Business of Home Podcast

In 1983, Holly Hunt took over a struggling showroom, and over the course of three decades transformed it into a powerhouse of the industry. After selling to Knoll for 95 million dollars in 2014, she stayed on for a while, but in 2020 Hunt finally left her namesake company. Now she’s back with a new venture, House of Hunt, a design and architecture firm. On this episode of the podcast, Hunt talks about what it’s like to be a designer after so many years running a showroom business, the competition between trade and retail brands, and how she feels about the industry’s shift towards transparency.This episode is sponsored by Thibaut and Hartmann & ForbesLINKSHouse of HuntDennis ScullyBusiness of Home 

It’s hard to find a designer more celebrated than Kerry Joyce—his work has landed him on the cover of top shelter magazines and earned him a regular spot on industry who’s who lists—not to mention his Emmy for set decoration. Kerry also runs a bustling product business, which includes everything from furniture and lighting to award-winning textiles and rugs. On this episode of the podcast, he chats with host Dennis Scully about finding the balance between creative passion and business, why the furniture industry is in such a state of flux, and the secrets behind a successful fabric line.  This episode is sponsored by Thibaut and Hartmann & ForbesLINKSKerry JoyceDennis ScullyBusiness of Home 

John and Christine Gachot are the husband-and-wife team behind the design studio that bears their name, Gachot Studios. The two first met while working together for iconic designer Bill Sofield in the late 1990s, but it took them a long time to start their own firm. First, Christine spent a decade with hotelier Andre Balazs, while John acted as design director for David Easton and then Thad Hayes. In 2012, the Gachots finally started working together, and their studio has been on a tear ever since, designing everything from magazine-ready homes; to the Shinola hotel in Detroit and the Pendry in New York; to a line of fixtures for Waterworks.In this episode of the podcast, John and Christine speak with host Dennis Scully about taking on different kinds of work to stay creatively engaged, why they don’t charge markups on product, and their approach to thoughtfully growing—and keeping—a large design team.  This episode is sponsored by The Shade Store and Crypton.LINKSGachot StudiosDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Shanna Tellerman, the CEO of e-design platform Modsy, has a background in tech. She worked at Autodesk and Google before the frustration of decorating her own home led her to an idea: why not use 3D rendering to power the design process and bring it to a wider audience? Seven years later, Modsy has raised more than seventy million dollars, employed hundreds of e-designers, and executed thousands of projects for clients all over the world. On this episode of the podcast, Tellerman speaks with host Dennis Scully about what artificial intelligence can and can’t do in design, how Modsy could work with high-end designers, and what the future holds for technology in the home industry. This episode is sponsored by The Shade Store and Crypton.LINKSModsyDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

A rising star of Chicago’s design scene, Summer Thornton has won national acclaim for her bold, playful take on traditional style—her work has been featured extensively in top tier shelter magazines, and she’s on the verge of debuting her first book: Wonderland, Adventures in Decorating. On this episode of the podcast, she speaks with host Dennis Scully about her ‘five F’ system for vetting potential clients, what she’s hoping to get out of publishing a design book, and why she’s taking a careful approach towards growing her firm in a time of booming demand.This episode is sponsored by The Shade Store and Crypton.LINKSSummer ThorntonDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Natalie and Caleb Ebel are the husband-and-wife team behind direct-to-consumer paint brand Backdrop. The Ebels started Backdrop in 2018, inspired by a frustrating experience buying paint for their newborn’s nursery. In a few short years, they built a unique brand, driven by clever color names, stylish marketing, and surprising collaborations with the likes of Madewell and Dunkin’ Donuts. Last year, they made another surprising move, when the Ebels announced that Backdrop had been acquired by the parent company of fabric house Schumacher.  On this episode of the podcast, the two speak with host Dennis Scully about what it means to start a company from first principles, what millennial consumers want, and why a 100-year-old trade brand was the perfect partner for a buzzy startup.This episode is sponsored by The Shade Store and Crypton.LINKSBackdropDennis ScullyBusiness of Home

Amanda Hesser—CEO of kitchen-oriented content-meets-commerce brand Food52—and Sara Fritsch—president of Portland-based manufacturer Schoolhouse—have been on The Business of Home Podcast before, but never as partners. Following the news that Food52 had bought Schoolhouse in a deal valued at $48 million, they return to the show to discuss what goes on behind the scenes in a high-stakes, high value acquisition and why they believe the pandemic has permanently elevated the value of home. This podcast is sponsored by High Point Market and Modern MatterLINKSFood52SchoolhouseDennis Scully Business of Home

The last time Stephane Silverman—founder of the fabric brand Castel and the president of the Decorative Furnishings Association—was on the podcast, he delivered a masterclass on why fabric costs what it does. This time around he shares a breakdown of the trade industry as it is today, ranging from rising competition from retail brands to the endless complications of doing business online. Stephane tells host Dennis Scully why inflation might have some surprising positive effects in fabric, whether interior designers are technically retail businesses, and why he thinks now is finally the time for the industry to come together and embrace transparent pricing.    This podcast is sponsored by High Point Market and Modern MatterLINKSCastelDennis Scully Business of Home

As a young man, John Pomp fell in love with glassblowing. What started as an obsession soon became a thriving business, one that eventually grew to include handmade lighting and furniture. A maker, through and through, at every step of the way Pomp has pushed to control and perfect everything his company does—whether that’s manufacturing its own nuts and bolts in-house, or building a skateboarding ramp for his kids onto the floor of his Philadelphia workshop.On this episode of the podcast, Pomp speaks with host Dennis Scully about why makers need to own their own real estate, the delicate balance between scaling a business and staying creative, and why everything he does comes down to a quest for self reliance.This podcast is sponsored by High Point Market and Modern MatterLINKSJohn PompDennis Scully Business of Home

Alex Willcock and Felix Conran are the father-and-son team behind the direct-to-consumer furniture brand Maker & Son. Founded in the UK in 2018, the company has grown quickly with an unorthodox approach. Its core product is a pillowy sofa that retails for over $10,000, and rather than brick-and-mortar showrooms, Maker & Son relies on a fleet of decorated vans that will visit potential customers in person. On this episode of the podcast, Willcox and Conran chat with host Dennis Scully about whether sustainability and the value of craftsmanship are finally connecting with consumers, their unique approach to marketing, and how they’re using a surprisingly sophisticated tech operation to make data driven decisions in an old-school industry.This podcast is sponsored by High Point Market and Modern MatterLINKSMaker & SonDennis Scully Business of Home