Chris Laumer-Giddens of LG Squared joins To-The-Trade on building science, becoming his own GC, consultations, running a design-build firm with his wife, Jody.
Jameelah Watkins-Mallett of Lauren Wesley Designs and The CASE Collective joins To-The-Trade to talk about trust between designers.
Sharon Sherman of Thyme and Place Design on what’s actually broken between designers, brands, and showrooms, the risks of going direct, and the coming divide between conveyor belt design and painterly design.
Daltile’s Chicago Design Studio welcomed architects, designers, and other customers to its annual “Parked At NeoCon” lunch event during NeoCon 2026, showcasing new products, key programs, and supporting vendor partners.
Jenny York of Currey & Company on what designer-friendly actually looks like from the inside: small orders, real inventory, high-touch relationships, and why installation photography is a designer’s most underused tool.
Architect and designer Kimberly Kerl of Kerl Design breaks down her client intake process, phase-based billing, and the renovate-vs.-move conversation. Plus: outdoor living trends, the health and wellness wave, smart home tech, and her honest read on the current market slowdown.
Tracee Murphy, The Design Biz Therapist and founder of The Designer Launch, brings 26 years of luxury residential design to a conversation about emotional intelligence as a business strategy. Topics include client personality profiling, trust-building, weekly communication templates, burnout prevention, and how EQ doubled her firm’s profits over five years.
To-The-Trade S3E14 Emotional Intelligence Is a Profit Strategy with Tracee Murphy Read More »
Eric Dillman joins To-The-Trade to break down social media strategy for interior designers: what to post, which platforms to prioritize, how to stay consistent, and how to finally get on camera.
Rhobin DelaCruz joins To-the-Trade to discuss High Point Market strategy, how his business shifted when he started going to market.
Houston designer and High Point Market StyleSpotter Juliana Ewer joins Laurie to make the case for market attendance: product knowledge you can’t get online, trade brands that stand behind their work, vendor relationships that protect your reputation, and practical tips for getting the most out of every day there.
