Convo By Design®

Josh Cooperman
  • 4.8 (40)
  • DESIGN
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Convo By Design®

Convo By Design®, hosted by Josh Cooperman is dedicated to promoting the ideas of architects, artists, designers, tastemakers, and those making a difference in the way we live. Design is personal as is a good conversation. Copyright © Fusion Media, Inc. 2013-2024 All rights reserved.

  1. 10 HR. AGO

    Diverse, Intentional, Complimentary and Ecologically Sustainable | 553 | Tima Bell

    Hosting, producing and publishing Convo By Design has been an incredible journey, 12 years in now. At the beginning of the show, I wasn’t really sure with whom I was speaking to. I set out to reach consumers interested in design, then after a year or so, I realized that it was designers and architects listening and interacting with me. I met so many creatives and that informed the shows development and the storylines. Then, something amazing happened… I heard from more design clients, for a few reasons. They were looking for a designer, architect, landscape designer, products for their own projects. Since 2020, there has been a transformational shift in what both the trade and consumer side are looking for from me, Convo By Design and the design industry. I believe we are entering a new phase in design. One with far more well educated clients and the trade is responding. Through these conversations, clients have a chance to get to know these creatives. Get a chance to vet them for their projects. And, designers can hear what other highly functional and successful creatives are doing to not just get more business but evolve this amazing industry. It is in that vein that I share my conversation with Tima Bell of the Bell Design Group. A firm with offices in Los Angeles, Colorado, Madrid and Argentina. A firm built with diversity and sustainability in mind, but when you hear how Bell puts these ideas into practice, I think you find it as fascinating as I do. Designer Resources Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise. Monogram - It’s the details that define Monogram ThermaSol - Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom. Design Hardware - A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!  - Where service meets excellence TimberTech - Real wood beauty without the upkeep Tima shared details about his architecture firm, emphasizing its meritocratic and egalitarian nature, with decisions ultimately by him. Hehighlighted the benefits of a diverse workforce, including effective communication with clients from various backgrounds, and the use of Archicad, a BIM modeler popular in Europe. Tima also mentioned the company's support for staff with visas and the low turnover rate, attributing it to the strong friendships formed among diverse staff members. Tima and I, both native Angelenos, discussed the importance of embracing failure and trying new things in design and architecture. They acknowledged the issue of perfectionism in American, California, and Los Angeles exceptionalism. Thank you Tima for taking the time to share your thoughts. Thank you to my incredible partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales, Monogram and Design Hardware. Amazing companies and great friends to the trade so please give them an opportunity for your next project. And, thank you for listening, subscribing the show and sharing with your colleagues. If not already subscribing, please consider that so you receive every new episode automatically to your podcast feed. Until next week, thank you for sharing this time together, until the next episode, be well, stay focused and above the chaos. - CXD

    1h 17m

  2. JAN 15

    WestEdge Wednesday | 552 | Small Space Big Style: The ADU Revolution and Popularity Behind Living Small

    As a busy professional designer, you know how important it is to find the right partnerships. Partnerships that allow you to specify the right products for every project. Professionals like you just don’t have time to waste. Let me tell you about one of my partnerships. Pacific Sales is here to serve you with expert, knowledgeable and non-commissioned professionals to help you specify the right product for all your projects. Non-commissioned. That means their only incentive is your satisfaction. Pacific Sales Kitchen & Home, a Best Buy Company has just that with over 60 years of service in Southern California. Pacific Sales is your destination for exploration, advice and inspiration. And here's the cherry on top, access to exclusive Builder Trade Incentives from top brands like Monogram. Visit a Pacific Sales Showroom today to learn how you can unlock additional savings and benefits. Don't miss out on the opportunity to work with the best of the best. Visit Pacific Sales Kitchen & Home today and elevate your projects to new heights! Something that has taken hold globally is the idea that living small doesn’t have to be spartan and without enjoyment. The ADU Revolution is real and nowhere else has it evolved to fully capture the California Style than in Southern California. But the beauty here is that these ideas, once explored don’t just stay in California. Those ideas are exported for the benefit of others. Small Space Big Style: The ADU Revolution and Popularity Behind Living Small The Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) has become an amazing opportunity for those wishing to add additional space to a property. ADUs have also changed the way many think about living within a smaller footprint. Whether a first home, guest house, income generating space, home office or other functional space, a small space can still offer big impact. The Cato Institute tracks the stratospheric rise of ADU’s and demonstrates how once again, California is leading the way in creative problem solving. Hear what’s next for the ADU, and how homeowners, developers and tenants are planning accordingly. Moderated by: Frances Anderton Featuring: Joan Barton, Dirty Girl Construction, Marcos Santa Ana, Alloi, Scott Specht | Specht Novak, Aejie Rhyu, ARA-la Studio, Erik Peterson | PHX Architecture

