The Design Pop

The Design Pop starts the new year with a reflective and forward-looking episode. Alexandra takes you on a journey through the milestones of the past year while sharing her vision for the year ahead. Discover how experiences from 2024 are shaping bold new initiatives, inspiring personal growth, and fostering deeper connections in the design community. Tune in to be inspired, refocus your goals, an...

In this candid conversation, Trisha Harp from Young Office shares her incredible story of resilience in the wake of Hurricane damage to their Asheville location. She walks through the devastating impact of the hurricane, how her team rallied together, and the unexpected silver linings of rebuilding their showroom from scratch. From navigating disaster recovery to sharing insights about her career...

Join us as we chat with Erick Gama , a strategic RFP specialist at BOS in Chicago , about his unique journey in the design world. From his college days studying interior design to becoming an integral part of a specialized response team, Erick shares how he carved out his career path. He opens up about the challenges of working on RFPs, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and his advice for em...

In this episode of The Design Pop, host Alexandra chats with Lance Amato , Head of Customer Experience at CANOA , live from CET Experience. Together, they explore how design technology is changing the commercial furniture industry, especially for dealer designers. Lance opens up on his journey from architecture and design to tech, admitting he once underestimated the complexity of dealer designers...

 I'm at CET Experience this week, meeting with designers and hugging friends, new and old - this is one happy place!  This morning, Configura hit the stage with some exciting updates, and though you might’ve missed it, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered!  In this episode, I sit down with two very special guests: Aaron Okkema (Global Head of Interiors at Configura ) and Erin Corrill (Global Head of...

Are you using AI without even realizing it? In this episode, Alexandra takes a fun dive into how AI is shaking up the design world. She’s joined by Kari Anderson , founder of Techbox Collective , Scott Loomis from Steelcase , and Felipe Teixeira of Encodec to chat about how AI is being used in real design projects. They break down the perks, the pitfalls, and what we need to watch out for as AI be...

Join Alexandra as she takes you on a journey to the CET Experience , Configura's annual user conference. From her emotional first attendance in 2009 to her current role as a media sponsor, Alexandra shares personal anecdotes and insights into this unique industry event. Featuring interviews with Configura CEO Stefan Persson and award-winning designer Allessandra Sollazzo , this episode explores wh...

In this episode, Alexandra Tseffos takes a moment to reflect and reconnect after a whirlwind month. She shares stories from a recent journey to Greece, exploring her heritage and creating memorable family experiences. From historic landmarks to unique family dynamics, Alexandra's travel tales reveal deeper connections to her life's purpose. She also dives into her experiences at NeoCon and Design...

What truly drives collaboration between sales reps and designers? Today, we cut through the noise to explore how technology and simplified processes can foster better partnerships. Join us as we hear from industry experts Lindsey Shepherd , owner of Full Circle , and Tom Caterino , principal at Contract Sources in Boston, as they share how they use technology and unique approaches to communication...

In today’s episode, we sit down with Aaron Estabrook , Director of Digital Marketing and Media Strategy at OFS , who shares compelling insights on building a personal brand that resonates and stands out in a crowded market. Together, they explore the impact of personal branding on career advancement, the psychological barriers professionals face, and practical strategies for overcoming them. Aaron...

Are you thinking of "crossing over?"  On this episode,  we welcome Alison Kulisek , a designer-turned-salesperson who has experienced multiple "crossover" events in her design industry career. Alison is currently an Account Executive at MDC Interior Solutions and today she'll share her path from dealer designer to sales, discussing the stresses and challenges of both roles. This episode offers a d...

On today's episode, Laura Boone , co-founder and principal of turnerboone, shares the unique business model and company culture that drives their success. During our chat, Laura discusses prioritizing highly skilled account managers (who have design backgrounds) over traditional commission-based sales, emphasizing hiring for culture fit and developing leaders internally. Laura also highlights embr...

Despite starting his design career in his 30s, Paul Riches has become a distinguished leader at MillerKnoll. Captured during a conversation between long-time industry friends at the CET Experience, Paul traces his winding path to design. From deciding against law school to touring with a heavy metal band, his journey demonstrates how saying "yes" can unlock unforeseen opportunities. Now a celebrat...

