The Chaise Lounge Podcast

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Corey Damen Jenkins: HGTV- Interior Design Star

Today in The Lounge, Nick chats with Corey Damen Jenkins, head of Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates. Corey chats with Nick about the various chapters in his career: unemployment, his instant fame on HGTV and running his successful design business.

Getting to know Corey

Born and raised in Michigan, Corey enjoys vacating at the Hamptons, envisioning memories of his hometown with its rural architecture, beautiful weather and a cocktail in hand by the water. Born with a design DNA, he was raised in a household with design trends and renovation. Corey still remembers his childhood memory of undoing screws and bolts of chairs at the dinner table, which piqued his design interest. At 19, he pursued an education in Interior Design and moved to New York City, while interning at a construction company in Brooklyn that refurbished historic buildings.

A rocky road

Upon graduation, Corey accepted a purchasing position in the automotive industry in Michigan for job security, per his father’s advice. Even though his interest was in design, he had a steady job and a great lifestyle for over 10 years. Unfortunately, during the recession of 2006-2007, he faced his first layoff.

Corey took advantage of the opportunity and chose the path back to design. Even though he was overqualified for the jobs, Corey humbly worked on menial tasks at Robert Allen and Becon Hill at the Michigan design center, where he was laid off a second time. Alas, he was back where he started at the unemployment line.

After the emotional rollercoaster rides, he took charge of his destiny by opening his design business in 2009 in an unstable economy -- a time where other design businesses were shutting down their doors. In a very stressful time period, Corey continued to collect unemployment checks while building his own clientele. He landed his big break and first client through a referral from the design center. Shortly after the completion of his first project, launching his professional website and photographing his project, he was cast on HGTV. He competed and won in the design star competition Showhouse Showdown.

Corey gets his big break

After winning HGTV, Corey was lucky enough to be selective with his design projects and business. He was able to utilize his true talent, by mirroring his and the client’s vision together to create versatile, one of a kind projects. He credits his success to HGTV, publications on House Beautiful, Wall Street Journal, Traditional homes and referrals for his fast growing clientele.

Today he has a small team of 8 employees: a visualization specialist, accountant, social media director, several design specialists, and a media/publication team. This year at High Point Market Corey launched a spring furniture collection in collaboration with Leathercraft.  In the near future, he is working towards expanding his business by opening a satellite office in New York City.

His advice to other designers: be humble, be nice, don’t micromanage and keep your head close to the ground so that you won’t have too far to fall. Here’s hoping to see more on Corey’s success on Veranda, Elle Décor or the next HGTV show.

Learn more about Corey Damen Jenkins at

Find Corey on Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest; coreydamenjenkins and Twitter @coreyDjenkins

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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,

Two Different Interior Designers: Charlotte Dunagan and Garrow Kedigan

I have a BIG show today. Two very different interior designers: one from New York, whose design aesthetic is more classical in nature, and one from South Florida, very contemporary.

Garrow Kedigian

Garrow was born and raised in Montreal, Canada where he attended the prestigious McGill University’s Architecture program.  After completing his formal education, Garrow moved to Boston, MA where he gained six years of experience at the renowned offices of interior designer William Hodgins—before deciding to take a bite out of the “Big Apple.” Garrow has been in New York since relocating in 2000. After working for several design powerhouses in New York City, Garrow established his own design firm in 2001.

Garrow’s classically trained architectural background is the foundation for most of his interior design work, stating, “The architecture is what sets the tone and tells you what you need to do with a space.”

Garrow and I first met at the Kips Bay Show House in New York this spring.  He designed an amazing room he called The Napolian Lounge, where he worked with a local chalk artist to create a temporary design on the walls to replicate trim and architectural detail.  The room was a big hit at the show and garnered Garrow in the pages of the New York Times.

Garrow and I talk about how he got into interior design, working with his staff, and the some of the amazing projects he has worked on, as well as current projects. Garrow is definitely an interior designer to watch.

Charlotte Dunagan

The daughter of an interior designer and antique dealer, growing up in Paris Charlotte was born into a world of design. Working and traveling alongside her parents throughout Europe she developed a trained eye for exceptional workmanship and the quality of collectible pieces of art and furnishings.

From these artistic roots, Charlotte began her formal art education at the MGM School of Design in Nice, France, where she studied graphic design, fashion, and interior design.  Building on this strong arts foundation and specializing in interior design, Charlotte continued and completed her studies in 1997 at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design. Upon graduation, Charlotte received the Most Outstanding Thesis and Academic Excellence Awards.

Charlotte Dunagan Design Group specializes in high end, large scale residential and boutique commercial projects.

