107 – Anthony DiGuiseppe’s Journey From the Naval Academy to Interior Design

0:44:00

Anthony DiGuiseppe’s journey from the naval academy to interior design

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, one of the top interior design podcasts, Nick chats with Anthony DiGuiseppe in New York. Anthony talks about his path from a military academy to Pratt, an influential colleague, and tips for hospitality design.

Getting to know Anthony

Anthony’s office is currently on the Upper East Side of New York. He prefers a vodka martini straight up with a twist and loves to spend time at his home in upstate New York, a 1740’s Dutch stone house. Anthony recently read The Tipping Point, where he picked up a sense of where things are going and how to identify life-changing events. He is also a James Bond fan and having Daniel Craig live in a neighboring town isn’t too shabby either!

What the Business Looks Like

Anthony’s interior design, architecture, and development firm is and has always been small, with a staff of five. He intentionally keeps it small to stay active in both the design and client interactions. Currently, there is a focus on hospitality and multi-family residences, but before that the group worked on residential projects, offices, etc. Anthony mentioned “cross-dressing,” which he defined as hotels wanting to feel like home, but homeowners wanting to feel like a hotel. In addition, consumers no longer have to always go through a designer to get product, so designers now need put it all together to look good and function.

When Did Anthony Become Interested in Interior Design?

As a freshman in high school, Anthony loved art classes and often won awards, specifically for an octagonal house model. He received an A even before he finished it! He then went on to attend school for naval architecture for 2 years, then moved away from the military. It just wasn’t for him.

Anthony didn’t have a portfolio to apply to other schools with so he put one together in his free time. He was accepted at Pratt, but the Architecture program was full. Anthony decided to check out Architectural Engineering.

Upon graduating and securing a job, Anthony started working on historic preservation for the Copihue Museum. There is a glass canopy on the entrance for which he had to come up with the structure.

Soon, Anthony went back to school in the evenings to become an engineer and took a position as interior assistant for Joe D’Urso, who was the most influential person Anthony has worked with. Joe taught him about the aesthetics of design. At the time, there weren’t many architecture jobs for “newbies,” so Anthony started working on interior architecture projects. He liked having his hands in all of the details you can see, feel, and touch.

How to get the word out?

Anthony has attended many conferences for hospitality. These are the places to meet people or even be a speaker. As a speaker, people look at you as the expert. He also made efforts to call and follow up with people he met. As a shy kid growing up, this was tough at first, but as he became more seasoned, he started asked people about themselves to break the ice. People were very friendly, and he became more confident and comfortable in giving advice.

Anthony likes to work on the entire project, not just one aspect. He loves working on spas to promote wellness and healthy living. Boutique properties are his favorite kind of project where the design work shines. Boutiques tell a story either per location or even per room.

Anthony has been in business for thirty-one years, and even though the cash flow and paying the bills still keep him up at night, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Well, he would like some additional office space and organization, but his clients like the current set-up!

Learn more about Anthony at his website and Facebook.

Wrap Up

If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes or on our website at TheChaiseLoungePodcast.com. Lastly, find The Chaise Lounge on Instagram, Facebook and 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!

104 – What’s a Bunnyfish?

00:58:11

What’s a Bunnyfish?

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, one of the top interior design podcasts, Nick chats with Tina Wichmann and Craig Palacios from BUNNYFiSH Studio in Las Vegas. This duo talks about how BUNNYFiSH came to be, how they got into architecture, and what “luck” means to them.

Getting to know Tina and Craig

Craig and Tina are business partners in Las Vegas. Tina enjoys wine, boots, and naps. She is currently reading The Little House on the Prairie series on her Kindle and said that it grounds her and gives her perspective. When asked about an ideal vacation, Tina mentioned that a bungalow over the water somewhere sounded appealing.

Craig prefers beer and is still discovering his interests outside of work. If he weren’t a designer/architect, Craig would like to own an English pub. And he agreed with Tina on a bungalow vacation.

