The Chaise Lounge Podcast

XXIV International Architecture & Interior Design Exposition in Spain

In the world of porcelain, stone and ceramic wall & floor design, there are two key international exhibitions that take place every year - Cersaie in Bologna, Italy during the close of September and Cevisama in Valencia, Spain.

Earlier this year, The Chaise Lounge along with sponsor Porcelanosa visited the Spanish Group’s exhibition which ran concurrently with Cevisama.

The following shows recap some of the highlights of the tour with guests sharing their individual and collective experience from the trip, the inspiration for which was the Chaise Lounge’s social media competition #Let’sGoToSpain.

Jessie Clayton

Nick and Jessie Clayton get into the business discussions that permeated the trip, this for Jesse was invaluable and her favorite take away experience. Jesse took every advantage and opportunity to swap notes with her fellow designers from hiring more staff to branding. She also took advice from a previous episode of the show featuring companion traveler Kelli Ellis and changed her business name from Mod Barn Design to Jessie Clayton Designs.

Jessie won her spot on the trip as the outright winner of our #LetsGoToSpain social media contest. Leading up to the trip she discusses being slightly apprehensive because she’d not met any of her fellow travelers, but Jessie was primed to learn and ready to focus. She prepared for it as a business trip but was surprised how effortlessly the relationships developed in such a brief time. Jessie shares her compliments of the warm hospitality shown to the group by everyone she came in to contact with from Porcelanosa.

She describes the designs and products as trend forward and unique and her intent to introduce them to her projects. A note that will be a recurring theme is shared by Jessie – the overwhelming depth and breadth of the Porcelaonsa product assortment – not just tile!

Nick & Jessie also encourage listeners to visit their local Porcelanosa showroom, or get to know their representatives – and take every opportunity that could lead to joining a future trip with the company to Spain.

The City of Art and Sciences

Lina Goldberg

Lina Goldberg of HBG Design, formerly known as Hnedak Bobo and one of the top 10 leading companies in the hospitality design arena, called Nick from Memphis, Tennessee - the home of Elvis Presley. Her firm recently completed the 450 room Guest House at Graceland® Resort and is currently working on multiple construction projects. Nick wanted his listeners to get to know Lina, so they delve into her history and interests. She grew up in Indianapolis and her favorite vacation spot is Venice, Italy for its unique culture and history.

Lina was first interested in interior design when she was a kid flipping through her mom’s Architectural Digest magazines. When she was 10 years old, she said that she was going to be an architect when she grew up. Lina double majored in Architecture and Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati, where she decided she wanted to focus on interiors. On the weekends, Nina likes to spend time with her three-year-old son.

HBG Design specializes in gaming resorts, hotels, restaurants, casinos, entertainment venues, and event centers all over the country. In a company of over 100 employees with 20 designers, Lina is one of the lead Interior Designers. Lina’s favorite role is the early concept work of a project. The company doesn’t usually work on branded hotel properties and this affords Lina the freedom to make each assignment unique without the constraints of brand standards.

Before attending the Porcelanosa trip to Spain, Lina mainly knew Porcelanosa as a tile fabricator and supplier. Yet, while on the trip, she learned about the many different products that Porcelanosa creates. The exhibition experience that stood out the most to Lina was learning how tile is...

#IwannagotoSpain with Eloy and Nina

XXIV International Architecture & Interior Design Exposition in Spain

In the world of porcelain, stone and ceramic wall & floor design, there are two key international exhibitions that take place every year - Cersaie in Bologna, Italy during the close of September and Cevisama in Valencia, Spain.

Earlier this year, The Chaise Lounge along with sponsor Porcelanosa visited the Spanish Group’s exhibition which ran concurrently with Cevisama.

The following shows recap some of the highlights of the tour with guests sharing their individual and collective experience from the trip, the inspiration for which was the Chaise Lounge’s social media competition #Let’sGoToSpain.

Eloy Selles

Eloy Selles is the General Manager of the West Coast of the United States for Porcelanosa. A native of Madrid, he can now be found in the company’s Southern California offices.

