Today in The Lounge, Nick chats with Alene Workman, president of Alene Workman Interior Design and Vicente Wolf of Vicente Wolf Associates, ground up leading designers in the industry. Nick talks about the wonder of the Datacolor ColorReader with Vicente and the art of interior design with Alene. Get to Know Alene Workman Though she left for...

Today in The Lounge, Nick chats with Phyllis Harbinger from Harbinger Design Consulting. The two get down to business about competition in the digital world with Phyllis.

Today, Nick is live from the 2018 Las Vegas Market talking exterior design with a panel including Waynette Goodson, Editor in Chief of Casual Living and Exterior Design, Kelli Ellis, Shay Geyer, and Shayla Copas. Get to know these incredible designers while learning why outdoor living is so important and exciting.

Live From Las Vegas: Outdoor Living

Today, Nick is live from the 2018 Las Vegas Market talking exterior design with a panel including Wyanette Goodson, Editor in Chief of Casual Living and Exterior Design, Kelli Ellis, Shay Geyer, and Shayla Copas. Get to know these incredible designers while learning why outdoor living is so important and exciting.

Purpose

When beginning to plan an outdoor space, consider it as another room in the home, and learn what it will be used for. How many people and children are there in the house? Does your client need an outdoor kitchen or like to barbecue? If the space is meant for relaxation, rather than entertainment, the area will be very different. Depending on the theme, the landscape design needs to align. Think about the garden, shrubs, and trees existing, or consider making changes.

Additionally, if there is a brick wall or neighbors close by, you’ve got to find ways to cloak them tastefully. Your job is to make your client's backyard into a sanctuary!

Open Spaces

Think of the outdoor living space as an extension of the interior. The two need to flow together cohesively and work together to make a home. Today, sliding doors are popular to expand the home to outside. Opening to the exterior with large glass windows and doors expands the house and offers more square footage to play with. Based on the climate of the home’s location, find what makes sense. This additional room changes a home dramatically when taken advantage of.

Mother Nature

Outdoor fabrics, weather, animals, landscaping -- how do these things fit together? Depending on your location, all of these things come into play when choosing pieces. Heat, air pollution and dry weather take a toll on what you keep outdoors. Countertops can yellow, patterns will fade, and animals will gnaw at furniture. Keeping everything maintained and cleaned is essential for the space to stay pristine. Educate the client on why it is worth spending money to keep animals away and on storage and cleaning. Be sure the client knows they need to maintain the space!

Wisdom From the Panel

“Your number one client is Mother Nature, and Mother Nature always wins.”

-Waynette Goodson

The Chaise Lounge Podcast Updates

We’ve been nominated for the International Podcast Awards in the People’s Choice and Business Categories! If you’ve voted for us, you may be nominated to cast a final vote. Stay tuned — voting ends September 15th.

Resources

Click here to see what our sponsors can do for you.

Upcoming Events

High Point Market – October 13 – 17

BDNY  – Nov 11 – 12

Wrap Up

If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes or on our website at TheChaiseLoungePodcast.com. Lastly, find The Chaise Lounge on Instagram, Facebook, andTwitter or post a review on iTunes, and you may even hear your review read live on our next podcast. Keep dreaming big and keep designing a great design business. See ya!

Welcome back! Today in The Lounge we’ve got another special episode recorded from Las Vegas Market at SunPan Modern Home: “Your Style, Your Brand,” a live forum on cultivating and how that plays into your success as a designer! For this discussion, Nick got together with designers Shayla Copas and Kelli Ellis as well as Aaron Perkins, an image consultant at Face Your Day Salon, and photographer Kristen Mayfield.

Today, Nick is live from the 2018 Las Vegas Market in an all-star panel with Julia Buckingham, Angela Pickens, Joshua Rose and Rafael Kalichstein, Kelli Ellis and Katherine Kalen of Sunpan. Get to know these incredible designers and marketers while learning just why collaboration can be so valuable during this IFDA DesignEDGE panel: “From Creation to Consumer.”

"Your Style, Your Brand" Live in Vegas

Welcome back! Today in The Lounge we've got another special episode recorded from Las Vegas Market: "Your Style, Your Brand," a live forum on cultivating and how that plays into your success as a designer! For this discussion, Nick got together with designers Shayla Copas and Kelli Ellis as well as Aaron Perkins, an image consultant at Face Your Day Salon, and photographer Kristen Mayfield.

