The Chaise Lounge Podcast

Living a healthy life includes living in a space you love. With our next guest, sustainability and mindfulness come together to do just that. Today, Marcy Garcia (MG Design Lab) joins Nick May on The Chaise Lounge. Based in Miami, MG Design Lab takes your health into account when designing your environment. Her own struggle with infertility made her realize that there are chemicals and products in design that are not the best to share a space with. A native of Columbia, she came to San Francisco and never went back. She decided that design was the career change she needed, and after a brief employment at a design firm moved to Miami and started her own firm. Marcy admits she still has knowledge to be gained in business. To learn more about what Marcy is doing, visit her website www.themgdesignlab.com and follow her on Instagram @themglab. Check out what Nick and Walls By Design are doing at www.wallsbydesign.com. I know that i’m not good at certain aspects of the business. Now that I'm more interest

Amy Kartheiser Mary Pat Wallace Mary Jo Fasan As we push through COVID, one word echoes in many businesses: pivot. Today on The Chaise Lounge, Nick May is joined by three guests: Amy Kartheiser (Amy Kartheiser Design), Mary Pat Wallace (Chicago Luxury Beds) and Mary Jo Fasan (Jo Chicago Communications).  With COVID lockdowns and protests in Chicago, these ladies have all found ways to adapt to the changing times through digital services, deliveries and using social media content to help market their businesses. Learn more about our guests at the links below: Amy Kartheiser (Amy Kartheiser Design) @amykartheiserdesign Mary Pat Wallace (Chicago Luxury Beds) @chicagoluxurybeds Mary Jo Fasan (Jo Chicago Communications) @jochicagocomms To thread from what you just said about pivoting, one of the best lines I’ve heard through this pandemic is that deprivation leads to innovation. Mary Pat Tweet Chaise Lounge Updates A new season of Coast to C

Many times, success has a rough beginning. Our next guest started her business the week of 9/11. Joining Nick May today on The Chaise Lounge is Donna Mondi of Donna Mondi Interior Design. Nineteen years after that tragic event, Donna has turned her startup into a successful firm specializing in luxury. Formally educated in interior design, Donna discusses learning the business of interior design through an interest in business books. She has grown her business with hard work and expediting services to a business management company. She no longer has to spend as much time in her business and is working on her exit plan. Talk about success! Learn more about Donna at her website, https://www.donnamondi.com/ and on Instagram @donnamondiinteriordesign! I think both my husband and I are starting to look at our exit path. I’m a bit younger than him which I probably remind him of enough. And we’re kind of looking at what is that going to look like. Donna Mondi Tweet I think bot

Luxury: a state of great comfort and extravagant living. For those who live lives of luxury, there is luxury interior design. Joining Nick May on The Chaise Lounge today, Gavin Brodin of Brodin Design Build knows that all too well. With no formal education in interiors, Gavin found himself thrust into the world of design after moving to Los Angeles (he’d previously fallen in love with L.A.’s winter weather on a Christmas trip). As often happens, he met a guy. Guy worked special events, like the Oscars and Emmys. The rest is history. Gavin designs luxury residential and commercial spaces, the interior of a Gulfstream G650 private jet being one of them. Celebrities and the social elite have come from all around just for his unique eye and attention to detail. Learn more about Gavin and Brodin Design Build on his website www.brodindesignbuild.com and on Instagram @brodindesignbuild. We’ve been fortunate I’ve been doing a couple aviation projects, Gulfstream G650 which have definitely been the most exci

Seeing a celebrity in public would render most people starstruck. Our next guest is immune as she worked in entertainment before her transition into interior design. Sara Barney (Bandd Design) joins Nick May today on The Chaise Lounge. After years in the entertainment industry, Sara went back to school for interior design. She found a way to blend her creative and entrepreneurial spirit and started Bandd Design. Originally intended as a hobby that paid, she couldn’t keep up with her leads and needed to quit her job. What a successful side gig! Learn more about Sara and Bandd Design at her website, www.bandddesign.com! Also check her out on Instagram @jointhebandd. I say the number one thing I look for when I’m hiring is the culture fit. This is the first place I’ve ever worked where there has been no drama and there are no major issues that come up within the team. We are all very respectful of one another, really like one another as people. Sara Barney Tweet I say the

