House of JerMar
Welcome to the House of JerMar Podcast where Wellness Starts Within. The House of JerMar is a lifestyle brand empowering women to live all in through interior design and personal wellness. We are a destination for women ready to reimagine what is possible in their homes and lives and then create it.
Each week, our host Jeanne Collins, will invite guests to share how they focus on inner wellness through home and life design. Jeanne is an award-winning interior designer, published author, mindset coach, and motivational speaker. Her stories and life are examples of how to find wellness within.
If you are feeling stuck, unmotivated, or unsure of how to live all in, together, we can learn to create lush inner sanctuaries that fill us with self-confidence, peace, and a feeling of purpose in this world.
Welcome to the House of JerMar community. We are honored to have you join us on our mission to empower 1 million women to live all-in!
Please subscribe and share with like-minded women to help us build our community. You can also learn more on our website www.houseofjermar.com.
House of JerMar
Interior Design Meets Wellness: Creating Spaces That Nurture Mind and Body
This week, we're talking Interior Design! Award-winning designer Dane Austin offers a refreshingly authentic approach to creating spaces that truly reflect their inhabitants.
Dane beautifully articulates what sets his work apart - rather than imposing a signature style, he designs spaces that embody each client's unique definition of beauty and luxury. When pressed to describe his aesthetic, he offers a compelling blend: "Tom Ford meets Wes Anderson with Billie Holiday" - combining refined tailoring with playful whimsy and soulful imperfection.
This deeply personalized approach requires going beyond surface preferences. "We're in parts of people's homes that some people never see," Dane explains. "We're lining your underwear drawer and have to know how you organize all of your belongings." This intimate understanding allows him to create environments that feel genuinely aligned with how clients live.
Behind Dane's artistic vision lies sophisticated business savvy. He's built a nimble team that combines local creative talent with remote specialists, allowing his firm to scale up or down based on project demands. This flexibility reflects lessons learned from years of experience and multiple business coaches who helped him develop systems that support both creativity and profitability.
Perhaps most compelling is Dane's perspective on wellness as essential to both design excellence and entrepreneurial success. Despite his impressive achievements and growing industry recognition, he's intentionally simplifying his professional commitments to prioritize health and personal connections. "If you're not filling up your cup, then how are you expected to fill up the cups of others?"
Ready to create spaces that truly reflect who you are while supporting how you want to feel? Listen now to discover how thoughtful design can transform not just your home, but your entire sense of wellbeing.
More about Dane:
Dane Austin is recognized as one of New England’s most influential interior designers. His elevated yet deeply personal approach to design has cultivated a loyal and discerning following. He believes that if we live in homes that are beautifully designed and in alignment with our definition of comfort and wellness, our lives feel complete. This philosophy is the foundation of his design firm, Dane Austin Design.
Based in Boston, Dane Austin Design is a full-service interior design firm specializing in luxury residential interiors throughout New England, Washington, D.C., and North America. The firm has received several accolades, including being named IFDA “Interior Designer of the Year,” Architectural Digest Approved “Star Talent,” House Beautiful’s Next Wave “Rising Design Star,” Home & Design Top 100 Designers, New England Home Magazine’s 5 Under 40 Award, the IFDA Charity Challenge winner, and the Excellence in Design award from ASID.
Dane shares his gambrel shingle-style home, built in 1905, with his dog—a Great Pyrenees Shepherd mix named Harry—and a joyfully rotating cast of friends and family.
Instagram: @daneaustindesign
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Read Jeanne's Book: Two Feet In: Lessons From and All-In Life
WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE!
Talk to us a little bit about your design style and the design style of you and of your firm.
Speaker 2:Gosh, that's such a big question and it's one that I often have a tough time answering when editors say, tell me about your design style, what is your aesthetic? And I always say, well, if you want to see my design style, you should come to my house, because when we're designing, we're truly designing directly for the client, and whatever their definition of beauty and luxury and quality may be, and for every person that's different. So I think it's really important to work hand in hand with our clients and get to know people through lifestyle questionnaires and in-person conversations, asking the right questions. We're in parts of people's homes that some people never see. You know we're lining your underwear drawer and we have to know how you organize all of your belongings and everything in its place. And so I guess, if I have to define my style, I think of it as Tom Ford meets Wes Anderson with Billie Holiday with Billie Holiday, and yeah, it's that, that beautiful mix of quality and tailoring and refinement, but playfulness and color and whimsy and a little soul and grit and imperfection.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the House of Jermar podcast where wellness starts within. The House of Jermar is a lifestyle brand, empowering women to live all in through interior design and personal wellness. We are a destination for women ready to reimagine what is possible in their homes and lives and then create it. We are honored to have you join us on our mission to empower 1 million women to live all in. I am your host, Jean Collins, and I invite you to become inspired by this week's guest.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the House of Germar podcast where wellness starts within. I'm your host, Jean Collins, and today's guest. We are talking interior design. Dane Austin is our guest today. I am so excited to have him. He's coming to us from Massachusetts and one of the things I love about Dane not only do I not get to talk to enough interior designers on the show, but he also has a passion for wellness and interior design, which is something that's near and dear to my heart. So I am super excited to share his entrepreneurial journey. Talk about his business, talk about what he's doing. He is an up and comer, guys. He has tons of awards. His bio is long, I will include it in the show notes, but he is super impressive as an interior designer and has quite the team, and I love that you have a passion for wellness and defining comfort within your client's home. So, Dane, welcome to the show.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me. I'm grateful to be here.
