The Chaise Lounge Podcast

Industry: Productivity Hacks & Personal Branding

On this episode of The Lounge, Nick chats with industry experts Phyllis Harbinger and Farah Merhi. Phyllis shares her tested and approved productivity hacks and Farah jumps in on building your personal brand.

Productivity hacks with Phyllis Harbinger

Phyllis’s year is off to a great start and some this can be attributed to changes she has made personally to help her be more productive. Here are Phyllis’s productivity hacks:

Work out in the morning: Working out in the morning gives you a jump start on the day to be more productive and have more willpower. Often, it is hard to motivate yourself to exercise after a day of work. It may hard to get this practice put in place, but you may find more success by making small adjustments and changes over time, which can include going to bed earlier. Phyllis and Nick also stay in hotels with gyms, so there is no excuse to miss a workout, even when traveling.

First thing, scan your email, but don’t get sucked in: It’s easy to spend hours or even days putting out fires in your inbox and not get any “real work” done. Phyllis recommends scanning your inbox in the morning as well as using rules and filters to help prioritize your actions for the rest of the day. It can also be helpful to turn off email notifications on your desktop or phone and make time to intentionally check. me can help reduce your influx of mail. It can also help to schedule emails to go out at specific times.

Don’t skip breakfast: Phyllis recommends fueling yourself for success, which can mean not skipping breakfast and eating smaller, more frequent meals. In time, you can feel so much better by eating the right things that eating something that just tastes good doesn’t seem worth it.

Prioritize your To-Do’s: It is easy to procrastinate and put things off, but Phyllis says to do the hardest item on your list first. For example, if you dread estimates and put them off for days, you may be losing business. By turning those estimates around within a day, you can capitalize on your customers’ readiness to purchase your services.

Standing meetings: Standing during your meetings with your colleagues or clients can save time and increase productivity. It can also allow for quicker decisions.

Phyllis has incorporated these practices into her day to day. She also spoke about creating a morning ritual and meditation.

To learn more about Phyllis, email her or visit Facebook.

Personal Branding with Farah Merhi

Farah Merhi is a designer, stylist, social media influencer, and founder of Inspire Me Home Decor. More recently, Farah has started curating questions from Instagram to answer on her Youtube channel. What has started as an outlet for her passion for interior design has turned into a brand.

Personal branding is the way you represent yourself to the world. Farah recommends staying true to yourself, your design aesthetic, and your fans. Also, make sure that brand collaborations make sense. Your credibility is crucial and can affect how people perceive you and relationships with other brands.

It matters how you present yourself online for networking purposes and getting new clients. You have to start somewhere and every post is important. Farah recommends having a goal where anyone who sees your posts or photos to know that it is from you and to be recognizable.

To learn more: about Farah, visit Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and Inspire Me Home Decor.

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, you may even hear your review read live on our next podcast. With that said keep dreaming big,

Today in The Lounge, Nick talks to Kelly Becker of the Schlagenhaft Studio. Kelly is the first person Nick’s interview who isn’t a designer but still runs a successful design firm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Kelly talks about how she got into the Interior Design business, how Schlagenhaft Studio has been able to branch out into attaining both national and international clients and how she uses marketing and business strategies to become successful.

Phillip Thomas follows his passion

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, Nick chats with Phillip Thomas, a New York interior designer on today's podcast. Phillip talks about how he stays organized, his participation in Kips Bay, and utilizing a publicist.

Getting to know Phillip

Phillip Thomas is joining Nick from Midtown, Manhattan. Though he thrives in the city, Phillip enjoys relaxing and recharging his creative muscles in Bellport, a small town on Long Island. He stays organized with a neat stack of folders on his desk, a form of contained chaos. Phillip enjoys his library and his view of Central Park.

How did Phillip get involved in Interior Design?

Phillip Thomas was very involved in design as a child, creating beautiful spaces and attending auction houses with his parents. Later, after Phillip completed four years at Georgetown for Diplomacy, he decided to go back to school at the New York School for Interior Design. He graduated in the top of his class with seven job offers.

Phillip started working at Ingrao, where on day one he was tasked with transforming Jim Henson’s old townhouse into a contemporary family space. Phillip stayed for six years before starting his own firm. He always knew he wanted his own firm, but a project with someone moving back to the US afforded him the opportunity to make the leap.

