Brigette Romanek on the Unexpected Path That Led to Her Dream Career

EyeSwoon’s Athena Calderone on Creative Careers, Unexpected Trajectories, and Elevating the Everyday: Athena Calderone approaches her life and work through an inspiring lens: to make things more beautiful. She’s had incredible success with her two books—the James Beard Award–winning Cook Beautiful and her most recent, Live Beautiful, both rooted in the idea of bringing inspiration to every day and exploring your home to find your personal style. Her content—via her Instagram account and website, EyeSwoon—has especially resonated this past year, as people are looking for ways to celebrate moments at home. From her own homes in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, and Amagansett, New York, Athena documents daily living in a way that’s anything but ordinary. Her popular podcast, More Than One Thing, launched earlier this year and explores the ideas of multifaceted creative careers and unexpected trajectories. Listen in as we learn how Athena’s generous spirit and warmth helped her by Design Time

41 min listen

Designer Mat Sanders on the Best Design Advice He’s Ever Received and Styling With Object “BFFs”: Mat Sanders lives and breathes design. He shares his knowledge and styling ideas with humor and passion, whether it’s on his social channels; designing for celebrity clients; or on his new short-format TV show, Werrrk!, where he helps businesses redefine themselves with design. Mat brings an editorial approach to interiors and furniture collections, and is generous with his talent and innovative approach. Listen in on my conversation with Mat...it’s fun, inspiring, and surprising, but it’s also enlightening, as he tells us about how to follow your vision—whatever your creative endeavor may be. by Design Time

28 min listen

Leanne Ford on Following Your Gut in Renovation and in Life: As the host of HGTV’s Restored by the Fords, Leanne Ford is someone who really trusts her instincts and bold choices—in renovation, design, and life. She started her career as a fashion stylist and brings her rock-and-roll sensibility and high-low mix to reimagining spaces that honor the old and embrace the new. She applies the same vibe to designing furniture collections, such as her recent one for Crate & Barrel. A few of her rule-breaking signatures: painting everything the perfect shade of white; a collected approach to interiors that layers cool vintage pieces with bold, outsize furniture; and rooms that are all about comfort. After getting married and having a baby in 2019, Leanne brought her expert DIY skills to a storied Rustic Canyon property in the Santa Monica hills that she had envisioned as being her family’s “forever home.” When COVID happened, she and her husband got real with each other and abo by Design Time

40 min listen

Clare Paint Founder Nicole Gibbons on Curating Color with Confidence and the Career Pivot that Changed Everything: Nicole Gibbons is a pro at creating something so intuitive, you wonder how you ever lived without it.  Starting out in fashion PR and working as an executive at Victoria Secret, she switched career paths at the peak of her game to follow her true passion in interior design. Nicole got the stamp of approval from Oprah, appearing as a design expert on the O Network. And all that before Nicole launched her direct-to-consumer paint brand, Clare, which reimagines the colorful journey of sampling paint to realizing your dream palette. Backed by some of the same investors as Glossier, Everlane, and Reformation, the buzzy brand is intuitive, offering services like a color-match quiz and peel-and-stick swatches. But Clare also taps into the emotional side of color with names like Current Mood, Chill and Dirty Martini, Summer Friday and Sri by Design Time

40 min listen

Trailer: Have you ever been in a space that made you feel really good? Where the light was just right, the furniture was super-cozy, and the colors seemed to radiate? That connection is at the heart of Domino’s new podcast, Design Time, where we explore spaces with meaning. Good design can help us create a home that truly tells our story. Each week, join me, Jessica Romm Perez, Domino’s editor in chief, along with visionaries who will share their creative journey to designing spaces that move you. We’ll explore the emotional side of design, from the ritual of gathering to a mood-boosting paint trick to the renovation tips that will inspire your next project. Home is the best place to start exploring your personal style. How do you shape your world from the inside out? Let’s discover together on Design Time. by Design Time

