Inside Design With Kandrac & Kole

1.  INTRO  There was a time when all we sourced were bold paint colors for walls using various shades of white for trim and ceilings.  That has truly changed, although sometimes we’ll specify an accent color and, if our clients will let us, wallpaper on ceilings. The trend for white walls has been strong and for being “color” girls, we have really embraced this. A. Why White Walls i.         A great canvas or backdrop for art (this is why art gallery walls are always white) ii.         It highlights the architecture of the home. iii.         It makes a space look bigger. iv.         It’s the cheapest way to make over a room. v.         Helps for resale. B.     Sheens for White Paint i.         Walls – Eggshell or “washable flat”  (a great one is Sherwin Williams Emerald Interior Acrylic Latex) a.     Excellent coverage b.     Resistance to water streaking and spotting c.     Hides and covers dark colors d.     Excellent washability e.     Hides imperfections ii.         Trim Options – High Gloss, Semi Gloss a

1.  INTRO We are just back from Napa Valley, CA where we were invited as special guests of Design Hounds and Signature Kitchen Suite to be a part of a three-day brand immersion trip to learn all about the new SKS showroom and their luxury lien of appliances. A.    Background – Part 1 – Design Hounds i. We have been very fortunate to be a part of Modenus Blogtour and Design Hounds trips around the country and in Europe. Design Hounds and Modenus are run by a woman by the name of Veronika Eagleson. She has done an incredible job of curating a large network of design professionals who share best practices, design finds and product knowledge via social media and their own design businesses. These designers are also known as micro-influencers who align brands like Signature Kitchen Suite with truly relevant audiences. And you thought we just made homes look pretty! B.    Background – Part 2 – SKS  i. Signature Kitchen Suite is the new luxury brand from LG Electronics. The Napa showroom that we visited was a 2 ½ ye

1.  INTRO We are thrilled to have Gray Malin as a guest on the podcast today.  Gray is an amazing fine art photographer and author.  He is best known for holding a camera out of a helicopter and shooting the world’s most exotic beach locations all over the world.  You get a bird’s eye view of the colorful umbrellas, towels and sunbathing bodies.   His first book entitled “BEACHES”, which came out in 2016, showcases this iconic beach photography.   It is a gorgeous coffee table book.   Gray has photographed locations such as Saint-Tropez, France, Capris, Italy, Australia, Rio de Janeiro, Antarctica, Dubai and many more.   His newest book entitled “ITALY” is available for pre-order on Amazon .  A Signed Collectors Edition is available for pre-order as well on his website graymalin.com.  .  It features the breathtaking beaches of the Italian coastline.  If you can’t hop on a plane to visit these exotic locations, you can live vicariously through the stunning photography in these books.     Gray has really become

1.  INTRO This morning we are excited to chat with a designer friend of ours, Mitzi Beach who is not only an award-winning designer but also an author and lifestyle specialist. She has a new book out called “Design Smarts, Inspiration for Home & Life” and so we are pleased to welcome her to the show to talk all about her new book. 2.  A LITTLE BACKGROUND Even though Mitzi lives in Ohio now, we literally bump into each other at various events whether it be Highpoint Furniture Market or the Design Influencers Conference.  Social media allows us to keep in touch and support one another. We were happy to contribute to Mitzi’s first book – Boomer Smarts. Mitzi is the Queen of that elite club knows as 050 – over 50 and how to design accordingly. She’s taught us many things about designing expertly and beautifully for the older crowd – small design choices that we never would have thought of.  For all us even if you’re only in your thirties or forties – it’s something to plan for - after all, by the year 2030, o

We are so excited to be back from High Point, North Carolina where we spent 3 days at the International Home Furnishings Market, the the largest home furnishings trade show in the world.            A. Furniture Market stats: a) 10 million square feet b) 2000 Exhibitors c) 180 Buildings d) 75,000 attendees e) Twice a year – April and October B. Attendees: a) Furniture store retailers b) Online retailers c) Interior designers e) Bloggers f) Buyers g) Press C. Social and educational events: a) Seminars – Social Media, Product Licensing, business practices b) Showroom breakfasts, lunches and dinners to lure buyers in c) Showroom parties – live music, i.e. meatballs and moonshine d) Style Spotters – follow them as they are posting about the latest trends e) Design Bloggers Tour – Bloggers that are sponsored by showrooms to share their insights and discoveries from market. D. Our Goal: a) Sit on as many sofas and chairs as possible so we are 100% confident of comfort for our clients. b) Look closely at the quality

