Send us a text Alexa Stevenson began her career as a magazine editor in New York City, working for Oprah Magazine, Women's Day, and luxury shelter publications before launching her interior design firm in 2010. Today, she runs her thriving practice while also co-founding Lex & King, a table linens and home accessories business. In this conversation, Alexa shares how her journalism background shaped her approach to design, the evolution of her business from her dining room table to multipl...

Send us a text Christina and Shawn Taylor founded Dacotah Studio, their Los Angeles-based design-build firm, in 2019 after successful careers in retail creative services and custom furniture manufacturing. Since then, they've been featured in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, The Los Angeles Times and more. In this episode, Christina and Shawn share their journey from corporate careers to entrepreneurship, how they've built their business with intention rather than scale, and why proces...

Jen Davidson is the principal and founder of Interiors by Jen Davidson, bringing her unique perspective from twenty years as a flight attendant to create thoughtfully designed spaces. With no formal training but a natural eye for design, Jen transitioned careers after renovating her own home and now leads a team of four talented women. This episode explores Jen's journey from overcoming a fear of flying to building a successful design business from scratch. We dive into her approach to client...

Paul De Andrade is principal and owner of Studio Kestrel, a luxury interior design firm based in New York City and Miami. With an unconventional background including biomedical engineering, journalism, and a Harvard nanotechnology fellowship, Paul brings a uniquely analytical and process-driven approach to interior design. This episode explores Paul's journey from staging to founding his own firm during the pandemic, and how he's built robust digital systems to support growth. We dive into hi...

Mia Whitaker brings process-driven thinking and sustainability focus to residential interior design. As Communications Director for ASID DC Metro and owner of Whitaker Interiors, she's spent over 300 hours developing systems that allow her business to thrive while maintaining work-life balance. This episode explores Mia's journey from traditional design education to business ownership, her approach to sustainable design practices, and insights on employee development and systems creation. We...

Hema Persad is principal designer and founder of Sagrada Studios, a bi-coastal design firm known for its systematic approach to growth and operations. Named one of Architectural Digest's New American Voices in 2023, she brings strategic thinking from her previous careers as an attorney and celebrity stylist to create efficient, scalable design processes.This episode covers Hema's journey to interior design, her approach to scaling operations across multiple locations, and insights on PR strat...

Nile Johnson is principal at Nile Johnson Interior Design and co-host of To-The-Trade podcast. His work has been featured in HGTV, Architectural Digest, and Business of Home. With degrees in interior design and interior architecture and experience teaching at multiple design institutions, he brings a unique perspective on process, education, and technology to the design industry.This episode covers Nile's path from visual merchandising to interior design, his approach to teaching and mentorsh...

Anthony Carrino is a builder, designer, contractor and owner's rep with over 25 years of experience in historic renovation and adaptive reuse. From early boutique development projects to hosting multiple HGTV series to creating his own educational content through The Build TV, he brings a uniquely transparent and technology-forward approach to high-end residential and commercial projects.This episode covers Anthony's journey from web design in college to property development, all the way to h...

Welcome to Designing Tomorrow. I'm your host Mary Beth, and in my day-to-day life, I am the CEO and co-founder of Materio. One of the best parts of my job is that I get to talk to interior designers all day long.I am so excited to bring you season one of Designing Tomorrow, where I will dive deep with some of the most innovative interior designers. We're going to get into their challenges, pivots, and breakthrough moments. From Los Angeles to New York, these designers have built thriving firm...