Inside Design With Kandrac & Kole

1. Intro  Today we are super excited to sit down and chat with long-time friend and CEO of the infamous lighting brand Currey & Co. Brownlee Currey. Currey & Company (https://curreyandcompany.com) is a wholesale manufacturer of not only lighting but furniture and accent pieces as well. Their innovative furnishings can be found around the world in residential, contract and hospitality spaces. Celebrating their 32nd year in business, we’ve got lots to chat about with Brownlee. This podcast is sponsored by the one and only https://curreyandcompany.com. 2. Welcome Brownlee! A little background – I never realized that your Mom and Dad, Susan and Robert actually started the company back in 1988 as a purveyor of historic garden furnishings. Which actually makes perfect sense since we’ve been to their beautiful home in Sparta and walked thru the gardens. How did the business expand to lighting and furnishings and where did you jump in? 3. Your Travels Currey is headquartered in Atlanta but employs approx. 550

We are happy to introduce our guests this morning Peter and Holly Ranney.  They are the founders of “Sunshine on a Ranney Day” which is a non-profit organization that renovates homes for children with special needs here in Atlanta.  Through partnerships and donors, they provide, at no cost, wheelchair accessible bathrooms, dream bedrooms and in-home therapy rooms. A. The history: 1. When was it founded? 2. What inspired them to create this? B. How does it run? 1. Board members 2. General contractors 3. Interior Designers 4. Volunteers C. How are kids chosen? a. Application Process – posted twice per year D. Partners:  To name a few, Rooms to Go, Cambria, Delta, The Braves, California Closets, as well as Media Partners, WSB, I Heart Media and Non-Profit partners, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Make a Wish Georgia and Camp Twin Lakes.  Please see the website for the entire list. 1. Tell us about some of the projects 2. What was the most memorable project? 3. Do you plan to expand outside of the Atlanta area?

Shelly Rosenberg has been a luxury interior designer in Dallas for 20 years.  As a mother of 3 children with learning differences and special needs, she has dedicated her profession to creating and designing adaptive spaces towards what she calls the “differently abled”.  We met Shelly several years ago at an interior design industry design event.   She has joined us on several trips to Guatemala helping us build homes and support orphanages there. We are so proud of Shelly and all that she has been through in her life and what she has accomplished.  We are honored to have her as a guest so she can share with you what Acorn and Oak is all about and the products she has created that enhance the lives of the special needs community.

1. Intro We get a lot of resumes from wanna be interns as well as inquiries from kind people saying they’d love to work for us. To be honest, they don’t teach these kids in school the real-world stuff. I guess that’s what internships are for. Since people are always curious about what we are busy doing, we thought we’d share what we are up to as 2020 unfolds. You might not believe it… Project #1 – Multi Family Leasing Center in Buckhead, Atlanta – beginning after a 9 month stall Project #2 –  Multi Family Leasing Center Expansion in Buckhead – collaborative stages Project #3 – Multi Family Luxury Apartment communities – 22 floors of elevator lobbies Project #4 – Multi Family Luxury Apartment – Model, Leasing Center, Roof Top Amenity Space Project #5 – New build/new move in on a budget Project #6 – Recently completed kitchen renovation getting ready for photography Project #7 – Recently completed party barn getting ready for photography Project #8 – Family Room/Kitchen/Living Room getting ready for install Pro

Intro: We are excited to have Jay Helser as our guest today.  We were very honored that Helser Brothers was our very first “podcast sponsor”.   It’s so nice to do business with nice people who not only have a lot of pride in their company but do so many things right! 1. A Bit About Helser Fully custom manufacturer of drapery hardware sold to the trade Their customer service agents (called the “Rod Squad”) are trained to help designers and drapery workrooms work out solutions to difficult window configurations.  They are “retired” interior designers and drapery workroom owners with many decades of experience. They have an outstanding reputation Any order over $100 is shipped free Equipped with vintage tools to produce hand forged wrought iron hardware and modern tools to produce contemporary hardware 24 years in business.  Started with his brother Mark when they were in their mid 20’s Tell us about the “early days” Your background The “doorbell” story ☺ Your family HELSER BROTHERS today How many em

