Design industry events and trade fairs are back—but are they still important? With designers busier than ever, should they allot the time and the money to go? What makes an event something you need to attend in person? Is it still crucial to search for newness and trends? Will the networking opportunities really benefit your business? High Point Market president Tammy Covington Nagem, LCDQ executive director Tamar Mashigian, and interior designer Denise McGaha discuss the importance of design...

After all the meetings, consultations, and brainstorming sessions with clients, how do you convey that the plans and concepts you come up with will meet their needs and fulfill their dreams? How do you dazzle them so that they get inspired and excited—and write the checks necessary for the project to move ahead? Client presentations are crucial. Three highly successful practitioners of architecture and design—Michael G. Imber, Nina Farmer, and Gideon Mendelson—reveal how they use everything...

Palm Beach is undergoing a style renaissance, attracting new generations of bon vivants and design lovers. Nothing exemplifies this better than the resurgence of the Colony Hotel, which for generations served as a favorite getaway for royalty, movie stars, politicians, and wealthy tycoons. Under its new owners, the Colony, also known as the Pink Paradise, has turned to style setters Celerie Kemble, Aerin Lauder, Mark D. Sikes, and now Chairish, to create fresh takes on traditional Palm Beach...

One of New York City’s most fashionable women—and one its most influential—Linda Fargo is a style setter, a fashion force, and a master of high-end retailing. As Senior Vice President of Fashion and Store Presentation Director at the legendary Bergdorf Goodman, she shapes the look and feel of one of the city’s most iconic destinations. She sets trends, nurtures careers, and inspires all of us to dream. As Bergdorf unveils the second iteration of the Chairish Art Gallery, she talks about her...

Every New Year brings a focus on what’s next, what trends are on the rise, and what we hope to banish once and for all. With the housing market in the doldrums, inflation still a factor, and technology making advances every day, changes are sure to encompass a lot more than colors and styles. Three designers from across the country—Katie McCaffrey, Benjamin Johnston, and Danielle Colding—weigh in what’s inspiring them now, how they see their businesses adapting in the year ahead, what...

To celebrate the 100th episode of the Chairish podcast, we reached out to four women who founded enterprises that have succeeded for a full decade. At a time when most new businesses fail, these women launched companies in highly competitive fields—fashion, beauty, interior design, and online sales—and not only survived but continue to thrive. When Rebecca Hessel Cohen founded her fashion line LoveShackFancy, she was told her feminine and flirtatious aesthetic would never sell. April...

One of the surest ways to add distinction and visual richness to any interior is to collaborate with artisans. Decorative painting, gilding, verre eglomisé, cast plaster, carvings and wood inlays are only a few of the many techniques that can personalize and glamorize projects. How can you work with artisans to expand your vision? And how do you find the talents to execute your design ideas? Three skilled artisans—Cindy Simes, Jonas Everets, and Leah Beth Fishman—weigh in on what artisans...

Rooms that are richly layered, full of saturated colors, bold graphic patterns, and scenic wallpapers are all over social media and fill the pages of shelter magazines. Maximalist style is definitely here, as two new books chronicle. But is it here to stay? Three designers—Hillary Taylor, Matthew Carter, and Alexander Doherty—weigh in what elements of the trend they have adapted, why a theatrical approach is not always the best option, and what they see ahead. Could subtlety and softness be...

Known for her exuberant blend of Hollywood glamor and restrained Parisian chic, Mary McDonald has become one of today's most sought-after interior designers. But her success goes far beyond the richly imagined, graphic, and colorful rooms that have made her a social media star and a favorite of shelter magazines. She also designs fabrics and wallpapers, rugs, lighting, and furniture. She’s even conquered television. In an exclusive interview, she talks about her early years in fashion, her...

On the 40th anniversary of Ralph Lauren Home, which is being celebrated with a lavish new book, three former RL staffers who went on to establish their own successful careers—Joy Moyler, Jenny Wolf, and Mark Cunningham—look at Ralph Lauren’s impact on two generations of American interior designers, their own memories of working for the company and what they learned, how the firm attracts and retains top-tier talent, and why Ralph Lauren’s multi-faceted dreams of the American home remain so...

When the historic town of Hudson, New York, fell on hard times decades ago, it was design that came to its rescue. A few influential dealers opened shop, and were followed by designers, artists, and creatives. Now the town is a hotbed of fine dining, chic boutique hotels, and an ever-increasing number of design shops. And the entire Hudson River Valley is undergoing a renaissance. But can the town and the region maintain the momentum? Three lovers of the region—dealer Hannah Khachadourian,...

Shopping with clients is always fraught. Can you take clients to showrooms and dealers without them beginning to view you as their personal shoppers? How do you make them see that the process is about creativity, not access, and that your job is not just to source furnishings and objects? And how has the interaction changed in the internet era? Three designers from across the country—Martha Mulholland, Kesha Franklin, and Katie Davis— weigh in on when and why they take their clients into the...