1. INTRO Happy 50th episode! WOW! That was a quick 50. To celebrate, we are responding to our listeners and answering your design dilemma questions again. This is always a popular episode. We reached out via various social media platforms and received great questions for Episode 50 so let’s get started. Question #1: Kathy Cousart, Athens, GA How can I as an Artist better connect and help the Designers/Homeowners understand the impact that a beautiful piece of art can have in a space?   It can pull it all together if done correctly with a designer in that stage where it’s all being picked and collaborated.   Love to work with others and collaborate to get just that special painting.    Question #2: Nancy Prochaska, Atlanta, GA I have a two-story foyer with a large window at the top.  I have some bright colored fabric sashes at the top of this window, in order to give it some color.  But I am wondering if that look is "dated."  What the current trend for these windows?   Our house is 30 years old. Question #3:

As we continue our discussion about the design, marketing and unique qualities of vacation rental properties we are very excited to have Jeff Hylton here with us today to talk about his unique vacation rental. We found the “ARK ON LAKE LANIER” while doing research for a previous podcast and were so impressed with their facility and story, we wanted to share it with all of you! The Ark on Lake Lanier is a family owned business and ministry that began operating as a vacation rental in June of 2013.  THE STORY OF THE ARK:  DESIGN How did you even know where to begin when furnishing a 12,000 square foot home of this size? Who was responsible for the furnishings and design? What furnishings have stood the test of time? What has not? Your have several rave reviews and many say that the bedrooms were spacious and comfortable. With 14 bedrooms that can sleep 45 guests, do you use any special bedding or sheeting? I saw a white chair in the “living space”. Is it a Sunbrella fabric? How has it held up? MARKETING Your

1.  INTRO Today is a great day because we get to chat with a guy whom we adore and revere as a close friend – Adam Japko. Adam is the CEO of Esteem Media. If you are a designer or design enthusiast, you might know of his publications Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles and New England Home Magazine. He is also the Founder of the Design Influencers Conference (formally the Design Bloggers Conference). We are talking to him today because he’s got a new trick up his sleeve – The launch of the Luxury Home Design Summit to be held on Cape Cod, Mass this May. Welcome Adam. 2.  A LITTLE BACKGROUND Sidebar: One of our favorite new podcasts is Skimm’d from the Couch with Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg. We recommend that every entrepreneur listen to this podcast for inspiration and wisdom. Many times, they ask their guests to “skim” their resumes so before we dive into the Luxury Home Design Summit, Adam can you skim your resume for us? 3.  LUXURY HOME DESIGN SUMMIT – MAY 19-21, CHATHAM BARS INN RESORT and SPA, CHATHAM,

The 2nd episode of our podcast last year was on the 2018 Kitchen and Bath Trends from KBIS (The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) that we attended last year in Orlando, Florida and coincidentally was the 2nd highest downloaded episode since we started this podcast! Unfortunately we weren’t able to attend KBIS this year (it was in Las Vegas where it snowed for more than 7 hours resulting in delays and flight cancellations). We enjoy this show so much and were so disappointed that we couldn’t go because it is pure eye candy and we learn so much. So in order to share the latest and greatest with you, we reached out to our designer friends and had them be our eyes for us. We are so lucky that we can count on them. Crazy story, I also got information from a builder who shared his thoughts. First up - Rose Dostal – RMD Designs, LLC – Kitchen, Bathroom and Interior Remodeling Architectural Design in Hudson, Ohio. A. Rose Dostal – RMD Designs, LLC – Kitchen, Bathroom and Interior Remodeling Architectural Design in Huds

As we continue our discussion about the design, marketing and unique assets of certain vacation rental properties we thought we’d bring to your attention a special area of the U.S. that we have both vacationed at and loved and that is Tybee Island, GA. However, if we are going to talk about Tybee Island, we absolutely must bring your attention to the adorable cottages to rent thru Mermaid Cottages. To help us tell you all about it is our Guest Speaker today, Diane Kauffman. Welcome Diane! A little background to our fascination (Kelly) Years ago I was looking for a unique place to host a sisters weekend for my 2 sisters that live up north. Friends had recommended Tybee Island here in GA so I started my search and found Mermaid Cottages who’s tagline is “Cozy Cottages and Happy Homes”. That was right up my alley. I started to browse the website mermaidcottages.com and was instantly smitten with a little cottage called “The Shrimp” that was painted shrimpy coral on the outside with all the décor on the inside be