What the Business Looks Like

Currently, Phillip’s company is made up of four full time and one part time employees, a bookkeeper, project managers and designers, who see the project through from the beginning to end.

Within the first year, Phillip hired his first employee as an investment in the company to enable growth. Each project has lots of moving parts. Phillip completes all of the design work and the project managers help him source what he needs.

How to get the word out

Phillip loves what he does, but is not the best at self-promoting. Just over a year ago, he started working with a publicist. The firm pushes him to try new things and make connections. He decided to start working with a publicist after he had created a library of work. Now he is grateful for the opportunities that come along and even remembers the moment when he found out that Elle Decor was going to publish one of his projects.

Phillip has attended and been involved with Kips Bay for years. While it takes time to get business from the show, Phillip mentioned he always creates new contacts. He has also learned to finish his show rooms in advance to compensate for anything that comes up at the last minute. Beyond Kips Bay, Phillip and his team have projects all over the world, including New York, Paris, and Chile.

Much of Phillip’s business comes in through referrals. He uses social media to post meaningful content and reflect his personality. He also uses Design Manager to create presentations for clients, organize proposals, and keep the projects moving forward.

What’s next?

 

Phillip is continuing to grow his business and build relationships, organically and gradually. In the future, he would like to design fabrics and furniture. He believes everything happens for a reason.

Learn more Phillip’s website, Facebook, and Instagram.

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, you may even hear your review read live on our next podcast. With that said keep dreaming big, and keep designing a great design business. See ya!

Edyta Czajkowska: She does it all as a Chicago Interior Designer

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, Nick chats with Edyta Czajkowska. Edyta talks about why she eventually chose interior design over architecture, what she loves about keeping her business small, and what’s on her roadmap for the next ten years.

Getting to know Edyta

Edyta is joining Nick in The Lounge from right outside of Chicago. She would love to know how to sew, specifically window treatments. Edyta was a ballroom dancer and currently indulges in reality TV, including Flipping Out. Along with some white wine or a mojito, Edyta loves the paint color Revere Pewter and frequently uses it in her designs because its warm and fresh.

When Did Edyta Become Interested in Interior Design?

Edyta’s mom was always into creating a beautiful home, but since she didn’t know any other way, Edyta didn’t realize she was specifically interested in design. Later in high school, Edyta was able to choose interior design electives and knew she was heading in the right direction. She continued on to design school and started working after graduation.

Edyta thought she wanted to get her Masters in Architecture, but soon identified she was pursuing this for the wrong reasons. She determined that she enjoys the details and personal aspect of design. Edyta is not the type to spend so much time in front of a computer in a CAD program.

Edyta acknowledged that she learned a great deal in school, but that it’s not the only way to learn and get into the profession. She enjoyed being able to choose courses that help steer you in the direction you want to go and mentioned that the business classes were helpful.

Edyta has worked in both commercial and residential settings. She likes the processes and formalities in place when working on commercial projects, but soon identified that she really enjoys working with individual people to help them create a lifestyle.

In 2009, Edyta set out to start her own business taking on small projects including decorating an apartment. This first project soon snowballed into more business. Edyta & Co. Interior Design was off to a great start!

What the Business Looks Like

Currently, Edyta runs the show, with the help of an assistant as needed. Her interior design projects are primarily residential, and she takes on two to three at a time, ranging from a single room to whole home.

She is still challenged when it comes to sitting down and completing the business side of things, including taxes, bills, etc. She knows this is a necessary evil to keep the business running, but would prefer to spend this time finding creative fulfillment. Edyta’s best clients are referrals and repeat clients. Even lately, Edyta’s designer friends are referring clients her way due to her Mid-Western, Chicago location.

What’s next?

Over the next ten years, Edyta has some lofty goals in place. She would like to still be involved with interior design and working with clients, but in addition would like to take on more projects in different states or even abroad. She would love to create or license a textile line and have a showroom.

Learn more at Edyta’s website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Artists Delight: Modra Studio

Nick chats with Fernando Apodaca and Tamalyn Shea from Modra Studio.  Fernando and Tamalyn discuss their passion for transforming fine art into so much more and Edyta talks about why she eventually chose interior design over architecture, what she loves about keeping her business small, and what’s on her roadmap for the next ten years.