This podcast is sponsored by dowel furniture - https://www.dowelfurniturecompany.com 1. INTRO If you missed our VERY engaging and worthwhile Episode 67 podcast you might want to rewind before listening today. We had so much fun spending time with brand strategist and world-wide speaker Phil Phalen that we quickly invited him back for Round 2. 2. A LITTLE BACKGROUND We have worked with Phil in a variety of ways – group coaching, a brand audit, fun in Vegas, as a podcast guest and sponsor and so much more. We are huge fans of his skill set and really believe that everybody needs a PHIL in their rolodex of important people. WELCOME PHIL! 3. EVERYTHING MATTERS On your website, philpallen.co, you discuss your point of view on the importance of Photography, Establishing a Brand Identity, Brand Strategy and Website design. Can you break down each one of these and give us your thoughts on why they are so crucial to creating a successful brand? 4. AUXILARY CONTENT As Kandrac & Kole has multiple design service opti

Intro – We are thrilled that Sue Wadden, the Director of Color Marketing for Sherwin Williams, agreed to join us again, this time to discuss the Colormix 2020. Discusses her working career and how she landed at Sherwin Williams and became Director of Color Marketing Sue Wadden’s background: Mantra Heart Alive Play Haven Colormix Forecast 2020 – What it is, how the collection was built and why these palettes speak about wellness and nurturing. Who participates? Who makes up the team, how many and their background? How long it takes to build these palettes 45 colors Sue’s favorite Other than interior designers and the general public, who uses this information? process Why this color was selected color of the year - Naval SW6244 More Details - You can go to http://wwww.sherwinwilliams.com to see videos of the 5 color themes.

1. INTRO  We weren’t able to make it to the October High Point Furniture Market show because we had just returned from our adventures at the Roundtop Antiques Fair and had to get down to business.  Good thing we have lots of talented and knowledgeable designer buddies who would fill us in on the latest and greatest trends. We asked them to call in and give us their top finds so that we could share them with you. 2. BACKGROUND ON HIGH POINT MARKET  You probably all know this but in case you are new to the design world, here’s the scoop of what the High Point Furniture Market is. The High Point Market held in High Point, North Carolina, is the largest home furnishings industry trade show in the world, with over 10 million square feet and roughly 2000 exhibitors throughout about 180 buildings.  It is put on semi-annually and it’s a must destination to be “in the know”. 3. DESIGNERS  A. Lisa Peck, Lilu Interiors, Minneapolis, MN - www.liluinteriors.com i. Color lovers ii. Organic in modern forms iii. Seventies in

1. This podcast is sponsored by Helser Brothers Hardware Helser Brothers is a fully custom manufacturer of drapery hardware.  It is run by brothers Jay and Mark.  Jay was an expert independent drapery installer and designs new products that are installer friendly and engineered for strength and Mark, a talented metal worker with a mind of an engineer, has been regarded as a mechanical genius by all who know him. Helser has an outstanding reputation and has been in business for 24 years.  Their customer service agents known as “The Rod Squad” include retired interior designers and drapery workroom owners with decades of experience. They can customize anything and any order over $100 is shipped free.  you can see their products at helserbrothers.com or find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. 1. INTRO We are very excited to have Phil Pallen as our guest today.   A social media expert, keynote speaker as well as a smart, funny and well-traveled guy who is the guru of “branding”.   We met Phil abo

This podcast is sponsored by Helser Brother Hardware. Helser Brothers are a fully custom manufacturer of drapery hardware.  It is run by brothers Jay and Mark.  Jay was an expert independent drapery installer and designs new products that are installer friendly and engineered for strength and Mark, a talented metal worker with a mind of an engineer, is the mechanical genius brother. Helser has an outstanding reputation and has been in business for 24 years.  Their customer service agents, known as “The Rod Squad,” include retired interior designers and drapery workroom owners with decades of experience. They can customize anything and any order over $100 is shipped free. You can see their products at helserbrothers.com or find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. intro Google Analytics tells that you guys really enjoy getting expert advice from us. So to keep you happy, we reached out to our listeners via the last podcast, our newsletter, Facebook and Instagram asking for your latest challenges