Charlotte and I talk about how her mother influenced her decision to go into interior design, and here eventual move from Paris to school in the United States, and eventually deciding to stay in South Florida to run her own interior design firm.

We did talk about a lot of aspects of running her business, but what impressed me the most was her dedication to her team, and finding the help she needed to run the business of interior design.  Charlotte started working with a business coach and saw amazing results.

Wrap Up

I found it interesting that both interior designers on today's show talked about the importance of working for a successful interior design firm before jumping into business themselves.  Two very different storied, but both examples of what is possible if you decide to build your own interior design firm.

If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes or on our website atTheChaiseLoungePodcast.com.  Lastly, find The Chaise Lounge on Instagram, Facebookand 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!

Atlanta's very own Big Daddy and Mayor of Interior Design

Today in The Lounge, I get to talk to two of Atlanta's favorite men of interior design.  Kerry Howard of KMH Interiors and Tyler Lynch of so many things. Let's just jump into the conversations...

Tyler Lynch

Now I did get to meet Tyler on my trip to Atlanta for the Design Bloggers Conference, but met him at ADAC with interviewing Eric Haydle.  Tyler Lynch works as a territory manager for Codarus at America’s Mart in Atlanta. Early on he discovered that visual merchandising was one of his passions so it has been a great fit.

He considered becoming an Interior Designer a number of times, but ultimately he’s decided that he really loves product. And the roots go way back. His parents owned an antique store growing up and he would jump at the change to merchandise the front window even as a child. As he grew older, he even rented his own booth from them and began selling items that he found on his own. And his bedroom was a living showcase of all the unique items he found along the way.

So it was only natural that a few years ago, along with Kerry Howard (who appears next on the show), he launched Thrift with Tyler, a luxury bus tour throughout Georgia to Tyler’s favorite, top-secret spots for antiques. Tours happen every May and October with just 55 seats on each tour. Profits benefit local charities, most recently the State Historic Preservation fund. The tour has been a major hit. Head over to Facebook to get a seat on the next adventure.

Kerry Howard

Happenstance

Up next on the lounge is Kerry Howard, owner of KMH Interiors. Way back before a series of fortunate events jump-started his career in Interior Design, Kerry was working in a hydraulics factory, and he was installing wallpaper on the side. His Aunt owned a furniture store and had always let Kerry help out so when he expressed an interest in Faux Finish painting, she paid for him to start taking classes.

Then one day, Kerry was waiting in an auto garage and happened to meet an Interior Design professor from a college nearby in South Carolina. She invited him to come check out the school and so began Kerry’s love affair with Interior Design.

The beginning of something great

He absorbed everything he could while in school, taking advantage of every opportunity possible. He attended multiple conferences and even started the ASID chapter for the school.

After school, Kerry moved to North Carolina to work for Broyhill Furniture. He designed a number of showrooms for them across the country until one day a headhunter recruited him to completely change the image of a furniture company in Dublin, GA. Though it wasn’t his dream job, it allowed him to pay off his student debt and gave him the opportunity to build a team and make a big dent on a company.

His heart was always in Atlanta, though. So one day, he put in his two-weeks-notice, sold his house, and moved to Atlanta to start his own company.

A series of fortunate events

While he was building the company, a friend recommended that he audition for Top Design on Bravo. He went for it and got cast in Season 2 and that forever changed his career.  Self named as "Big Daddy," Kerry won the hearts of many. 

After that, everything seemed to fall into place. Next, HGTV asked him to compete on Design Wars (which he won, by the way!) After that, professional photographs of his personal residence landed him in Atlanta Home Magazine. And since then, he’s been published 28 more times!  

He’s been in business now for 12 years and has four employees. Like many designers we’ve talked to, he had more employees at point in time, but felt like he was spending all his time managing instead of designing, so he eventually scaled back.

88 – Industry: Launching a Furniture Brand

Industry: Launching a Furniture Brand

Today in The Lounge, I am joined by two great friends: Phyllis Harbinger and Bruce Macdonald.  Because this is our monthly talk with Phyllis, you know we have a specific topic to discus, and today we talk about what to do when you are asked: "Can I pick your brain?"  As experts, people will always want free information, but as interior designers, what should you do?

Then I talk to my friend Bruce Macdonald. I met Bruce earlier this year at the Design Bloggers Conference, and we just keep meeting up at different interior design events across the country.  Bruce has an extensive history in marketing, retail, and building brands, and has decided that it is time to build his own: Bruce Andrews Designs, a bespoke furniture company focused on American made, had crafted, artisinal furniture.

