SAID - Something About Interior Designers

Meet Allen & James, Realist and Dreamer

Interior designers Patti Allen and Stephanie James were once top-grossing designers at Furnitureland South. Competitors at first, they eventually realized that teaming up would make them stronger and more successful, and went about creating the first LLC within the retail giant. Six years later, they took the leap and set up their own studio—and then a shop—in a beautiful 100-year-old building on Main Street in High Point, North Carolina. Ever expanding and conjuring what’s next, Allen and James discuss their evolution, the challenges they faced when opening, and the importance of industry relationships and supporting those in need.

This podcast is sponsored by Houzz. 

Talking Shop with Coco & Dash

This week, we sit down with the mother-daughter team behind the award-winning Dallas home decor and antiques shop Coco & Dash. Guided by a philosophy to do the right thing, the two discuss the joy of work and working with each other, how Instagram helped grow their business, and the delight they find in creating their own homes and helping their clients do the same.

This podcast is sponsored by Houzz

Winter Market Recap

The Designers Today editorial team gathers to download highlights and trends from the recent winter markets, which include a modular kitchen, smart home integration, an abundance of wood and wood-looks, as well as plants, flowers and indoor/outdoor rugs. Home Accents Today Managing Editor Thomas Lester also visits to talk about our upcoming Accent on Design pop-up day at the Art Conference in Ft. Myers, Florida.

This podcast is sponsored by Houzz

Winter Markets Impressions: From fresh bedding to knowing your worth as a designer

This podcast features recordings gathered from the Atlanta and Dallas markets. First, learn how designers Libby Langdon, Dann Foley, and Kristi Hopper define luxury. Then, Designers Today Editor in Chief Jane Dagmi sits down with Katherine Nicholson, who presides over marketing and events at Peacock Alley, as she explains the bedding brand’s latest trade offering. Next, Stacy Garcia talks about her new product launch with IMAX, the influence of nature and her recent podcast stint with The Chaise Lounge. Lastly, Dagmi reads her notes from Corey Damen Jenkins’ Atlanta Market presentation, "What’s Your Worth?"

This podcast is sponsored by Houzz

Getting Real with Michel Smith Boyd

At the Designer Experience Atlanta, interior designer and product designer Michel Smith Boyd spoke openly about his journey to design, the day-to-day challenges of growing a business, the importance of creating something of one’s own and gaining control of his luxury brand. This warm and frank conversation is laced with stories about his Louisiana upbringing, early work experiences in fashion, beauty, and modeling, creating posh parties for Coca Cola execs, and his emotional attachment to white tube socks. This podcast was recorded live at the LeftBank Art showroom at Americasmart.

This podcast is sponsored by Houzz

What is augmented reality and why is it useful to designers?

Senior Editor Alex Milstein talks with Boaz Ashkenazy, CEO of 3D solutions company Simply Augmented, about how 3D technology is affecting the interior design industry. Ashkenazy explains how 3D product models and augmented reality can help designers run their businesses more efficiently, and how designers can get their hands on this technology.

This podcast is sponsored by Houzz

Liza Hausman, Houzz’s VP of industry marketing, on the evolution of the platform

When Liza Hausman repeatedly spotted Nike ads hanging in her friends’ dorm rooms, she was compelled to examine the power of marketing, and she has been an innovator in that world ever since. From the ad agency side to startups, Hausman eventually found her way to Houzz when the platform was just over a year old, and she has been charged with expanding and enriching its trade division ever since. In our conversation, we get to know Hausman, the creative and passionate strategist and cover how Houzz’s acquisition of Ivy has created change and new opportunities for the platform’s 2.5 million professional members. We also talk about recent findings from the Houzz's annual meaty home design and remodeling surveys, as well as Hausman's admiration for the way designers blend beauty with practicality.

This podcast is sponsored by Houzz

Interior designer/general contractor Stephanie V on creating a deliberate life

In this Design Talk, recorded live at the Designer Experience Atlanta, Stephanie Gowdy — principal at Allusions Design & Construction and best known as Stephanie V — takes the stage to talk about her entrepreneurial journey and the importance of building teams. Gowdy thinks big and outside of the box... actually, she says she never even saw the box.

This podcast is sponsored by Houzz

Cheminne Taylor Smith: Strategist, brand consultant and industry rock star

Everybody loves Cheminne Taylor Smith. Army brat by birth and entrepreneur by choice, Taylor Smith — by virtue of the different roles she’s played and time she’s devoted in our industry — seems to have the ear and respect of nearly everyone in the design, home furnishings and media worlds. When Cheminne talks, people listen. She is a supreme connector with unbridled curiosity, a generous heart, and a penchant for idea generation and content creation. In this episode, we cover her career path, the importance of being memorable, volunteering, the importance of seeking inspiration outside the box and much more.

Designers Joann Kandrac & Kelly Kole share their “Adapt or Die” strategy and tales of rebranding

Recorded live at the Designer Experience Atlanta, the first part of this podcast features Kandrac & Kole’s “Adapt or Die” design talk. In order to thrive in changing times, K&K explain how they have had to check their egos at the door, expand their menu of services and redesign their website for the third time in their 14 years of business. Working with expert consultants, they deemed that the key to moving forward was making sure the site reflected the caliber of design they were doing, their commitment to philanthropy, and their authentic selves — which has always been part of their value prop. Bloggers for ten years and podcasters for two, the future, according to their 2020 corporate vision board, is laced with more video, higher earnings and finally, that trip to Marrakesh.