Speaker 1:It's great to meet you and and any interior designer I'm always happy to talk to, so thank you for coming on the show. So I love to share a little bit about our guest's career journey. So how did you get into interior design? Because you have a super creative backgrounds, but how did you land on interior design?
Speaker 2:Wow. I think I'm very fortunate in always knowing that interior design was what I wanted to pursue when I was in junior high school and high school, and they would send you to the library to study a career, interior design was always at the top of my list and I wanted a job where I would be meeting new people, always doing something different, have an opportunity to travel, make a good living and helping people in the process, and interior design tended just turned out to be exactly what I needed, so I'm grateful that I get to do something, using my talents for good and helping people in the process.
Speaker 1:Ooh, I like that. So you didn't start out with your own firm? No one ever does, so how did you learn and grow before you decided you wanted to branch on your own?
Speaker 2:I worked with an interior design firm in Georgetown for about eight or nine years and that was while I was going to college at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington DC and I loved working there because I had mentorship and I learned on the job and I feel like sometimes you can learn more doing than through the education itself and my school was very conceptual. But I had hands-on experience with this firm and they also allowed me to go on study abroads in the UK and in Paris, and I was able to spread my wings and come back and still have my position and continue to grow with them until the economy tanked in 2009. And then I was pushed out on my own.
Speaker 1:So you jumped all in to being out on your own, because you were forced to.
Speaker 2:Yes, in a sense. And while I was working for that firm, just a few years in I started my own side hustle, if you will, as a designer and I had some friends who wanted to redo their top floor primary bedroom suite and turn their guest room into an office and make some other changes. So they ended up hiring me and then they referred me to another friend of theirs who was buying a new place in Washington DC, and then that person referred me to somebody else. So I had my own work while I was also working at the design firm and it was nice because I could run floor plans and design schemes and color palettes past my mentor and I basically just got the stamp of approval, just got the stamp of approval. You know there wasn't much he would make changes on, but it was nice that he would allow me to make my own career path on the side while also working with him and not taking that as any kind of a threat. So I appreciated that so much.
Speaker 1:Yeah, which is nice, and I often say you know so many people say and coaches say this too you know, sometimes doing it as a side hustle before you jump in is a good way to do it, because not everybody can take that leap or financially take that leap to go out on their own right away. So finding a way to do both, even if it's a side hustle in the same industry or maybe not, a lot of people want to make a career shift and they don't know how to make that leap, and so doing it on the side to build up some confidence, build up some business before you take the leap, is often a very good strategy and you're proof of that.
Speaker 2:Definitely, and I think you learn so many lessons along the way. There's so much that goes on in a huge design firm, but it's very different than being an entrepreneur or solopreneur. As a designer and some of the things that you pick up and you realize maybe I shouldn't be doing it that way because it's not really working for them, and so I'm going to figure out how I can take this idea and make it better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, which is great. So you are right that some of the interesting things you can learn by being at a big firm, and I don't know if you found this as well, but I found going to interior design school it's very tactical, I would say. It doesn't involve a lot of the knowledge of business, and so you have to go out and learn the business side of business. Did you have that same experience?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. That's such a good point and that's what I always tell students as a guest lecturer at different universities around town. I always explain that they need to get more experience with the business side of things, that they are in the business of design but they're entrepreneurs and business owners first, and so to get continuing education classes and hiring coaches and having mentors is, I think, far more helpful than the one or two classes you might be able to take that cover business. I think there was one business class called the business of design or business 101 for interior designers and we talked more about branding and logos and fonts and color palettes and things like that within that class. But I definitely learned a lot afterward through my own research and hiring coaches and taking extra classes outside of to learn the business of design.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:It's really important. You know you, you can't run your business if, if you don't know the ins and outs of the finances and profit margins, and systems and processes and customer relations and managing clients and expectations. You know all of this is so much more important than than just the design itself, and I think design is about 10% of what we do. The other 90% is project management and just running the business side of things, and you have to be really good at that to be successful.
Speaker 1:It is so true I always joke with people that I got into interior design because I had announced that if I could play with fabric and wallpaper all day, I would be so happy. And I was like the amount of time that I spend doing that as interior designer is like 2%, it's so true, but that's what brings us so much joy, right, right, the creative.
Speaker 2:it's pulling together the artistry of design.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, but I think it's also important, like you bring up some really important points about you need the education, but having coaches and I think it's really important as an entrepreneur to not be afraid to reach out and ask for help about the things that you don't know. And I found for my interior design business. I hired a business coach and I worked with her for about two and a half years and she specialized in interior design and there's no way I could have learned as much as I learned from her in a short period of time about how to run the business and to be profitable and to have systems and manage. It was incredible and it was such a gift to be able to do that. But I had to make the choice which I'm going to point out to other entrepreneurs to invest in myself in that education, as opposed to just learning it the hard way.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I hired a business coach when I relocated to Boston in 2012. And through that, I learned to build the systems and the processes and figure out what are my steps of service and how do I manage the team. And so every time I got to a level where I felt like I had learned what I could and leveled up or ready to level up to the next area, I would work with a business coach and I've worked with, I think, four or five people and a couple of them a couple of times, but that's over the last 13 years, and it's really helped my business expand and grow and to be very successful.