Marc Thee: Best Interior Designer in the world?

Today on the lounge, we welcome two guests: Rachel Moriarty gives a quick glimpse into her business and experience on the Chaise Lounge Advisory Committee, then we hear from Marc Thee about his 30+ years in the business.

Up first, Rachel Moriarty!

Rachel is a solopreneur out in San Diego where she specializes in making spaces look new with vintage or already owned items. Rachel originally got her start in Visual Merchandising and Photo Styling so it was a completely organic shift into She joined the Chaise Lounge Advisory Committee to lend a voice for other solopreneurs like her who might be working alone at home on the sofa, but are still running a stellar design business.

She and Nick dive deep on keeping up with Facebook’s ever-changing algorithm, which most recently favors live stream video. Rachel, an introvert herself, says you just have to get over the initial jitters of broadcasting live and then it gets easier and easier. And even if nobody tunes into watch you live, you still get interaction after the fact.

To get herself on a consistent schedule, Rachel has been doing a 30-Day Facebook Live Stream challenge. She’s on Day 21, with videos ranging from 5-7 minutes, and she’s already landed 3 projects from her efforts.

Let’s model Rachel’s success! I invite you to join me in your own 30-day Facebook Live Stream Challenge. Starting September 1, tag your posts with #TCL30days and @thechaiselounge to join a group of Interior Designers who are looking for the next step in their Marketing game.

And now onto Marc Thee!

In the beginning

Marc originally came into the industry after an opportune internship with Betsy Godfrey that led to a full-time position once he graduated. She really took him under her wing and showed him the ropes. Just three years later, Marc borrowed $25,000 to open his own showroom. It was slow for about the first year and a half, but the rest was, as they say, history. He’s now been in business for 30 years with a staff of 65-70 employees. Being in Florida means he’s had the chance to focus mainly on vacation homes ranging from $3-$80 Million in value. They tackle both new-build and remodel projects.

Building a Team

He hasn’t done it alone, though. He attributes much of his success to the great relationship he has with his business partner, Michael Abbott. Michael takes care of the numbers, allowing Marc to focus on the creative aspects of the business.Losing control in the end design is often one of the fears people have about hiring employees. Here’s what Marc has to say about that: “Are there 10% of the decisions made by my staff different than the ones I would have made? Hell yeah, but 50% of those decisions were probably better than the decisions I would have made.” Marc also notes that they “try to pair an incredibly creative person with an incredibly organized person.” He’s found that normally people tend to lean to one side of the spectrum, but can learn a lot of valuable skills from someone on the opposite side.

Designers who work for him also have a clear budget to follow on each project so they can get started purchasing right away. “Our designers know that they can spend 42% on furniture, 12% on fabric, and 10% on artwork.”

Logistics

Marc notes that, perhaps above all else, Interior Design is an exercise in logistics. “90% of what we do is production. It’s fighting for every single thing we order. The days of picking up the phone and ordering a piece of furniture and thinking it’s actually going to show up, that doesn’t exist.”

“And for it to all collide...the thousands of things that all have to happen when those five trucks pull up that day that you’re finally installing after two years of construction, wow.

Phyllis Hartman:  Multi-family Interior Design Expert

Joining me in The Lounge today is a designer from the Washington D.C. area who specializes in multi-family interior design. Phyllis Hartman is originally from Chicago, so we had that in common.  She has an impressive design firm that employs 28 staff, and completes about 10 large projects per year.

Jenn Feldman: Accidental Interior Designer Killing it!

Joining me in the Lounge today is my friend Jenn Feldman, owner Jenn Feldman Designs.  She is out in Cali, and growing an incredible design business…all by accident.  Let me explain.  So, she entered a contest as a homeowner that has designer her own interior.  The contest just happens to be put on by Oprah, she wins, and the next thing she knows, she has Nate Berkus in her house for a photo shoot. After the show airs, she starts getting inquiries from people wanting her to design their homes.  After the show re-airs six months later, she takes the cue, quits her PR business, and heads straight into interior design.  I love how each road into interior design is different.

The Accidental Start

Like many successful designers we come across, Jenn came into Interior Design from a different path. She had been living and working in New York in Public Relations when love called and she moved to LA. New to the West coast entirely, she was in the midst of re-starting her career in PR when an opportunity presented itself-- an opportunity with the likes of Nate Berkus and Oprah Winfrey.

For a special in Oprah’s O At Home magazine, Nate was looking to feature homeowners in who had decorated their own homes. Jenn applied, almost in secret, only to be chosen as the winner and featured on Oprah’s Home Run Homes segment. After that, calls started rolling in. It took Jenn a while to wrap her mind around a career change, though. When the show aired again, she got a second chance and went for it.