    1h 3m

  3. JAN 14

    How Exceptional Design is Like Long Distance Running or Any Great Achievement | 551 | Holly Hollenbeck

    Over the years, I have spoken with many clients who really don’t understand the process behind design. I think there are many beginner and mid-level designers that don’t fully understand process, means and methods. If a client wants their projects completed quickly, they can always find a designer who will do it for them. It’s their replacement who has to pick up the pieces. I can hear many of you nodding in agreement as I say this. It’s the journey, like that of a runner. You don’t decide to run a marathon, buy a pair of shoes and run it. There is a process. A very long and challenging process. The same is true when trying to become the best at what you do in any endeavor. Just like design. Designer Resources Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise. Monogram - It’s the details that define Monogram ThermaSol - Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom. Design Hardware - A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!  - Where service meets excellence TimberTech - Real wood beauty without the upkeep Today, you are going to hear from Holly Hollenbeck. Holly and I discussed the parallels between long-distance running and project management. Holly, an experienced ultra-distance runner, shared her lessons learned from participating in challenging races, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning, determination, and experience. She also highlighted how these experiences have influenced her approach to project strategy and risk management.  Holly shares some of the challenges she faced in her design and client management roles due to the Covid-19 pandemic and economic fluctuations. She emphasized the importance of clear communication with clients, setting expectations upfront, and being flexible to pivot when necessary. We also discussed the differences in real estate design and mentality between the United States, Europe, and Asia, with a focus on the concept of the ancestral home and the shift towards renovating existing homes rather than moving due to high housing costs. There is an overwhelming need to adapt to constantly changing market conditions and client needs. Holly shares her experience of having her kitchen design featured on the cover of California Home and Design in 2007, which she attributed to serendipity and connections with friends. Holly and I discussed the pitfalls of designing homes based on current trends, emphasizing the importance of creating cohesive, functional spaces rather than focusing on individual, trendy elements. They highlighted the risk of a design becoming outdated and the need to balance trendy elements with timeless pieces. Holly shared her approach to navigating clients' desires for trendy features by ensuring these elements are used in unique and personalized ways. And you are going to hear all about it, right after this. Thank you Holly, loved our chat. Keep on truckin. Thank you to my incredible partner/ sponsors; ThermaSol, Design Hardware, pacific Sales, Monogram and TimberTech for your support for the show and the industry as a whole. We are a stronger because of industry partners like you. And of course, thank you for listening to the podcast, subscribing to the show and sharing it with friends and colleagues. Please keep the show and guest suggestions coming,

    1h 13m

  4. JAN 8

    WestEdge Wednesday | 550 | Prologue – Highlights and Observations from the Show

    You have heard past episodes about the WestEdge Design Fair in Santa Monica, California each Fall. I have been working with Megan, Troy and the entire WestEdge team for 7 editions of the show over 10 years minus those years where the show was cancelled due to the pandemic but I still published content on the podcast featuring show programming. Having left SoCal for Tulsa, it’s not as easy as the quick drive down Lincoln Boulevard to the show. No, it means travel.  When I was a kid, not much got me as excited as going on a trip. The excitement didn’t start when I got to the destination, it began at the airport. The airport was a place that required fashion choices, we dressed up to travel. It was an experience to walk in, present official documents and then proceed to the lounge where my sister and I would be treated to sweet treats and beverages. That led to an amazing journey that carried over to the plane. There were more Shirley Temples for my sister and I and my parents would have an adult beverage and let me keep the little bottles. By the way, I always shook the last drops out of the bottle and it was never as pleasant as I thought it would be. I dread travel now. The cattle drive that is airport security is stressful, uncomfortable, and one of the more unpleasant experiences we all must endure when traveling. Airport furniture is uncomfortable, cramped and in many cases, damaged and broken. I was thinking about that while going through security on the way back to Tulsa. Is anyone but me surprised by this process and just how bad it is. And how the lack of comfort and. Service in the airports now don’t meet expectations in any other aspect of our lives. If our homes were as dysfunctional, overpriced and uncomfortable, I can’t think of many people that would tolerate it. The pandemic allowed us to do our work from home offices and now employers want their employees back in the office while most haven’t addressed the poor working conditions. And they’re getting kick back.  Why am I telling you about this? I was processing all the amazing moments for the 2024 edition of the WestEdge Design Fair. This was the best edition yet. I started working with WestEdge in 2015. I went and covered the show, conducted interviews and had a small 10 x 10 as a base of operations. 2016, I hosted the first Convo By Design Programming Lounge with amazing partners like Warner Bros, The Rug Company, Hollywood at Home and it was designed by Ryan White. In 2017, I took over the theater programming at WestEdge and did it again in 2018 and 2019, lost years 2020, 2021 and 2022, came roaring back in 2023 and this was my 7th WestEdge over 10 years. We have seen some wonderful talks by incredible creatives over the years and this year was no exception. The conversations and ideas discussed are inextricably part of what makes the design industry so amazing and mandatory if we are to further improve the form, functionlaity and performance of the spaces where we live, work and play.  Back to the airport for a minute. I think it’s the consultants who screw up the airports. Give some quality designers a shot at airport redesign and you would see something amazing happen. And that all starts with education and sharing ideas for broader adoption. As a busy professional designer, you know how important it is to find the right partnerships. Partnerships that allow you to specify the right products for every project. Professionals like you just don’t have time to waste. Let me tell you about one of my partnerships. Pacific Sales is here to serve you with expert, knowledgeable and non-commissioned professionals to help you specify the right product for all your projects. Non-commissioned. That means their only incentive is your satisfaction. Pacific Sales Kitchen & Home,