Eloy Selles and Nick discuss the itinerary that sees guests take in three major cities and eight factories over a whirlwind five day period, where the emphasis plays to enjoying all that Spain has to offer in culture, hospitality, gastronomy and of course, great design. Some of Porcelanosa’s newest product launches that were displayed on the trip included Tono by Foster + Partners, Vitae by Zaha Hadid, K-LIFE by KRION®, and the Seedwood collection by VENIS. It is clear that Eloy Selles could not be happier or more proud than when he’s hosting clients and guests in his homeland. The experience of touring the most modern High-Tec manufacturing facilities and artistically designed showrooms leaves visitors with lasting memories and inspiration.

Nick recounts some of the highlights which included Santiago Calatrava’s modern City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, the work of Antoni Gaudí’ in Barcelona – from La SagradaFamília to Park Güell – and the countless restaurants and boutique hotels enjoyed along the way.

Above: from left: Tomas Palomar: Porcelanosa International Division, Nick May: The Chaise Lounge, Nina Magon: Contour Interior Design, Pratibha Naware: Marriott International, Maria Jose Soriano: President of Porcelanosa Group, Kelli Ellis: Kelli Ellis Interior Design, Andrew Pennington: Porcelanosa USA, Lina Goldberg: HBG Design, Jessie Clayton: Jessie Clayton Designs

Nina Magon

Nina is the Principal of Contour Interior Design and was familiar with Porcelanosa before the trip but was not aware of the extent of the company’s offering beyond tile. Nina chats with Nick about the value she gained from the experience, the sincerity of the customer service and absolute absence of any agenda to overtly promote product to the group at any point.

Nina enjoyed everything on the trip during the group’s hectic days together. One outstanding memory was the timely coincidence of joining the crowds in Valencia during the Las Fallas Festival. Enroute to Madrid the group had just finished touring the last factory in time to witness daytime fireworks with what seemed to be a million people celebrating Valencian culture in the center of the city in the early afternoon. Nina’s undoubted opinion is that anybody who has the opportunity to join a Porcelanosa design trip to Spain is blessed, high praise indeed from a former guest on The Chaise Lounge.

Currently, Nina and Contour Interior Design are working on a multitude of projects - including the owner suites at Minute Maid Park for the Houston Astros, a medical center and a 42,000 sq. ft. office building.

Nina was also chosen as a blogger for the 2017 High Point Market to talk about her favorite products as a trend spotter for the new season. Her blog, Live Stylish Daily was awarded Best New Design Blog during the National Design Bloggers Conference in Atlanta and she’ll join Nick on the Chaise Lounge High Point panel Hospitality Insiders Share All: What it Takes to be a Designer in the Hospitality Sector.

Mark Zeff: Interior Design Hall of Fame

Today in The Lounge, Nick interviews Mark Zeff, a recently inducted member of the Interior Designers Hall of Fame. Mark tells us how he got started in interior design and how moving to New York was the best business decision he’s ever made. Find out on the episode how he has created a full-service firm, from branding all the way to designing fabrics.  

Getting to Know Mark

Mark was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved to Cape Town at the age of five. He attended University in London and moved to Australia after finishing school. Soon after, Mark decided that New York is where he really wanted to be. His favorite vacation spot is Bay Beach in the Hamptons and this is where the inspiration for his New York shop came from. When Mark is asked beer, wine or cocktail, he responds “definitely a cocktail.”

How Mark Got His Start

Mark first became interested in interior design when he attended an industrial design school in Johannesburg. He soon found that interior design wasn’t enough, he wanted to be an architect. Mark loved art and machinery so architecture was the perfect career to marry the two together. He landed a job at a firm in Sydney but New York seemed like the place to be in the 80s. So, Mark took off to NY in 1982 to have a little fun. Three weeks later he was out of money, called Ken Walker up on a whim and got a job with him the following week. Ken Walker worked with some of the largest retailers in the industry such as Bloomingdales and Macy's and the firm had 300 people working for it. Mark’s first big project was with designing a toy store. Later he was invited to work with Ken’s product development team. After 2 and a half years with Ken, Mark went to work for Robert Gerson, whose firm specialized in industrial design. With Robert, Mark worked on the control center at NASA as well as on the machines. While working there he met some people who asked him to design their fashion showrooms. That’s when Mark left to start his own firm in the late 1980s.  

