The Chaise Lounge Podcast

And now for something completely different. Again! We were thrilled when our good friend Neil MacKenzie from Universal Furniture reached out to Nick about leading a virtual Market panel in lieu of our usual on-site pow-wow. Nick naturally accepted, so we thought why not just make that friendly Zoom call an episode of The Chaise Lounge? Bear with us on the audio quality this time around. We promise the conversation more than makes up for it. Conversation from Courtney Pisarik (Ink Public Relations), Breegan Jane (interior designer, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"), Kristine Paige (Jackson Paige, this season of The Chaise Lounge), and Michael Habacy (Habachy Designs) - on the subject of modern digital methods of marketing vs. traditional, print media. Spoiler alert: It turns out that everything has its place and its value! 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 way

Sometimes it feels like the list of things that can just tear through a business is neverending. Right now we're feeling the effects of one in particular - and while we've have all gone through plenty, our guest this episode has been through something that, literally, tore through her business. Not many can say that. Please welcome Mel Bean of Mel Bean Interiors. Mel joins Nick on The Chaise Lounge to talk about her unique journey to interior design. A pre-med major who found her passion in design ("this is where I should be"), Mel gained her knowledge through college internships and no small amount of hard work. She's inspired by nature, a practiced team builder, and has a thing or two to say about one of our favorite subjects: digital marketing. Most importantly, she celebrates when we all try to help each other out as a community of peers. Sharing our experiences and our lessons. After all, a rising tide lifts all boats. I do think that, in some cases, there is this competitive "guard your paper"

This week’s episode goes all over the place, as Nick is joined by Anthony Carrino, man of many talents. A developer and designer who’s had several shows on HGTV (Kitchen Cousins, et al.), a digital series for Ellen (The Build Up), and his own YouTube series (TheBuild.tv) – Anthony’s also been rolling up his sleeves and picking up his own paintbrush lately, something you can see for yourself on that YouTube series we just mentioned. His story on getting into television, why he moved away from television (pay attention), and how to build a brand and market yourself through video and storytelling – well, there couldn’t be a better time to talk about exactly that. Plus some lessons learned during the process. Also - something about the importance of good quality audio? Being in podcasts, we couldn't agree more. You wanna be able to deliver on your quality and you're only as good as your last project. So I tend to do less work and just be methodical about it, so that I can deliver each and every ti

And now for something completely different. On this episode, we have not one - not two - but five guests joining our beloved Nick May on The Chaise Lounge! What better time than this critical, extremely present moment, to connect as a community and talk about how the crisis is affecting each and every one of us, professionally and personally. Our assembled panel does not only that, but also shares their insights for how they've learned to navigate these trying times, and pivot where necessary. All with a unanimous, enthusiastic sense of optimism. So who do we have? None other than iMay Media's own Garrison Hullinger (Coast to Coast Podcast / Garrison Hullinger Interior Design), Courtney Pisarik (Ink Public Relations), John McClain (John McClain Design), Sara Barney (BANDD Design), and - an incredible recent guest on this season of the show - Megan Winters (Megan Winters Design). Lots of discussion about dedicating more attention to specific projects, learning to work remotely, managing teams in crisis - a

Commercial interior design and residential interior design, two different beasts with at least two different approaches. Tackling more than one takes courage and finesse, as this week's guest Nicola Manganello can attest. Nicola heads Nicola's Home, and joins Nick on The Chaise Lounge to tell us her story - one that seems destined to have always led to a life in professional design - and her latest ambition. The daughter of a restaurateur (a whole other kind of entrepreneurial crazy), Nicola would often peek through the windows of houses on her way to and from school as a kid. She never had a chance. Learn more about Nicola Manganello and Nicola's Home at NicolasHome.com and follow @nicolashome on Instagram. In about two years, we doubled in size. It just happened fast ... if you don’t do it right, it can be very painful. So, we’re recalibrating. residential and commercial interior designer Nicola Manganello Tweet Chaise Lounge Updates A new season of Coast to Coast Design is live, wi

