Business of Home Podcast

Sara Ruffin Costello and Chassie Post are the dynamic duo behind Chic & Awe, a new home tour video series that brings a much-needed dose of surreal humor into the world of high end design. Sara and Chassie are veterans of the design media world, having both worked on the original incarnation of Domino, then gone on to contribute to everything from The New York Times to Good Morning America. On this episode of the Business of Home podcast, they spoke with host Dennis Scully about why we’re in the era of the solo artist, why decorating is harder than it looks, and how their show is bringing comic relief to the home industry. This episode is sponsored by Buildlane and Henrybuilt. 

If you’ve spent any time in South Florida, you’re likely already familiar with Marc Thee’s work. Over the past 35 years the co-founder of Marc-Michaels has become one of the region’s most celebrated interior designers, and in an industry where most firms stop growing at a staff of ten, he oversees seventy, taking on projects all over the world. On this episode of the Business of Home podcast, Thee speaks with host Dennis Scully about why he tells his staff not to think like designers, how mentorship means letting go, and why the client’s perception is the only thing that matters. A special thank you to Dedon for hosting the conversation in front of a live audience at the Design Center of the Americas. This episode is sponsored by High Point Market and Buildlane.

Piers Fawkes' job is, quite literally to see the future. The founder of consumer forecasting agency PSFK collects innovations from around the world and identifies patterns, which he then formulates into trend reports for a clientele of blue chip companies like Target, Apple, and Johnson & Johnson. Recently, Fawkes has been focusing on what home will look like in 2030, and some of his research has led to ideas that may seem unconventional and even a little dystopian—but the future always sounds strange, until it’s here. This episode is sponsored by High Point Market and  Buildlane.

Dave Dawson, founder of the Urban Electric Company, and Scott Hudson, founder of Henrybuilt, are leaders of a modern makers renaissance—one that’s seeing an increasing number of companies manufacture high-end custom pieces right here in the United States. In front of a live audience at Henrybuilt’s showroom in New York, they spoke with host Dennis Scully about why they both say no to multi-line showrooms, the Toyota method, and how Dawson’s organization, the makers alliance, is creating a community for like-minded companies. This episode is sponsored by Buildlane and Dedon.  

The woman behind home staging firm Interior Marketing Group, Cheryl Eisen, has been building her empire over the last decade. This self-made CEO started the IMG brand as a solo-entrepreneur, and now oversees a hundred-person operation. On this episode, Eisen sat down with host Dennis Scully about why home staging is the exact opposite of interior design, why she’s not afraid of a recession, and how, as her company moves into making product, her 170 staged apartments are as good as 170 showrooms.. This episode is sponsored by BuildLane and Dedon.

It’s difficult to concisely sum up interior designer Kathryn M. Ireland’s charmed career —she’s been everything from an art director for music videos to a shop-owner, interior decorator, fabric designer and TV Star. Most recently she’s become an entrepreneur, founding e-design and e-commerce startup The Perfect Room, which she hopes will bring high design to a broader audience (her partner, CEO Michael O’Neal, joins the discussion for the second half of this episode). On this episode, Ireland spoke with host Dennis Scully about the role that serendipity has played in her career, how she turned the recession into an opportunity, and why being an interior designer is a lifestyle as much as it is a profession. This episode is sponsored by BuildLane and Dedon.

Designer and author Sheila Bridges started her career in fashion, but soon found her true calling in interiors, where she rose to prominence and went on to host one of the first TV shows dedicated to high end design. Over the span of two decades, she’s authored several books, worked with celebrity clients including former president Bill Clinton, and created the renowned pattern Harlem Toile du Jouy. On this episode of the Business of Home podcast she spoke with host Dennis Scully about how boundaries between disciplines are breaking down, diversity and inclusion in the design world, and why relationships are the most important part of the business. This podcast is sponsored by Buildlane and Dedon.

As Bunny Williams Home celebrates its 10-year anniversary, founder and renowned interior designer Bunny Williams is in search of new ways to remain relevant—from both design and retail perspectives. While that may mean bolstering the digital brand and focusing on online sales, Williams’s general design philosophies remain similar to those she learned at Parish-Hadley, the legendary New York firm where she spent 22 years prior to launching her own studio. The AD100 Hall of Fame designer shares the challenges of finding and retaining talent, why the modern lifestyle is disruptive to the trade and the announcement of a new book, Affairs with Other Houses. 

If there’s anyone who fits the model of a great mentor, it’s British interior designer Nina Campbell. Shaped by her apprenticeship at renowned firm Colefax & Fowler, Campbell has gone on to create a nearly five-decade career in design, establishing a star-studded client list that includes Rod Stewart, Ringo Starr and the Duke and Duchess of York. In this live podcast recording, the designer shares insights from her inspiring career, as well as her take on how the industry and the profession have evolved. 

Holly Hunt made headlines four years ago when she sold her eponymous company to Knoll for $95 million. But it’s never been about the money for the Texas-born designer, who started her business as a recently-divorced mother of three boys in 1983—without "a big hairy plan." She built what was then a new concept: a multi-line showroom, bringing on makers like Carl Springer, Jim Thompson and Rose Tarlow before designing and manufacturing her own line. In this episode, she shares the ups and downs of the last 30 years—from designer Christian Liagre's departure to adjusting to life post-acquisition, and what the future holds.