Business of Home Podcast

BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including the debut of Amazon’s ultra-cheap marketplace, a check-in on the housing market, and how tariffs might impact the home industry. Later, designer Ken Fulk joins the show to talk about his new Southern California retail outpost. This episode is sponsored by Kohler and Klafs LINKS Ken Fulk Business of Home

An icon of Chicago’s design scene, Tom Stringer cut his teeth working for Alessandra Branca before starting his own firm in the mid 1990s. Over the decades his work has been widely featured in the shelter media, and his projects for some of America’s most notable families have taken him around the world. On this episode of the podcast, Stringer chats with host Dennis Scully about his surprising vetting process for new clients, why he gives his employees sabbaticals and executive coaching, and why he’s at his best when he’s in a little over his head. This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Annie Selke LINKS Tom Stringer Design Partners Dennis Scully Business of Home

BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including the fate of the DCOTA, rising mortgage rates, and the design industry’s next killer app. Later, Substack writers Leonora Epstein and David Michon join the show to talk about how the platform is changing design media. This episode is sponsored by Kohler and Klafs LINKS For Scale Schmatta Business of Home

Started over one hundred years ago with a single product, Hickory Chair has grown over the decades and changed hands several times, but it never left North Carolina. Out of a single facility, the company produces both upholstery and case goods using the same techniques it has for generations. On this episode of the podcast, host Dennis Scully speaks with the brand’s president Federico Contigiani about the challenges of building a brand in home; why design both is and isn’t like fashion; and why, no matter what technology brings, furniture will always be a trust business. This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Annie Selke LINKS Hickory Chair Dennis Scully Business of Home

BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including more Charles Cohen drama, changes at the top for several shelter publications, and a look at Kravet’s latest tech experiment. Later, comedian Dan Rosen joins the show to talk about his accidental career as a design critic. This episode is sponsored by Kohler and Klafs LINKS Dan Rosen Middlebrow Podcast Business of Home

Founded in 1960, over the decades Roche Bobois has become synonymous with chic contemporary design. The first furniture brand to advertise in fashion magazines, today Roche Bobois’s hit products include the iconic Mah Jong and Bubble sofas, and hundreds of the brand’s showrooms are spread out all over the world. On this episode of the podcast, the brand’s international director Martin Gleize speaks with host Dennis Scully about why the post-COVID landscape is fraught with confusion for furniture companies, the opportunities and challenges in China, and why the biggest mistake for any brand is to try to be two things at once. This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Annie Selke LINKS Roche Bobois Dennis Scully Business of Home

BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including Design Manager’s new acquisitions, why Williams Sonoma is suing Dupe.com, and Amazon’s rumored $20 sofa. Later, BOH editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen joins the show to recap High Point Market. This episode is sponsored by Kohler and Klafs LINKS High Point Market Business of Home

After an artistic childhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico, interior designer Susana Simonpietri’s early studies took her to Europe and then New York, where she went on to work for some of the industry’s biggest names. Since going out on her own in the wake of the great recession, Simonpietri has built up a team of 30, published her work widely in top shelter magazines, and brought a warm, thoughtfully edited approach to projects across the country On this episode of the podcast, Simonpietri speaks with host Dennis Scully about how past experiences have taught her to screen clients carefully, how she learned to hire and work with the next generation of designers, and why she’s determined to break the industry cycle of toxic workplaces. This episode is sponsored by Four Hands and Surya LINKS Chango Dennis Scully Business of Home

BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including more fallout from Hurricane Helene, a renovation boom and what a controversial celebrity home tour says about the state of design media. Later, Christina Juarez and Ben Reynaert share the story of their shoppable event, The Ticking Tent. This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Isla Porter LINKS The Thursday Show live at High Point Market The Ticking Tent Business of Home

In recent years, Ruggable’s machine washable rugs have become a bona fide hit product, but the company is anything but an overnight success. Founder Jeneva Bell’s story is an agonizing tale of false starts, setbacks and roadblocks—it took almost a decade of effort to get Ruggable off the ground. Today the company employs hundreds across three factories, and drops regular collaborations with top designers like Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jonathan Adler and Justina Blakeney. On this episode of the podcast Bell tells host Dennis Scully about how she found the resilience to get through hard times, why reading memoirs beats looking at social media, and why there’s more to success than just hard work. This episode is sponsored by Four Hands and Surya LINKS Ruggable Dennis Scully Business of Home

BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including Havenly’s newest acquisition, Banana Republic’s exit from furniture, and why Hearst’s AI deal is drawing backlash. Later, columnist Warren Shoulberg joins the show to break down the state of play in home retail. This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Isla Porter LINKS The Thursday Show live at High Point Market Warren Shoulberg Business of Home