What the Business Looks Like

BUNNYFiSH Studio currently employs nine individuals. Having opened in 2011, the firm is still pretty young. It was founded and located in downtown Las Vegas when there wasn’t much to see there. The team is small, scrappy, and willing to take risks. BUNNYFiSH mostly works on hospitality projects in urban spaces where they change the purpose of a building in order to revive the area.

Craig and Tina are inspired by fun boutique brands like The Renaissance in Montreal or The Kimpton properties. They like brands that are willing to stick their neck out in less developed areas to make an impact.

When Did Tina and Craig Get Interested Architecture and Design?

Tina as a little girl wanted to be an architect. When her family moved into a new house, she got to know the construction workers, who set aside boxes, blocks of granite, etc for her to build within her backyard. She ended up with a degree in psychology and worked in the medical field for eight years. Later when Tina moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, she discovered a bridge program at UNLV where she became an architect and met Craig.

Craig always had interest in design, initially fashion design. Later, he held a position on a construction crew. The desire for fashion and design came together with his work experience, which paved the way for a focus in architecture.

After school, Tina and Craig interned and worked for other people as an apprentice. When the economy took a downturn, thankfully they were still employed. Coincidentally, they individually resigned from their positions for separate reasons. For a bit, they took separate paths, then came together to start BUNNYFiSH as the ball was already rolling with projects Craig had lined up.

What’s With the Name?

Craig went to the Nevada State Board to get a business license but didn’t have a company name. Initially, he went with Craig Sean Palacios Architect Studio. As more and more people came on board, the name was problematic. He and Tina wanted an inclusive name, but The Architect Studio was not accepted. So they needed a name quick and started brainstorming around taking two fundamentally different things and smashing them together to make something new, similar to what they were doing with their projects and properties. They came up with BUNNYFiSH and the name was accepted. The name isn’t a deal breaker for clients, but it makes them curious. And with a name like BUNNYFiSH, you need to have the chops to back it up, which Tina and Craig do!

How does the Partnership Work?

Tina and Craig have realized that each of them can do anything, but individually they cannot do everything. Each are principal in charge of fifty percent of projects in addition to Craig handling business development and networking while Tina works on everything related to human resources and finance. At any given time, the team is working on 10-15 projects ranging in size. All work to date is in southern Nevada, but they are currently looking at projects all over.

How to get the word out?

BUNNYFiSH received quite a bit of publicity early on as a benefit from partnering with Tony Hsieh of Zappos on a project or two. In addition, Tina and Craig worked hard to make sure they received credit for what they did.

Tina and Craig mentioned that in hindsight they wouldn’t do anything differently, but had the opportunity to partner with Tony Hsieh not have presented itself, growth would have been slower – which would have been fun too. Rather than chalking this partnership up to luck, Craig feels strongly that in order to have “luck” you have to work hard and put yourself out there.

Learn more at BUNNYFiSH Studio’s website and on Facebook.

Wrap Up

100 – Porcelanosa and connections at BDNY

0:54:35

Porcelanosa and connections at BDNY

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, Nick chats with Andy Pennington from Porcelanosa, a new sponsor for the podcast, and touches base with Stacy Garcia and Stefanie Zeldin to find out about some new products while at BDNY.

Checking in with Stacy Garcia at BDNY

Stacy Garcia has attended BDNY since the beginning because it is a great show for boutique hotels. Vendors up their game for this upscale show, which include Stacy’s new launches too. This year, Stacy has taken more of an artistic approach with her 100% wool carpet. It is the first time she has used her personal paintings to influence a design.

Stacy is also working on a new, sleek furniture line for Bernhardt Hospitality. These pieces have up to five layers of finishing and rose gold or polished chrome hardware, marrying a rustic look and refined accents. Through lots of hustle and persistence, Stacy is also partnering with In2Green on a line of throws made from recycled content.