Today on The Chaise Lounge, we bring you something completely different - clips from some of Nick May's and our team's favorite episodes and clips! We even dusted off our very first intro sequence for this Throwback Thursday (Friday). Gotta say, it's really nice to go back and remember great guests, good times, and big laughs. Plus we finally learn how to pronounce Nick May. There are timestamps to identify each guest and links to their respective episodes and Instagram pages below.  Barrie Livingstone - Episode 1 (3:40 - 7:28) @barrielivingstonedesigner Kia Weatherspoon - Episode 13 (7:28 - 13:18) @kianweatherspoon Garrison Hullinger - Episode 24 (13:20 - 15:39) @ghidinc Franco Crea - Episode 254 (15:44 - 19:15) @franco_crea Bobby Berk - Episode 74 (19:19 - 20:21) @bobby Ghislaine Viñas - Episode 37 (20:25 - 22:36) @ghislaine_vinas Sarah Wilson - Episode 134 (22:40 - 24:29) @chansaeraedesigns Sally Williams - S23 E1 (24:33 - 27:54) @colorfulconceptsinteriordesign Dan Rak - Episode 191 (27:58 - 32

There are lots of ways our guests have entered interior design - some have stumbled into the industry, some have gone through an educational program. Karen Post of Home Frosting joins Nick May today on The Chaise Lounge.  She got her start in the sale of a high rise unit, when her realtor advised her to stage her home. Karen started her business and wanted to learn all about interior design, so she attended seminars where she found Nick. Her and Nick have one important thing in common: they know the value of marketing. HGTV even found her website and she has been on four of their shows. Now that’s strong branding! For more information on the kinds pf projects Karen works on, check out her website www.homefrosting.com and follow her on Instagram @homefrostingfl Sometimes it’s better if you don't know all the stuff because then you don't have any limits. As long as you do your homework and you take care of your customer and you have fun, anyone can do anything. Karen Post Tweet Chaise L

Although many people have had a relatively positive experience through covid, our next guest was hit with a little more reality. A good friend of Nick May’s, Garrison Hullinger of Garrison Hullinger Interior Design joins him on The Chaise Lounge.  Garrison gets real with Nick about his struggles with his business as soon as covid hit the U.S. He has struggled to keep his business above water having to lay off key employees and dealing with decreased revenue. One of his out-of-state projects even suffered an outbreak of covid among the workers. Let's show support for Garrison! A host on our very own Coast to Coast Design podcast, Garrison and his co-host, Lisa Davenport, talk about the many ways to run an interior design business. Learn more about what Garrison is up to on his website Garrison Hullinger Interior Design and follow him on Instagram @ghidinc. Also, check out his podcast Coast to Coast Design. The really sad part is going back into normalcy and seeing empty storefronts that we’re going t

Our next guest is a fellow Denverite who splits her time between Maine and Colorado focusing on residential and hospitality design. Ramey Caulkins of Griffin Design Source joins Nick May today on The Chaise Lounge.  Having a network of people to help a business grow in two different states is an invaluable asset. You never know who you might meet or where you might go. With limited entertainment opportunities these days, people are wanting to remodel their homes to host more get-togethers. Ramey can even help you get good reviews from your own guests! Learn more about Ramey Caulkins at Griffin Design Source. Please be sure to follow her on Instagram @gdsinteriors and like her page on Facebook @griffindesignsource. I knew I could sell ice to eskimos so I figured I could definitely have a career in sales. Ramey Caulkins Tweet Chaise Lounge Updates A new season of Coast to Coast Design is live, with Garrison Hullinger and returning co-host Lisa Davenport! That’s right, it’s their second

Enjoying his vacation in Wisconsin this week, Nick May could social distance with our next guests a few hours’ drive away. Nick is accompanied today by two great friends Christine Phillips (Viola! PR and Design) and Sarah Willit (Patina Vie) on The Chaise Lounge.  Originally a panel between three (otherwise) intelligent and successful people turned into good friends just catching up. They discuss the trend of people moving from larger cities to smaller towns, the outlook for markets and trade shows, some of the projects they have been working on - and much more! Learn more about what our guests are doing by following them on Instagram! @ChristineViolaPR and @PatinaVie. To watch future Live Chats, find us on Facebook @TheChaiseLounge. We’ve been onliners for about six years so we’re seasoned pros, but our online has doubled. We’re hustling, man. We are packing and shipping, curbsides. It’s been good. Sarah Willit Tweet Chaise Lounge Updates A new season of Coast to Coast Design is live