We started the conversation about VRBO, AirBNB and vacation rentals in our last Episode 44. We talked about what “big business” this has become and are very excited about how we are working towards having an impact for owners, managers and the general public. The varied offering of rentals is quite fascinating! You can go down a rabbit hole when searching, but it is really fun. A. Luxury Rentals a. Santorini - luxuryretreats.com – go to the search and type in 120744 It is called the Nafsika Estate - $5,800 to $10,000 per night a. Perched above the cliffs b. Includes airport transfer (or you can use the villa’s helipad to arrive) and welcome basket c. Pool, lounging areas, built in barbeque d. Maid service twice daily e. 2 fully equipped kitchens f. Transportation to the beach b. California – Redondo Beach/Los Angeles - go to luxuryretreats.com and type Redondo Beach Luxury in the search bar - $3,900 per night a. 7,800 square feet. b. 7 bedrooms, 6 baths c. Beachfront – sitting on a hillside d. Waterfall featu

Today we are talking about how the websites AirBnB and VRBO have completely revolutionized the travel industry and put hotels on notice that they need to step up to their competition.  We find this phenomenon fascinating not only because we travel a lot but more importantly because we are consistently appalled by the interiors of the spaces being rented. 1.  What exactly are these sites? A. AirBnB History: The story behind how AirBnB got started is awesome. It was started by 2 guys in 2007 who were living in San Francisco. They couldn’t afford their rent and came up with the idea of renting air mattresses in their apartment during a time when a big conference was going on in town and hotels were scarce. They whipped up a website and called it Air Bed & Breakfast. After many attempts to target guests during events like the Democratic National Convention, increase cashflow thru bootstrap marketing techniques and putting their idea in front of angel investors and startup accelerators, they have become a $25

1.  Intro – Kelly and I have always been huge fans of Sherwin Williams so we are thrilled that Sue Wadden, the Director of Color Marketing is our guest today 2.  Sue Wadden’s background A.     Where she grew up B.     Where she attended college C.     Her working career and how she landed at Sherwin Williams and became Director of Color Marketing D.    Someone that has inspired or encouraged her and why 3.  Colormix Forecast 2019 A.     The process B.     The participants on the team C.     How long it takes D.    The reason for 42 colors E.     A quick rundown of the 6  “themes” F.     Sue’s favorite G.    Who uses this information other than interior designers and the general public 4.   Things people would find interesting about Sherwin Williams

The landscape of the interior design business has been altered over the last few years. The days of buying home furnishings through a designer that were considered “trade only”, meaning items could only be purchased from a designer, have changed. Manufacturers almost exclusively sold to designers and brick and mortar furniture stores. There was generally a set retail price and designers either sold “at retail” or offered a discount. Furniture stores generally could purchase the items at a better price due to volume but didn’t normally sell things as “customized” as a designer would. Fast forward a few years and here are some changes and/or misconceptions: A. Interior Design has gone digital a) The “in-person” designer/client relationship is not necessary. b) E-Design: A client can send photos/measurements and a designer can create a space plan and links to purchase furniture on their own. c) Space planning software – you can upload a photo of a room and a user can see different room arrangements. d) Social me

1.  INTRO Two years ago, we realized that we were turning away qualified, legitimate clients because they didn’t fit into our model for an ideal client needing full service design – that was just foolish on our part. We had to find a way to help these potential clients. Thus, our designer for a day program was born. 2.  WHAT IS IT? Designer for a Day Program is basically a 4-hour concierge service where we are at the beck and call of our "mini" client. We can tackle anything requested - designing a room from A-Z, selecting a full interior or exterior paint palette, installing a family gallery - anything at all that is challenging that client. We are generally at the clients house from 10am-2pm and the cost is $1500. 3.  WHAT CAN THE CLIENT DO TO PREPARE? A.     Speak openly and honestly with all family members about what the desired outcome is B.     Be honest with your budget. This is an investment even though it’s a DFD. C.     Prepare an ideabook via Pinterest, Houzz, magazine cut outs, etc. to illustrate

