

Business of Home Podcast
Business of Home, Dennis Scully
Business of Home's host Dennis Scully interviews thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives about the changes and challenges facing the interior design community.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 10, 2023 • 49min
Sarah Sherman Samuel puts passion over business, every time
A multitalented creative, Sarah Sherman Samuel has occupied many roles in the industry: Interior designer, product designer, TV star, social media creator, and artist. Her collaborations with Lulu & Georgia, West Elm and Semihandmade are perennial hits, and her own line of furniture, SSS Atelier, just debuted at New York’s buzzy Colony gallery last month. On this episode of the podcast, Samuel speaks with host Dennis Scully about balancing design projects with product collaborations, the shifting winds of social media, and the complicated relationship between creative passion and commercial success. This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Four HandsLINKSSarah Sherman SamuelDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Apr 6, 2023 • 46min
The Thursday Show: Wunderkind stylist Colin King, RH's wild earnings call and more
On the debut episode of The Thursday Show, BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus joins host Dennis Scully to discuss the biggest news in the design industry, from the return of the New York Kips Bay Decorator Show House to RH’s wild earnings call. Later, wunderkind stylist Colin King talks about working with Athena Calderone and Roman & Williams, his new book Arranging Things, and whether he's over white boucle (spoiler alert: he is).This episode is sponsored by CryptonLINKSColin KingDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Apr 3, 2023 • 47min
The Modern House publishes beautiful homes—then sells them
Originally a design and architecture journalist, in 2005 Matt Gibberd and his childhood friend Albert Hill started building a site that not only profiled exceptional British homes, but sold them too. Part media platform and part real estate agency, The Modern House has become a truly unique business, and a thriving one, fielding 90 out of a London office and looking towards international expansion. On this episode of the podcast, Gibberd speaks with host Dennis Scully about the emotional power of houses, how English taste in design is changing, and why 3D renderings and virtual reality will never replace good old-fashioned photography. This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Four HandsLINKSThe Modern HouseDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Mar 27, 2023 • 1h 7min
The mother-daughter duo behind Sister Parish Design are putting "faith over fear"
Sister Parish was one of the 20th century’s most iconic designers. Working for presidents, celebrities, socialites and titans of industry, she and her partner Albert Hadley crafted a uniquely American style, and their firm, the legendary Parish-Hadley, was a proving ground for a generation of future stars, from Bunny Williams and David Kleinberg to Thomas Jayne and David Easton. Now Parish’s legacy is being carried on into the 21st century as a fabric and wallpaper brand run by her granddaughter Susan Crater and great granddaughter Eliza Harris. On this episode of the podcast, they chat with host Dennis Scully about why Sister Parish was an entrepreneur ahead of her time, why they’re embracing both consumers and designers alike, and putting faith over fear as the industry enters a new era. This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Four HandsLINKSSister Parish DesignDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Mar 20, 2023 • 49min
How the duo behind Nickey Kehoe built a modern, multifaceted design business
After a chance meeting in Brooklyn brought them together, Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe forged a partnership that has survived a cross country move and two decades in business. Today, both the firm and the retail operation are thriving, and Nickey Kehoe is one of LA’s most celebrated young design brands. On this episode of the podcast, the duo talk about the secrets of a long-term partnership, finding the right amount of risk taking in their business, and why they want to be known for a feel, not a look.This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Four HandsLINKSNickey KehoeDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Mar 13, 2023 • 55min
Orior's approach has always been bold (and a little crazy)
Irish furniture brand Orior has an improbable history: Started in the late 1970s by the husband-and-wife duo of Brian and Rosie McGuigan, the company began in a small town near Belfast in the midst of the Troubles. 40 years later, the furniture is still manufactured in the same town, but the McGuigan’s son Ciaran has brought the brand to New York and given it an edgy, cosmopolitan look. On this episode of the podcast, Rosie and Ciaran McGuigan tell host Dennis Scully about getting through tough times, leaning into their Irishness, and why being bold—and maybe a little crazy—has always been part of their company’s DNA.This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Four HandsLINKSOriorDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Mar 6, 2023 • 51min
Martyn Lawrence Bullard's intuition has never let him down
Once an aspiring actor, Martyn Lawrence Bullard left his native England for Hollywood in the 1990s and quickly switched professions. He’s since become one of the industry’s most renowned designers, earning a regular spot on best-of lists, and working with a roster of celebrity clients, from Cher and Elton John to Machine Gun Kelly and Kylie Jenner. On this episode of the podcast, Bullard speaks with host Dennis Scully about why his superpower has always been intuition, why he’s not a fan of hourly billing, and why his strategy for licensing resembles a pyramid.This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Four HandsLINKSMartyn Lawrence BullardDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Feb 27, 2023 • 1h 2min
Why did Havenly buy Interior Define?
Once a buzzy DTC furniture brand, last year Interior Define hit hard times and stopped paying its vendors, leaving thousands of customers in limbo with unfulfilled orders. At the 11th hour, Interior Define was acquired by an unlikely buyer: e-design platform Havenly. This week, Havenly’s CEO Lee Mayer returns to the podcast to talk about the acquisition.Mayer speaks with host Dennis Scully about the strings attached to venture capital money, the complicated process of acquiring a brand in distress, and why, despite all of the drama, she thought Interior Define deserved another chance. This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Daniel House ClubLINKSHavenlyInterior DefineDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Feb 20, 2023 • 48min
Can Design Holding become the LVMH of home?
You may not be familiar with the name “Design Holding,” but you know the brands in its portfolio, including Flos, B&B Italia, Louis Poulsen, Maxalto and many more. Through strategic acquisitions, the company has quietly become one of the most significant players in European luxury design—CEO Daniel Lalonde’s goal is to make Design Holding the LVMH of the home world. On this episode of the podcast, Lalonde speaks with host Dennis Scully about catering to both designers and consumers, his thoughts on trade pricing, and why there’s no shortcut to real luxury.This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Daniel House ClubLINKSDesign HoldingDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Feb 13, 2023 • 1h 1min
The Expert starts its next chapter
When Jake Arnold and Leo Seigal launched The Expert in 2021, the online design platform quickly took the industry by storm, connecting clients with elite designers for video consultations booked at hundreds of dollars an hour. Now the two are launching an e-commerce component to The Expert, and they’ve lined up a roster of premier brands like Pierre Frey, Apparatus and Rose Tarlow to help them do it. On this episode of the podcast they speak with host Dennis Scully about learning from the mistakes of other design industry startups, how they earned the trust of tech-skeptical trade-only vendors, and why home is such a difficult business to bring online.This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Daniel House ClubLINKSThe ExpertDennis ScullyBusiness of Home