Isn't partnership great? Having someone to help carry the load, someone who always knows what you're going through. To complement your strengths and weaknesses. Someone who has your back? On today's episode of The Chaise Lounge, Nick sits down with Andrea Martoccia and Richard Fava of Motivo Home (serving south and central Florida). A married couple with three children, Andrea and Richard bring a delightful energy to the show - and tell us all about how they met, live, work together, and got started in design. Even better, they're regular Chaise Lounge listeners and surprise even Nick with their knowledge of his own life and trivia. Guess he'll have to change things up a little to keep them on their toes! Learn more about Andrea Martoccia, Richard Fava and their company Motivo Home Design at MotivoHome.com and follow @motivohome on Instagram. We have learned to really shut down and give each section and element of our life the right time and the right focus. We can’t be around our children talking ab

Nick May, our host and tour guide through the world of the business of design, has drawn a hard line in the sand. The Chaise Lounge is a place of rest. Of respite. While we recognize that our friends, and our peers, and the world at large are all going through a time of heightened challenge and stress - this is a place to come together and talk about our shared passion. Insights and challenges both creative and professional.We're thrilled to welcome Matthew Quinn to the show this week. A kitchen and bath expert,  published author of his own book series "Quintessential Kitchens", and the owner of Design Galleria in Atlanta, Matthew's path to design is one we've never quite heard before. It really goes to show how important (and possible) it is to make a change and go your own way. Groomed to be a doctor and armed with a degree in chemistry from the University of Florida, Matthew worked hard to find his true calling. Then he worked even harder to make it his own. You have to hear this one.Learn more about Matth

We're always excited to introduce our guests, but have to admit that today's guest shines a light into corners we don't always explore in detail. That's right, in this episode of The Chaise Lounge we have none other than Kevin Kolanowski joining your host Nick May. Kevin is the founder of Fuse Lighting, a luxury lighting company that's equal parts a solution to an under-served space - and an excuse to let loose with myriad materials and dynamic design. Their fixtures really are something. Originally from Chicago but never feeling particularly traditional, Kevin initially made his way out to California in 1985 - thinking "the west coast was a little more avant-garde". He talks about his time as an interior designer and his eventual transition to lighting manufacture, and then gives us a healthy education on the materials he uses in his fixtures. And, as always, Nick manages to mix in some fun potpourri questions. Learn more about Kevin Kolanowski and Fuse Lighting at FuseLighting.com and follow @fuselighti

As often happens when two business-minded creatives (or is that creative-minded entrepreneurs) get together to talk shop, you get a conversation chock-full-of unparalleled professional insights. Joining Nick May on this episode of The Chaise Lounge is Marie Flanigan of Marie Flanigan Interiors (MFI). With an MBA from the University of Houston, Marie brings a keen sense of marketing to her work (winning her first big client from a GoogleAd), which always piques Nick's interest!In addition to her incredible and distinguished designs seen in homes and commercial spaces alike, Marie has also appeared as lead designer for #TeamJonathan on a season 5 episode of HGTV's" Brother vs. Brother". As a creative, a professional, a mother, and an all-around unique human person - Marie and MFI believe that "homes should reflect the people who live, work, and play within". A sentiment that rings especially true right now, as we all spend more and more time at home.Learn more about Marie Flanigan and Marie Flanigan Interiors a

This week we have another episode from the "before" time, as well as an installment in our Guest Series. Nick May invited Stacy Garcia of Stacy Garcia Inc. onto The Chaise Lounge to bring her unique, creative voice and interview a guest of her own. Stacy's guest is none other than Deborah Lloyd Forrest, President and Founder of ForrestPerkins (a distinguished design studio of global architecture firm Perkins Eastman) and longtime hospitality designer.Stacy and Deborah's conversation covers a variety of topics, ranging from: how to define luxury, the importance of originality, and getting involved in the design process as early as possible. They also stress the importance of giving back to the design community, mentoring and getting involved with education and investing in the next generation of design professionals whenever possible.We couldn't agree more.Learn more about Stacy Garcia and Stacy Garcia, Inc. at MeganWinters.com and follow @stacygarciainc on Instagram.Learn more about Deborah Lloyd Forrest and