Through a lot of trial and error, she found the formula that worked for her. In many ways not having the education or mentor to model her business after allowed her to create a business that’s truly original and ones that’s completely authentic to her values. It’s still hard for her to put a finger on exactly how she did it. She worked hard, with a lot of integrity, but also feels like there was just an innate talent inside. “I don’t always know how to define what I know, but I know that I know it.”

The Firm Today

Today she works in both residential and commercial design with a team of five employees. It was the geographical nature of the work that prodded her to hire her first employee. A big part of the business is showing up on the job site and it eventually became clear that she couldn’t physically be all places at once.

She still makes sure that each project has her touch and that she is the main point of contact for the client. Being an artist at heart, it is very important to her that she stay connected to the creative process. “I am still to this day the only one who shops for bookcase accessories because it’s just my favorite part and it’s my art and it’s the thing I can do, and somehow it’s just not replicable.”

What’s next for Jenn? She’ll continue to tweak the business, experiment with new marketing techniques, and keep changing as technology changes. To learn more about Jenn and see some of her amazing work visit www.jennfeldmandesigns.com or follow her @jennfdesigns on Instagram.

Wrap Up

If you are interested in posting a job you have in your design firm (you need an intern, a JR designer, a SR designer, etc) please visit our new Job Board for interior designers.  If you are looking for an internship in interior design, an interior design job, or anything related, see our open jobs.

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!

Industry: Christopher Guy talks about Starting his Multi-million Dollar Furniture Business

On today’s episode, we listen as the tables (er, mic) get turned and Phyllis interviews Nick. Then Nick interviews industry giant Christopher Guy Harrison, the owner and founder of the Christopher Guy furniture line.  Christopher explains how he started the company, how it grew, what challenges face the industry, and why it is so hard for designers to compete in the furniture business. .

As many listeners know, Nick recently assembled an advisory panel to give him feedback on the podcast. And one topic that kept coming up was Nick’s story. Who is this paint contractor taking the Interior Design industry by storm!?! So without further ado, the scoop on your podcast host…

Nick May gets Interviewed

"It was kind of inbred in me, I guess.  My dad worked for himself and my father-in-law owned a car wash outside of Chicago so I saw that modeled for me. My godfather owned his own business… I’ve just had all these people around me growing up that had their own business so I guess that’s just what I always wanted.”

As for painting, after Nick’s freshman year at the University of South Carolina, he answered an ad to be a manager for a local paint company. He learned a ton that summer and, entrepreneur that he is, decided to spend his next four summers in business for himself.

Every summer when he came home to rev up the painting business again, his dad would remind him that he was going to school so that he wouldn’t have to be a painter for the rest of his life. In many ways, he was right. Later Nick explains that he very rarely does any painting these days. In fact, this year he even transitioned out of the sales and project management. Two of his employees worked their way up and now manage their own territories in Denver. “So now I get to focus my energy on the marketing and big-picture stuff for the business.”

Nick's team painted one of the most iconic homes in the country

Speaking of owning a business, Nick talks about the nitty gritty. He likes to joke that, “As a business owner, I get to work any 80 hours of the week I want!” He’s usually at the computer by 6am, but that also means he can go to the gym at 10am and, despite the long hours, he loves the flexibility. He also loves meeting people, problem solving, and building systems and processes. In fact, he attributes much of his success to the latter. Building good systems means he doesn’t have to micromanage people and that means happier employees and happier customers.

Nick on Owning a Business

Running a business is a risky endeavor and Phyllis probes Nick on what scares him most as a business owner. “I wonder if we won’t be able to fill the schedule. Even during the times when we are busy, I wonder if the phone will stop ringing. What if 2008 happens again?”

He also talks about a fear that he hears from many small business owners that just doesn’t keep him up at night.  “I know some people are afraid of hiring more people, but for me, I actually feel safer as we get bigger because I know that I can reschedule things easier, and more leads are coming in as I have more people out in the field.”

Tell us about an embarrassing Nick May moment: “I was on a job site and asked a new-ish employee if it was his first day and he reminded me that he’d been working for me for 3 weeks and had met me before… Yikes.”

“A more serious one, one that has helped shape me… A long time ago, I decided to expand the business into flooring/light remodel jobs in addition to painting and I took on a business partner to do that. That did not go well. A year and a half in, it wasn’t working out and I had to buy him out. I didn’t do enough legal due diligence so it led to me walking away with $380,000 of personal debt and I almost had to file bankruptcy....

