SAID - Something About Interior Designers

Linda Kafka + Mike Peterson: Meet the design industry folks behind the upcoming virtual Science in Design Summit, why now is the time to bring information about the convergence of science and design to the forefront, and why architects and designers should take advantage of what science and medicine tells us- that good design improves health! Go here for more details: https://visionarydesignmarketing.com/science-in-design-summit/

Don Ricardo Massenburg Jr., principal at DESiGN iNKREDiBLE, aka Mr. iNKREDiBLE and “The Bedroom King,” believes in stating and praying what you want into existence. It is how he has lived his life and is growing his design business. Also, thanks to mentors like Michel Boyd, has adopted this basic operating mode: If it doesn’t make me want to dance, I’m not doing it. From kindergarten teacher to headboard fabricator, decorator to influencer, Don Ricardo has a lot to share about his decorating start, why he still wants a career in education, his social media practices and affinity for music, and much more. http://www.designinkredible.com

When she was 41 — a high school teacher and mother of two — Julie Sawchuk was hit by a car while biking, and that accident resulted in a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed from the chest down, and changed her life forever. She and her husband built a new home that was fully accessible to her, and which in turn led her to a new career — helping people build better residential and commercial spaces for all. The co-author of the soon-to-be-released book, “Building Better Bathrooms,” Sawchuk thinks of accessible design as an umbrella that must include three elements: safety, independence and dignity. “It’s just not about a turning circle on the floor of a drawing [for a wheelchair] or the width of a doorway — there’s so much more to it.” On the podcast, Sawchuk talks about her journey and her mission to have people rethink home design. Go to juliesawchuk.ca to discover more.

Lucy Penfield, of Lucy Interior Design based in Minneapolis, has a BFA in Art History and Interior Design, certificate in business, and an MA in Design Thinking. She chose a career in interior designer because, for her, it checked all the boxes and encompassed all that she loved to learn about – culture, psychology, philosophy - and do – travel, art, write. Her projects veer toward modern and are infused with color, art, and optimism. With a full plate of projects, philanthropic commitments, a recent pillow collection debut, and new ideas in motion for 2021, Penfield discusses her circuitous path to design and the wonder of it all – with a sweet-sounding Midwest accent which makes it all the more heartening. Check her out at www.lucyinteriordesign.com.

Kia Weatherspoon, the captivating and straight-up founder of Determined by Design, is a passionate advocate for design equity, busting myths and preconceived notions of what affordable housing communities should be. Weatherspoon creates aesthetic environments for all regardless of socioeconomic level and shares her message generously. In this podcast, we discuss how past experience informs her design and inspires her direction, why design equals empathy, and the importance of storytelling in interior design. Weatherspoon also shares the way she prospects for new partners, the keys to staying positive, and the relationship between mental health and the success of her business. If you ever need a pick me up, go to Weatherspoon’s personal Instagram and watch her dance, and discover more about her at www.determinedbydesign.com.

Join Jane Dagmi and her colleagues from Furniture Today (Thomas Russell and Powell Slaughter), Home Accents Today (Thomas Lester) and Casual Living (Adelaide Elliott) as they discuss what they saw and heard at the fall 2020 extended High Point Market. Visit each publication's website for a deeper dive.

In August, after 25 years of working at one of Philadelphia’s well-respected interiors firms, Nina Pritzker Cohen launched her own firm, Nina Pritzker Designs. Looking back and ahead, Pritzker paints a frank picture of the opportunities and challenges that came with working for an established mid-size company and also discusses how it’s been, so far, to start a business in a pandemic.

Sheryl McLean, interior designer, author and speaker, is candid about her journey, and notes that her path to interior design was laced with discovery, dedication and racism. Tracing her journey in this conversation, she is refreshingly open about her earlier careers as well as the oppressive treatment she encountered along the way. Tapping into her psychology degree, McLean is fascinated by human behavior, and speaks with joy about her passion for helping successful women understand that they deserve to live beautifully and should not feel guilty about it.

Photographer Ellen McDermott of Ellen McDermott Interior Photography creates beautiful imagery for interior designers, fashion and design houses, and other commercial clients. She honed her craft shooting for a San Francisco auction house – her goal there was to make the viewer want to reach out and touch the object – before landing in New York six years later. The connections she made through her work in San Francisco eventually led her to Martha Stewart where she worked with her on the “Homekeeping Handbook.” McDermott’s work has been featured in Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, The Magazine Antiques, House Beautiful, Wall Street Journal, Country Living and more and she has photographed the work of countless interior designers. She loves the collaboration and opportunity to capture their work and express the mood of a room. In the podcast we discuss the evolution of her career, her favorite tools, the joy of collaboration and the value of mentorship. Throughout you can pick up on her New England accent and a genuine thread of gratitude. Learn more about her at her website, https://ellenmcdermott.com/.

Los Angeles-based interior designer Laura Muller is open about sleeping with her contractor. He is, after all, her husband, Cliff. Together the two are co-principals at Four Point Design Build, a practice they opened 10 years ago. In conversation, Muller’s passion for honoring her clients is evident as is her ardent belief in the power of brand collaborations and the importance of designing for happiness. During our conversation, we learn how growing up in the theater has served Muller well, how, as a single mother of three kids with special needs, she created a home that functioned for all, and how morning rituals and daily reconciliation creates joy and peace. Find out more about this talented and resilient woman at her website, www.fourpointdesignbuild.com.

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.

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.

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.