How Modra Studios Began

Fernando Apodaca and Tamalyn Shea are joining Nick from La Jolla, California, where they create fine art pieces in 3D and translate them into 2D forms of fabric, drapery, upholstery, pillows,

Anthony DiGuiseppe’s journey from the naval academy to interior design

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, one of the top interior design podcasts, Nick chats with Anthony DiGuiseppe in New York. Anthony talks about his path from a military academy to Pratt, an influential colleague, and tips for hospitality design.

Getting to know Anthony

Anthony’s office is currently on the Upper East Side of New York. He prefers a vodka martini straight up with a twist and loves to spend time at his home in upstate New York, a 1740’s Dutch stone house. Anthony recently read The Tipping Point, where he picked up a sense of where things are going and how to identify life-changing events. He is also a James Bond fan and having Daniel Craig live in a neighboring town isn’t too shabby either!

What the Business Looks Like

Anthony’s interior design, architecture, and development firm is and has always been small, with a staff of five. He intentionally keeps it small to stay active in both the design and client interactions. Currently, there is a focus on hospitality and multi-family residences, but before that the group worked on residential projects, offices, etc. Anthony mentioned “cross-dressing,” which he defined as hotels wanting to feel like home, but homeowners wanting to feel like a hotel. In addition, consumers no longer have to always go through a designer to get product, so designers now need put it all together to look good and function.

When Did Anthony Become Interested in Interior Design?

As a freshman in high school, Anthony loved art classes and often won awards, specifically for an octagonal house model. He received an A even before he finished it! He then went on to attend school for naval architecture for 2 years, then moved away from the military. It just wasn’t for him.

Anthony didn’t have a portfolio to apply to other schools with so he put one together in his free time. He was accepted at Pratt, but the Architecture program was full. Anthony decided to check out Architectural Engineering.

Upon graduating and securing a job, Anthony started working on historic preservation for the Copihue Museum. There is a glass canopy on the entrance for which he had to come up with the structure.

Soon, Anthony went back to school in the evenings to become an engineer and took a position as interior assistant for Joe D’Urso, who was the most influential person Anthony has worked with. Joe taught him about the aesthetics of design. At the time, there weren’t many architecture jobs for “newbies,” so Anthony started working on interior architecture projects. He liked having his hands in all of the details you can see, feel, and touch.

How to get the word out?

Anthony has attended many conferences for hospitality. These are the places to meet people or even be a speaker. As a speaker, people look at you as the expert. He also made efforts to call and follow up with people he met. As a shy kid growing up, this was tough at first, but as he became more seasoned, he started asked people about themselves to break the ice. People were very friendly, and he became more confident and comfortable in giving advice.

Anthony likes to work on the entire project, not just one aspect. He loves working on spas to promote wellness and healthy living. Boutique properties are his favorite kind of project where the design work shines. Boutiques tell a story either per location or even per room.

Anthony has been in business for thirty-one years, and even though the cash flow and paying the bills still keep him up at night, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Well, he would like some additional office space and organization, but his clients like the current set-up!

Learn more about Anthony at his website and Facebook.

Wrap Up

If you would like to hear more episodes,

Gulla Jonsdottir: From Iceland to Los Angeles and beyond

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, Nick chats with Gulla Jonsdottir. Gulla talks about her projects around the world, what her business looks like today, and launching her own furniture line.

Getting to know Gulla

Gulla is originally from iceland, but currently lives in Los Angeles. She moved to the US twenty years ago, since at the time there were no architecture studies in Iceland. Gulla loves champagne and chocolate, going to the spa, and reading. She also enjoys Italian and French wines.

When Did Gulla Become Interested in Interior Design?

When Gulla was twelve years old, she traveled to Florence, Italy with her mother, where she fell in love with the architecture of the city. In addition, her grandfather was an artist. She often drew with him. Gulla studied math and biology in school and later was able to marry her math background with her love of art as she moved into the field of architecture.

After graduating from the Southern California Institute of Architecture, Gulla applied for two jobs and received offers from both. She decided to go with Richard Meier and ended up working on the Getty Center project for four years. From there, Gulla has held positions with Disney and Dodd Mitchell Design. In 2009, Gulla took a leap, opened her own company, and has never looked back.

What the Business Looks Like

Currently, Gulla employs nine individuals in Los Angeles and one in Paris. The group handles projects all over the world (LA, New York, China, Lebanon, and Paris to name a few). Projects include exteriors, interiors, furniture, and more. Gulla’s company helps select everything. And if they can’t find it, Gulla creates it, hence her furniture line.