Vanessa DeLeon:  Reality TV Designing Star

Joining me today in the lounge is my new friend Vanessa DeLeon, an interior designer based out of New York. A featured designer on the hit shows Restaurant Impossible-The Food Network, HGTV’s Generation Renovation, Designer Challenge, Bang for your Buck, Design Star, DIY’s Rev Run’s Renovation, Ice Loves Coco, and Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing. She has made guest appearances on The Better Show, NBC’s Today Show, and is a contributing designer for Open House NYC. Vanessa had a segment on PIX 11 “Vanessa to the Rescue” and was a featured host and designer for You Tube’s Channel Spaces TV ” Your Place is a Deal Breaker”.

In my normal fashion, I start our conversation asking Vanessa how she got into interior design, where she tells be about growing up in her family's furniture business.  No doubt this is where she learned her love for interior spaces and her drive to work hard. From there we talk about her experiences on numerous designer reality shows and the resulting effects on her interior design firm.

One of the biggest themes that came out of talking with Vanessa is how hard it is to build an interior design firm.  From the outset, a lot of people could look at her and determine that it is a lot of luck and good fortune.  In reality, if Vanessa had not shown up each day to figure out how to leverage each opportunity and maximize her exposure, she would not be sitting on a successful design business.  To balance out her abilities and her time, she had to find someone that would be present and action on her design vision on her projects.  Vanessa talked about finding that person in her right hand project manager Tim Davis.  As the business owners, we need to find those people that compliment and can do the things that we either do not like doing, or that we are not as skilled at.  Vanessa shared that she does not like to deal with the production side of things.  From my point of view, if she didn't have a competent project manager, her company would not be as successful. 

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!

 

 

Robin Baron: New York Interior Designer, TV personality, and ASID chapter President

Live from New York City, your Host Nick May interviews Robin Baron, and HGTV network star designer, on today’s episode of The Chaise Lounge.

A New York City girl, ‘born, bred and raised,” Robin states when asked how she became interested in Interior Design, “You know, it just is a part of my being, I’ve known since I’m a very young girl, maybe 9 years old, I started writing compositions for my grade school about wanting to be an interior designer and my equal passion was fashion design. I’ve always known it and actually started my career in fashion and then transitioned into Interior Design.”

Robin actually studied fashion and interior design simultaneously in school, starting her education on the east coast before transferring to UCLA to complete her degree, but leaned into a fashion design career after graduation. Robin describes to Nick her very first collection in fashion, and how she started her own business at just 19 and 20 years old.

“I moved back to New York, and the truth is, the fashion industry is a very tough industry, it’s a tougher business. I really started doing interior design because clients started to approach me to do their homes and their apartments. I was doing some antique dealing on the side as a hobby, and it sort of blossomed. What I loved about it was; I do have a bigger impact on people’s lives by working on their homes.” Robin describes as her transition from fashion to interior design.

Robin Baron Design is a nice sized, full service firm comprising of 6-7 full time staff members mostly focusing on residential, with a small amount of hospitality and commercial design. Tune in to hear Robin tell Nick about the areas of the country she’s worked and the first growth of her interior design business. “Over the years, I’ve definitely grown, I have been bigger in the past in terms of staff, but I felt I had to make a decision ‘how big do I want to get?’ I really wanted to have my fingers on the pulse of every job.”

Nick asks Robin when she first felt the need to take on help, and how she identifies people that will be a good fit for the company, “I think you have to first define ‘what are your goals?’ because unless you know what you’re a goals are, you don’t know how to set a blueprint or a plan to get there. That also applies to who you hire and when you hire them. I wanted positive people around me, someone who’s jaded or negative does not jive with my own sensibilities, so understanding who you are and how you work is very important.”

Robin is the current ASID President of New York Metro which significantly impacts her schedule among other things in her business, “it’s a lot of extra work but it’s very rewarding.” Robin talks about her goals she had when she started in this position with Nick. Robin has been featured many times on television, “The more high profile you are, the more things come to you. I think this goes back to talking about ‘what are your goals?’ My goal was to do TV and to be a spokesperson and to be a little more public and so I’ve taken steps and done things to help prod that along a bit.” Be sure to listen to the show to hear Robin list a few of those specific steps that she’s taken to get to where she is today, especially with the TV roles. Robin talks about how her TV appearances have brought her new clients and how being herself in that role helps attract clients.

Robin attributes her success to “my positive attitude, giving 1,000%, which I know we all do, I give without expecting the same thing back and I think being authentic, being true to who you are and what your beliefs, and belief structure is and you know, working like a dog!” She also talks about how everyone defines success differently.

When it comes to time management Robin states,