Speaker 1:It definitely does, yes. So let's talk about your business, because your website is very impressive. You have multiple locations, you have a whole team of people, so share with everybody. You know a little bit about you and your business and your firm.
Speaker 2:Well, because of the downturned economy in 2009,. And then relocating here within a couple of years to Boston and recognizing that I don't need to have a full-time staff at all times, with everyone in a singular office, and so I've been able to be very nimble and operate with a bookkeeper that is in Colorado and a purchasing manager that's in Colorado as well. My concierge is in Kentucky and my web person is in New York, and we have help as needed in the various states that we might be working in and people boots on the ground in those areas. We'll hire someone to help with project management as needed and bring in designers when we have large projects or more in the pipeline than our standard core team can manage, but then we're able to scale down as needed as well, so it's nice to be able to have a team where I can grow and downsize as needed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, which is important, and don't you find virtual help? I feel like COVID really helped us from a virtual help perspective, where it's okay to be able to tap into resources that live anywhere.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and it's funny to me how sometimes people are confused that my concierge or client care coordinator could be in another state. They're helping me answer phone calls, respond to emails, helping me with calendaring our time and scheduling trades and clients, so they don't really need to be in the studio to do that. The people who are in the studio are the creative team. They come in and so we can be lean in that sense. The design team is local to Boston and we're working together in the studio or at the Boston Design Center on a regular basis and meeting in person. As I mentioned, we'll bring in a designer as needed. Additionally, for other projects we've had four different people come in and work with us, as we've had large projects and projects out of state or when we have interns. But the other administrative people can all be spread across the country.
Speaker 1:Which is a great thing.
Speaker 2:Yes, I think it's a smart business.
Speaker 1:It is. It really is, and just hearing you talk it is proof. I can tell that you've had business coaching on how to build your business just based on your ability to scale up and scale down as needed based on project workload. So kudos to you. You've hired some good coaches.
Speaker 2:Thanks.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about design style. So talk to us a little bit about your design style and the design style of you and of your firm.
Speaker 2:Gosh, that's such a big question and it's one that I often have a tough time answering when editors say, tell me about your design style, what is your aesthetic? And I always say, well, if you want to see my design style, you should come to my house, because when we're designing, we're truly designing directly for the client, and whatever their definition of beauty and luxury and quality may be, and for every person that's different. So I think it's really important to work hand in hand with our clients and get to know people through lifestyle questionnaires and in-person conversations, asking the right questions. We're in parts of people's homes that some people never see. We're lining your underwear drawer and we have to know how you organize all of your belongings and everything in its place. And so I guess, if I have to define my style, I think of it as Tom Ford meets Wes Anderson with Billie Holiday. And yeah, it's that beautiful mix of quality and tailoring and refinement, but playfulness and color and whimsy and a little soul and grit and imperfection.
Speaker 1:There you go. I love it. That's a great definition. Well, and I also love that you say you design for people based on what makes them feel good. I always struggle as a designer with that same question. When people are like, well, what is your aesthetic? And it's like, well, if you go to my website, I design lots of different things. It's like, well, what's your specialty? And the answer to that for me is my specialty is figuring out what will light my clients up and make my clients feel like their home gives the energy that they want from their home. Now I have preferences of things that I like and gravitate towards and styles that I like, but I think it's a different approach than some designers. You go to their website and every project looks exactly the same. It's just a different house.
Speaker 2:And so true.
Speaker 1:And for some people that's what they want they need that and for others they want something that's a little more eclectic.
Speaker 2:Yes, I think our ideal clients find us because when they view the portfolio, they realize that no two projects are the same. And when I ask, why did you call us? They realize that no two projects are the same. And when I ask, why did you call us? I always hear two things. They say we love the way that you use color and we can tell that you listen to your clients because nothing is the same between one project to the next.
Speaker 2:There is a through line of refinement and balance and color in a sophisticated way. I really enjoy deep jewel tones, but also soft gray down pastels. I think it's the most livable and the most prominent colors in nature and so when you look at the portfolio, you might see the way that they connect in those ways. But truly every project is so different because every family is so different and I never want to impose a one size fits all look on the family or a client and I truly enjoy that heart to heart connection and getting to know what matters. Look of the space. Of course it will be beautiful when we're finished, but we want you to enjoy the process and getting to know yourself better along the way and enjoy working, going on this journey and having this collaboration together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and learning something new and being stretched. I always found that was so great when you brought an item to a client to like, in our vision, complete a room, and it's stepping them a little outside their comfort zone of something that they would normally pick, but then having them be able to see how that would make them feel, and a lot of times those ended up being the most exciting pieces in a room are the ones that are things that they never would have chosen on their own or would have thought they would have liked, but somehow it taps into them emotionally after you show it to them and all of a sudden they're like you know, I really I'm really digging that chair with the animal prints on it.