1 min listen

Kelly Wearstler on Mood-Altering Color and the Power of Discovering Your Design Story: For our inaugural episode, we’re chatting with design superstar Kelly Wearstler. Even if you don’t know her by name, chances are you’ve experienced one of her many iconic designs or layered immersive spaces. This year, as her studio celebrates 25 years and her Instagram account tops a million followers, Kelly’s most recent project, the Proper Hotels in Los Angeles, Austin, and San Francisco, represents a new vision of hospitality for the Instagram generation. A true trailblazer and thought leader, Kelly continues to follow her deep passion and curiosity for style and interiors. She has left her mark on era-defining spaces, designing countless collections and taking risks every step of the way. In this episode, our Summer issue cover star shares her ideas on how to energize your space, the color combinations that can really move you, along with her strategies for scoring the by Design Time

44 min listen

Jungalow’s Justina Blakeney on Making Fun a Priority With Well-Designed Hang Zones: Justina Blakeney radiates joy. The designer, artist, and creative director of Jungalow is the author of two New York Times best-selling books—The New Bohemians: Cool and Collected Homes and The New Bohemians Handbook: Come Home to Good Vibes—and that’s exactly what Justina is all about: creating a space that is all about good vibes. She really understands how to live well and maximize spaces designed around the things that are important to you. She’s a master at coming up with ideas for making your space cooler, more original, and fun. Her own home features well-designed hang zones like a garage–turned–sunken living room, lounge space, outdoor shower, pass-through outdoor bar, and the ultimate tiled garden and patio. She’s an incredible plant mama, artist, mother, musician, and color expert whose work and craft are defined by her personal experiences and a by Design Time

33 min listen

Ayesha Curry on Storytelling Through Design and Building an Inclusive Vision: Despite the uncertainty around us, it’s been quite a year of accomplishments for Ayesha Curry. While gracing the cover of Domino’s Fall Style issue, the food enthusiast, philanthropist, and mother of three released her second cookbook, New York Times best-seller The Full Plate: Flavor-Filled, Easy Recipes for Families With No Time and a Lot to Do; appeared at the Democratic National Convention; and hosted an Instagram Live cooking demo with Vice President–elect Kamala Harris. This year has marked many serious milestones for Ayesha, including launching her media platform and magazine, Sweet July, which champions female entrepreneurs and people of color, and planning for the imminent opening of her retail environment in downtown Oakland, California. Along with that, her nonprofit foundation, Eat. Learn. Play., which she cofounded with her husband, NBA superstar Steph Curry by Design Time

29 min listen

Goodee Founders Byron and Dexter Peart on Sourcing Products With Purpose and the Power of Design for Good: Dexter and Byron Peart have an incredible breadth of experience and inspirations to draw from. The Montreal-based identical twin brothers are the founders and creators of luxury accessories and fashion brand WANT Les Essentiels and their current venture, Goodee, a marketplace and retail platform for mission-led design brands and makers. Dexter and Byron sold WANT in 2017 to explore new opportunities and followed their heart and passion into the home. In their words: Goodee is a place where good design and good purpose intersect. They seek to elevate and sell items for the home that are timeless, made with intention, and inspire consumers to prioritize social impact with their purchases. Tune in to hear what drove the inspiration for a purpose-led marketplace that empowers their customers to impact change with what they buy by Design Time

38 min listen

Sarah Sherman Samuel on the Budget Materials That Actually Elevate a Space and Always Dreaming Big: As the cover star of our first Renovation issue last winter, Sarah takes the idea of design-it-yourself to the next level: She can turn inexpensive materials into design gold—a graphic wall hanging doubles as a TV cover and a painted striped ceiling becomes a work of art. Sarah is also behind successful collaborations with such brands as Semihandmade and Lulu and Georgia, counts Mandy Moore and Garance Doré as clients, and has grown a loyal following on Instagram, where she shares cool projects—and the funny mishaps that come with being so hands on. Her family home in Grand Rapids, Michigan is her most personal project to date—a 1980s postmodern fixer-upper that’s now an oasis of clean lines, layered textures, and earthy-meets-modern colors. Listen in as we chat about her epic renovation and what Sarah considers to be the key to creating a calm and functional space. by Design Time

