2 cent/sqft

It's Friday the 13th and all around the design community there were stories to be told. This episode is our first anonymous episode. We had the chance to sit down with multiple people from around the industry and let them share one of their horror stories that has happen. Some of these are encounters, some of these are malfunctions, and some are just good old fashion "I can't believ...

What a great episode. We caught up with Mary Porter, an Associate Principal at HLG Studio here in Atlanta. She specializes in Healthcare design and we get a chance to talk with her about the differences she sees between the Healthcare design and other segments in the design community. We talk through some of the more technical aspects of the job that she has encountered, along with some more memor...

In this episode, we are sharing some time with Christy Cain, Vice President and Principal at Atlanta’s ASD|Sky .  Christy has a noteworthy design pedigree, and a particular passion for Branded Environments.  She illuminates the meaning of this phrase, and we enjoy a lively discussion around the value and the costs of a holistic design.    Thanks to CFC Group for hosting our chat this week at their...

We are back from hiatus and kicking off the second half of our season with Dana Anderson, founder of Planning Interiors.  Dana and her team recently celebrated the company’s ten year anniversary.  On this episode, we spend time talking about what it took to get to this point, as well as taking a peek out onto the horizon.  It’s an interesting conversation about the hazards, as well as the rewards,...

This episode is a little twist on the normal. It's summertime and we are everywhere so this week Cas is going it alone with Jason Diaz, Design Director at Vickers Design Group.  We give our thoughts on NeoCon 2023. Jason tells us what it was like to be a judge and we talk candidly about the experiences we had this year between NeoCon and Design Days. We also go into some of the products and s...

We often think of diamonds when we think of “The Four C’s.”   This week, we are talking about “The Three C’s,” and the conversation is with an absolute gem in our community!  Stephanie Kirkpatrick, Niles Bolton’s Director of Interior Design, sits down to chat with us about her career in general, as well as what qualities a firm needs to be successful.  In addition to having risen through the ranks...

“Where Shall We Begin?”  In this episode we sit down with Sarah Holliday and discuss exactly that…what happens just after the client says “go.” This includes what design project manager’s role and what the design team can expect. Much of our conversation centers on programming and visioning, and why it’s critically important to the success of the project to get those meetings right.  Sarah, an NCI...

In this episode, we are talking with Jason Diaz, Design Director at Vickers Design Group, about creativity.  What does it really mean, and how do you foster it?  This one is a fun conversation that rambles across an incredibly complex topic; we dive into some science behind creativity, as well as some of our own personal practices.  Thanks to Vickers Design Group for allowing us to take over your...

Our new episode this week is centered on positive reinforcement.  A huge component of being in this industry is accepting negative feedback and using it as a tool to refine the project.   But sometimes, that’s a lot to take, right?  We talk about the importance of balancing negative input with positive.  It turns out, praise has its own Golden Ratio.  Hint:  it’s not Phi.  Tune in to find out what...

This week, we got the chance to sit down with Jennie Rusciano to talk about what it’s like to be a (GC) General Contractor. Jennie is a Project Executive at Atlanta-based commercial interior General Contractor, CA South.  Prior to joining CA South, Jennie practiced as an interior designer, then project manager.  Her well-rounded industry background gives her a unique perspective on the constructio...

Cara McIntire is an Interior Designer and SCAD Alumni with a background in Workplace Design, she has worked at several design firms in Atlanta before making the move to ShawContract as the lead Interior Design Specialist for their new StudioOne Department. She was able to work with key stakeholders within Shaw to build a new department and service at Shaw with the main goal of helping designers ge...

Caitlin Matonak is a Project Manager at May Architecture. She is a Registered Interior Designer and SCAD alumna with an immense passion for Healthcare Design. She is also the 2022-2023 GAIPD President. This week, we sat down with Caitlin to get some insight on the steps to becoming registered as an interior designer and why it's important. We also heard from her about her work as the  2022-20...