       

The Business Today

Mark runs his business from Dumbo, ‘Down Under theManhattan Bridge Overpass,” in New York. He fell in love with the interior of this 1920s building and converted it into his studio and store. Over the years Mark’s firm has had various employees, but now he staffs only about 25-30 people with backgrounds in branding, interior design, and architecture. They work all over in the industry including on homes, restaurants, condos, spas, rental units, townhomes, and apartments. Mark loves working all over and having a small firm. They do about 20 projects a year and some projects can last between eight months to three years. Branding is one of Mark’s passions. At fourteen he wanted to be a graphic designer so he looks at the world through a graphic eye. Mark runs a business that services everything you need designing furniture to fabrics and wallpaper. He uses branding as a huge tool in his business.

When Mark first started his firm he began by doing residential projects. The jobs he got were from people he met in nightclubs. His first big job was with Ann Baton, who came from a wealthy family and hung out with Andy Warhol. His transition to commercial design was by opening up a furniture store, that was similar to Design Within Reach. He imported furniture from Germany and Italy and also started designing his own furniture collection. A hotel business took notice and wanted to partner up with him. Mark’s first restaurant was the Red Cat on 23rd street. Later he worked on the Night Hotel, which really put him the map as a commercial designer. No else had done this kind of project before and to this day it is still called the sexiest hotel in New York City.

Mark opened a store in the 90s called Zeff Style but closed it after 9/11. He knew he wanted to open up another store again, so he gave a try in Brooklyn.

3D Rendering and Social Media

Today in The Lounge, we are joined by Carla Espino, project manager of the 3D Rendering Department for Porcelanosa and Natalie Reddell, Commander In Chic. Nick and Carla discuss the process of having a 3D rendering made from Porcelanosa. Nick and Natalie talk about her start in interior design and how she got her nickname. They both let us know what they will be doing at High Point Market.

Getting to Know Carla

Carla works in New Jersey at Porcelanosa’s corporate headquarters. She works with everyone, from retailers, designers, to contractors. Carla went to school for Architecture in the Dominican Republic. She has worked for Porcelanosa for two and a half years.

Porcelanosa’s FREE 3D Rendering Services

3D renderings are a complimentary service Porcelanosa offers to customers to visualize what a project will look like before it’s completed. Their products include cabinetry, plumbing fixtures, bathroom furniture, ceramic tile and flooring. Walk-in clients can go to the showroom and sit down with a design consultant who will talk them through products, materials, and finishes. It can be hard to visualize what a room is going to look like once everything is chosen, so a rendering is put together a with a few different options, such as vanities or countertop finishes. This helps the client make up their mind about what they want their space to look like. If you’re a designer, an architect, or anyone with a client, you simply send Porcelanosa your floor plan, elevations, and finishes, and they will send the rendering back to you and your client. It’s as simple as that.

Nick’s OWN 2D Rendering Designs

Nick sent in the floor plan and dimensions for his Master Bathroom and Porcelanosa sent back two potential designs to remodeled his bathroom with Porcelanosa products. Check them out below!!

BEFORE:

AFTER!!!!!!!!!! <---

Getting to Know Natalie

Natalie Reddell is the owner of Commander in Chic. Her favorite fashion accessory is handbags: if it’s sparkly she loves it! Natalie’s favorite room in her home is her dining room because her walls are Greece-ocean blue. Natalie loves decorating for her guests. She is from central Florida and now lives in Virginia. When asked beer, wine, or cocktail, she doesn’t drink so she prefers diet coke.

