Business of Home Podcast

Ryan Hughes and Steven Leonard are the creative team behind Atlanta showroom R. Hughes. In a time when some in the industry are questioning the multiline model, Ryan and Steven have created a destination that does everything showrooms are supposed to do—showcase product in new ways, inspire designers, and draw visitors from near and far. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, they tell host Dennis Scully why they moved from a new development to a design center, the importance of putting their own brand first, and how everything from hardwood flooring to the right Spotify playlist can make all the difference. This episode is sponsored by Henrybuilt's Primary Objects and Industry West.

This week’s guest is Brad Hargreaves, the founder of co-living company Common. Co-living is a relatively new phenomenon, sometimes oversimplified as “dorms for grownups.” But there’s a lot more to it than that, and in conversation with host Dennis Scully, Hargreaves explains the demographic changes and economic forces that have created a market for shared housing—at any age. In the first half of the episode, he discusses the similarities between education and real estate, why developers are getting tired of luxury housing, and how COVID might disrupt commercial real estate in unexpected ways. This episode is sponsored by Buildlane and The Urban Electric Co.

Dexter and Byron Peart are the founders of Goodee—an e-commerce site focused on design products and home goods with an ethical mission. The Pearts are twin brothers and lifelong entrepreneurs—they created the renowned fashion and accessories brand WANT Les Essentials before selling it in 2017. For their latest endeavor, they wanted to focus on selling products that are not only beautiful, but good too—and to tap into a growing audience known as the conscious consumer. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, the Pearts chat with host Dennis Scully about whether the mission or the design comes first, how the coronavirus has changed online shopping, and what makes a product good enough for Goodee. This episode is sponsored by Buildlane and The Urban Electric Company.

It’s hard to think of two fields more closely intertwined than interior design and real estate—where one goes, so goes the other. On this week’s episode of the podcast, host Dennis Scully chats with two real estate experts to hear about how COVID-19 has affected the housing market, and what comes next. First, Leonard Steinberg, a veteran agent and the chief evangelist for tech-enabled brokerage Compass, discusses whether people will really flee cities en masse. Then, Shaun Osher, the founder of boutique real estate marketing firm Core, shares some insight into what the homes of tomorrow will look like.  This episode is sponsored by Buildlane.

Andrew Cogan’s history with Knoll stretches back thirty years—he’s been with the company through changes of ownership, recessions, and now a pandemic. On this episode of the Business of Home podcas, Cogan chats with host Dennis Scully about how his strategy to move into residential categories is paying off, Knoll’s commitment to social responsibility, and why—despite what people are saying—it’s too soon to write an obituary for the office. This episode is sponsored by Buildlane and Industry West.

Over the course of almost forty years, the name Alexandra Champalimaud has become synonymous with exceptional hospitality design—her firm has worked on the finest hotels in  the world, from The Plaza in New York to the Bel-Air in Los Angeles to the recently completed Raffles in Singapore. In this episode of the Business of Home podcast, host Dennis Scully speaks to Champalimaud as well as the CEO of her firm, Ed Bakos. They discuss bringing a hospitality approach to residential design, the surprising way that Zoom meetings are making designers more creative, and why it’s important to react, not overreact, to the coronavirus pandemic. This episode is sponsored by Buildlane and Industry West. 

Calling Ken Fulk an “interior designer” doesn’t do him justice—Fulk’s San Francisco firm does everything from weekly floral arrangements to branding to planning extravagant events, complete with costumes, fireworks and mariachi bands.  For the right client, he’ll even design a wedding—famously, he created a theatrical fairy-tale experience for early Facebook president Sean Parker. On this episode of the Business of Home podcast, Fulk speaks with host Dennis Scully about what silicon valley moguls want from interior design, why he’s been taking ownership stakes in his projects, and what lessons he’s learning from the era of social distancing. This episode is sponsored by Dedon and High Point Market.

It was already a tough time for magazines and digital publications—now, with advertisers on the run, and new challenges, like socially distanced photoshoots, it’s even tougher. But editors and publishers are finding ways to tackle the problems of the moment,  and with their fingers on the pulse of the industry, they know better than anyone what matters most right now. In conversations with Apartment Therapy’s Maxwell Ryan, Domino’s Tracy Cho, and Luxe’s Pamela Jaccarino, host Dennis Scully takes a look at how the design media is coping with COVID-19. This episode is sponsored by DEDON and High Point Market.

You may not know Geoff Hawkes by name, but you know his furniture. For almost two decades, his manufacturing company, Rochdale Spears, has combined high-end craftsmanship with production at scale, making collections for retailers like RH, Anthropologie, and Williams Sonoma—as well as luxury hotels, and the company’s own line, Sonder Living. In this episode of the podcast, Hawkes speaks with host Dennis Scully about everything from how RH became such a phenomenon to what the coronavirus will mean for the design industry. This episode is sponsored by DEDON and Industry West.

Debbie Propst joined the furnishings giant Herman Miller as president of retail this January, after seven years at One Kings Lane—within a matter of weeks, her roadmap for the company hit an unexpected snag. But Debbie’s team has been pivoting to address the disruption of the coronavirus, fast-tracking digital efforts and looking for opportunities amidst the uncertainty. On this episode of the podcast, she speaks with host Dennis Scully about her time at One Kings Lane; the past and future of retail; and what it’s like to start a new leadership role in the midst of a crisis. This episode is sponsored by DEDON and Industry West.