Christopher Spitzmiller’s gleaming and boldly colorful lamps can be found in some of the most distinguished homes in America—and in virtually every shelter magazine. In an exclusive interview, he tells how he overcame his dyslexia by turning to pottery and how he became a designer favorite, updating traditional techniques and classic forms for a new generation. He also discusses his evolution into a social media maestro with his posts about his house and garden at Clove Brook Farm, why he...

Designers have always looked to the past for ideas—but there is so much design history to choose from! What styles and periods remain relevant? What still works even though modern life has undergone so many dramatic changes? What’s ready for a revival and what remains hopelessly dated, never to rise again from the dustbins of history? Two young designers—Noz Nozawa and Dan Mazzarini—and historian Emily Evans Eerdmans weigh in on why a knowledge of the past remains crucial, which periods they...

Real estate and interior design are intimately connected. When mortgage rates went up, sales slowed down, and we heard the first rumblings that the two-year design binge during the pandemic might be coming to an end. So what happens now? Three real estate professionals—Leonard Steinberg of Compass, Amanda Pendleton of Zillow, and global luxury expert Mickey Alam Khan—weigh in on what they see ahead for sales and rentals, why they feel buyers and sellers are ready to accept a “new normal,” why...

The kitchen is the heart of the American home—and the hardest working room in the house. But it is also an ever more important canvas for creativity and style. Three kitchen-design experts—Barbara Sallick, Matthew Quinn, and Sophie Donelson—weigh in on why kitchens are more crucial than ever, evaluate all the latest trends, and reveal why efficiency is over-rated and why an old-fashioned table lamp may be the most innovative kitchen appliance of all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

Summer is the best season for entertaining, whether bringing together family and friends for a casual lunch or an over-the-top wedding. But entertaining can be stressful. Is the food you serve au courant? Is your table-setting up to snuff? Will your party prove Instagram worthy? Three party planners extraordinaire—Lulu Powers, Bronson van Wyck, and Tara Guerard— talk about what’s new in summer entertaining, what’s timeless, and what you should never worry about. Recounting their biggest...

It’s not easy to run a business, but interior design can be more difficult than most. On top of coping with the day-to-day issues—from screwed-up deliveries to overbooked artisans to indecisive clients—designers are expected to be constantly creative, nourishing their visions and endlessly coming up with clever solutions. No wonder creative burnout is an issue. Three top designers—Nina Magen, Liz Caan, and Rayman Boozer—tell how they remain creative in the face of all sorts of distractions...

How do you keep a historic brand from ending up on the dust-heap of history? Two heritage fabric houses with storied pasts show how it’s done. Morris and Co, founded in 1861 by William Morris, the brilliant British designer and social reformer, and Braquenié, a favorite of Marie Antoinette now celebrating its bicentennial, have managed to remain as relevant and as sought-after today as when they were founded. Jessica Clayworth, lead designer of Morris & Co, and Patrick Frey, head of...

New York designer Alex Papachristidis creates interiors that are traditional but never old- fashioned, bringing new energy to the old-school traditions of decorating. He deftly mixes bold patterns and jewel-tone colors, rare antiques and contemporary designs, to create homes that are lush but modern, elegant but exuberant. In an exclusive interview, the larger-than-life designer tells how a friend’s advice changed his life, why understanding his clients is crucial, why he never wants to...

Lighting is one of the most important—and most amorphous—elements of design. It affects everything we see and has a big impact on how we feel. Yet lighting design is too often misunderstood—or completely overlooked. Two professional lighting designers, Nathan Orsman and Stephen Bernstein, share why they consider themselves the back-up dancers of design, how LEDs have transformed the world and changed the color of light, and why, when it comes to outdoor lighting, a little goes a long way. ...

It’s a common complaint among designers that it is nearly impossible to find skilled artisans and craftspeople. Why is there such a shortage, and what can designers do to inspire more young people to work with their hands? Three outstanding practitioners—decorative painter Caroline Lizarraga, floor painter Chris Pearson, and upholsterer Luther Quintana—weigh in on how they learned their craft, and how they find and train staff to keep up with demand. They discuss the ways social media...

Good art is essential to a great room. But the art world is strange and intimidating, the art market seems to reach new heights every year, and art fairs are overwhelming and bewildering. How do you navigate all this to find works that your clients will love and are worth the often-considerable investment? Two art advisors, Laura Solomon and Andrea Feldman Falcione, explain how they guide designers and clients through the morass, why not working with an advisor can be a designer’s biggest...

Proper organization and storage are crucial to any successful home. But storage has gone far beyond the utilitarian. Luxury closets have become potent fantasies for clients and stars on social media. Creating spaces for everything from an array of Hermès handbags to a hand-made carbon fiber bicycle is an opportunity for designers to dazzle their clients—or disappoint them. How can you satisfy the demand for luxury organization? Three closet designers—Lisa Adams, Melanie Charlton Fowler, and...