Stacy and her team design for fifteen different lines including furniture, wall coverings, lighting, textiles, and more. She is also interested in working in high end bedding with her love for patterns. Stacy surrounds herself with great people who are all successful together. She is humbled by every single person who has chosen to use her product in hospitality or residential settings.

Stefanie Zeldin from In2Green

Stefanie Zeldin, a co-founder of In2Green, has partnered with Stacy Garcia to develop a throw line for both residential and hospitality indoor and outdoor use. At this year’s BDNY, In2Green won two awards for booth design and innovation.

Through ten years of innovating, these knit throws and bed scarves transitioned from a sandpaper-like texture to actually feeling soft. They are made from either 75% recycled cotton and 25% polyester or 100% recycled polyester. Each 50” x 60” throw is made of 78 plastic bottles. In2Green’s goal is to recycle one million bottles.

Stefanie also mentioned the importance of moving away from acrylic materials. Acrylic woven materials are toxic substances for those working. In order to get eco-materials in homes and hotels, In2Green developed a new material and a new line of 30+ colors.

Please check out In2Green’s website for more information on the product offering and innovation.

Getting to know Porcelanosa via Andy Pennington

Andy Pennington loves living in New York and has been in the US for ten years. He enjoys surrounding himself with creative people and appreciates the vibrant energy of the city. Andy started as a window merchandiser, and is now the Sales and Marketing Director for Porcelanosa.

Porcelanosa’s newest showroom is a 7 story building in the Flat Iron District. The building had previously been a Christmas tree decoration manufacturing facility, but at the time was out of use. The building originally featured carolers outside, which Porcelanosa was able to send to Spain to restore and now uses them as seasonal decor.

Porcelanosa makes more than just tile, though tile is the cornerstone of the business. With eight factories and four tile and four non-tile product lines, there is nothing in the kitchen or bath that Porcelanosa doesn’t manufacture.

Andy also mentioned the emphasis that Porcelanosa puts on building relationships and that a lot of marketing dollars are spent on taking people to visit factories. It’s an educational experience that Porcelanosa can provide, where these locations act as the best sales person. The International Interior Architecture Exhibition is coming up in February and visitors from all around the world will visit all eight factories. These attendees come in as strangers, but come out as friends and even do business together.

Wrap Up

Do you want to go to Spain on our trip with Porcelanosa? Add #LetsToGoToSpain and @thechaiseloung ang @porcelanosa_grupo on social media…on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc and tell us about projects you have done or will do as well as talking about the podcast. Be creative. We will look at everything in the month of December and will pick a winner the 1st week in January, and announce a winner the 2nd week of January.

99 – Jarret Yoshida: A Philanthropic Interior Designer

1:08:05

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, Nick chats with Jarret Yoshida, a philanthropic interior designer. Jarret talks about breaking into the design industry, running his own business, and his passion for working with charities.

Get to know Jarret Yoshida

Currently living in Brooklyn, NY, Jarret has also lived in Washington DC, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and was born and raised in Hawaii. He has loved living in each of these locations for different and unique reasons including the culture, climate, and community. Similarly, Jarret’s favorite vacation spot is Florence, Italy for the beauty of the architecture and design. He and his partner are currently renovating the parlor of their 120+ year old brownstone and are excited to continue the legacy of this historic home.

How did Jarret get into interior design?

At just seven years old, visiting a family friend, Jarret first remembers being concerned with his surroundings, specifically considering whether cinder block or lava rock would be a better option. Jarret has no formal interior design education, but does possess a double undergrad in East Asian Studies and International Relations, both of which have helped in his design business.

After school Jarret started working in political fundraising. He soon started supplementing his day job with design studies in Paris as well as the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons. He let his donors know of his design interest and got his first job as a Design Assistant through one of these connections. Jarret mentioned that it can take some time to find someone to give you a shot, but recommended being persistent. Within two months of this role, Jarret was thrown into the role of Project Manager and eventually encouraged by a client to start his own firm.