Natalie first got into interior design when she started remodeling her dollhouse at the age of four. She even used toothpaste caps as lampshades. She was also fascinated with psychology as a kid so she went to school with the intent of getting a psych degree, yet always found herself in design stores. Natalie is glad she studied psychology first because a huge part of design is taking mental care of your clients. She puts her heart into her designs and her clients love that. Natalie received her interior design degree at Florida State and did a Parson’s program in Paris for a semester. She works for herself and loves designing entire homes.

Commander In Chic

Commander In Chic came about as Natalie started reviewing products she’d bought on her  Instagram account, which gained a following. She got the name from a nail polish that she loves.  Her friend convinced her to start a blog and Natalie began using the hashtag #CommanderInChic. The rest is history: it’s been her brand ever since and she’s even trademarked it! It’s always the first hashtag she uses, so you could say it’s her signature too. Natalie loves hashtags so much that she bought a hashtag which appears in her posts quite often. It was rusty at first but she spray painted gold and put sequences on it. This is how her hashtag, #thegoldenhashtag, got its start.

The Business Today

Natalie has two businesses: her interior design business and her golden hashtag business. She currently has about ten products, works on vacation homes and mostly does residential projects.

High Point Fall 2017 Market Preview

Today in The Lounge, we are talking all about High Point! Janine Wagers is the Creative Director and Showroom Designer of the Universal Furniture Showroom in High Point, North Carolina. She joins us to discuss the best ways to prepare for Market. Lisa Kahn of Lisa Kahn Designs is the keynote speaker for Gail Doby’s Interior Design Summit and gives us an inside look on what she will be speaking about. As always, connect with us on our website, iTunes, Stitcher, Facebook and Instagram @thechaiselounge.

Nick has been on a mission to uncover how the 3D Rendering software at Porcelanosa works. He measured his bathroom and sent in pictures to Porcelanosa to design 2 different remodel prototypes, and the process only has a two day turn around! On the next episode, we will share an interview with Carla Espino to learn more about how this product works. Additionally, we will include the BIG REVEAL of Nick’s bathroom BEFORE and AFTER. Utilize this free service by going to Porcelanosa's website or by visiting your local showroom. 

During High Point, Nick will be moderating a panel, Passion Sucks. It’s All About the Money!, at the Universal showroom, Saturday the 14th at 11:00 am. All of the designers Nick has spoken to are passionate about interior design, but that’s not what makes it or breaks it for them. So Nick will be asking Nina Magon of Contour Interior Design, Steven Favreau of Favreau Design, Kellie Ellis of Kelli Ellis Interior Design and Chad James of the Chad James Group: What does it really take to become successful? To RSVP and for a FULL list of The Chaise Lounge High Point Market events, visit our events page. 

Meet Janine

Janine Wagers joins Nick from High Point, North Carolina, furniture capital of the world. Her work as Create Directive and Showroom Designer concentrates on displaying Universal Furniture's products within the showroom in new and interesting ways. 

Market? WHAT DO I DO?

Here's Janine's advice: As a designer, you have to figure out what you would like to accomplish at Market. Ask yourself, What are you here to see? What vendors would you like to visit? Are you buying furniture? Are you buying accessories? Are you here to establish new relationships with vendors? Or are you meeting with your existing vendors? Maybe you've never been to Market and are just here to grasp, what is High Point? (It's like regional markets....but on steroids). Think about what price points you want to look at and what styles. Anyone and everyone furniture connected is going to show at High Point SO you need to plan and narrow it down to what you want to focus on. There is no way you can make it to every showroom in 5 days, that's 11.5 million square feet of showrooms!

High Point Market's website has a full list of exhibitors so Janine says that you definitely want to prepare beforehand, look them up, and see which products fit into your style and price categories. You also want to target specific areas at Market, if one of your vendors is in an area, it's likely similar vendors will be there too. Get your geography down! Market is very spread out. Nick Janine advise to make a list of the vendors you want to see, so you can plan each day accordingly by location.