Speaker 2:I couldn't agree more. I think it's part of our job as designers to push people outside of their comfort zone and to give them something that they wouldn't have picked on their own. And I love this idea of collaboration, key to any successful project because the client has an idea of what they want and they share that with the architect or the designer or the builder. And that person turns around and says, well, we're not able to do this, but we can do that, and they put a spin on it because of some limitation, potentially, and then that gets shared with us. And then we're like, okay, this is great, we can work with this, but how about we change the hardware in this way and we do the backs of these bookcases in that way and we add some sconce lights to wash down the front of this piece, and now, suddenly, these built-ins have gone from needing a place just for extra storage within the design to a wow factor and something that's eye-catching and interesting in the space as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what's your favorite thing to design?
Speaker 2:I love designing celebratory spaces, so usually the living room or dining room, but on the flip side of that, I also really enjoy doing primary bedroom spaces, because it is your sanctuary and that is a space used for usually one, maybe two people and it's just an opportunity to create a space that is going to offer serenity and peace and calm within your home. But those celebratory spaces are so fun because you can push the envelope and make things a little more eye-catching or bold and colorful and whimsical and playful. So I love the balance, I love juxtaposition, I love the idea of opposites, I like contrast, some soft edges and hard lines and light and dark and glossy versus matte or nubby versus smooth, you know, and the idea of doing spaces within a home too, where you have some places that are more lively and others that are meant for relaxation.
Speaker 1:Great Cause. They each have a different purpose and each room can emit different emotions.
Speaker 1:You know, like you say, celebratory space, and I'm like, I'm thinking party, and then you say serene bedroom, and I was like, oh yeah, let's like sit and read a book, and even just the way you're describing them and the words that you're using, I can feel differently about those spaces, without having to see them in any capacity or see what the finished design looks like. You're talking about the emotion that the rooms are going to give to people, which is unique in the design space. I have to tell you, as a fellow designer, not everybody thinks of spaces like yes. Which is a nice gift.
Speaker 2:You get it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, I get it. Yeah, it makes me unique. Now, if a client comes to you and they say, okay, well, I'm trying to choose between three different designers, what would you tell them about how to make that choice and whether or not you're the right fit for that?
Speaker 2:I really think it comes down to what it feels like to be around that person. Do you have confidence, do you feel comfortable? You're going to be attached for a year, year and a half, two years, you know. If it's new construction, then it's extended, or a large scale project it might be up to three years or more, but I think I think it really just has to be a good connection within your interaction. You know, you know if you are on board with someone or if they give you a good vibe. I think it's just some people really want left brain, systematic, pragmatic, everything's black and white spreadsheets, bottom line give it to me straight. And other people need more handholding and it's more emotional for them, and so I think it's necessary to be able to cater to either one of those and oftentimes it's both within a relationship because we're all drawn to the opposite and
Speaker 2:opposites attract. So much of what we do is acting as therapists and mediators and I remember clients often saying to me that you're so diplomatic in the way that you go through this process. Or if we budged on a color in that room, then maybe you give in on this room because it matters more to the other person in the relationship. Through all of the things that are important to people and trying to capture and make sure that you check off all of the boxes for their needs and their wants and some of their wishes if not as many as you can get in there. But really just getting to know people is the best way to understand if they're going to be a good fit for you and your team.
Speaker 1:Yes, Well, I always used to ask people in my intake forms you know how do you make decisions? Are you quick to make decisions? Does it take you a while? Do you always wonder if there's something else better out there? Do decisions happen in your family by committee? And I always felt like, as a designer, you need to know what you're walking into in terms of how they make decisions, and you were right Very often. When I first started this, my business coach was like get ready to become a therapist? I was like what are you?
Speaker 1:talking about? They don't talk about that in design school either. What are you talking about? It's like oh you wait, and homes are so emotional. So people get really, really emotional about their homes and these design decisions that you're making, which you want. You're creating emotion in their environment, but then that comes back when a couple doesn't necessarily agree on that emotional decision. It's a lot.
Speaker 2:I think you always have to own it, and we are so collaborative that we really give people a chance to make the choices themselves. We don't present one final design and say this is what you get. We lead people down the journey of design and walk them through the process every step of the way, leading as trusted advisors and design guides to make the best choices for you and your family. And so we will present multiple floor plans for a space and let the client decide on that, and then we help them to select the furnishings that work best for them. Of course, there are a few key pieces that we will present, as this is our number one choice, or these are the things that we think that would work best in the space.
Speaker 2:But then we also like to provide options too, so that people always feel like they had an opportunity to make a choice, and I always say give them something to say no to, so that they can then feel good about the yes, because when you come to them with one design, oftentimes they say, well, this is nice, but what else is there? Or if you're just giving a couple of options, they want to see more. So there's so much psychology in everything that we do. I studied psychology and sociology in school and I use that every day in what I'm doing now.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's a good combination because it is so true, yes. So what role is you're talking about making choices? What role is technology and 3D and rendering playing in your business now?
Speaker 2:We utilize it when we need to. It's an extra service that's provided when clients have to see the space in 3D in order to move forward. It's not something we do for every client. A lot of people recognize that they can put their trust in us and, based on our portfolio and the press and the awards, I think it's clear that we know what we're doing and we will make the right choices with them and move them in the right direction so that the final product will be beautiful, magazine-worthy rooms, even if they never get published.