    1h 13m

  5. JAN 7

    Just One Word, Are You Listening? Plastics | 549 | The Good Plastics Company featuring Polygood

    One of my favorite things to do is discover new products, another favorite activity of mine is sharing those new products with you. And, that is what we’r going to do today. “Come with me for a minute, I want to talk to you. I just want to say one word to you. Just one word.… Are you listening?…. There’s a great future in plastics, think about it. Will you think about it? Enough said. That’s a deal” Designer Resources Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise. Monogram - It’s the details that define Monogram ThermaSol - Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom. Design Hardware - A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!  - Where service meets excellence TimberTech - Real wood beauty without the upkeep That, of course, a favorite quote from The Graduate, but rings true now as it did in 1967. What’s old is new again and you are going to hear all about that today through my conversation with Dr. William Chivhovsky, founder of The Good Plastic Company. I believe the design industry is exposed to more new products and ideas than ever before in an ongoing effort to address the issues clients desperately want resolved. This includes climate change, sustainability, lower costs, improved performance and renewables. All of these subjects are going to be addressed over the next hour during my conversation with William Chivhovsky, founder of The Good Plastics Company and their product line, Polygood. As we enter a new year, it’s an opportunity for exploration and discovery of the new products coming to market this year. I will be speaking at KBIS this year and cannot tell you how excited I am about that. If you will be in Las Vegas for the show this year, please drop me a note. I am looking for designers and architects to walk the show and report back with some of their favorite finds. Thank you to my incredible partner/ sponsors; ThermaSol, Design Hardware, pacific Sales, Monogram and TimberTech for your support for the show and the industry as a whole. We are a stronger because of industry partners like you. And of course, thank you for listening to the podcast, subscribing to the show and sharing it with friends and colleagues. Please keep the show and guest suggestions coming, I do appreciate them and do my best to respond to every one.  Convo By Design @ Outlook dot com and on Instagram, convoXDesign, with an “X”.  Thanks again for listening. Happy New Year, make this the year you’ve been hoping it would be. Until the next episode, Stay focused and above the chaos.

    59 min

  6. 12/24/2024

    Happy Holidays | 548 | A Message of Reflection & Optimism

    Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah. I hope 2024 was the best year ever for you and yours but pales in comparison to 2025. This was an interesting year, one of challenges for the design industry. But more importantly to me, because so many of the people behind design, my friends, family, people I care about, it’s even more important than ever to simply remind you that this was a good year and I know a lot of you are worried, concerned about what 2025 will bring for a number of reasons. Political, social and economic. I am a realistic optimist and I think we are headed into a fantastic year. Designer Resources Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise. Monogram - It’s the details that define Monogram ThermaSol - Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom. Design Hardware - A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!  - Where service meets excellence TimberTech - Real wood beauty without the upkeep Two parts to that. A realist and an optimist. Those two ideas are not always compatible. There are going to be issues to overcome over the next few years, there is no doubt about that. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t only survive, but thrive. Chaos and challenging times are when designers and architects thrive most, why? Because uncomfortable times create a need for better spaces. Think about it. Post Great Depression architecture included Art Moderne, PWA Moderne, WPA Rustic through the U.S. New Deal and this was a time for Modernism to thrive creating a whole new design industry. WWII created the Mid-Century Modern movement and mew approaches to living. The Atomic Age ushered in a new approach to personal safety through residential bomb shelters. new products and materials. A new approach to power consumption with a focus on electrification and modern technologies within the home. It’s almost as if the greater the chaos, the greater the opportunity for those who craft , design and create safe spaces. Think about that. Changes to the design industry are coming: AI - We’ve been talking about artificial intelligence on the show since late 2022. It’s no longer coming. It’s here. And to those with whom I have spoken asking if they are going to lose their job to AI, I will tell you what I tell them. Probably not. AI can’t do your job. You’re going to lose you jobs to the designer who knows how to use AI. It’s not about prompts, high capacity CPU’s or the ideation a computer can do that you can’t. It’s the tasks and roles AI can play within your design firm that will make all the difference. If you are still bound by past methods of doing the work, better educated designers will have more time to pursue projects, deliver proposals and create faster project completions. It’s not just talent anymore, but the speed at which you can deliver on each milestone of the project. We all need to be lifelong learners and increase the speed at which we work. That, and using AI to stay on top of the new ideas your clients will be asking for. Dupes - The moment something unique is created, someone is working on ways to steal the idea. It sucks, but that’s the way it is. There is a break between budgetary constraints and creating a uniquely special space. Remember a few years ago, during the pandemic when storytelling was what clients wanted. Designers were perfectly suited to deliver on that. Now, clients want the economic pain to stop and shr...