What does Jarret’s business look like today?

Today, Jarret employs three full time and seven part time associates. And with one associate now in school at FIT, he is seeking a design assistant with a positive attitude and ability to multi-task. Almost all of the firm’s work is residential in Hawaii and New York. With Jarret’s educational background, he is able to source from all over the world for unique items and great pricing. He touches every project.

Challenges in running an interior design business

Jarret said that the hardest part about running the business is the actual operations: how to invoice, collect money, get paid in full, etc. Without a business background, he has lost more money than he wants to admit, but is learning from it. Jarret is willing to share any mistakes to help others learn. He wants to leave something for someone else to build on. Jarret said that no interior designer can be responsible for a client’s happiness, but they are responsible for delivering on a project.

Charging what you are worth

Jarret charges the standard rate for his peer group in New York. The market is changing based on information availability online. When there is a pressure to lower rates, the relationship usually never works out. Jarret uses a hybrid model including an hourly rate during the design phase and a fixed model for the rest of the project called Net + 30. Net + 30 means that the Interior Designer charges their net price on an item plus thirty percent of that cost as an administrative fee.

What Jarret loves about owning the business

In running his own business, Jarret loves being in charge of his own path and steering his own ship. He enjoys learning about himself as a person and a business owner. As the firm rises and falls, so does his self worth and awareness of strengths and weaknesses. Jarret has been able to improve his work-life balance to be more available for his partner, and like Nick, enjoys an afternoon trip to the gym.

Getting the phone to ring

Jarret works with Kendall at Kennedy Rowe PR, who helps him focus on marketing and networking. In addition, he shared his passion for and interest in non-profits. Jarret is involved with Womankind, The Dream Foundation, Brooklyn Animal Action, and

The American Cancer Society. Not only has this involvement been good for Jarret’s soul, but has also taught him leadership skills and has led to referrals from fellow board members.

To learn more about Jarret, please visit JarretYoshida.com.

Side note…

So after talking with Jarret, while looking over his website, I realized that he worked for one of my favorites! Daniel Craig! Yes, Jarret worked for 007 and lived to tell the tail. While I try not to get too hung up with names and client lists, this one stood out, so I thought I would share. Click on the image below, and it will take you to Jarret’s portfolio to see more images.

Chaise Lounge Updates

Resources

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Upcoming Markets

High Point Market October 13 – 17

BDNY Nov 11 – 12

Wrap Up

If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes or on our website at TheChaiseLoungePodcast.com. Lastly, find The Chaise Lounge on Instagram, Facebook, and 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!

95 – The Business of Home Staging

1:11:09

The Business of Home Staging

On this episode of The Chaise Lounge, Nick chats with Jennie Norris of IAHSP, Tricia Tomlinson of Staging and Design Network, Lauren Matthews of White Orchid Interiors on a subset of Interior Design, the business of Home Staging.

Jumping into conversation with Jennie Norris (5:50)

Located near Denver, Jennie Norris has been staging since 2002. She has also been involved in the International Association of Home Staging Professionals in many different roles and is currently the chairwoman for the entire organization of thousands of members.

IAHSP is hosting an educational conference and expo coming up in February from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The theme of this event is “Raise the BAR” and will focus on business, applications, and resources. Not only will Nick of The Chaise Lounge be presenting on keeping your sales and marketing funnel full, but Jeff Lewis from Bravo’s Flipping Out will be sharing his expertise too.

Overall, Jennie said that home staging is physical and demanding. She mentioned that TV shows today show that staging is necessary and focus on furniture and décor, but what they don’t show is the actual business.

IAHSP’s Educational Conference and Expo is coming up on February 10-12. Please click here for more info!