1.  THIS PODCAST IS SPONSORED BY HELSER BROTHERS HADRWARD Helser brothers are a fully custom manufacturer of drapery hardware.  It is run by Brothers Jay and Mark.  Jay was an expert independent drapery installer and designs new products that are install friendly and engineered for strength and Mark, a talented metal worker with a mind of an engineer, has been regarded as a mechanical genius by all who know him. Helser has an outstanding reputation and has been in business for 24 years.  Their customer service agents known as “The Rod Squad” include retired interior designers and drapery workroom owners with decades of experience. They can customize anything and any order over $100 is shipped free.  you can see their products at helserbrothers.com or find them on facebook, instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. 2.  INTRO We have been wanting to attend this show for years and could never work it out either because of our workload or because both shows, Spring and Fall, are right before High Point Market.  That is o

1.  THIS PODCAST SPONSORED BY DOWEL FURNITURE COMPANY Dowel Furniture was created in 2015 by siblings, Joanne Lee and Ray Hallare. The company sources directly from their family factory in the Philippines, which has been manufacturing fine furniture for over 30 years. They collaborate with interior designers in creating licensed furniture collections, which showcase each designer’s unique point of view. Their approach to furniture design has led to thoughtful products that have been used in a variety of residential and commercial projects while also being featured in national publications. Designers can apply for their trade program on their website www.dowelfurniturecompany.com. Their trade program provides benefits like trade discounts, flat rate shipping and expedited customer service. All products can be customized with COM/COL fabric and finish color matching is also available with a reasonable lead time of 8-10 weeks. Trade program members are also given the extra benefit of custom sizing for select pro

1.  INTRO  We met Ray and Joanne Hallare at the Design Influencers Conference in Atlanta in February.  We were introduced to them by Mally Skok, a South African born designer, textile/wallcovering artist and friend who lives in Boston.  She was working with them on a furniture collection. Ray and Joanne work with their family factory in the Philippines that has been manufacturing furniture for over 30 years for high end brands in the US.  We are happy to introduce this brother and sister duo and have them tell us a bit more about them and their company. A.     What did you do prior to starting Dowel Furniture? B.     What was your motivation for starting this company?                i.         How did you figure out how you wanted to position yourselves as a new furniture company in this industry? 1.     Tell us about your collections and how licensing became a viable business model? 2.     Who are your current design partnerships with? 3.     Tell us how you met Mally Skok and how the collaboration came to b

1.  INTRO We recently attended our 2nd immersion event with Designers Today Magazine and PBM Events – this time in Asheville, NC. We want to share with you all about our experience because if you are a designer at any level – right out of school or very seasoned – the value is tremendous. If you aren’t a designer and are listening to this episode, it will be interesting to you because we will talk about all the knowledge we have as professional interior designers and the crazy ways we learn about our trade! 2.  DETAILS - DAY 2 The event was held August 19-21st for 3 wild and crazy days on the infamous Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. We literally did not stop from 7:30 am to 9:30pm. A. Day 1:  The first big event was an Interior Design and Historic Preservation Tour of the Biltmore Estate held by the Biltmore’s Chief Curator. The restoration efforts underway at the Biltmore are fascinating – everything from reviving the original wallpaper and fabrics to restoring the grand rooms was in depth. B. Day 2: Facto

1.  INTRO  We are very excited to announce that we are re-branding here at Kandrac & Kole.  What that means is that we are shaking it up and creating a new logo, different brand colors, a completely new website and some new design offerings.  One of them is referred to as e-design, which we will explain in depth. As a business, for 14 years, we have worked on hundreds of residential and commercial projects mainly doing what we refer to as “full-service” design. 2.  OUR PROCESS 1.     Consultation – An important first meeting – this is where we gain information regarding a client’s likes/dislikes, budget, how rooms should function, and overall scope of the work.  We ask a lot of questions, as well as measure, sketch and photograph the spaces. 2.      Design Proposal – Once a scope of work has been developed, we outline details for each space in our design contract.  Each space is assigned a flat fee based on the scope and estimated time it will take to design. 3.     Design Presentation – This is the day w