Gulla prefers commercial projects as there are less emotions and more professionalism. She mentioned that the cycle for hospitality projects can last for about two months from winning a bid to starting work and up to four years or beyond the bidding process to opening day.

As a creative, Gulla admitted that she is not the best business person and that every architect should to go to business school. Currently, Gulla employs someone to help with human resources and finance. She said to know your strengths and weaknesses and that it takes a village. Her office space is open and full of like-minded people. It’s like a family.

How to get the word out?

 

Gulla doesn’t market her company or do business development purposefully. Most projects are from word of mouth, though she employs someone to focus on marketing and branding. Overall, she doesn’t stress about this. Gulla dreams and works hard, then the projects come.

Gulla would love to work on an Olympic stadium. She is inspired by nature and the human body and doesn’t want straight lines. She also would be interested in civic buildings, museums, and skyscrapers.

Learn more at Gulla’s website, Instagram, and Facebook.

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, you may even hear your review read live on our next podcast. With that said keep dreaming big, and keep designing a great design business. See ya!

Jenny Madden: Up and Coming Interior Designer

Today in the Lounge, Nick talks to Jenny Madden of Jenny Madden Design, an up-and-coming luxury interior designer in the Greater New York City area, based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Whilst in a relaxed chat with Nick, Jenny gives us insight on her personal ties to interior design, life in the industry, starting up her design company, and future career goals.

Life in New Jersey

Jenny gives us a quick snapshot of the lifestyles prevalent in Hoboken, New Jersey. One can encounter clients who range from young, scene, quiet and traditional. The views of the Atlantic ocean and the Jersey Shore are definitely something to see, and public transit is the quickest way around the Greater New York City area.

Fun Facts about Jenny

The Jersey Shore is one of Jenny’s favorite places to go.

Prior to college Jenny got a really sweet Christmas gift for her future college, which was a sweatshirt.

You can find Jenny enjoying her favorite drink on special occasions, red wine.

Her favorite accessories are shoes, because “it pays to invest”.

Jenny would opt-out showing her laundry room on Instagram.

Her last purchase included a dining room chandelier.

Her current favorite business book is “Boss Life: surviving my own small business” by Paul Downe.

Growing up in Interior Design

As a young child Jenny always had a knack for functionalism in regards to spaces. She would rearrange furniture at home. Her and her mom would visit open houses and imagine the potential in design through mental space planning. Jenny finally made the dive into the world of design when she took a couple architecture courses in the early stages of her college career. With her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture in hand, she worked for a architecture firm, a general contractor on site in NYC. Jenny then pursued her Masters in Interior Architecture, which led her to working for a furniture manufacturer and designing a friend’s apartment.

Jenny Madden Design

From the design of a friend’s apartment, Jenny Madden Design was born. Jenny Madden Design is a luxury interior design company. Started as a one woman show, Jenny has made the addition of a full time employee, Stefania. However, Jenny has had some help along the way with a few freelance employees. She has hit a learning curve through running her business and is trying out new techniques for success.

New Career Heights

Jenny only plans to go up from here, with the aspiration to have a “hand” in every project while possibly employing two more full time employees, a second designer, and project manager who can double as the bookkeeper. Jenny plans to have a more targeted clientele in the future, and to tackle projects that are more based in construction and on a larger scale.

Advice: One Owner to Another

Nick shares with Jenny that another way to ensure the success of a small business is to employee a person for a marketing position, and also that word of mouth is a great way to enlist new clients.

Learn more about Jenny Madden at http://jennymaddendesign.com

For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/jennymaddendesign/

https://www.houzz.com/pro/jmaddendesign/jenny-madden-design

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, you may even hear your review read live on our next podcast. With that said keep dreaming big, and keep designing a great design business. See ya!

 

 

What's a Bunnyfish?

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, one of the top interior design podcasts, Nick chats with Tina Wichmann and Craig Palacios from BUNNYFiSH Studio in Las Vegas. This duo talks about how BUNNYFiSH came to be, how they got into architecture, and what “luck” means to them.

