Business of Home Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Gary Wheeler of the ASID: "Interior design is at a crossroads" Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

Gary Wheeler is the CEO of the American Society of Interior Designers, or, as it’s more commonly known, the ASID. A professional membership organization for both commercial and residential designers, the ASID is almost 100 years old, but Wheeler has been in the top spot for less than 12 months. With a global pandemic to contend with, and racial inequality at the forefront, he’s had a busy start to his tenure.

On this episode of the podcast, Wheeler speaks with host Dennis Scully about why he wants to end the squabbling between commercial and residential designers, the danger of interior design being taxed as a luxury, and why now is the right time to invite everyone to the table.

This episode was sponsored by Serena & Lily and Artistic Tile

LINKS
ASID
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

Kazumi Yoshida and the incredible story of Clarence House Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

Born in a small town in Japan to a family of doctors, artist and textile designer Kazumi Yoshida was always something of a free spirit. He made his way to London as a young man, then New York, where he met Robin Roberts, the extravagant, larger-than-life founder of Clarence House. The two were a match made in heaven, and Kazumi’s creations saw the company reach new heights. Edgy, artistic, colorful and opulent—for a time Clarence House was the fabric brand you simply couldn’t ignore.

Roberts passed away in the early 2000s, and Clarence House went through a quiet period. But now it has a new owner and Kazumi is once again working on new designs as artistic director. On this episode of podcast. He tells host Dennis Scully some incredible stories from Clarence House’s heyday, and explains why he’s optimistic that the brand is entering an exciting new chapter.

This episode is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Artistic Tile.

LINKS
Clarence House
Kazumi Yoshida
Clarence House's Madeline Pattern
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

Meganne Wecker of Skyline Furniture thinks we're living through an e-commerce tipping point Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

Founded in 1946 in the suburbs of Chicago by Meganne Wecker’s grandfather, Skyline Furniture has always been a family business. It’s also always stood a little bit apart from the crowd for a willingness to try new things. Wecker joined at an opportune time, just as e-commerce was beginning to take off—ever since, she’s pushed Skyline to master the nuances of making furniture to sell online.

On this episode of the podcast, she speaks with host Dennis Scully about why she launched a startup— Cloth and Company—within Skyline; why she’s betting on digitally printed fabrics; and why she thinks we’re living through a major tipping point for e-commerce.

This episode is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Artistic Tile.
LINKS
Skyline Furniture
Cloth & Company
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

Russell Towner of Lee Industries on lead times and the future of furniture Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

Russell Towner, the president of Lee Indstries, is a lifer in the furniture business, with almost three decades spent at companies like Henredon, Baker and Theodor Alexander. Now he’s at the helm of one of North Carolina’s most venerable brands at a peculiar time. A COVID-inspired boom in home spending has filled Lee’s order book, but the pandemic—and a shock foam shortage—has made it harder than ever to meet demand. On this episode of the podcast, Towner talks with host Dennis Scully about why the furniture business is so dependent on two chemicals, what the concept of spressetura means to Lee, and what things will look like in the design business when the pandemic is a thing of the past.

This episode of the show is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Artistic Tile

LINKS
Lee Industries
Lead Times
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

You can't do high-end design online? The Expert begs to differ Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

During COVID lockdowns last year, Jake Arnold, a rising young interior designer based out of Los Angeles, teamed up with Leo Seigal, an entrepreneur. Together they built an ingeniously simple platform, The Expert, that connects clients with top designers for hour-long video consultations. So far their creation has been a hit, and designers, including Amber Lewis, Leanne Ford and Martyn Lawrence Bullard, have flocked to the site, where they charge up to $2,500 for 55 minutes of their time.

On this episode of the podcast, Arnold and Seigal speak with host Dennis Scully about the story behind their venture, why bringing trade brands onboard is the next step, and how an elevated take on e-design could change the industry as we know it.