Speaker 2:But we want people to understand that they're in good hands and when we design, we will usually design 80 to 90% of the way through when we're presenting. But then we always like to leave some space for things to uncover themselves, you know, for things to reveal themselves to us as well, and we'll plan for an antique in each room where possible and to bring in a vintage item, things that feel collected over time. But part of the magic of what we do is how we compile all of these pieces in a space Like artists. It's about the composition and editing and color balance and texture and shape and silhouette and the contrast, all of those things and so some clients need your rendering, but usually a floor plan and a picture of the item is enough.
Speaker 1:Good, I agree, I like those kinds of clients.
Speaker 2:Yes, me too.
Speaker 1:I prefer those to the ones that need to see like every single detail, cause I'm like, okay, well, that's like another six weeks until I can get you.
Speaker 2:Yes, it's probably an engineer.
Speaker 1:Right, get you the rendering to that degree and to that level for multiple spaces, which is fine If that's what some people need it. Just the lead time just becomes a lot. So what do you say to people Cause I get asked this question a lot as an interior designer who say you know, is this on trend and should I do this because it's a trend?
Speaker 2:Goodness. I think trends are only there for us to pay attention, to know what not to do, and if it's trendy, it's something that we would definitely steer a client away from. I don't really follow trends. I'm aware of what's happening. I often find that what we do is what becomes trendy later, and I don't mean to say that I'm setting the fashion, but it's interesting that we'll do a home with pink and then suddenly millennial pink becomes a big deal.
Speaker 2:And I never got on board with a lot of open concept living. I really like spaces that are individualized and have a singular purpose, use, you know, or it can be multifunctional, but I think it's important to have privacy and quiet and be able to compartmentalize different areas of your home. So I also was not ever on board with the all gray when things were in that direction for the 20 teens, and here we are back to cream and tan and brown and warm tones because they are the most livable. I think that you can use gray short in certain setting and in particular ways, but you won't find a lot of that in our portfolio because it was a big trend. So I really do pay attention to what to avoid really, and I really dig deep.
Speaker 2:I ask what is it about this that you're drawn to? Why do you like it? I also point out when I feel like something is being mass marketed to us as a culture. You know, like linen had a huge moment because restoration hardware and pottery, barn and create a bear on room and board was really pushing it. And then it became velvet and then it became boucle. And now everyone's saying boucle is over. It's like all of this just cycles through over and over again anyway, and none of those materials are out of fashion. They were just a little more popular at that time and a good room is going to be composed of many different textures of fabrics and things. So I think if you always do what you love, then you're always going to love what you've done and that's what matters most is enjoying it for years to come. Whether somebody says it was trendy or not, the trend will come and go, but you'll still love the thing.
Speaker 1:Yes. Well, and I always say to people you live here, no one else lives here. You live here. If you like it, then do it, because you're going to be the one who has to live with us, not me or your neighbors or anyone else. Regardless of whether it's trendy or not, you're the one that has to live in the space. So if you get excited by having a bright lacquered mudroom, then go for it. Absolutely, it's okay.
Speaker 1:And so many of the things that I think clients and you can tell me if you have the same experience. So many of the things that I think clients like hem and haw over. A lot of times I say to them it's really just paint or it's really just wallpaper or it's just a light fixture. If five years from now, you don't like it anymore I mean as long as it's not a $20,000 light fixture you just change it, it's okay. It doesn't have to be a forever decision. Some of these high ticket items like, yeah, you really need to like them. Decision. Some of these high ticket items like, yeah, you really need to like them. But a lot of the things that I think cause our clients a little bit of angst when you put it into perspective that it can be changed. If you decide you don't want your kitchen island to be navy blue anymore, then that's not a difficult change to make it a different color down the road.
Speaker 2:I totally agree, and I think that's why we provide so many different options because I want people to feel confident in knowing that they've that they've had such a say in what they've selected, instead of saying, oh, my designer made me pick that. You know. I never want someone to feel that way, and on the rare occasion that something just doesn't quite work out in the space, I think it's okay to take that item back. You know, of course, if it's a high-end custom dining table for $30,000 or an amazing sectional at $25,000 that you've had built to exact specifications, you're going to get their sign off every step of the way on the drawings and everything else.
Speaker 2:Yes, but if there are some surface mount fixtures that we've put into a space and the client's not in love with them or they feel like they're not quite right, we end up taking it back a lot of times. We just want people to be happy in the end and to have a really wonderful experience and not leave a bad taste in their mouths when it's finished, and so yes, well, and sometimes I tell clients.
Speaker 1:I have a client right now for a library project and an Ottoman got delivered and I wasn't there because I was busy and they were there, they was fine, so they delivered it. And the text I got was three quarters of the family hate it. And I was like how could you hate it? And they sent me a picture. I'm like what's to hate? It's gorgeous. Are you kidding me? Oh, my goodness, it's so unique and it's so cool. And they had picked out the fabric and I was like it's so cool. And they had picked out the fabric and everything and I was like it's so fabulous, what's to hate? And so that's like initial reaction, I hate it.