Getting to know Tina and Craig

Craig and Tina are business partners in Las Vegas. Tina enjoys wine, boots, and naps. She is currently reading The Little House on the Prairie series on her Kindle and said that it grounds her and gives her perspective. When asked about an ideal vacation, Tina mentioned that a bungalow over the water somewhere sounded appealing.

Craig prefers beer and is still discovering his interests outside of work. If he weren’t a designer/architect, Craig would like to own an English pub. And he agreed with Tina on a bungalow vacation.

What the Business Looks Like

BUNNYFiSH Studio currently employs nine individuals. Having opened in 2011, the firm is still pretty young. It was founded and located in downtown Las Vegas when there wasn’t much to see there. The team is small, scrappy, and willing to take risks. BUNNYFiSH mostly works on hospitality projects in urban spaces where they change the purpose of a building in order to revive the area.

Craig and Tina are inspired by fun boutique brands like The Renaissance in Montreal or The Kimpton properties. They like brands that are willing to stick their neck out in less developed areas to make an impact.

When Did Tina and Craig Get Interested Architecture and Design?

Tina as a little girl wanted to be an architect. When her family moved into a new house, she got to know the construction workers, who set aside boxes, blocks of granite, etc for her to build within her backyard. She ended up with a degree in psychology and worked in the medical field for eight years. Later when Tina moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, she discovered a bridge program at UNLV where she became an architect and met Craig.

Craig always had interest in design, initially fashion design. Later, he held a position on a construction crew. The desire for fashion and design came together with his work experience, which paved the way for a focus in architecture.

After school, Tina and Craig interned and worked for other people as an apprentice. When the economy took a downturn, thankfully they were still employed. Coincidentally, they individually resigned from their positions for separate reasons. For a bit, they took separate paths, then came together to start BUNNYFiSH as the ball was already rolling with projects Craig had lined up.

What’s With the Name?

Craig went to the Nevada State Board to get a business license but didn’t have a company name. Initially, he went with Craig Sean Palacios Architect Studio. As more and more people came on board, the name was problematic. He and Tina wanted an inclusive name, but The Architect Studio was not accepted. So they needed a name quick and started brainstorming around taking two fundamentally different things and smashing them together to make something new, similar to what they were doing with their projects and properties. They came up with BUNNYFiSH and the name was accepted. The name isn’t a deal breaker for clients, but it makes them curious. And with a name like BUNNYFiSH, you need to have the chops to back it up, which Tina and Craig do!

How does the Partnership Work?

Tina and Craig have realized that each of them can do anything, but individually they cannot do everything. Each are principal in charge of fifty percent of projects in addition to Craig handling business development and networking while Tina works on everything related to human resources and finance. At any given time, the team is working on 10-15 projects ranging in size.  All work to date is in southern Nevada,

Lori Pedersen’s journey into staging

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, one of the top interior design podcasts, Nick chats with Lori Pedersen, a Canadian home stager. Lori talks about how she got into home staging, what her business looks like today, and even answers some audience questions.

Getting to know Lori Pedersen

Lori Pedersen has been a certified home stager for four and a half years in Toronto, Canada. She loves wine, including sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio. Lori has been more adventurous lately in enjoying a vacation to Alaska where she was greeted with beautiful scenery and fresh air. She can’t leave home without her phone, a cold bottle of water, and her project bag.

How Lori got into Staging

Lori always loved and admired beautiful homes and she always had a creative streak. Early on, Lori was able to work under Miriam, her mother’s interior designer. At the time, Lori was not in the position to go back to school, but she wanted to get to work. Home staging was her next best option.

Lori called home staging real estate marketing. Staging is de-personalized. It highlights the selling features of the home, but interior design is focused on the individual and decoration of the space.

When Lori listed her home for sale, her agent said her home was ready and she didn’t need a stager. This agent continued to send jobs to Lori after she was certified. Real estate agents are Lori’s top clients. She consults on a room by room basis to maximize the value of the home.

What Lori’s Business looks like

Lori mentioned that staging is impossible to do by yourself. Her assistant, Sonja, keeps her focused as well as 8-10 certified professionals she can bring out to projects. Lori warned to

be careful of overhead and recommended to keep costs variable. There can be peaks and valleys that follow the real estate market.

How does Lori get the word out

Lori and her team have established an online presence and continue to network with agents, investors, and flippers. She mentioned that the best marketing is word of mouth and referrals.