1.  INTRO It takes a village as they say and we couldn’t agree more. In last week’s episode on Partnerships, we discussed the importance of agreeing on what outsourcing expenses to incur as a company such as bookkeeping, tax prep, social media etc. Today we are going to talk about all the other people we rely on (and why) to make our business successful. 2.  ART AND WINDOW TREATMENT INSTALLER We have been working with the same window treatment/art installer since the inception of our business. We worked together at the design showroom (Decorating Mart) where we met. It has been an incredible partnership. A few important expectations we live by: 1.     Be super courteous to our clients. 2.     Be professionally dressed – no holes in shirts, no belly hanging out, no smelling of smoke, no dirty shoes 3.     Come prepared – every tool, ladder, grommet, drill bit, saw, touch up paint, glue, paint brush, steamer etc. should be on that truck. 4.     Be on time- need we say more? 5.     Be flexible – installs can get

August 15th marks our 14th year together as Kandrac & Kole.   It has been quite a journey and similar to that of a marriage and raising a child!  We’ve learned and grown so much in these 14 years and even though there have been some ups and downs, seriously we are luck to say there have been very few downs, it has been a great adventure. Several business owners have shared that they wish they could find someone to share their business with and always ask us what makes it work. 1.  HAVE MUTUAL RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER A.     Understand the strengths and weaknesses each has B.     Build each other up  C.     Forgive mistakes (we ALL make them) D.    Appreciate each other E.     Share responsibility equally 2.  STRUCTURE A.     A business lawyer to structure/contract B.     Accounting C.     Buy/Sell Agreement –A formal agreement that defines exit strategy and ownership succession plans between co-owners of a business.  D.    Life Insurance 3.  BE FLEXIBLE A.     Keep open minds B.     Give and take C.     Neg

1.  INTRO We owe much of our success as Designers to the fact that we make a commitment every year (and many times twice a year) to invest our time and travel funds to the High Point Furniture Market. It is here that we have created literally hundreds of relationships with manufacturers, artisans, a long list of leaders in our industry and of course our peers. With 12 million square feet of show space spanning over 180 buildings, High Point Market is the largest home furnishings trade show in the world. It brings more than 75,000 people to High Point, N.C., every six months to view product from more than 2,000 exhibitors. Registration for the Fall Show just opened on July 16th so we thought it was perfect timing to share our pro tips on how to navigate Highpoint Market. We consider ourselves pros because Joann has been visiting the market for 25 year and Kelly for 14 years. Let’s start with some basics and then we will get into some juicy tips from our personal experience. 2.  WHEN IS IT? High Point market is

1.  INTRO In our last episode, #56, we talked about the amazing Designer Experience event we attended that was put together by PBM Brands and Designers Today Magazine.   We were invited along with several interior designers from across the country to Greensboro and High Point North Carolina for a 3 day immersion of the Triad area where we visited some key furniture manufacturers and toured the Sunbrella offices.   One of our favorite events was a visit to The Philips Collection in High Point North Carolina.  2.  ABOUT THE PHILLIPS COLLECTOIN A.     It all started nearly fifty years ago when Larry and Sherry Phillips left their old lives behind to travel the world. When their entrepreneur son Mark and his architect wife, Julie joined them, they created a company dedicated to discovering beautiful and unusual hand-crafted home décor for their exclusive design trade clientele. Today, their children, Jason and Jessica have become integral parts of the business. B.     They are a design leader in the furniture ind

1.  INTRO We were honored to receive another special invitation to a trade event this time in Greensboro & Highpoint, NC. Called The Designer Experience. The Designer Experience is a two-and-a-half day symposium exclusively for the design trade. This creative forum puts a unique spotlight on North Carolina’s enduring legacy as a center for textiles, furniture-making and manufacturing, as well as its renaissance and appreciation for farm-to-table dining and wining. Designed to inspire, educate, entertain, and foster life-long relationships, the event delivers custom-designed, accredited educational experiences plus time to savor the best food and culture North Carolina has to offer in the company of your colleagues.  The event was put on by PBM Brand and Designers Today Magazine (which if you aren’t reading, you SHOULD be). 2. DAY 1 A.     Jill Seale – Jill Seale Design Studio B.     Lisa Mende of Lis Mende Design C.     Made in America Panel with Norwalk Furniture, Capel Rugs, Sylvester Alexander D.     E