For many designers, including this week's guests, having graduated from interior design school is not on the resume. Join Nick May in welcoming Heather and Matt French (French & French Interiors) to The Chaise Lounge. Heather and Matt remodeled a home before they sold it and moved to Santa Fe. It was through that experience that Heather knew design is what she’s supposed to be doing. Combining history, culture and purpose in residential and commercial spaces, the Frenches focus on designing for the experience. Their very first residential client even encouraged them to move into the commercial world and gave them a project at a hotel. Knowledge with mileage goes a long way!Learn more about Heather and Matt French at FrenchandFrenchInteriors.com. Be sure to check them out on Instagram @FrenchandFrenchInteriors. We’re getting a lot of new calls from people spending a lot of time at home and probably wouldn’t consider an interior designer until they started to stare at their home office for days

School projects come to fruition all the time, but not always to the full scale of our next guest. A home design that was done while in high school was used for the construction of someone’s home. Michael Suomi, of hospitality design firm Suomi Design Works, joins Nick May on today’s episode of The Chaise Lounge.  His firm, based out of Florida, has designed interiors for some of the best hotels and resorts in the country. Michael grew up skiing in the upper peninsula of Michigan. It has brought him to Colorado to design some of our very own ski resorts. Who knows? You may have stayed in and enjoyed the beautiful interiors he has put together. Check out Suomi Design Works on Facebook. If you’re doing a Hilton or a Hyatt or a Marriott, they all have their own brands. My passion is creating a hotel from scratch. What’s the idea behind a hotel? Who are the guests? Michael Suomi Tweet Chaise Lounge Updates We'll be covering Spring High Point Market 2019! Stay in the loop on our Instagram an

Husband and wife teams can combine their efforts for success in marriage as well as in the business world. In today’s episode of The Chaise Lounge, Nick May catches up with returning guests Phyllis and Bill Taylor with Taylor & Taylor Inc. The Taylors have a knack for merging interior design with nature – mainly in tropical climates. Like many of our most recent guests, Phyllis and Bill have endured trying times through COVID. They have adapted their business to fit the needs of our current world, while excitedly awaiting a return to the office. To listen to the episode of the last time Phyllis and Bill joined Nick, click here. Also, be sure to check out Taylor & Taylor Inc. on Instagram @TaylornTaylorInc. Our office building in Wynwood has other designers and various tenants and as of the chatter this morning we may be one of the few people anticipating a return. I think a lot of people are finding that they don’t need an office. Bill Taylor Tweet Chaise Lounge Updates We'll be coverin

Deciding what you want to do is hard enough. If you’re lucky, you figure it out at a young age. This week’s guest on The Chaise Lounge, Nick May sits down with Joni Vanderslice of J. Banks Design Group, who in her childhood rearranged the furniture in her living room. J. Banks Design Group specializes in residential and resort design. Joni tells us about the effects to the hospitality industry during this Coronavirus pandemic. Driven by a desire to mix passion and purpose, Joni and her family started an orphanage in Africa where they house 29 children. A true family of the village. Learn more about J. Banks Design Group and the Valentine Project. You have to be able to take your passion and your purpose and put them together at some point. You might not do that when you first step out, but that should be the goal. Joni Vanderslice Tweet Chaise Lounge Updates We just wrapped our latest season of Coast to Coast Design, with Garrison Hullinger and new co-host Lisa Davenport! Give it a li

Mixing the old and the new inspires designers from all around the world. Today on The Chaise Lounge, guest host Bruce McDonald talks to Paris’ own Anne Carminati (Maison Anne Carminati). A designer who first cofounded a firm in New York City, and recently started her own firm in France - Anne understands that different locations serve different cultures, different needs. Anne is a classical and contemporary designer who understands the importance in the stories and heritages of her clients. Using the surrounding natural environments, Anne designs holistic spaces that complement each other. A home in the French countryside will have different design aspects than an apartment in a bustling city. Go figure. "I think it’s very important to keep your roots, the authenticity, have a strong message, and making the link between the past and the present." Anne Carminati Tweet Chaise Lounge Updates We just wrapped our latest season of Coast to Coast Design, with Garrison Hullinger and new co-host