Mark D. Sikes came to design as a second career after decades in retail, but he’s made up for lost time. In just over ten years, he’s released three best-selling books, earned a spot on the AD100, and worked for high-profile clients like Reese Witherspoon, Nancy Meyers and Dr. Jill Biden. More recently, Sikes brought his take on classic American style to Blair House, redesigning an iconic Washington residence used to host heads of state: its guest list includes everyone from Winston Churchill to Justin Trudeau. On this episode of the podcast, Sikes speaks to host Dennis Scully about why consistency has been the key to his success, the surprising strategy that helped his books take off, and why his muse is America. This episode is sponsored by Four Hands and Surya LINKS Mark D. Sikes Dennis Scully Business of Home

BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including a quick end to the dockworkers strike, the shuttering of an online antiques site, and a look at whether a wave of silicosis lawsuits will upend the world of engineered stone. Later, East Fork CEO Alex Matisse joins the show to talk about Helene's impact and what comes next for North Carolina. This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Isla Porter HELENE RELIEF Red Cross of North Carolina BeLoved Asheville LINKS East Fork Business of Home

Watts dates back to the late 19th century, when three architects banded together to start a company that made fabrics and decor for both the church and residential use. Over the course of the next 150 years, Watts’ history would be intertwined with Britain’s—it produced garments worn during the coronations of Edward VII, Elizabeth II and Charles III. Today, it’s also a modern fabric and wallcoverings brand, sold to designers all over the world. On this episode of the podcast, host Dennis Scully speaks to Watts’ creative director Fiona Flint and its managing director Marie Severine de Caraman Chimay (better known as “MS”) about how the company has survived a century and a half by staying nimble, the ups and downs of doing business in America, and how they walk the line between celebrating their history and looking to the future. This episode is sponsored by Four Hands and Surya LINKS Watts 1874 Dennis Scully Business of Home

BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including this week’s port strike, why Zillow is highlighting climate risks, and Hurricane Helene’s impact on the design community. Later, designer and author Nasozi Kakembo joins the show to talk about her book on African decor. This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Isla Porter HELENE RELIEF Red Cross of North Carolina BeLoved Asheville LINKS Nasozi Kakembo Business of Home

Started as a shop for bathroom hardware in the 1970s, Waterworks has grown over the decades into a $200 million kitchen and bath company with national scale. Eight years after being acquired by RH, more growth is on the horizon: RH CEO Gary Friedman has said Waterworks could one day be a billion-dollar brand. On this episode of the podcast, CEO Peter Sallick talks with host Dennis Scully about what he’s learned from Friedman, finding the balance between art and engineering, and why the biggest challenge trade brands face is simply letting consumers know they exist. This episode is sponsored by Loloi, Crypton and Rowe LINKS Waterworks Dennis Scully Business of Home

BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including last week’s interest rate cut, a card game for design clients, and why a growing number of brands are turning to the trade. Later, designer David Netto and architecture critic Paul Goldberger join the show to talk about their new book on iconic New York architect Rosario Candela. This episode is sponsored by Hartmann&Forbes and Chelsea House LINKS David Netto Paul Goldberger Business of Home

You may not know the name Valdese Weavers, but you know their product. One of the last large-scale textile mills in America, Valdese produces fabric for everyone from retailers like Arhaus and RH to brands like Kravet and Thibaut. On this episode of the podcast, Valdese Weavers president and CEO Blake Millinor speaks with host Dennis Scully about how beige and gray took over the market; the challenges of delivering both performance and sustainability; and how Valdese has managed to thrive not by setting rigid five-year plans, but by staying loose, nimble and diversified. This episode is sponsored by Loloi, Crypton and Rowe LINKS Valdese Weavers Dennis Scully Business of Home

BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including Asad Syrkett’s forthcoming departure from Elle Decor, RH’s latest earnings call and why millionaire renters are on the rise. Later, designer Leanne Ford joins the show to talk about her new book, The Slow Down. This episode is sponsored by Hartmann&Forbes and Chelsea House LINKS Leanne Ford Business of Home

By day, Peter Dunham runs a busy design firm, but he’s also the owner of one of LA’s most notable showrooms—Hollywood at Home. The last time Dunham was on the podcast, he was navigating the confusions of Covid. Now he’s going bicoastal and opening a new showroom in New York under his own name. On this episode of the show he speaks with host Dennis Scully about the differences between design culture in New York and Los Angeles, why textiles are like lipstick, and how he knew he was finally ready to expand. This episode is sponsored by Loloi, Crypton and Rowe LINKS Peter Dunham Peter Dunham Home & Garden Dennis Scully Business of Home