Online, Lori uses Facebook and Houzz as online portfolios. She also wants to get into blogging.

Audience Questions

Q: How do you make vacants cost effective?

A: Vacant homes look small, cold, and uninviting. Staging usually pays for itself four times over. It is cost effective that it's an investment.

 

Q: How do you charge?

A: Provide a proposal for every property since they are unique and custom curated rather than a flat fee or hourly rate. It is determined on a case by case basis as a  combination for hours and rental cost, but one line item for the client.

 

Q: What does your inventory look like? Fixed inventory? Rent?

A: Own inventory of soft goods, accessories, but rent in large items. Starting out it can be intimidating or if you don't have many resources or are remote, you may need to carry more inventory.

 

Q: Does staging ever lead to customers asking to design their new house house?

A: Yes, it’s an honor to be asked. Every day is completely different. The goal is to make clients happy by selling staging items for the new home or staged items as part of a sale. It’s a good way to fill in less busy times.

 

Q: What’s the hardest part of running the business?

A: Delegating. As staggers, you have to be a control freak so it is hard to let go, but it’s the only way to grow the business. It takes a conscious effort.

To Learn more about Lori, please her website LoriPedersen.ca

Wrap Up

If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes or on our website at TheChaiseLoungePodcast.com.  Lastly,

Industry: From Blogging to VOCs

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, one of the top interior design podcasts, Nick chats with Adam Japko from Esteem Media and Phyllis Harbinger jumps in with some business tips on turning leads into paying customers.

Wine and Design with Adam Japko

Adam Japko, a founding member of Esteem Media, always surrounds himself with good wine and good people. With Esteem Media, Adam creates connections amongst design professionals and educates this community on marketing themselves. He’s heavily involved with putting on the Design Bloggers Conference and an additional resulting event, Design and Wine Italy 2016.

Adam received great feedback from the first Wine and Design Tour was able to learn a ton from his involvement in planning the trip. In addition, Adam was able to marry his two passions: the personalities of design professionals and discovering new wines. Overall, around thirty design individuals from across the US set off for a week from Venice to Verona. Adam is excited to announce another Wine and Design trip coming up in May of 2017.

Adam’s High Point Blog Tour and Design Bloggers Conference

Serendipitously, Adam had reached out to his High Point relationships and is now leading a blog tour where he recruits ten bloggers to spend two days visiting around fifteen sponsors and vendors. The bloggers are paid and create quality content about the tour and vendors.

2017 is the seventh year for the Design Bloggers Conference. This time, it is located in Los Angeles, California in March. Adam mentioned that you don’t have to be a designer to go. Topics covered include content marketing, mobile phone photography, search, and even podcasting (to be presented by The Chaise Lounge’s Nick May!). Design Bloggers Conference is an opportunity to learn about these topics in addition to the priceless networking that happens at events like this.

How Fran DuCharme from Benjamin Moore works with Designers and Architects

Since she was a young child, Fran has had a passion for color. She graduated from a two year design program and has worked in the industry for almost 30 years since. As a rep for Benjamin Moore, Fran is a resource for designers and architects. She provides them access to material and the largest and most complete color palette.

Fran also supports the specification of products and provides education which can include events, webinars, introducing new  products and CEUs. She mentioned that the most popular CEUs currently are 1. How color perception changes as you age, and 2. Creating healthy environments with new technologies.

A Deep Dive into Paint with Fran

In today’s marketplace, you can get any color anywhere. Any brand will match any competitor’s color. However, each brand has their own formulas and colorants, so matches may never be exact. Color is not the only factor in choosing paint.

DIfferent kinds of paints, beyond sheen, display different qualities and levels of serviceability. There are different formulations for different characteristics. For example, all paint is scrubbable, but not all is stain resistant (like, Ben vs Aura). Fran prefers Aura paint in a matte due to the luxurious finish, and that it covers in two coats.

What are VOCs

VOCs are volatile organic compounds that are carbon based and evaporate into the air. In the past, the concern was around these compounds affecting the ozone layer, but today concern is that VOCs in interior environments are higher, which can affect your lungs, breathing, asthma, and allergies. Paint companies, including Benjamin Moore are creating products with zero VOCs to address this concern.

Utilize your Rep to Problem Solve for your Clients

There is a great variety of products available within the industry. Benjamin Moore has grown from one product in nine colors to multiple products in thousands...