A well-designed space should not merely satisfy a basic need, but should do so artfully and thoughtfully. This is one philosophy of Todd Ezrin, founder and principal of TOBE Design Group, and today's guest joining Nick May on The Chaise Lounge. But that's not his only philosophy: “I was raised in a family to do philanthropic efforts no matter how small it is.” Todd took architecture in high school, and later started his career in a small multifamily design firm - where he learned much of what he uses today. Since then he's founded and grown TOBE to do both multifamily and residential, tackling all of the difficulties of running such a complicated business on a day-to-day basis. And of course, we hear a little about how he and his firm are responding to these trying times. No matter what type of project it is - let's focus on the experience. And the experience of working with us. Todd Ezrin Tweet Chaise Lounge Updates We just wrapped our latest season of Coast to Coast Design, with Garriso

Much like art, another crucial element of interior design - and living - is furniture. It fills the volume and contributes to our perception of a space, and we interact with furniture in all manner of casual and personal ways. Today on The Chaise Lounge, Nick is joined by Keith Fritz (of Keith Fritz Fine Furniture) and dives deep into the world of fine, bespoke furniture. The son of a carpenter, Keith was raised in Indiana and taught to respect the value of making your own way and making your own sundries. A jack of all trades who advocates for more bespoke, more personal furniture - Keith has even done custom design work for the Clintons. And he and Nick share an interesting, unique piece of history. We're very lucky to have a group of clients who want American craftmanship, and want art, and want something that's one of a kind. bespoke fine furniture maker Keith Fritz Tweet Chaise Lounge Updates We just wrapped our latest season of Coast to Coast Design, with Garrison Hullinger and new

Come, join us on The Chaise Lounge for a whirlwind tour around the mile high metro. Local experts and today's tour guides Nick May and Katie Schroder know all the hot spots, and certainly know for sure where specific areas of the city are after having lived here for so, so long. But seriously folks. Katie owns Atelier Interior Design here in Denver, has been featured numerours times in 5280 Home and Luxe, and brings a wonderful energy to the show. As we come to something of a middle during the ongoing pandemic, Nick and Katie talk about how things have changed and what comes next as businesses pivot to new modes of operation. Plus, marketing! I would say I'm a little technology reluctant. I'm not afraid to delve into it ... but it's not my first choice. I'd rather be with a client, have them touch and feel things. But I'm really having to step my technology game up big-time. Atelier Interior Design owner and interior designer Katie Schroder Tweet Chaise Lounge Updates We just wrapped ou

Bit of a shorter one today, as Nick invites Pauline Findlay and Rebecca Senior onto The Chaise Lounge. The founder and director, respectively, of Artioli Findlay, Pauline and Rebecca are something of a departure from our usual business of design discussion. So join us for a brief sojourn into the world of art, and learn a little about what it's like to source and provide art pieces for interior designers - as well as a little about their world in general. Chaise Lounge Updates We just wrapped our latest season of Coast to Coast Design, with Garrison Hullinger and new co-host Lisa Davenport! Give it a listen to learn about just how many ways there are to run a design business. And stay tuned for a special episode or two during our hiatus. Our Events Page Resources See what our sponsors can do for you. Upcoming Markets High Point Market | October 12-14 More About Our Sponsors Wrap Up If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app! We'd love it

Every new story is just more proof that designers are born early, and can take any path. Our dear host Nick May sits down on The Chaise Lounge today with Christopher Todd Hall. It bears mentioning that Christopher Todd Design is not only a national, full-scale interior design firm, but also a fine gifts location you can visit in Las Vegas, Nevada! (Henderson, to be be exact.) As a child, Christopher put on an art show every 4th of July called "Sparks Specacular", and would later in his teens get paid to help his neighbors put up their Christmas decorations. (You can see where this is going.) Floral design ended up being his ticket into bigger and better, working with the MGM Grand and the Academy Awards. And he and Nick both agree that COVID has presented an unfortunate, though unique, opportunity to focus on all the little behind-the-scenes things that can get lost during the normal day-to-day. I feel like if you are a good designer, it's a vision that you're born with. You just have that Midas touch.