Ashton McFarlane is an Associate Project Manager at CBRE here in the Atlanta area. She is a graduate of the UGA Interior Design program and spent 4 years at Hendrick before she made the switch to CBRE. She has worked on several projects, including the recently completed Novelis HQ project, managing them through a successful  design and construction process. I can tell you from personal experience...

Brian Parker is a Principal over the Interiors group at Cooper Carry here in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been in the industry for 20 plus years, so he has some great stories and insight to share.  Some of the notable projects he has worked on include the Porsche Experience Center out in Los Angeles, Encore & The Interlock, and Coca-Cola TEC Research Tower.  Pitching is a skill that we would encou...

Amanda Miller is a top notch Interior Designer that has been practicing for a little over 10 years here in the Atlanta area. She has some great projects under her belt that include the Atlanta Regional Commission Office and Humble Pie. She is also a registered interior designer and is certified for WELL AP.  All in all, she's a busy girl. Looking at design is a big topic, so, we wanted to bre...

Happy New Year!  We are kicking off our second season with a discussion around a New Years resolution that a lot of professionals struggle with - Work/Life Balance. We will look at what it means and how it affects us, ways that it changes, and some tips on how to make sure your balance is right for you. Episode Support: We want to thank Main Solutions  in Atlanta for letting us use their lovely sp...

In our last episode of this season, we tackle some of the areas of stress that we've encountered in the contract interiors industry.  We also talk a bit about what we each do to try to reenergize ourselves, which leads to a great conversation about NeoCon -- what it is, and why it is at once exhausting and thrilling!  With Neocon just around the corner, it's a great way to get a little t...

Trey Champion has had not one but two careers in the creative field. Starting out  in the preforming arts arena and then transitioning to the construction and design field, and it was defiantly different going back to school the second time, but we will let him fill you in. Trey has made his way through the design field as a designer in two different firms where he was able to to learn the ropes a...

Ronnie Belizaire has had an amazing career thus far that has took her from the conventional path of I need to be a doctor, to the more creative path as she discovered Interior Design. Ronnie has had the opportunity to and drive to help those in need by offering her services up as an Interior Designer when she helped in the Haiti relief effort, and the stories she has from that experience are humbl...

Ronnie Belizaire has had an amazing career thus far that has took her from the conventional path of I need to be a doctor, to the more creative path as she discovered Interior Design. Ronnie has had the opportunity to and drive to help those in need by offering her services up as an Interior Designer when she helped in the Haiti relief effort, and the stories she has from that experience are humbl...

Meredith Campbell has been on both sides of the design coin and realized early on that life in the design firm wasn't for her. She has such great insight and wonderful stories, it's no wonder she is now working on the research side of design. She talks about some of the things that she and her colleagues at ThinkLab are working on, it not just color trends. They really get into the meat...

Naheed's career is filled with hidden gem's, from her time at Kimberly-Clark, to the 13 years she spent on the interiors team at Turner/Warner Media. She talks about what it's like to interface directly with the clients she is working for, how it can be great, and also some of the struggles. We also dive into her time on the IIDA Georgia board and how going above and beyond can help...

Olivia Hutchison is a project manager at Colliers International here in Atlanta. She knew at an early age that she wanted to do something in the design field from her time as a kid with a bunch of Lincoln Logs. She has had an interesting path from school to residential design,  commercial, Facilities, and now Project management. Her journey has allowed her to have some great knowledge that has ser...

We sat down with Patricia Buckner to find out how she found her way into the interior design industry after being a shoe model and a marketing director for a shoe company. We talk a lot about what it means to be a rep in the industry, and what some of those pitfalls might be for someone brand new into that side of the design industry. She also tells us how she became known as the munchkin rep here...

Nicole Lankford has been a staple of positivity in her role at J and J Flooring. She has had an interesting path from design to sales and in our conversation she pulls back a little more of the curtain and gives some insight into what rep life is like.  She gave us her secret on how to get the corner office. We hope you got your 2 cents worth! Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and F...