1.  INTRO Unfortunately Kelly and I were unable to attend the market in High Point this fall. In several years of attending markets, we have only missed one or two. This is our time to see what the latest and greatest items that will hit the retail market in 6-9 months. This is a great way for us to stay ahead of our industry and find great product to bring to our clients. It also gives us a chance to find new vendors, create and maintain relationships, attend parties, see design friends and be inspired! Since we couldn’t attend, we decided to lean on our great design friends and vendors to give us a brief rundown of what they saw to be trends and what was happening at market. 2.  OUR CONTRIBUTORS Elizabeth Scruggs - Tennessee Linda Holt - Massachusetts Robin Barbaree - Georgia Christy Davis – South Carolina Carla Aston – Texas Jeffrey Johnson – California 3.  WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY ABOUT A.     Individual styles B.     Color C.     Case Goods D.    Upholstery E.     Metals F.     Wood G.    Color

1.  INTRO I’m just back from a trip to the Mediterranean Coast where my family and I spent 2 weeks in Spain, France and Italy.  I am a professional shopper so of course I have an innate eye for certain things that I know I would love to commemorate my trip but I wanted to discuss ways to preserve memories if shopping does not come naturally to you. 2.  CELEBRATE REGIONALLY  A.     Don’t get sucked in to purchasing items you can purchase at home.  Invest in the artistry of the area you are in – example – The Rippled Olive Tree Cutting Board from the Tuscany Region. B.     Soaps in Marseilles France – a great gift to bring home to friends – keep the packaging and grab a business card. C.     Florence – authentic leather – searching out the San Lorenzo market – staying away from tourist traps. D.     Food – Eat locally to really experience the area – be brave and try new things – i.e. veal stew with polenta or wild boar 3.  SEARCH OUT ARTISAN WORK A. I am constantly on the hunt for one of a kind anything – somet

1.  INTRO We are happy to have Lauren Jordal of Surya Rugs as a guest today.  Lauren will tell us a little about herself and how she became the resident rug expert at Surya. 2.  SURYA'S DIVERSE RANGE OF LIFESTYLES AND BUDGETS Some of these styles are familiar, some of them not.  Lauren will explain. A.     The Young Traditionalist B.     The Duke & Duchess C.     The World Traveler D.    The Urban Sophisticate 3. HANDMADE RUG HISTORY A.     Traditions B.     Artisans 4. TRENDING RUGS/STYLES/CONSTRUCTIONS  A.     Textural B.     Traditional Hand Knotted C.     Moroccan Designs D.    Hide and Sheepskin E.     Traditional Medallions (Bright and Vintage) F.     Tonal Geometric and Painterly Abstract 5. WHICH TYPES OF RUGS TO USE IN DIFFERENT SPACES A.     High traffic B.     Low traffic C.     Kitchens D.    Kids 6.  HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SIZE RUG A.     Bedroom B.     Dining Room C.     Entry D.    Runner 7. BENEFITS FOR DESIGNERS  A.     Swatch Program B.     Pantone Colors C.     Surya Spaces D.    Custo

INTRO In our very first podcast named “Who We are and Why We are Producing a Podcast”, we gave you some background on how our podcast came to be. Had it not been for Traci Deforge of “Produce Your Podcast” randomly reaching out to us, we would not be here today. As a recap, Kelly and I went to a design mastermind in Las Vegas where Phil Pallen, a brand strategist, said we would be great doing a podcast. We liked the idea but didn’t have any idea how to make it happen. That’s where Tracie Deforge and Russ Riba come in. They are co-founders of a company called “Produce Your Podcast”. We are happy to have them as our guests today and they will be telling us about their backgrounds, how and why they got started in this business and how they can help you! A. Traci Deforge: a. Her background B. Russ Riba: a. His background C. Podcast Statistics a. How many podcasts are out there? a. Typical length of a podcast b.  How many people listen to podcasts? a. Age? b. Gender? c. Household Income? d. Location? c. How often

1.  INTRO Being the social butterflies that we are, Joann and I have friends in all the right places. Today we are talking to one of those friends - Johnna Dobbs. We met Johnna in Arkansas when we were all participating in a Tobi Fairley Mastermind course. Johnna brought a unique perspective to our group because she wasn’t a designer. She is actually a lighting manufacturer but she wanted to insert herself into the designer world so she could learn how to gear her business towards working with the trade. I’ve always been incredibly impressed with Johnna’s crazy life both professionally and personally so we are going to talk about. Welcome Johnna! 2.   BACKGROUND A.     Working with family and Mastercraft International                 i.         Mastercraft products and who buys them               ii.         Traveling to Vietnam and India - working in the factories 3.   COUTURE LAMPS & HOME FURNISHINGS A.     How did this begin? B.     Who is your market? C.     How do you come up with designs? D.    Wh