This episode is sponsored by Baker + Hesseldenz and Serena & Lily
LINKS
The Expert
Jake Arnold
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

Maharam's Tony Manzari on the power of completely reinventing your company Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Started out of a pushcart in the early 1900s, today fabric brand Maharam is a giant of the industry, sending out over 2 million samples a year. It hasn’t all been steady growth—the company underwent a major reinvention in the 1990s that saw employee turnover surge and profits drop. But it paid off, and Maharam was acquired in 2013 by Herman Miller for 156 million dollars. In this episode of the show, president Tony Manzari tells host Dennis Scully about how COVID is causing another reinvention at Maharam, the future of sampling, and what the residential design industry can learn from the contract side of the business.

This episode is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Baker+Hesseldenz.

LINKS
Maharam
Business of Home
Dennis Scully

Ben Soleimani built his name on rugs. Now he's going after the whole home Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

Ben Soleimani’s story is a dramatic one—the son of a prosperous rug dealer in Iran, his family escaped the country in the thick of the revolution that transformed the middle east. Soleimani eventually found himself in Los Angeles and wasted no time getting into business, first as a teenager, establishing his family’s operations in California, then branching into contemporary design and partnering with Gary Friedman to establish RH’s rug program. Now Soleimani has a whole home brand of his own, selling everything from the rugs he’s famous for to textiles, furniture and accessories.

On this episode of the Business of Home podcast, he speaks with host Dennis Scully about how the design industry’s attitude towards rugs has evolved over the years; why he thinks in-stock, quick-ship product is the wave of the future; and why he loves taking on a challenge.
This episode is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Baker + Hesseldenz

LINKS
The Iranian Revolution
Ben Soleimani
RH
Gary Friedman
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

Thomas O'Brien: "You have to fight for the things you're passionate about." Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Like so many leaders in the design industry, Thomas O’Brien began his career working for Ralph Lauren. When he went out on his own in the early nineties he found quick success with Aero, a buzzy shop in SoHo that led to designing stores for Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani. O’Brien also found great success in product—his lines for Waterworks, Hickory Chair and Visual Comfort have all been runaway bestsellers, and his collaboration with Target paved the way for high-end designers to partner with mass market brands.

On this episode of the podcast, he speaks with Dennis Scully about the passion that’s missing in the industry today, the importance of fighting for choices you believe in, and why, despite the blue chip licensing deals, he considers himself a shopkeeper at heart.

This episode was sponsored by Serena & Lily and Baker + Hesseldenz

LINKS
Thomas O'Brien/Aero
The Rhinelander
O'Brien's Osiris light for Visual Comfort
Dennis Scully
Business of Home

Bonus Episode: Trade Tales with Kaitlin Petersen Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

In a special bonus episode of the Business of Home podcast, we're sharing the first episode of BOH's new show, Trade Tales. Hosted by editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen, the podcast features interviews with interior designers about nurturing creativity, finding a firm’s financial footing, setting goals and discovering their own version of success as a result. In the first episode, Philadelphia-based designer Nile Johnson shares the story of a dream client who recommended him to a nightmare client—and the lessons he learned. Subscribe to Trade Tales on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

LINKS
Trade Tales
Nile Johnson
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Business of Home's editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen thinks the design industry deserves great journalism Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

On this episode of the podcast, host Dennis Scully speaks with Business of Home’s editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen. Petersen began her career in journalism covering everything from food and culture in Chicago, to true crime in Texas. She ended up in New York in the design media world at Hearst, working for Veranda and helping to relaunch Metropolitan Home before decamping to BOH. Now Kaitlin is launching a podcast of her own, Trade Tales, focused on great stories and business lessons from working designers. In the show, she talks about the out-of-control lead times plaguing the industry today, what it’s like to cover RH up close, and the challenges of bringing real journalism to the design trade.

This episode is sponsored by Serena & Lily and Baker+Hesseldenz

Links
Business of Home
Kaitlin Petersen
Kaitlin’s article on lead times in the design industry
Kaitlin’s profile of RH Chairman and CEO Gary Friedman
Dennis Scully

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