Business of Home Podcast

The term ‘retail store’ isn’t in Ariel Kaye’s vocabulary. The founder and CEO of Parachute Home prefers to use “community centers” when referencing the digital-first bedding and bath brand’s physical locations. In true clicks-to-bricks fashion, Parachute is focused on cultivating its consumer community and providing value outside of just its European-made product. In this interview, Kaye shares how she built Parachute and its cult-like following, while also acknowledging the challenges of running a startup and the isolation that can come with being a sole founder. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.

It’s a coming-of-age business tale that reads more tech startup than furniture manufacturer. More than two decades ago, Lovesac began as a zealous idea in Shawn Nelson’s parents’ basement. As of June, the company filed an IPO with a company market capitalization of more than $250 million. In this interview, Nelson revisits the merchandising mistakes, bankruptcy filing, and painful lessons learned along the way. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.

Whether it’s preserving his iconic mannequin label or curating his next gallery exhibition, Ralph Pucci leads by one rule: “If everyone’s going left, I’m going right.” It worked in 1985, when Pucci successfully debuted the collection of designer Andrée Putman with no industry experience, and it continues to work today, as the company now boasts galleries in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. In this week’s episode, Pucci takes us through the remarkable timeline of Ralph Pucci International and reveals his visual merchandising secrets. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.

Driven by KPIs and constant product launches, Schumacher operates more like a 128-year-old startup than a legacy brand. That’s no coincidence, explains Schumacher CEO Timur Yumusaklar and Creative Director Dara Caponigro in this week’s episode. The venerated fabric brand, which houses greats from Frank Lloyd Wright and Josef Frank to Miles Redd in its archive, remains confident in it’s identity yet understands that moving with the times is essential. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.

Before becoming CEO of 1stdibs, David Rosenblatt spent more than a decade heading up an internet company that, in 2008, sold to Google for $3.2 billion. It’s no surprise that one of his first moves as CEO of 1stdibs was to upgrade the technology platforms. In 2016, he overhauled the business model to a commission one (from a monthly fee) and grew the offerings to include more new and custom, which he says represents the biggest opportunity. In this episode, he shares how he uses data to inform his decisions and why it’s working. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.

Campion Platt believes China is the land of opportunity for interior designers and furniture manufacturers—but only for the next 10 years. In an exclusive story in the summer issue of Business of Home, the designer unveiled his collaboration with a major Chinese developer on a 10.7-million-square-foot complex comprised of a luxury design center, accredited design school, performing arts center, and more. Tune in as Platt reveals how he got involved—and why it may be in other best interest to follow suit.

Rob Royer launched Interior Define online in 2014, offering direct-to-consumer, customizable sofas at a middle-market price point. Veteran insight and early investment capital from Bonobos founder (and Royer’s brother-in-law) Andy Dunn helped the Chicago-based company gain early momentum among consumers and designers. Today, Interior Define, which has since expanded its custom offerings to multiple product furnishing categories, is on track to triple its sales for the third year in a row. The growth has some industry players questioning: Can this model work at the higher end? This episode is sponsored by Fuigo. 

Fashion in the 1960s was not unlike the interior design scene is today. When Oscar de la Renta moved to the big apple from Paris, most clothing labels carried the names of manufacturers. “The designers were doing all the work in the back but getting no credit ... it was a very important transition time when the designers, the creators​,​ came into their own,” he said in an interview with Bunny Williams at the Design Leadership Network Summit in 2014. In this archival episode, the two iconic figures discuss what it takes to build a legacy brand, how to channel panic into creativity and the why collaboration is critical. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.

IKEA is the only furniture brand that is truly global, notes Petrus Palmér, founder of modern furniture brand Hem. The designer-turned-entrepreneur sees white space for high-end brands to reach global scale, and is growing Hem with that in mind. Hem was among the first to sell direct to consumer, disrupting the traditional structure for furniture distribution and catching the attention of Fab.com, which acquired it in 2014. Palmér bought it back in 2016, and took investment from Vitra in 2016. This year, he grew the business by 135%, to $6 million in revenue. In this episode he shares how “resimercial” has become a sweet spot for Hem and why companies like Facebook, Uber and Pinterest offices are outfitted with his furniture. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.

Architect-turned entrepreneur Jean Brownhill has raised more than $8 million in venture capital to grow Sweeten, a general contractor match-making service that facilitated nearly a billion dollars in services this year. As one of 26 African-American female entrepreneurs in the U.S. to raise more than $1 million in VC funding, she emphasizes that raising venture capital doesn’t equal success. The goal is to build a big company that scales, and helps millions of people. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.

Holly Hunt made headlines four years ago when she sold her eponymous company to Knoll for $95 million. But it’s never been about the money for the Texas-born designer, who started her business as a recently-divorced mother of three boys in 1983—without "a big hairy plan." She built what was then a new concept: a multi-line showroom, bringing on makers like Carl Springer, Jim Thompson and Rose Tarlow before designing and manufacturing her own line. In this episode, she shares the ups and downs of the last 30 years—from designer Christian Liagre's departure to adjusting to life post-acquisition, and what the future holds. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.

It's fitting that Maxwell Ryan was a teacher for seven years prior to  founding Apartment Therapy. He’s now teaching readers—20 million of them—how to live beautifully and happily. By featuring homes that are “juicy, lived-in, and accessible,” he appeals to the “broad middle”—a lot of people with a little to spend—and is the go-to for Millennials who love decorating. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.

Crans Baldwin reflects on 30 years running to-the-trade companies such as Donghia and Dedar. Now, after starting his own consulting outfit, he is on the road talking to designers and hearing about their struggles and successes firsthand. In this episode, he outlines the current problems facing the industry (design centers on the whole aren’t working) and offers solutions (more road reps).  This episode is sponsored by Fuigo. 

With stints at McKinsey, Google and Birchbox, Maiden Home founder Nidhi Kapur has applied her digital brand-building skills to upholstery—sofas and chairs. On this week’s episode, she shares the good, the bad and the ugly of creating a direct-to-consumer custom furniture company—from sourcing and product development to marketing. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.   

Modern design is at John Edelman’s core: Andy Warhol did the graphics for his parents’ leather company; he cultivated a renowned Milo Baughman collection; and as CEO of Design Within Reach, he is ensuring that authentic modern design endures. Edelman shares how his parent’s business (which evolved from door-to-door snakeskin sales to purveyors of water buffalo hides to a global luxury textile company—and plenty of stints in between) lead him to the world of interior design—first at Edelman Leather which he sold to Knoll and now to DWR which he sold to Herman Miller after rescuing it from the brink of financial ruin. Plus, hear his impassioned thoughts on knock-offs and what DWR is doing to fight them. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.