Speaker 1:And then I gave it a week and I actually showed up not a week later, because they're friends of mine also, so I kind of took my time showing up because I know how they roll. And I showed up a week later and all of a sudden the husband, who was like I absolutely hate it, he's like it's growing on me. And then when I explained from a design perspective why it is the way it is and why the wood is cheroos and why it's stained this way and how it adds movement for this big ottoman in this room and if it wasn't like that, it was going to look flat. And all of a sudden he's like I mean, he's like huh, yeah, I think I now like it. I'm so glad to hear that Sometimes clients have to sit with it because our vision of it is so immediate and we see how it all flows together. But sometimes clients don't have that same vision.
Speaker 2:It's so true, we see it in our mind's eye and we can visualize the space as a whole composition in 3D. But the clients sometimes struggle with that and if they're not used to something within a room, it's going to be a little bit of a shock to them once it's changed or when something's added. That's part of the reason why we love doing a grand reveal, so everything gets installed all at one time, but we always tell clients before the things arrive and before the paint color. You're going to be a little stunned when you first see what's going into this room, because you're used to staring at a white box Right and now there's suddenly color on the wall or texture from the wall coverings or the furnishings in the space, or the draperies are up and you're going to want to scrutinize every little thing. But please wait until the entire thing is finished. Yeah, please wait until the entire thing is finished. So we will tell them if something comes in, because you're doing the dirty work ahead of time, which is doing the wall coverings or faux finished paint work and sometimes installing carpet and runners on the stairs and things like this, before your opportunity to install all the furnishings.
Speaker 2:So they are seeing bits and pieces at times, and when they start to question things, we just say the cake's not baked. You are tasting baking soda and some sugar and some salt, all by itself, but you have to wait until everything goes in. And then they, you know, I think it's just a matter of forewarning people what they're going to feel like and how they're going to react and what's going to go through their mind. And when you do that, when you, when you set the expectation, people are like you're right, oh my gosh, I can't believe that. I thought that you know this. This was going to be too bold or too dark or whatever it is. You know, like just not white walls anymore. That's why there's something there.
Speaker 1:So yeah, so your clients are still willing to wait for the grand reveal.
Speaker 2:Absolutely yes. That's the only way that we'll do the project. We don't we don't piecemeal it because it's not efficient. That's not an efficient use of our time or your money, and so we're waiting for the majority of items to be completely ready. If there's an outlier, a couple pieces aren't in, we're not going to hold up the install for another five weeks because your nightstand's not ready or your occasional chair that was custom made had a fabric delay, that was back ordered for six or whatever. We're still going to move forward, so that just becomes part of the deficiencies list and then that gets added later.
Speaker 1:When people see things one off, they don't see the vision and then they kind of like freak out, which is interesting. So let's switch gears and talk about your business, because I don't know if everyone can see what I can see, but you have like a wall of accolades on the bookshelf behind you and different trophies and awards and in your bio, which will be in the show notes, you've been nominated for lots of things and won lots of awards and done a lot of great things in your design business. So for someone who might be newer in a business, can you give a little bit of advice about how you were successful in getting that amount of awareness about your business and what you're doing?
Speaker 2:It first starts with getting the best photos that you can of every space that you're doing. I think that it's important to have minimums. Of course we want to work in whole homes so that we are able to have those homes pitched and published in magazines and present them for awards. But if you're at a point where you're only able to do a couple of rooms or a single room, then hire the best photographer that you can afford and get the best photos.
Speaker 2:And I think it's really important to take before photos too, because it is so stunning when you see the difference of a space from what it was to what you transformed it to, and that helps so much for people to understand the transformation that you've gone through.
Speaker 2:To bring clients through this journey and the process to deliver that end photograph in order for them to be able to see where you started, so that's super helpful. And also, having floor plans and elevations and including potentially a mood board and really showing the journey of the design and how it was developed when you're doing a pitch for an award. Yeah, I think that's really some of the key areas that help. And telling the story what made this space special and unique and why did you make some of the decisions? People like to hear the nitty gritty, the hardship, the setbacks and then how you overcame those. So I think including all of those types of things in your pitch for an award is important and really gives people a well-rounded understanding of what it took to bring the space to be what it is now, not just having that final photo at the end.
Speaker 1:Right Now. That's a really good point, because you don't always. You know, when you look at a magazine, a lot of times you don't see the journey. Yes, but for awards you do get the opportunity. The journey, but for awards you do get the opportunity. And I think it's also helpful if you have potential new clients when they want to see what is a journey like of working with you. It's important to have built a portfolio of that, so it's not just what they see on your website being able to show them what it's like to really work with you and how you can transform their lives. That's a really great point to think about that from a marketing perspective, which sometimes is hard when you're just in the business trying to just design beautiful spaces.
Speaker 2:I know it's so funny. We have these beautiful creations of these rooms that we do and the homes that we create for our clients, and if you're not understanding of the journey that it took to get there, then it doesn't mean as much to you, I think. So you really have to tell the story of the family and tell the story of the journey as well. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey along the way.
Speaker 1:Of course, with everything design and with life. Yes, yes. So what is on your bucket list from a professional and even personal perspective? What's on the horizon? What are things you'd like to do?
Speaker 2:I keep feeling like I'm a little bit oversaturated. I have almost too much visibility right now, with being named Interior Designer of the Year and winning all these wonderful accolades and being published in a couple of books and recently coming out in five different magazines. And House Beautiful Showhouse asked us to do their living room and dining room space for this past show house and I'm looking for fewer.