Next in the lounge, Tricia Tomlinson (13:45)

Tricia Tomlinson is calling in from Kirkland, WA right now, but is hoping to expand to other locations soon! Tricia runs the Staging and Design Network, which is the only shared rental pool in the marketplace for home staging. By fulfilling this function, Tricia and her company can handle all payment and logistics, which allows home stagers to focus on the homes and design.

Tricia started in real estate with a company that provided staging, and she fell in love with it. She knew she needed more resources when her staging projects started to borrow furniture from her own home!

The Staging and Design Center allows stagers to receive income on rented furniture, art, bedding, rugs, etc as well as expand their inventory to be able to rent from other stagers. It’s like the Amazon for the home staging industry.

Tricia has seen great success and plans on expanding within the next six months. In the meantime, the company is providing webinars from educational providers on being successful in the industry. And, Nick will be presenting on marketing coming up in January!

When asked about the difference in interior design and home staging, Tricia mentioned that staging is the only industry where you can show your talent. Interior design caters to homeowners’ taste, while staging appeals to the broadest audience. You must do your homework on the market in that area.

Find out more about Tricia and Staging and Design Network on the company website or email her at tricia@sdninc.net. If you are a professional in the industry, please check out Tricia’s LinkedIn Group.

Last, but not least, Lauren Matthews (39:00)

Lauren Matthews is calling from her home office in beautiful Newport Beach, California. She is originally from Colorado and spent time skiing and road cycling at a high level of competition. This allowed her to travel and see great design. When her sports career wrapped up, Lauren decided to focus on this interest.

Initially, she thought staging was just rearranging and decluttering, but soon landed her first job staging a $2 million vacant home. It was a huge success, and from them on she has been fulfilling the need for luxury vacant home staging in Denver.

Lauren started with no inventory and sent fliers out to real estate agents. In naming her company, she knew she wanted it to be bigger than her, so she landed on White Orchid Interiors. The business now employs 12 individuals who stage more than 300 $1+ million vacant homes each year from two permanent office locations (Colorado and southern California).

When thinking about the staging industry, Lauren commented on the quick turnaround time that happens more often than not. And often, you just have to work with what is in your inventory and get the job done to make it work, while also keeping high end luxury expectations in mind.

Lauren describes home staging as selling a story, but the story changes from the homeowner to the actual home itself, and interior design focuses on the characteristics and personality of the homeowner.

For more information on Lauren Matthews and White Orchid Interiors, please check out the company website, which includes a helpful quoting tool.

Wrap Up

93 – Host of the new show Your, Mine, or Ours, Taylor Spellman

0:52:59

Host of the new show Your, Mine, or Ours, Taylor Spellman

Today in the lounge I have an amazing interior designer and home stager, Taylor Spellman from New York, that has just launched a television show on Bravo called Yours, Mine, or Ours.

Get to know Taylor Spellman from New York (4:06)

Taylor is currently in SoHo. She loves a heavy-bodied red wine, her bedroom because sleep is scarce, and her family’s annual tradition of vacationing to Rhode Island.

How did Taylor get into interior design? (10:10)

Taylor has not had any formal training or education within the interior design field, but rather attended Fordham University for dance. She then moved to New York to continue dancing, but soon realized a disconnect between the lifestyles of the people around her – great jobs, nice restaurants, a tasteful wardrobe, but they go home to a nightmare apartment and drink wine out of plastic cups!

She turned this observation into a business that took off. She catered her interior design business to single men to start, but in time women and families showed interest. Taylor fondly remembers her first client, Sal, from nine years ago, who showed proof of concept for what some thought was a far-fetched idea.

What does Taylor’s business look like today? (14:30)

While the bachelor focus was a great launch-pad and competitive advantage, the business has been rebranded as Taylor Spellman New York. Taylor’s seven person firm focuses on high-end residential design as well as staging too.