Recorded way, way back in a simpler time of January 2020, Nick May spoke with Chicago-based interior designer Megan Winters of Megan Winters Design. A firm believer in getting things done, and finding a solution for every problem - Megan came to the world of design by way of numbers (with an MBA from the University of Chicago) and printing, growing the high-end firm she founded into a "global packaging powerhouse". In a time where things are uncertain, and we're worried about ourselves and our loved ones, Megan's response to her own cancer diagnosis ("I'm not dying") serves as a powerful reminder that we can choose how to meet each day. For this, she recommends prioritizing her life before interior design, and a balanced and passionate approach to work that brings you joy. Learn more about Megan Winters and Megan Winters Design at MeganWinters.com and follow @meganwintersdesign on Instagra My commitment to my clients is I can figure it out. I will find a solution for anything. I will not brin

In this episode, recorded early March 2020, The Chaise Lounge podcast producer—a professional painting contractor—Nick May checks in on the West Coast with Los Angeles-based interior designer Kristine Paige, principal at Jackson Paige Interiors. Listen in as Nick and Kristine get down to basics on choosing careers, paint colors, subcontractors, and the logistics of cross-country creative collaboration. Interior Design: Where Creative and Analytic Skills Meet “My favorite thing about interior design is the flexibility it gives me to be a creative person and a very analytical person,” says Kristine, a former actor and film industry insider. “I live between the two, so for me, it’s very rewarding.” Her least favorite part (we know our fellow entrepreneurs can relate): the general pressures of having your own business. Everything falls to you.  It All Starts with Color In Spring 2020, Kristine was named an official brand ambassador for Benjamin Moore—the maker of her favorite interior and exterior paint colors—

How are our interior design business colleagues and friends in New York City faring through all this craziness? That’s the first question host Nick May asks our guest Kammi Reiss, founder and president of Manhattan-based Kammi Reiss Design, in this episode of The Chaise Lounge podcast.  “So far, I think we are doing well. People are keeping their distance and staying in. So far, I think we’re really coming together. We’ve done that a number of times through the years—too many times here in the City—but we’re really good at it. We all need to get on board and keep each other safe.” As avid travelers, all of us in the interior design community are eager to get back moving and coming together at shows and events around the world—but for now #NO_FOMO because we are ALL in this together.  We are still, always, privileged to be connected to you here in The Chaise Lounge. We deeply appreciate your joining us here to listen and learn from each other.  Until we meet again, we invite you to follow us on on Instagram

In this special guest-hosted episode of The Chaise Lounge podcast, we find ourselves in the excellent company of bespoke furniture designer Bruce Andrews Macdonald, founder of Bruce Andrews Design, and interior designer Sarah Eilers, of the award-winning Lucas/Eilers Design Associates, based in Sarah’s hometown of Houston, Texas.We hope you’ll enjoy this frank conversation between Bruce and Sarah—two industry leaders who have built successful careers making their clients’ investments in their homes pay off in long-term beauty, pleasure, and comfort. “I want to thank Nick May of The Chaise Lounge podcast to have this opportunity to create a luxury podcast and discuss the situation in our world,” says Bruce. “I positively believe that we will all be looking at a new world going forward, but I think it’s going to be a world in which we all feel more connected in and more appreciative of, once we realize what we need to do—together.”Redefining Luxury Interior Design and What It Means TodayLuxury interiors require

Interior design is all about change—usually for the better.But what happens when obstacles present themselves, as they sometimes will, that require a design business to slowly or abruptly pivot? That’s what host Nick May and interior designer Wendy Yates—founder of Frisco, Colorado-based Abigail-Elise Design Studio—talk about in this honest, open-hearted episode of The Chaise Lounge podcast. Please join us! And let us know how you go about maintaining relationships, growing new business, and, yes, pivoting when fate throws you a curveball. We’d love to hear from you. The Launch: False Starts and Big HeartsWendy Yates, a native of Honolulu, Hawaii, has demonstrated her gutsy approach to the design business (and life in general) since her high school graduation in 1995, when she bucked the four-year college tradition, got a job, and started studies at her local community college. “What I knew about design as a high school student was what I knew from watching shows on HGTV,” says Wendy. “It didn’t seem super-ac