32 min listen

Plant Kween Christopher Griffin on Creating a Lush Home That Brings You Joy and His Plant-Approved Playlist: Christopher Griffin is all about sharing. From his Brooklyn apartment, Christopher (also known as Plant Kween) has shared his plant-care expertise, joyful ideas, and styling knowledge with his Instagram audience throughout quarantine. Her approach to personal well-being and balance is informed by her lush oasis, with hundreds of plants gracing every corner. He shares his plant journey and the love and energy he brings to the process with humor and infectious joy. As an educator at New York University’s LGBTQ+ Center, Christopher draws an important parallel between caring for plants (or green girls, as he calls them) and caring for yourself. That nurturing mentality is something we could all aspire to, and his focus on community and activism fueled by positivity is inspiring. Tune in as we discover his plant-based takeaways, daily meditations on life, and tips for creat by Design Time

29 min listen

Jenna Lyons on the Power of a Pink Sofa and Designing Without Fear: Jenna Lyons is a creative force. Her vision for how to dress America defined and led the J.Crew brand for nearly two decades, and her influence across design, fashion, interiors, and beauty launched a generation empowered by an accessible aesthetic that mixes high and low, shiny and matte, old and new, and graphic and pretty. Jenna and her Brooklyn brownstone scored the cover of Domino in 2008, launching a Pinterest generation—and inspiring her fans to paint their ceilings in vibrant stripes and layer rugs without fear. It’s still one of Domino’s most iconic stories to date. Since leaving J.Crew three years ago, Jenna has quietly been planning her next move, consulting on interiors projects and building the foundation for two exciting new ventures, which are launching this fall. Listen in, as we dive into materials, color, renovations, and launching a commerce business during COVID, rooted in Instagram. by Design Time

39 min listen

London-Based Interior Design Firm 2LG Studio on Freeing Your Home and Why Pink Is a Neutral: London-based interior designers Russell Whitehead and Jordan Cluroe of 2LG Studio are committed to one simple mission: making living lovely. Their endless joy and passion for design comes from their stellar sense of humor and the cool cultural references that inform their work, like ’80s classic TV show Dynasty, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Schitt’s Creek. They create spaces and products that radiate self-expression and playfulness—from painting a doorframe electric blue to designing area rugs in unexpected, sculptural forms. For them, being bold in life means bringing that energy, joy, and personality to every corner, and design is all about the boundary-bending gesture: add a glossy patterned tile all the way up to the ceiling for maximum impact, and painting the inside of your closets in a color that makes you happy. 2LG gives you permission to pick up a paintbrush a by Design Time

29 min listen

Studio McGee Founder Shea McGee on Her Go-To Timeless Materials and Finding the Neutral Tones That Elevate Any Space: Shea McGee’s hit Netflix show, Dream Home Makeovers, just launched its second season, highlighting her talent for creating spaces that strike that perfect balance between aspirational, attainable, and highly livable. In the series, Shea and her husband, Syd, take us into the day-to-day life of Studio McGee, their design, interiors, and commerce business located in Lehi, Utah, south of Salt Lake City. Along with their highly successful collections for Target; a best-selling book, Make Life Beautiful; and a growing and engaged Instagram audience, the McGees have helped define what it takes to build a thriving design studio and multifaceted content business. The firm crafts spaces that are, of course, beautiful, but also easy to understand and layered with materials that are timeless and classic. Its clean and enviable aesthetic is often copied, but fo by Design Time

32 min listen

Reath Design’s Frances Merrill on Fearlessly Mixing Color and Pattern and the Most Overlooked Spaces in Our Homes: Frances Merrill of Reath Design draws inspiration from seemingly unlikely sources—a favorite item of clothing, a textile from an antiques mall, or a piece of furniture handed down from a friend. Frances got her start designing spaces for Commune, and her warm, cozy, and layered interiors radiate personality—they are, like Frances herself, a bit of California style by way of Greenwich Village. Her use of color has become a signature and feels familiar and welcoming yet always surprising. Frances and her team design high-vibration spaces, saturated with personality, texture, and color. Adventurous block prints sit next to more traditional elements, and it’s this juxtaposition that makes Reath Design’s spaces exciting, fresh, and unique—not one is the same. Listen in as we explore the boldness and intentionality that are the hallmarks of Frances’s design approa by Design Time