Taylor saw staging as an opportunity due to lack of competition in the market, with just one other prominent company. Like interior design, the is a self-trained stager. She had the opportunity to stage one of Ryan Serhant’s listings,which had been on the market for years. After Taylor’s staging, there was a bidding war and now she works with Ryan regularly.

Being on TV (19:15)

Taylor’s show Yours, Mine, or Ours launched this week. It’s a 10 episode series that’s both funny and kind. In each episode Taylor and Reza Farahan (from Shahs of Sunset) meet with a couple who each have their own homes. Taylor resolves the design issues in their current homes, while Reza shows the couple two new homes. In the end, the couple must choose between these four options.

The Taylor Touch (25:16)

As Taylor’s company grows, she has had to be less hands on, which she mentioned is good, but challenging. She is learning to delegate and oversee. Taylor is still involved with initial meetings and consultations, but then hands projects off to her team for execution. She is able to keep things moving forward, and then provide some finishing touches – The Taylor Touch.

Taylor also mentioned that she is present on all home staging projects. Her goal is to maximize the price per square foot, not just provide a beige couch and a taupe rug. She wants to make everyone feel at home instantly.

How did Taylor learn to do this if she didn’t go to school? (32:00)

Taylor Spellman has always loved interior design. She decided to do what she thought was right for her and make it work. To some degree, it is innate and instinctual. In the beginning she received feedback about not having a portfolio, education, or ASID behind her name, but didn’t let that stop her.

As of Monday, Taylor got what she wanted. Her company is up and running. She is helping others turn their home into the sacred space they need. And her TV show is launching. She is sleeping better than ever, until the next challenge arises!

Business and beyond (37:02)

It has taken Taylor ten years to get to this point. She now feels comfortable taking interviews. She has her point of view on design. In order to get her business to this point, Taylor has had to put processes in place and make the company scalable. She is moving into the lifestyle market with flower arrangements and table scapes and hopes to be the next modern day Martha Stewart!

If you would like to connect with Taylor Spellman, please visit taylorspellman.com and check out Yours, Mine, or Ours Monday nights on Bravo at 10/9C

Interview

107 – Anthony DiGuiseppe’s Journey From the Naval Academy to Interior Design

Anthony DiGuiseppe’s journey from the naval academy to interior design

Getting to know Anthony

What the Business Looks Like

When Did Anthony Become Interested in Interior Design?

How to get the word out?

Wrap Up

104 – What’s a Bunnyfish?

What’s a Bunnyfish?

Getting to know Tina and Craig

What the Business Looks Like

When Did Tina and Craig Get Interested Architecture and Design?

What’s With the Name?

How does the Partnership Work?

How to get the word out?

Wrap Up

100 – Porcelanosa and connections at BDNY

Porcelanosa and connections at BDNY

Checking in with Stacy Garcia at BDNY

Stefanie Zeldin from In2Green

Getting to know Porcelanosa via Andy Pennington

Wrap Up

99 – Jarret Yoshida: A Philanthropic Interior Designer

Get to know Jarret Yoshida

How did Jarret get into interior design?

What does Jarret’s business look like today?

Challenges in running an interior design business

Charging what you are worth

What Jarret loves about owning the business

Getting the phone to ring

Side note…

Chaise Lounge Updates

Resources

Upcoming Markets

Wrap Up

95 – The Business of Home Staging

The Business of Home Staging

Jumping into conversation with Jennie Norris (5:50)

Next in the lounge, Tricia Tomlinson (13:45)

Last, but not least, Lauren Matthews (39:00)

Wrap Up

93 – Host of the new show Your, Mine, or Ours, Taylor Spellman

Host of the new show Your, Mine, or Ours, Taylor Spellman

Get to know Taylor Spellman from New York (4:06)

How did Taylor get into interior design? (10:10)

What does Taylor’s business look like today? (14:30)

Being on TV (19:15)

The Taylor Touch (25:16)

How did Taylor learn to do this if she didn’t go to school? (32:00)

Business and beyond (37:02)

Wrap Up