It's also important to know that there are accessory vendors that are preset (you go in and buy it like it is), but there are also places you can buy samples or one-of-a-kind pieces! You might want to take a day to just visit accessory companies EARLY ON and pick up samples or one-of-a-kind pieces, as those go quickly. It's always fun to have a treasure to bring back to a customer. You get to tell them that you located it in High Point and it's the only one of its kind. You'll have a good story to help you sell a piece or to let someone know you picked it out special for them.

The Universal Showroom

Las Vegas Market Live: Christopher Kennedy

Today in The Lounge, Nick talks with Christopher Kennedy LIVE from the Las Vegas Market in the Zuo Decor Showroom. Christopher and Nick discuss Christopher's interior design past, how he runs his business with a team of four and advice for aspiring interior designers.

Getting to know Christopher

Christopher’s dream car is a Range Rover but right now he drives a Mini Cooper. His favorite color is green and his favorite fashion accessory is shoes. He also loves pocket squares. When he’s asked “Beer, wine, or cocktail?” Christopher responds with “a vodka soda.” Some of his favorite vacation spots are Jamaica, Aspen, Breckenridge, Hawaii and Puerto Vallarta. His favorite book he’s read in the last year is, The Magic and The Secret. Christopher’s dad gave him a lot of books before he passed away which he enjoys very much because it makes him feel like his dad is still with him. Christopher has recently launched a new art collection with Wendover Art Group which includes photography, paintings, collages and mixed media.

How Christopher Got His Start

Christopher wanted to be an Architect ever since he was about six or seven years old. His dad gave him his first book on Frank Lloyd Wright when he was about eight or nine. He was always drawing floor plans and elevations. Christopher went to school for a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture but about three years in, he realized it wasn’t exactly what he wanted to do. So he became a Disney Imagineer but, that didn’t work out either… After Christopher graduated, he was a stockbroker. He did that for a few years but wasn’t passionate about it either. So finally, in 2005 he moved to Palm Springs and reinvented himself. He went back to his roots in design and architecture.

Christopher grew up in San Francisco with his dad but later moved in with his mom who married a rocket scientist. They were transferred to Littleton, Colorado. Christopher still spent summers with his dad. Christopher received his first interior design job as an assistant to a project manager for Steve Chase Associates. While working for them he also worked a few side jobs and after nine months he believed he knew everything he needed to know to run his own business (at 28 years old). Thus, Christopher Kennedy Inc. was born. Although Christopher thought he knew everything back then, he says he’s still learning as he runs his business today.

The Business Today

Christopher Kennedy Inc only has four associates: himself, his husband David, his office coordinator Rosemary, and Joann who runs the retail division. He does have some part-time workers too. His retail location was added to the business three years ago. With it came added stress and extra expenses to Christopher’s life. On the other hand, the store attracted clients and made him more approachable. When the store first opened he stocked it with more of a couture collection, but now, he now focuses on design styles and affordable pieces. The store focuses all the little things people don’t realize that they need until they own a home. Christopher also has his own furniture line. He does about 80% of his projects in Palm Springs but also recently completed a job in Jamaica. His design aesthetic focuses more on a contemporary style with a twist of mid-century modern.

Christopher’s second book, Making Midcentury Modern was released in February 2017. It has 100 tips on how to bring style and ethos into your life. He was approached by a publisher who wanted a book on Midcentury Design. Writing a book did take time away from his clients, as well as money away from him that he could have been earning, but he’s proud to have his book published.

As far as marketing goes, Christopher receives clients mainly through referrals. Contrary to what you might think, his fame may have has cost him clients because people have told him they thought he was too bus...

Las Vegas Market Live: Kelli Ellis

Today in The Lounge, Kelli Ellis joins Nick LIVE in Las Vegas at the Norwalk Lounge. Kelli discusses how she was constantly being called a rockstar SO she took it ran and now being a rock star is her brand! Kelli tells us about the projects she’s currently working on and gives advice on how to brand yourself. Kelli and Nick also talk about their time together in Spain earlier this year and how Nick got started with The Chaise Lounge Podcast.