Speaker 2:projects that are bigger in scale, that allow creativity to just partner with a handful of really great architects and builders and clients as a dream team to work on a few very select things, and I think all of that is just an opportunity to find out how do I reduce the clutter, so to speak and I just mean all of the running around and traveling for work and all the client meetings.
Speaker 2:Like taking on too much is too much, and I think it's really important for yourself within to protect your peace, and I'm realizing that I want to have less responsibility in some aspects and focus more on my health and wellness and being able to have more downtime and opportunities to meditate and go on yoga retreats and host friends and family and go away to lovely vacations with my family. Because I travel so much for work. We've had projects recently in Washington DC and Virginia and Texas and North Carolina, and so when it comes time for the holidays and we have these invitations to see friends or family and I said I don't want to go anywhere, I don't want to do anything.
Speaker 2:I want to stay put for six weeks, you know, and just have some downtime, catch up on some books that I've been meaning to finish and relax a little bit more. So, yeah, I think I'm trying to simplify my life a little bit more.
Speaker 1:That is not an uncommon theme amongst every entrepreneur I know, myself included.
Speaker 2:That's so good to hear.
Speaker 1:We just get pulled in so many different ways and I commend you. All of the awards and the accolades that you're getting is amazing, but it does lead to more work in some ways, and so trying to find that balance and ensure that there's an inner you in there, I think is really important, and a lot of my guests that I've had on the show have had to figure that out.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Because, as entrepreneurs, we go and we go and we go and we go, and it's very easy to lose sight of yourself and your own personal wellness and your own personal care and the things that light you up as a person outside of work because work lights us up, but what else? And it's making sure that you have some boundaries. We work in an industry in particular, interior design, where everyone feels they can reach out to us at any point in time and everything is urgent, it's like, especially if you work in construction. Everything is urgent and needs your attention, and so learning how to set boundaries to preserve time for yourself is really important.
Speaker 2:I think it's a matter of setting up the right systems and processes and having continuous, regular check-ins and meeting and touch points and following up with people on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. So we've implemented many strategies in order to combat the knee-jerk need to jump into gear when somebody needs something. So we are constantly meeting every Monday to have our team meetings and then we send out weekly updates to clients on Tuesday afternoons so that they are aware of what we've done and what's in process and what's coming next and what we need from them. And also setting up those meetings weekly with the architect and the builder and making sure that we're all on the same page before we get to an area that we're presenting to a client. So collaboration is key in this and making sure that we're all on the same team and working as a united front and not throwing anyone under the bus or trying to make yourself look better in front of the client by redlining an architect's drawings or saying why would the builders make this choice, or whatever it's like. This is not the way that you should be operating. So I really like to be a step ahead and, like always, tell the client where they are in the process and this is what you can expect. And then this is what's happening next and this is what we need from you. So you know, if you do that week after week and it just becomes second nature, and then you set up your meetings with your partners architects and builders then they get used to that process and you might be meeting excuse me, you might be meeting week after week for the first portion of a project and then you can step down to every other week and every three weeks. It just tapers off after a little while. But in the initial onset of a project, in the design development phase, you're going to be meeting regularly and for a long time.
Speaker 2:I felt overwhelmed by the number of projects that we had and I would lose sleep and I feel like I'm not doing a great job for any one project because I'm doing too many things and trying to cover too much territory, and I realized I need to slow down, only take a handful of projects so I can do my very best work and provide the very best service and just offer that VIP concierge level customer service to all of our clients so that they feel like we're operating with unreasonable hospitality and everything is about them and catering to them and taking care of people. People want to be taken care of, and this is a very stressful job. So many things can go wrong, and many things do. It's just the nature of the business, and it's a matter of how we can get through this together rather than dealing with things as they arise or being reactive instead of proactive.
Speaker 1:Right, yes, oh, great business strategies. Thank you All right. So before we run out of time, two questions for you. One is there anything that I didn't cover that you want to make sure we talk about?
Speaker 2:Well, we've touched a little bit on the importance of wellness, but this is something that I think is so important in all of our lives Whether you're a design enthusiast, redoing your home or running a design business of some kind architecture, building I think it's really important to focus on yourself first, and a lot of people have limiting beliefs around doing that. But when I say that, I'm talking about the opportunity to put time in your calendar to focus on your needs so the doctors, the dentist, going to have a massage regularly and go to your chiropractor once a month or do acupuncture with some regularity as a way of maintaining yourself and your self-care, because if you're not filling up your cup, then how are you expected to fill up the cups of others? And so many of us get caught up in the day-to-day and rushing around and the busyness of life that we're not making time to focus on ourselves first and in order to be more productive with the time that we do have. So that's just an area that I think is so important to touch on, because it's just an area that so many of us neglect, and I started to learn to do that many years ago while renovating a home I was living on Cape Cod, which is a very healing place. That was back in 2018, 2019.
Speaker 2:And I started doing yoga three days a week and biking and hiking and taking my dogs with me as many places as I could to just commune with nature, and I would meet up with my yoga friends in a cafe and just try to maintain a calmer way of existing, instead of being on the hamster wheel in the busy Boston city and running from one event to the next, to the next. And I still really love to do those things. But I'm a lot more selective and I try to say no to more than I say yes to at this point and really focus on having downtime and solitude and time for reflection and journaling, painting, reading. These are all ways that we can recharge our batteries and it's not selfish, it's really truly self-care, and you have to take care of yourself first, because you can't rely on someone else to do it. So you've got to show yourself the love first before you can spread the love to others.
