing color hunts still flourishes in her ongoing @myownpantone passion project!

She is a huge hearted, hard worker, and interior designer who has been working in the commercial design industry in New York City and now LA for the last ten years.

She shares with us advice on how to connect with a mentor, be a mentor and build people up to pass it on and teach them how to do the same. Along with tips on getting promoted within your firm, asking questions and a whole bunch more.