Getting to Know Kelli

Kelli is from Las Vegas, Nevada. Kelli’s hair used to be brown, but in high school, it started changing to silver and white so, she decided to embrace the look. Now she is known for her iconic white hair, as well as having a pair of glasses and wearing bold red lipstick. Her favorite fashion accessory is the wrist cuff, like Wonder Woman, (as it's her favorite movie).  When asked beer, wine, or cocktail, she chooses a cocktail... any cocktail with vodka. Kelli lives in Vegas, but does work in Orange County where she grew up, and where her dad was mayor. She loves Iris Apfel. Kelli’s guilty pleasure is that she’d rather pick up a fashion magazine before an interior design one. 

What's New?

Kelli debuted a small art collection for Leftbank Art last year. Drawing has been a passion of hers since she was a little girl: she would draw all over the walls and anything she could get her hands on (including her dad’s law school notebooks). Kelli originally went to law school like her father, though the transition to design came about because she often decorated her friend’s and family’s homes in college. Thus, she decided to switch paths and go to the Interior Design Institute in Newport Beach, California. Her very first client now lives two blocks from her and Kelli apologizes constantly for the okay job she did fresh out of design school.

Kelli tries not to plan what is coming next but she does set goals for herself. She likes to live her career day by day and hopes to have a tv show where she can talk about design and travel the world while doing it. To get to where she is, Kelli has listened to her gut a lot!

Kelli has been working on some tv projects for HGTV on House Hunters Renovation. She is also currently working on two hotels, one located in Colorado Springs and another in Bend, Oregon. She has a fabric line as well as a lighting line that is coming soon! So be on the lookout. She's scheduled to speak at Maison & Objet, in Paris AND to add to it all, Kelli is also working on some commissioned art pieces for Leftbank.

The Business Today

Kelli only has a staff of one, which is her assistant. She is able to manage her business this way because she is very good at time management and is diligent about her calendar. Kelli and her team only check their email twice a day; she believes that taking a breather from work and not overdoing it is one best things you can do for yourself and your business. She even set up an autoresponder informing anyone who emails her that she is not available and will get back to them as soon as she can.

Kelli is a designer who is not afraid to say no to new clients, because she knows that she will not have the necessary amount of time to give them right away, so, she puts new clients off for about six months. She finds this to be a good strategy for her and her prospective clients, as it gives them a chance to wait for her services, really think about what they want, and research her better. Kelli books herself full. Right now, she has three new construction projects, two hotels, tv work, licensing, and traveling time she's planning. Kelli doesn’t waste any time, even before the podcast she was picking out Kravet fabrics for a client!

Kelli is EVERYWHERE and she does it all without a PR agency. She handles everything herself. If you see a picture of Kelli out there it is because that picture speaks to her brand ...

Las Vegas Market Live: Dann Foley

Today in The Lounge, Nick talks with Dann Foley LIVE from the Phillips Collection Showroom at Las Vegas Market. Dann talks about how interior design entered his life as a kid, about how he runs his business with a staff of three, and he gives YOU advice for a successful life and career.

Getting to Know Dann

Dann’s favorite fashion accessory is a blazer, he wears them all the time, even while living in the desert. His favorite vacation spot is Paris, which he calls his other home. To quote Audrey Hepburn, “Paris is always a good idea.” Dann has more than one room that he wouldn’t put on Instagram because he prefers his privacy... he doesn’t put any interior pictures of his home up on social media. When asked beer, wine, or cocktail, Dann chooses "none" because he doesn’t drink and he never has. Dann only drinks water: living in Palm Springs, where this summer the temperature reached 122 degrees, you simply can not leave the house without a bottle of water. Drinking water all the time is also really good for the skin.

Dann is gone for at least part of every month, traveling about 45% of the year. His favorite place to travel for business is Vegas Market because there is always something to do. When traveling, he can’t be without his shoes. Even though Dann has accomplished a lot in interior design, he believes that there are still more plateaus to climb and always more to do and learn.

