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Florida

S24 E11 – Celebrity designer Krista Watterworth talks balancing her TV and design careers, building teams, Vanilla Ice, and life in Florida!

Welcome! Today in The Lounge, Nick sits down with Florida-based celebrity designer Krista Watterworth. Krista is perhaps best known for her appearances on HGTV and the Food Network but she has also achieved stellar success in Palm Beach with her all-female owned and operated design firm Krista + Home.

In this episode, Krista discusses the pathway to her success and goes deep into her design philosophy and process. She provides burgeoning designers invaluable advice for building relationships, marketing, how to succeed in an evolved retail environment, and she also shares insight on her fascinating career working with Vanilla Ice!

S24 E10 – Guest Host Stacy Garcia Meets Jacki Arena

Welcome! Today in The Lounge, special guest host Stacy Garcia meets long-time friend and collaborator, philanthropist and resort designer extraordinaire Jacki Arena.

Jacki has made a name for herself in designing high end resorts throughout the world, and for establishing her celebrated Florida based design house Jacki Arena Interiors (JAI).

S23 E17 – Mid-Life Breakthrough with Darla Powell

Today’s Chaise Lounge showcases Miami designer Darla Powell of Darla Powell Interiors. Powell is a former Miami cop of 19 years who decided to follow her childhood compulsion to redecorate into an interior design career in 2017.

S23 E7 – The Value of Experience Lisa Davenport

Today on the Chaise Lounge, Nick welcomes Lisa Davenport to the show. Davenport is the principal of Lisa Davenport Designs. After realizing she wasn’t cut out to work a graphic design job in a cubicle, she took a job at a paint store where one client appreciated her color recommendation to heart and wanted more even more interior design from Davenport who was only just realizing she might have the knack. Then, when her daughter was 9-months-old, she went back to school to learn interior design.

S23 E3 – Jaime Blomquist, Losing Everything But Passion

Today in The Lounge, Nick chats with Jaime Blomquist of Jaime Blomquist Interiors. Based in her hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Blomquist’s business has seen both highs and lows. She talks to Nick about how she got her start and how she overcame the hard times.

90 – Two Different Interior Designers: Charlotte Dunagan and Garrow Kedigian

Interior designers Charlotte Dunagan and Garrow Kedigian

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 ogarrow-kedigian-napolian-roomf 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 DunaganCharlotte 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!

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