39 min listen

Spencer Bailey on Slowing Down and How Your Home Reflects Your Values: Spencer Bailey’s forthcoming book, In Memory Of: Designing Contemporary Memorials (Phaidon Press), speaks to the important work of memorializing lives lived and how we experience grief. Spencer, the former editor in chief of Surface magazine and a talented journalist who writes about architecture, art, culture, design, and technology for many publications, came to this work via a very personal experience. He also explores the relevant notion of slowing down in his podcast, which he cohosts with Andrew Zuckerman, in which they speak to thought leaders on the subjects of design, nature, the environment, and activism. Their conversations are organized around the five senses and how we experience the world through this lens. Spencer truly understands that the objects we choose reflect our values and shared experience. Listen in as we explore the personal side of design and the impact our ch by Design Time

36 min listen

Designer Amber Lewis on the Most Crucial Step to Any Renovation and Her Materials Playbook: Amber Lewis of Amber Interiors has had a really big year. Team Domino is constantly talking about her expert renovations and calming, light-filled spaces—and her three shops in Los Angeles have seen incredible growth this year, as everyone has been focused on nesting. Amber’s recent best-selling book, Made for Living: Collected Interiors for All Sorts of Styles, dives into the art of layering and focuses on how we create spaces that are warm, welcoming, cozy, and—most important—a reflection of what we love and value. Despite her massive following and successful career, Amber is approachable and funny and doesn’t take design too seriously. You can really feel that joy in her spaces, and isn’t that ultimately how we all should live? In this episode, she dives deep on the recent renovation of her L.A. house, what materials give you the most bang for your buck, and how everyone should re by Design Time

35 min listen

London-Based Designer Beata Heuman on Fearlessly Throwing Out Design Rules, Why British and Scandi Design Play Well Together, and How to Make Every Room Sing: Swedish-born and London-based designer Beata Heuman believes interiors should really sing. They should tell your personal story and be a reflection of the lives lived within a space and of the places and personalities that have inspired the journey to get you there. Beata is a rising star in the British design world—known for her bright and fearless interiors but also as a smart and open-minded product designer. Her Shoppa web shop sells everything from her fantastical and wildly patterned fabrics to smart lighting and bespoke furniture. Her designs strike this cool balance of effortlessly Scandinavian and distinctly British—which means they are cozy, whimsical, inviting, and timeless. In the foreword to her new book, Every Room Should Sing (Rizzoli), Beata writes, “It is easy to become preoccupied with tryin by Design Time

31 min listen

Talented Duo Forbes Masters on Dramatic Spaces and the Future of Digital Design: Tavia Forbes and Monet Masters of design firm Forbes Masters are a creative team focused on a personal approach to design, diving into their clients’ passions, personalities, and style before embarking on a plan for interiors. They are all about innovating the design process, pushing their craft forward with digital design, social media, and their active and growing network. With an impressive roster of celebrity clients and exciting product collaborations in the works, including a wallpaper collection with Mitchell Black, Tavia and Monet are just getting warmed up. Bold in their approach, and inspired by projects big and small, they are about to move into a brand-new studio and embark on some of their most personal work to date. 2020 and COVID-19 have boosted the duo’s online presence, with clients all over the country utilizing their digital design services. Listen in as we dive in on the future of di by Design Time

20 min listen

Brigette Romanek on the Unexpected Path That Led to Her Dream Career: Good design has soul. Brigette Romanek came to design via an unexpected path. First, she designed an accessories collection and her own home, then she started decorating for friends and fell in love with the process. She established her design firm and an approach built on classical and modern elements, and is known for her sculptural but accessible perspective. Brigette is a talented plant mama and collector, and her warmth and spirit inform her craft. Tune in as we explore Brigette’s eye for all things vintage and what colors she’s loving—plus how to embrace the history of a place while updating it for family life. by Design Time