How Dann Started in Interior Design

Dann has always had an interest in interior design. His mom loves to tell the story that when he was a kid, his parents were afraid to go out to dinner because he would always rearrange the furniture when they left the house. As a result, his parents made sure he went to design school and got his degree. Dann went to Drexel University in Philadelphia. The idea of design school there is:' if you don’t have good taste, we can’t teach it to you.' They show you everything you need to know in order to work as a professional in the industry. At Drexel, he went to school year-around and worked in the industry for a paid position. Dann was given an interview for this job through their placement office. He worked at the design firm while in school and when he graduated he was offered a job there, but turned it down to pursue his own business.

Dann has always looked really young. When he graduated from his university he met up with some clients, the builder and the general contractor, walked into the meeting and everyone’s jaws dropped. He looked too young to be the designer. His very first client was a friend of his parents whom he worked with while he was still in school to get extra credit for his degree. Dann's first client outside of school was a developer, who built resorts. 

The Business Today

Dann’s firm is called Dann Inc., they are primarily an interior design firm, though today he would call Dann Inc. a lifestyle design business. Over the years, when you get involved in doing someone’s home, clients love having the full experience. Dann Inc. delivers a very personal touch, they weren’t just giving people rooms, they were giving them a whole new life. Dann has never just done a single room for a client because afterward, the client will want their entire home done, right down to their closet and the wardrobe. Dann Inc. will even plan the parties to show off the client’s new home, from designing the invitations to doing the catering menus and wardrobes. 

Dann launched his own product line, Dann Foley Lifestyle, about four years ago. It coincided with the NBC’s premiere of American Dream Builders, hosted by Nate Berkus. Dann’s first product launch was with Phillips Collection. He has a brand new collection being launched at High Point this October. His products are about people being able to take his pieces and layer them with your own pieces of art.

Las Vegas Market LIVE: Barrie Livingstone

On this episode of The Lounge, Nick joins us LIVE from Las Vegas Market at Zuo Modern's Tiki Bar with designer Barrie Livingstone. Barrie designs high-end million dollar homes and he LOVES his job: he was born to do it. On the episode, Barrie tells us stories about some of his celebrity clients, as well as about past projects he worked on around the world.

Getting to Know Barrie

When Barrie is asked beer, wine or, cocktail it’s always a cocktail; usually a clear drink like vodka or tequila. Originally from Manchester, England Barrie moved to Miami as a teenager at 14 years old. His career started in Miami Beach however he now lives in Malibu, California. Barrie also previously lived in Malaysia and Dubai for two years. He has been to 51 countries and 37 states and he always counts where he goes. Barrie loves to go back to the same places and finds himself a lot in the Caribbean, South America, and Italy. Capri & Amalfi are his favorite cities in Italy. Barrie's favorite fashion accessories are shoes and socks. The most recent movie he’s seen is Best Friends with Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn.

Barrie’s favorite celebrity he has worked for is Dwayne Johnson, who he met in first class on a plane over Thanksgiving in Fort Lauderdale. After that, Barrie ended up designing his home. Barrie says that one of the best places to network and meet clients is in first class on a plane and this is where he’s met several of his clients.

How Barrie got into Interior Design

If you go to Barrie's website it says “Barrie Livingstone since 1968” because he really feels like design is something he was born to do. As a child, he was obsessed with how people lived in Old English Manor houses with smaller furniture, smaller door heights, and smaller everything. Barrie thought he wanted to be an actor but instead, he acts out his fantasies with his clients doing interior design. He attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and got a four-year degree while he was working full-time. Barrie started working in January 1987 and his first day of school was in April 1987. This year he’s celebrating his 30th anniversary of doing Interior Design. Barrie's first job outside of school was for a gentlemen in Parkland, Florida who owned those 1-900 and 976 "naughty" numbers back in the 80s.

After 7 years in Fort Lauderdale with the South Beach Design Group, Barrie realized he wanted to do bigger things out west and left for California. His dream was always to do television and movie star homes. One of his friends from design school worked on Versace’s house and then started working on Cher’s house, a 16,000 square foot home. Barrie went to visit the home and little did he know 6 months later he would be working on Cher's house too, his first client in LA. He spent 8 months working on the home with 85 other people but working with Cher was easy, as she was very particular and knew exactly what she wanted. Barrie tells us that when working with a celebrity you feel very empowered because you’re at the beck and call of this powerful person.