Image matters, and Kristen and Aaron give great tips for head shots and image cultivation. Do background research on your photographer or image consultant to make sure that they look professional and have a style that fits yours. Head shots are really important. Kristen says it's a safe bet to go for a classic and professional look.

Be Recognizable, Get Recognized.

Kelli talks about the transition from her old to new look, and how that look became a brand on HGTV. She says that no one would remember what she looked like until she chopped her long, brown hair off and donned the glasses and red lipstick. The lesson: look recognizable, and be recognized. Then you're one step closer to working with other designers, clients, manufacturers and brands. Shayla’s done so as well with her “Southern glam” look. “If it flairs, I’m in it,” she says --  she’s all about pearls and vivid colors. You can't miss her at market!

And a bit of digital marketing: the minute you have a social media profile, you are marketing not only your business but yourself! Get yourself out there, and make sure that people have an image that comes to mind when they think of you. All of your social media content must be “on brand,” reflecting who you are and what makes you tick. If you’re struggling to find a brand, ask other people! Your friends and family know what makes you authentic, and they can help you communicate that to others.

More advice:

Take head shots at least once a year.

Don’t cheat with Photoshop. Make your photos look like you!

Style tips from Aaron: wear clothes that fit. Don’t be afraid to layer, and don’t be afraid of color

The Chaise Lounge Podcast Updates

We've been nominated for the International Podcast Awards in the People's Choice and Business Categories! If you've voted for us, you may be nominated to cast a final vote for us. Stay tuned -- voting ends September 15th.

Resources

Click here to see what our sponsors can do for you.

Upcoming Events

High Point Market – October 13 – 17

BDNY  – Nov 11 – 12

Wrap Up

If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes or on our website at TheChaiseLoungePodcast.com. Lastly, find The Chaise Lounge on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter or post a review on iTunes, and you may even hear your review read live on our next podcast. Keep dreaming big and keep designing a great design business. See ya!

Live from Las Vegas Market: Collaborating in the Industry

Today, Nick is live from the 2018 Las Vegas Market in an all-star panel with Julia Buckingham, Angela Pickens, Joshua Rose and Rafael Kalichstein, Kelli Ellis and Katherine Kalen of Sunpan. Get to know these incredible designers and marketers while learning just why collaboration can be so valuable.

The Image

Juggling all the moving parts while owning a business is difficult, so finding merchants to work with is helpful to your overall process. Know or find merchants that align with your image that you’ll be able to create a relationship with. Find a group that will fit with your brand that you will be able to contribute to. While designing, you want to make something innovative that will stand out. Though you want to bring new ideas, be sure to keep consistent with your brand and that of your contributor.

The Relationship

Say you start a relationship with a brand. You've always bought their products -- but now, you're a creator. You now have the opportunity to bring a creative vision to life. You must understand each other’s brand and your general goals. Become ingrained with the company you are working with, and have them know you. Much of the process is about making relationships flourish, which means being creative and constructive.

Beyond Designing: Marketing, Licensing and Trademarking

Beyond the product, you must be ready to take on roles outside of designing. It is vital that you be able to market yourself for what you can do and how you will do it. Developing the idea is only one step of the whole process. Licensing and trademarking come into play and you have to be knowledgeable about the procedures and be ready to take on more than only creative tasks.

Wisdom From This Week's Episode

“At the end of the day you get refined ideas because you have two people coming together.”

-Joshua Rose on collaboration.

The Chaise Lounge Podcast Updates

We're gearing up for High Point Market fall 2018. Stay in the loop on our Instagram and Facebook pages.

The Student Lounge is up and running! Visit us to hear podcast episodes produced for students, by students.

Resources

Click here to see what our sponsors can do for you.

Upcoming Events

High Point Market – October 13 – 17

BDNY  – Nov 11 – 12

Wrap Up

If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes or on our website at TheChaiseLoungePodcast.com. Lastly, find The Chaise Lounge on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter or post a review on iTunes, and you may even hear your review read live on our next podcast. Keep dreaming big and keep designing a great design business. See ya!

Welcome! Today in The Lounge, Nick sits down with Roger Thomas of The Roger Thomas Collection. Roger is an incredibly interesting designer to listen to and an artist with a diverse background in fine art.

Today in The Lounge, Nick chats with Cecilia “Keki” Cannon of Cecilia Cannon Staging & Interiors. Cecilia tells us how she got started in interior design and the staging business, and how blogging was a marketing catalyst for her interiors business. Find out on the episode how she strengthens her business through her blog, “Home with Keki."