SAID - Something About Interior Designers

Dwayne Bergmann: Design is his destiny

Wherever he went, from small town Missouri to Florida’s burgeoning Gulf Coast, interior designer Dwayne Bergmann’s vivid imagination, life skills and work ethic carried him along each step of the way. Now seven years into owning his own design firm, Dwayne Bergmann Interiors, and on the verge of opening up an eponymous showroom in Naples, Fla., Bergmann looks back fondly and gratefully at all the opportunities given and taken – equestrian competitions, leadership training and his first unintended editorial spread –  and is crystal clear about his firm’s five-year plan and the love he has for his family.

Jenna Gaidusek: The evolution of eDesign Tribe

Jenna Gaidusek has always been interested in interior design, starting with rearranging her own room at age six. Now in Gainesville, Fla.—she’s moved about a dozen times across five states—Gaidusek initially sought camaraderie and community among her fellow e-interior designers by creating a Facebook group in 2018. That has since evolved into eDesign Tribe, a platform that offers designers a wide range of services, including rendering software and the recent launch of small-group mentoring. Gaidusek recently spoke to Designers Today’s Andrea Lillo about the company, how she believes the pandemic will change design and her personal style.

Jarret Yoshida: Unfiltered, appreciative, and in service

Born in Oahu, Hawaii, interior designer Jarrett Yoshida grew up on anthurium and sugar cane farms. Today in Brooklyn, he is nurturing his interior design business, his garden, a long-distance relationship, real estate investments and more. In our conversation we discuss his cure-all compost, philanthropy, the COVID-19 pause and how he sustains his firm remotely. Jarret also openly shares his opinions on hiring employees, technology as a crutch and self-doubt.

Lynsey Humphrey: A New e-commerce solution for designers

Looking at the e-commerce world from two perspectives – that of an interior designer and also a furniture brand – Lynsey Humphrey has developed SideDoor, an online trade marketplace and support service. Using SideDoor, designers can curate products for their clients and when purchased, make a profit on the spread between designer net and the retail selling price. On the podcast, Humphrey tells all about SideDoor, why she built it and how it addresses designer pain points. Humphrey also talks about the growth of Alder & Tweed, the niche design firm she founded with her siblings, as well as what keeps her moving forward in business.

Sponsored by Emily Morrow Home. 

Emily Morrow Finkell: Passionate and principled

Emily Morrow Finkell traces her career path from interior design to product design, to designing her own collection of hardwood flooring, Emily Morrow Home. Her journey is peppered with sweet memories, challenging years, and lots of love and support which she is intent on paying forward. With great empathy toward interior designers, Finkell also explains why it makes great financial sense for designers to educate themselves about flooring and to specify it.

Sponsored by Emily Morrow Home. 

Keia McSwain: “I need you to see color.”

At a pivotal moment in history, Keia McSwain, principal of Kimberly & Cameron Interiors and president of the Black Interior Designers Network, takes time to share ways to banish racism in the design community, upcoming plans for BIDN, what she means by “foreplay” in interior design and more.

Sponsored by Emily Morrow Home. 

Melissa Galt: Getting your ducks in a row

Whether looking ahead at a new year or new times, interior design business coach Melissa Galt provides a punch list for buttoning up your business and growing it more efficiently and with less stress. From outsourcing testimonial gathering and tasks beyond your zone of genius, to materializing your ideal client and analyzing your marketing and profitability, Galt explains how knowing where you are will lead to where you want to go. Recorded live at the Designer Experience in Atlanta. 

Elle H-Millard: Influence in the kitchen and bath world

Elle H-Millard is corporate learning manager at Delta Faucet where she works to bridge the gap between manufacturer and designer with a focus on the Brizo brand. Prior to that, she was the face of the National Kitchen & Bath Assn., fully immersed in relationship building and knowledge sharing as she developed training modules, social media strategies and influencer programs. H-Millard thrives at the crossroads of art and design, education, and influence. Her journey has included fine arts education, restaurant design and a season of HGTV’s “Design Star.” Recorded in early May, H-Millard, a mother of four, is working from her home in Indiana and engaged in making masks. Veronika Miller-Eagleson, of Modenus and DesignHounds fame, graciously assists with the introduction.

Shelly Rosenberg: Facing fears invites empowerment

Recorded live at the Designer Experience in Atlanta, Shelly Rosenberg, a thought leader on designing for special needs and creator of Acorn & Oak, a platform that connects families with unique challenges to design that supports their needs,  delivers a keynote that retraces her path to finding her niche. Not without anger and pain, Rosenberg recounts how she eventually arrived at an authentic place that allows her to make her distinct contribution at the intersection of beauty, wellbeing and health. 

Starr Miller: Co-chairing a showhouse in Covid times

Over the last two years Starr Miller and her design team have logged 3,000 hours working on the Interior Design Society Designer Showhouse. As co-chair of the event, there was much more to do than design a space. When the space opened on March 13 and closed two days later due to coronavirus mandates, it was a tough pill to swallow for the large cast involved. In the podcast, Miller discusses finding a solution that extended the life of the Showhouse for both the charitable beneficiaries as well as for the designers.  She also shares about her life before design, her years at Parsons School of Design, why building a relationship with her area’s regional publication is good for business and tips for gathering client referrals.