Today on The Chaise Lounge podcast, host Nick May catches up with his good friend and fellow cheerleader for the interior design trade, Amy Flurry. For listeners who have not yet met this multitalented Athens, Georgia-based communications specialist, allow us to introduce you: Amy is an editor/brand consultant/author/speaker/artist/founder and publisher of her own to-the-design-trade magazine, as well as a partner in Aloka, a new, sustainably produced home-textile design company with its home base in the Cisco showroom, in High Point, North Carolina. Today in the Lounge, Nick focuses on Amy’s role as a trusted media design brand advisor and communications pro, who helps designers understand what “getting press” looks like now.  Creativity, Communications, Collaboration and Commerce: Navigating the New Media Frontier Amy was one of the first design industry insiders to encourage design entrepreneurs to take their creative business’s success into their own hands via DIY PR. In fact, she wrote the book about i

In 25 seasons of interviewing successful interior designers around the world, The Chaise Lounge host Nick May has heard from dozens of design professionals who steer clear of residential work in favor of commercial projects—and an equal number whose scales tip strongly in the opposite direction.  One designer’s “dream client” can be another’s “nightmare.” In today’s podcast, Nick discusses the advantages and disadvantages on each side of the equation with suburban Philadelphia interior designer Joseph A. Berkowitz, founder of JAB Design Group, based in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. Nick caught up with Joe at the designer’s office in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania, where he heads a lean but active shop that typically runs about 30 design projects at a time—some residential, some commercial.  Joe accepted his first design job while he was still in high school, launched his own business straight out of college, and has never looked back—until now.  The Power of Personality—and Personal Recommendations “I started my inte

It’s the time of the year when the fashion community debuts its fall/winter couture collections, and you can bet today’s guest in The Chaise Lounge has been watching the runways closely. As the VP of the home and interior design space for Fashion Snoops, Jaye Anna Mize is a trend watcher extraordinaire. She makes it her business to observe consumer behavior and how that translates into buying trends for home consumers and the interior designers who serve them. Nick tracked down the nomadic trend forecaster at Maison et Objet (scenes, above)—the twice-a-year home and design trade show held in the massive Paris Nord Villepinte, France’s largest exhibition center—and asked her to give us the scoop on the latest cultural shifts and why understanding them is essential to your interior design business. Here’s a summary of just some of what Jaye shared. What Exactly Does a Trend Forecaster Do? "At fashionsnoops.com, we look at what’s happening on a cultural level and then predict product development two years out.

Welcome to Season 25 of the Chaise Lounge podcast, with your host, Nick May! It’s time to talk about growing your design business, and we can’t think of a better guest to help us lead off this exciting season than Angela Harris, CEO of the creative, collaborative, and courageous Denver-based design and visual merchandising firm TRIO.  If you feel like your interior design business may be caught in a rut and you’re thinking about making some changes, you will definitely want to join Nick and Angela for this conversation on the risks and rewards of rapid growth vs. business as usual.  From One-Woman Show to CEO TRIO got its start in 1999, when Angela founded her own high-end interior design firm. “When we started, it was just me,” says the designer/entrepreneur. Twenty years later, her company’s client roster includes some of the country’s most familiar names in residential and commercial building and development—like Toll Brothers, Alliance, Shea Homes, Mission Viejo, and Grand Hyatt.  Together, the partners e

Getting a home ready for market isn’t magic—it’s merchandising, and looks matter.  Take it from Amy Powers C.S.P. (that stands for Certified Staging Professional), who has successfully prepared almost 100 million dollars in property listings for market since she traded her real estate sales career for “the stage” in 2007. As a former real estate agent, Amy turned to staging when the last recession hit her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, hard, flooding the market with foreclosed properties and precious few buyers. In a buyer’s market, says Amy, putting a property’s best face forward is essential to a faster sale or, in the case of short-term rentals, a higher rate of occupancy that the local competition. Today’s buyers and short-term renters—the vast majority of whom see properties for the first time on line—expected to be wooed with picture-perfect spaces filled with beauty, luxury, comfort, Roku, and a top-notch coffeemaker as well as value.  Of course, as a professional painting contractor, your host, Nick