In the second installment of our series, we delve deeper into the actual practices of dealer design incentives. Join us as we speak with Brent Matthews , President of Price Modern , who explains the rationale behind introducing designer incentives in their organization. We'll also engage with two design leaders who take distinctly different approaches to incentives. Joining us are Julia Machado ,...

As projects get more complex, dealer designers juggle more responsibilities - and as more responsibilities grow, so too does dealer designer compensation, right? RIGHT?! Well, apparently, not always… In this first episode of our two-part series, we dive into the complexities of dealer designer compensation and incentives. Join us with consultant Shelley Rosetta from Solomon Coyle , who helps shed...

Can you believe it's been a whole year of podcasting already? Crazy! As a new podcaster, 2023 has been a fun and surprising journey. For instance, my kiddos now call this podcast, "mama’s show" and my hairstylist mentioned she “digs the sound of my voice.” It’s a little startling to know so many folks are listening, both inside and outside our industry. Even though I’m still adjusting to this new...

Recorded LIVE from the CET Experience, Alexandra sits down with Julia Machado , Director of Design at Price Modern . Together, they explore Julia's transformative journey from a production designer to a leader in management. Their discussion delves into  the evolution of her leadership skills, the criticality of maintaining work-life balance, and the art of empowering teams while fostering special...

CET Experience is Configura's annual user community conference. This year, CETx was in Scottsdale, Arizona and The Design Pop Podcast was lucky enough to get to speak to, interview, and mingle with the attendees of this incredible event. In fact, we were excited to get some time with a very special guest, Stefan Persson , Chief Executive Officer at Configura (maker of CET Commercial Interiors soft...

While at AIA’s Women's Leadership Summit , there were references to the fact that women were leaving the profession between graduating and becoming licensed.  When I asked where they were going, a common response was: Interior Design and UX. Kari Anderson has spent 3 decades in the industry, mostly at dealerships, and has always been fascinated by technology. I met her as an early adopter of CET i...

In today's episode, we're going deep into a surprisingly hot topic in the world of the dealer designer. Should the reins of ancillary decisions be in the hands of designers, salespeople, a specialist, A&D, manufacturer’s rep… all of them? To help break down this debate, we welcome two very special guests, Jodi Sorenson (Director of Furniture Design at AGILE INTERIORS ) and Abby Leopold (Principal...

In today's episode, Alexandra interviews Ellen Gerovac , VP of Design at BSI-Milwaukee and Mother of 4 children. Together, they discuss their experiences becoming parents while building design careers, including overcoming early misconceptions about motherhood in the industry.  Ellen shares advice on setting boundaries between work and home life, being creative about managing workload, and involvi...

Today, we chat with Josh Collins , Design Director at Atmosphere Commercial Interiors . In this episode, we discover how Josh's experience working in A&D and data analysis led him to prioritize design and embrace the challenges of the dealership industry, realizing the immense potential for dealer designers to make a lasting impact on the world of work environments. We also explore the transformat...

In Part 2 of our designer stress series, I team up with esteemed communication coach and AlwaysStrategic founder, Rob Langejans , as we explore the findings from our Dealer Designer Stress Assessment . With his extensive expertise in Architecture, Engineering & Construction, and Contract Furniture, he brings a wealth of knowledge to the conversation. Tune in as we go further on the topic of managi...

Let's talk stress. In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into the complex stress landscape that dealer designers confront daily. From relentless requests for deliverables, quick deadlines, exhaustive email chains, and unending creative demands - we examine how these tasks can grind you down. This balancing act between projects and people strains not just the mind and body, but also begins to c...

On this episode of The Design Pop , I sit down with the brilliant Jill Stewart, VP of Business Strategy at Office Revolution . Together, we dive into Jill's journey, starting as a dealer designer to leading a diverse team of designers and workplace professionals today.  Jill breaks down what she's learned on this journey and how embracing change just might be the most important skill we can learn...