    22 min

  7. 12/19/2024

    The Brownstone Boys | 547 | Our December 2024 Convo By Design Icon Registry Inductees

    The Convo By Design Icon Registry inductees this month are Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon AKA the Brownstone Boys. They appeared on the show around 2020. I feel strongly about historical preservation and I cannot think of anyone who does this as authentically as Jordon and Barry. Neither were born in Brooklyn, but they found themselves there with a passion for design and a love of brownstones. Their authenticity with regard to the work is inescapable and their sole focus on the mission of restoring old brownstones is what I think makes them so unique. This is not a flavor-of-the-month activity to become socially relevant. They started their passion project first, turned it into a business and the fame followed, as did more projects, book deals and all the other fun stuff designers  want as part of their professional portfolio.  Designer Resources Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise. Monogram - It’s the details that define Monogram ThermaSol - Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom. Design Hardware - A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!  - Where service meets excellence TimberTech - Real wood beauty without the upkeep The other aspect to their work that I find so wonderful is their approach to each project. Not recreating it in the original form of the architect but reimagining it and keeping the essence of the work, historical reference but also reimagining it to fit seamlessly into the neighborhood with all the modern amenities one would hope for without shoe-horning it it. It flows effortlessly into each completed project. Allowing those who love brownstones to enjoy this as well as allowing the architectural purist to appreciate the workmanship and creative approach to a revitalized building. Please enjoy an encore airing of that first conversation with Barry and Jordan, our December 2024 inductees to the Convo By Design Icon Registry, the Brownstone Boys. Thank you Barry and Jordan for appearing on the show, creating such beautiful reimagined spaces and respecting the original work as you do. Thank you to my wonderful partner sponsors; ThermaSol, Pacific Sales, Design Hardware, TimberTech and Monogram for your continued support and thank you for taking the time to listen to the show and sharing it with your friends, family and colleagues. Until next time, be well and take today first.

    55 min

  8. 12/17/2024

    Planning for the Changes Coming in 2025 | 546 | How the Industry is Prepping for the New Reality

    Design Hardware Fall 2024 Open House  I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with some of the highlights from the Fall open house at Design Hardware. Incredible design talent, interesting conversations and insights into how the business of design is changing. Designer Resources Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise. Monogram - It’s the details that define Monogram ThermaSol - Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom. Design Hardware - A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!  - Where service meets excellence TimberTech - Real wood beauty without the upkeep The design industry today is more robust and complex than ever before. And that is only going to continue to change over time. Accelerating with every new change in technology and business climate. Not to mention actual climate changes. Every quarter, I check in with design talent at the Design Hardware showroom in Los Angeles and we chop up issue like these and others. These are some of the highlights from our Fall 2024 event that took place in November. You are going to hear all about that, right after this. Adam Hunter Cecilia Rose Candace Quinn Bianca Bush Ben Jones  What a day. Thank you Cecile, Candace, Bianca, Adam and Ben. These were just a few of the conversations we had and you can find more in depth with these individuals as well as additional creatives by listening to Doctoring Up Design, the official podcast of Design Hardware. Check the show notes for links to that and all the designers you’ve heard here today. Thank you to my partner sponsors including ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home, Design Hardware and Monogram for your continued support to the design community. Thank you for taking the time to listen to the show and share it with with family, friends and colleagues. Your time is the most valuable asset and I appreciate the time we spend here together on the show. Please keep those show and guest suggestions coming. convo by design at outlook dot com and on Instagram @ConvoXDesign with and “X”. Until next week, be well and take today first. -CXD

    1h 14m
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4.8
out of 5
40 Ratings

About

Convo By Design®, hosted by Josh Cooperman is dedicated to promoting the ideas of architects, artists, designers, tastemakers, and those making a difference in the way we live. Design is personal as is a good conversation. Copyright © Fusion Media, Inc. 2013-2024 All rights reserved.

Information

  • Creator
    Josh Cooperman
  • Years Active
    2014 - 2025
  • Episodes
    297
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2013-2024
  • Show Website
    Convo By Design®

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