Explore Home - A Podcast from Universal Furniture

Welcome to the Explore Home Podcast! This week, we invite you to Explore Home with Melissa Galt, a premier interior design business coach. First, Melissa shares a brief history of her professional journey with Neil, detailing what influenced her transformation from being an interior designer into an interior design coach. They then touch on the advantages of digital technology and the rise of e-de...

Welcome to the Explore Home Podcast! After a bit of a hiatus, we are back and excited to start the series back up with Michelle Wiebe, President, Founder, and Principal Designer of Studio M based in Clearwater, FL. First, Neil and Michelle start from the beginning, detailing Michelle’s initial launch into the design industry. They then chat about the unique evolution of her business throughout the...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Stephanie Cohen of Stephanie Cohen Home. Listen as Stephanie begins with her professional journey to interior design, one that includes switching from a law student to a full-time design student. After detailing this transition, Stephanie shares more about her business which is comprised of an interior design firm as well as a brick and mortar storefron...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with John Hillman, Vice President, and Broker at Crane Island Real Estate, an exclusive Coastal Living community. Crane Island was also the location of Universal’s second Coastal Living photoshoot featuring the Getaway collection. First, John touches on his background in the design industry and what led him to the custom home business. He then touches on the...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Carla Regina and James Andrew of Regina Andrew, maker of luxury interior products with an emphasis on lighting. Listen as Carla and James take us through a brief summary of their individual professional backgrounds and detail the beginning stages of Regina Andrew. They also touch on the pros and cons of running a business with your significant other as...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Rachel Shingleton of Pencil Shavings Studio. Rachel is a self-described color obsessed interior designer with a background in graphic design. We were able to chat with Rachel about a recent collaboration that we worked on together along with Crypton Home in Oklahoma. This collaboration featured items from the Coastal Living collection, proving that this...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Kaitlin Petersen, Editor-in-Chief of Business of Home magazine. Listen as Kaitlin shares her start to journalism and what eventually led her to Business of Home. She then discusses what’s involved in putting together an issue of the magazine, from longer lead times to incorporating meaningful themes that designers will not only enjoy but benefit from, a...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Sean O’Connor, Universal Furniture’s Senior Vice President of Sales and chief merchant for our upholstery program.  Listen as Sean shares with Neil more about his personal and professional background within the furniture industry as well as how he eventually found his way to Universal Furniture. They then touch on the beginnings of Universal’s upholster...

This week, we invite you to Explore Home with Sita Montgomery, interior designer and owner of Sita Montgomery Interiors based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sita shares with Neil a bit more about her professional history and what eventually led her into the interior design industry while raising her children. They then chat about how COVID-19 has affected the business. They also discuss social media mar...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Jane Dagmi, Editor-in-Chief of Designers Today. Listen as Neil and Jane discuss Jane's vast background in publishing as well as her  love and appreciation for design. Jane also shares more on her unique professional journey that ultimately led her to her current role at Designers Today. Later, Neil and Jane delve into not only the challenges but al...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Jack Eger and Elise Gabrielson from Crypton, a leading manufacturer of performance fabric.  Listen as Jack and Elise each detail their unique career journeys that ultimately led them both to Crypton. Then, they delve into the importance of performance fabric especially within the furniture industry and how Crypton presents a premium solution, focusing o...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Sackett Wood, president, and CEO of Moore and Giles located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Listen as Sackett shares with Neil more on his professional journey in the industry, starting in the banking business and eventually merging into the world of leather goods. Then, Sackett chats more on the growth of Moore and Giles through the years, elaborating on the c...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Jessica Thuston, special projects editor for Coastal Living Magazine. Listen as Jessica shares with Neil about her professional journey in the magazine industry, from being a founding editor of Cottage Living to serving as Southern Living’s executive editor for over 10 years. Then, Jessica discusses how the magazine industry has changed in order to suit...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Franziska Neuman, founder and creative director of FZK Franziska, a creative agency that helps design-oriented clients grow and steward their online presence.  Listen as Franziska Neumann shares with Neil more on her background, what lead her to start pursuing the interiors industry, and the “a-ha” Oprah moment that eventually became the turning point o...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Anne Sage and Laiza Cors of Embello,  a dedicated online space for social influencers to connect with home and design brands. Embello was co-founded by Laiza, who also serves as their CEO, while Anne is Embello's talent relations strategist. Anne also has a unique background in design, media and the influencer space allows perspective on how to lev...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with our very own Janine Wagers, director of visual merchandising for Universal Furniture. Have you ever wondered how Universal’s showroom gets set and ready for High Point Market twice a year? Listen as Janine reveals the magic behind making the showroom, detailing how she leads the charge to design, merchandise, and space-plan to perfection every market. N...

We are excited to have Laura Thurman join us on the Explore Home Podcast. Laura, (Founder and Principal Designer at Laura Thurman Design in Nashville, TN) is well known for a global aesthetic filtered through a modern lens. She uses her upbringing in the diverse city of Los Angeles and her world travels for inspiration as she collaborates with her clients to create beautiful spaces that reflect th...

Happy New Year from the team at Universal Furniture! To start the year off with a clear mind and fresh perspective, we invite you to Explore Home with Gail Doby. Gail is the co-founder and CEO of Gail Doby Coaching and Consulting, a firm that works with interior designers earning a revenue of $250,000 or higher. With Gail’s expert help, her clients aim to take their business to the next level by i...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Adam Japko, CEO of Esteem Media and founder of the Design Influencers Conference . Home to leading national and local media brands in the luxury home design, gardening, and fine wine communities, Esteem Media is focused on connecting professionals to consumers through commonalities in both business and personal passions. Listen as Neil chats with Adam a...

This week, we invite you to Explore Home with Peyton Jenkins, co-founder of custom men’s suit company Alton Lane , a retail shop with locations in 12 major metros across the United States. Listen as Neil talks fashion and furniture with Peyton, touching on his perspective on the current state of retail, omnichannel retailing, and what it is like to quit your day job to focus on launching a start-u...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Dudley Moore, furniture designer and President and CEO of Otto and Moore located in High Point, North Carolina.  Listen as Neil chats with Dudley about growing up in the furniture industry, running a small family business, and how the design process has grown and evolved throughout his career. Dudley, who also serves as Chairman of the Board for the Hig...

This week we invite you to Explore Home with Nina Magon, founder and CEO of Contour Interior Design headquartered in Houston, Texas. With an extensive background in the design industry, Nina has and continues to make a strong impression in the field with extensive award-winning designs and multiple TV appearances — just to name a few. Nina defines her signature interior style as a bold, modern aes...

This week, we invite you to Explore Home with Tom Conley, President and CEO of the High Point Market Authority. Listen as we discuss Tom's professional journey and the events that ultimately contributed to his longstanding career within the furniture industry. We will begin with a discussion on the intriguing evolution of the market experience and how it has changed and improved through the y...

This week, we invite you to Explore Home with Miranda Kerr, Australian-born international supermodel, global style icon, business woman, wife and mother as we discuss the launch of her Miranda Kerr Home collection with Universal Furniture. Listen as we start at the beginning with Miranda’s upbringing, her extensive career journey that began in the modeling industry, her current entrepreneurial rol...

This week, we invite you to Explore Home with Jeff Scheffer, President and CEO of Universal Furniture, located in High Point, North Carolina. Listen and learn more about Jeff’s professional journey in the home furnishings industry and what ultimately led Jeff to Universal Furniture. Jeff offers some insightful viewpoints on what makes a furniture company tick, including his outlook on product, qua...