32 min listen

Kellie Brown on Body Inclusivity in Design and the Comforts of a Postmodern Aesthetic: Kellie Brown has an important mission: To bring body positivity and inclusivity to every aspect of personal style. She has amassed a loyal following with her website and Instagram account, And I Get Dressed, and recently expanded her social imprint to include a new home and interiors feed, where she guides her audience on how to shop for vintage. Particularly in this time of a global pandemic, Kellie is generous with her knowledge of vintage and her cool postmodern sensibility, which leans heavily on the superstars of ’70s and ’80s design Milo Baughman and Vladimir Kagan, just to name a few. Listen in as we dive into why Kellie believes in the soul of an item, the importance of comfort plus aesthetics, and how she created a community unified by a love for design, fashion, and interiors for all. by Design Time

37 min listen

Sweeten Founder Jean Brownhill on the New Rules of Renovation and the Materials to Get You There: Jean Brownhill, founder and CEO of Sweeten, really understands homeowners’ needs when jumping into a renovation project. She learned by personal experience both as an architect and a first-time homeowner while renovating her brownstone in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. After learning from a mis-hired contractor and her own mistakes, and seeing an opportunity in the market to empower homeowners and contractors, Jean decided to launch Sweeten in 2011. She provides an invaluable service—connecting homeowners with vetted and certified contractors and providing tools to aid in the process, including budgeting, bidding guidelines, financial protection, and planning—and is an inspiring innovator and visionary. Sweeten experienced massive growth in 2020, with so many people at home really experiencing their spaces and planning how to make them function better. Specializing in p by Design Time

39 min listen

Zio and Sons’s Anthony D’Argenzio on Savvy Career Pivots and How to Achieve a Reno That Honors the Past With an Emphasis on Cozy: Anthony D’Argenzio of Zio and Sons has evolved from stylist, photographer, designer, and content creator to renovation expert, developer, and real-estate visionary. As a frequent contributor to Domino, he’s documented his journey of restoring and refreshing historic spaces in New York’s Hudson Valley and creating a series of enviable short- and long-term residences that he rents via Airbnb. Anthony understands how to maintain the beauty, patina, and integrity of a space while updating it for modern living. Anthony has collaborated with Clé Tile on an incredible line of easy-to-install zellige tile; is launching a new wallpaper collection this spring; and has a booming real-estate practice. He embraces old-world materials and European influences—brass, plaster, artfully crafted wood—and knows how to source and collect the best vintage. Listen in as by Design Time

38 min listen

Estelle Bailey-Babenzien on Marrying Sustainability for All With Environments That Build Community and Connections: Estelle Bailey-Babenzien is the cofounder and creative director of fashion and lifestyle brand Noah and Dream Awake Design. She’s responsible for building the Noah brand and retail environments, including its downtown New York City flagship, shops within Dover Street Market in Los Angeles and London, and locations in Osaka and Tokyo. The company donates a portion of its profits to causes it cares about. Estelle’s interiors prioritize fabric, a meaningful lifestyle, and conscious consumerism, and they’re classic, soulful, and timeless. Her choice of materials leans on the education she received at Central Saint Martins in London, and her recent project—a sustainably driven townhouse for actor Adrian Grenier in Brooklyn—will be revealed on Domino next month. Noah isn’t just good retail; it’s become a community gathering spot (pre-COVID, of course) for local design and in by Design Time

33 min listen

Designer Matilda Goad on Creating Spaces That Are Instant Mood Lifters and the Best Budget–Friendly Materials to Elevate Your Home: British designer Matilda Goad’s products are just the dose of joy we all need in our homes right now. Her collection of tabletop and brightly hued accessories is a fabulously low-commitment way to inject new energy into our spaces: wavy rattan lampshades, scallop-edged napkins, and planters in a spectrum of appealing colors. Matilda’s love for elevating everyday items informs everything she touches. Her own home in London is equally bold and chock-full of ideas—a checkerboard-pattern tile on the stovetop surround, a smart grid of inexpensive glossy white tiles with oxblood red grout in the pantry, a scalloped detail behind a sink, and a skirt fashioned from an oversize floral to hide away unsightly messes. Dive in as we explore the joy in shaking things up in your home: by setting a fun table, playing some good music,  or surrounding yourself by Design Time