The Business Today

One of Barrie's current projects is for a friend who just bought a 9 million dollar home. Barrie also just got back from Panama working on a big project. He can’t say much about because he signed a non-disclosure agreement, but his work will be a global television project coming soon.

When Barrie was in High Point being interviewed for the "Ask a Designer" show with The Design Network, one of the questions he was asked was, 'What is the craziest thing a client has asked for?' This didn't happen to him but to his assistant. Barrie was designing a penthouse for a client who happened to be gay and wanted a giant four post bed. There was some kind of material that needed to be dropped off at the house and Barrie told his assistant, fresh out of school, 22 years old, to do it.

Cheryl Durst: From School Teacher to CEO of IIDA

Today in The Lounge, we have a special guest. She's not a designer... but she is one of the biggest movers and shakers in the interior design world. Welcome Cheryl Durst: savior and CEO of IIDA. Find out how Cheryl went from school teacher to CEO and how she saved The International Interior Design Association (IIDA).

Changing the Furniture Manufacturing World One Hinge at a Time

Benchmade Modern is trying to disrupt the furniture manufacturing world by providing quality furniture at a reasonable price. Not only quality furniture but CUSTOM products at regular prices as well! Whether a customer comes to the interior designer to use the designer discount code or goes straight to Benchmade modern themselves, their services are available!

Learn more about Benchmade Modern and their Trade Program at www.benchmademodern.com

Getting to Know Cheryl

Cheryl joins us from Chicago but she's usually on the road traveling about 35-40 weeks a year. Cheryl grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and went to school at Boston University for Journalism and Economics with a minor in Art History. After Cheryl graduated she moved to Washington, DC where she became a substitute teacher. One of the parents of her students liked the way she managed her class, as well as her level of enthusiasm, and asked if she ever thought about a career in sales. Bada bing bada boom, he hired her at Westinghouse Furniture Systems where she wrote product literature and worked as the showroom manager. Cheryl became very involved in the commercial side of design. Afterward, she was whisked away to work in marketing at the Washington Design Center. Interior design legislation was coming to the forefront in DC and Maryland so Cheryl was in charge of putting together curriculum and continuing education courses to satisfy those jurisdictions and requirements for designers. Later she was transferred to Chicago with her husband who worked for the Merchandise Mart as a trade show specialist. By now they had their first child, so Cheryl decided she could take a part-time job with two-year-old IIDA. She was hired to be the Director of Education and little did she know, 3 years later Cheryl would be CEO.

This is Cheryl's 20th year with IIDA and her 17th as CEO. Her quick transition to CEO was brought about because of financial issues with the organization. The Board of Directors came to Cheryl and asked if  she wanted to step into "fix it." They needed a complete financial turnaround, IIDA was essentially bankrupt and was going to cease to exist. So Cheryl worked to make big changes like instituting an annual audit - nothing sexy at all- but all necessary to build sound infrastructure for an organization. Cheryl had always intended to go back to school for her MBA but ended up having on the job training for a real-life MBA AND she did ALL OF THIS while she was months PREGNANT.

IIDA's Mission

IIDA is a professional membership organization that has created an international network to connect members worldwide and most importantly, advance the profession of interior design. IIDA connects and creates a community to educate designers about the incredibly complex profession. Cheryl says that interior design is growing evolutionary leaps and bounds, as humans demand so much from the spaces we inhabit: from hospital rooms to homes, to hotel rooms. The people who create those spaces should be and be seen as utmost professionals. When it comes to creating a physical space there are so many choices: Do you use an architect, a contractor, a decorator, or an interior designer?

IIDA promotes the profession of interior design by talking about its value. Interior Designers have the challenge of explaining their value to clients. Cheryl relays that we live in a world that loves design, without being able to articulate the value that design brings.