41 min listen

Ina Garten on Her Pantry Essentials, What Comfort Means Right Now, and How to Make Every Day Feel Like a Celebration: It’s 2020, and Ina Garten needs no introduction. Her passionate following hit a peak during lockdown, when the food-world superstar began sharing viral videos of her life at home with her husband, Jeffrey, and imparting her knowledge on what to cook, how to organize, and how to live during these challenging and unusual times. Her Instagram fan base of more than 2 million followers hang on her every post, and she has emerged as a sort of quarantine queen for the home cook, bringing joy and humor to everything she does. Ina released a just-right-for-now best-selling book in October called Modern Comfort Food, filled with recipes that feed your soul and make you feel good. She’s a homebody in the best sense of the word. Ina’s bons mots give us license not to be perfect: “How easy is that” and “Store-bought is fine” make it okay for us all to be a little easier by Design Time

32 min listen

Design Time: Trending Forward Trailer: In design, the top tastemakers know that good style has the power to create the next big thing. Domino’s new Design Time podcast, Trending Forward, is all about people who push the limits of what exists to create something new and better, something that ignites a spark in others. Join me, Domino contributing editor Ben Reynaert, for a special series that will take you on a journey to what’s next. From sourcing exciting new products to discovering unexpected color palettes, we’ll get the inside scoop from the designers and creatives who are setting the major trends for us all. Trending Forward is for the curious and design obsessed, and it’s launching October 14. Be sure to subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen, so you don’t miss a beat. by Design Time

1 min listen

Past and Current Cover Stars Sarah Sherman Samuel and Leanne Ford on the Idea of Going Home and Renovation as Art: On a very special episode of Design Time, we were able to get two of our contributors—Sarah Sherman Samuel, our cover star from last winter’s Renovation issue, and our newly anointed cover star, Leanne Ford—to talk about the concept of coming home, which is something we have all done in some capacity this year. Their hilarious, heartfelt chat is filled with reno gold, and the two buddies, who have both left Los Angeles to move home—Sarah to Michigan and Leanne to Pennsylvania—are seeing their careers blossom in inspiring new directions. There is a lot to learn from these two, and we hope you love it. Don’t forget to pick up our Winter Renovation issue featuring Leanne’s new home and so much more. It will inspire and guide you through your next reno project, big or small. by Design Time

31 min listen

Domino’s Resident Moms on Living With Kids 24-7 and How They’re Making Home Ultra-Functional (and Fun!): For our last episode of 2020, Jessica Romm Perez and Domino editors Kate Berry and Alex Redgrave sit down for a special chat about all things kids. The team was so excited to launch Domino Kids this year and support families with hardworking ideas and fun. Our theme, “Kids Rule the House,” would actually become a reality—and the team quickly saw the need for parents to gain advice on how to set up that homeschool station in a small space; put together an organization strategy that tames some of the toy chaos; and—maybe most important—create a home where everyone can still have fun together, be creative, and make special moments even during challenging times. The resident moms of Team Domino have been scattered around since March: Kate stayed in her Manhattan apartment with her husband and 7-year-old daughter, Quinn; Alex and her husband and 2-year-old son, Mischa, went to by Design Time

31 min listen

Superstar Stylist Colin King on ‘Unstyling’ Your Space And Only Buying What You Truly Love: Colin King, stylist, dancer, and creative director, is a force in the design world, working with photographers and brands to craft beautiful spaces and images that are as moving and emotional as they appear effortless and aspirational. In this week's episode, we explore spaces with meaning and the community Colin has built in the design world, including close collaborators from some of the best stores, brands, and publications in the business including Architectural Digest, Zara Home, Hay, RW Guild, T Magazine, House Beautiful, Vogue, Milk Decoration, and of course, Domino. Colin recently launched a collection for Beni Rugs called the Shape of Color, a lush and graphic group of floor coverings in the most warm and welcoming color palette of ochre, eggplant, navy and rich caramel. It feels just right for now. Tune in as we explore what Colin King does best….creating beautiful, simple, minimali by Design Time

29 min listen

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Brigette Romanek on the Unexpected Path That Led to Her Dream Career

Brigette Romanek on the Unexpected Path That Led to Her Dream Career

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