Speaker 1:So perfectly said. I couldn't have said it better myself. All the things that I am so passionate about journaling, meditating, exercise, nature, I think, as an entrepreneur in particular, and as executives, because I have a lot of executives who listen it's so hard, you get so wrapped up in the business and business is your life and it's your passion and you just work so hard.
Speaker 1:It is so, so important, as you say, to pause and to give your brain and your body a chance to rest. And find ways to do that, and even just connecting with people that help you recharge is also important, and I am a huge. I said yes for a long time to a lot of things and did a whole summer of yes, and then after that I like swung the other way and I was like, oh no, we're now in the year of no.
Speaker 2:Good for you, I was like it's just too much.
Speaker 1:You know it just became too much and I started living life by a phrase of you know, hit, pause and listen to your life. And it's amazing, when you start to do that and really look inward, how and really look inward how do you feel about the stress and the anxiety and the decisions and the event. And you know what, if it's not like a yay, yay immediately, then just make it a no and it's okay. It's okay.
Speaker 2:I love that Hit pause and listen to your life. I give myself one day a month as my self-care day, and I selected the third Wednesday of every month. It's 12 times a year. You can give yourself 12 days out of the year if you're not giving yourself any more than that now?
Speaker 1:Yeah, great idea.
Speaker 2:You can squeeze in that visit to the chiropractor and acupuncture in the same day. I used to add a facial or manicure pedicure and then I felt like I was trying to add too many self-care things all crammed into one day and I wasn't getting the benefit of doing them more over time. So then I ended up involving the two Saturdays later. So I'm spreading it out over time, but just dedicating that one day can make us all the difference, because you know you have that day for yourself.
Speaker 1:That's such a great suggestion. I love that. Thank you, okay, so we're about to run out of time, but quickly, before we do, I want to make sure we get in your book recommendations. I love to ask my guests to recommend a book or more, if they have more to recommend that has impacted themselves personally or professionally that they would recommend to the listener. So what? I know you have books. What books do you want to recommend?
Speaker 2:So many books. I have a whole other bookshelf and more bookshelves. There are three that always come to mind when I think of the books that have probably had the biggest impact on my life, especially at a time that I needed it most. And the first one is Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach, and that one really helped me understand the importance of forgiveness forgiving the people in your life who you felt like they may have wronged you at some point in your past. You know, whether it was a spouse or someone that you were dating, or a parent or sibling or friends or clients or whatever it may be like. Just let it go, just forgive and move past it. Don't hold on to grudges and negativity and then forgive yourself for holding onto those things, and I think that's just such a huge thing to like.
Speaker 2:The key to happiness is forgiveness. To me, like that truly does go far, far in the way. Like, another book that I really love is Brene Brown, the Power of Vulnerability. She has so many amazing books, but that one really allowed me to recognize that it was okay to be my authentic, genuine self and be sappy and sentimental and share stories and be openly loving, and just to recognize that it's okay to operate that way in a business, to lead with love, and, instead of feeling like I needed to be this polished, glossy professional that was perfectly buttoned up and clean shaven and didn't show my artistic side because that's what I thought that people expected so allowing yourself to be more vulnerable in life and with people, whether it's clients or family, or friends or colleagues or strangers, and I'm always so amazed about how quickly I can dive into a conversation and go really deep and, within five minutes, be like laughing hysterically or even, you know, tearing up with somebody that I just met, because we're both able to be vulnerable and share something that's really meaningful to us.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:So for my other book I would say Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth. Yeah, that was absolutely life-changing as well, and it just covers so much about the importance of being present and not getting caught up in the busyness of life and really getting in tune with yourself. And that is a helpful lesson to learn the idea that once you expand your consciousness, you cannot unexpand your consciousness, and I think that that book is so helpful to awaken people to their consciousness and the spiritual beings that we are within, held within a 3D human form. But the importance of not losing sight of the fact that we are spiritual beings here walking the planet, but we're all here to. We need to take care of each other and be present and live in the moment instead of being stuck in the past or worried about the future.
Speaker 1:Agreed, life-changing, life-changing, and he comes up a lot on this podcast, so thank you.
Speaker 2:Three fabulous books.
Speaker 1:I will link them all in the show notes. I will put them on my Amazon shop page, and I have read two of those three, but I've not read the other one, so I will make sure I grab a copy of these. So, dan, it is such a pleasure to meet you. You are truly a really special, unique designer and I have to tell you, not all designers have the heart and soul that you do, plus the business acumen to make it all work and the incredible design taste that you show on your website. So you are really a unique and special blend. Your clients are very lucky and I thank you so much for spending some time with us and sharing your life, your business, your approach to wellness. It's been really a pleasure to meet you and I wish you all the greatest success for the year ahead.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure sharing. I really appreciate the opportunity and I look forward to chatting with you again soon.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. We will stay connected. We'll talk soon, thank you. Thank you for joining us for another episode of the House of Jermar podcast, where wellness starts within. We appreciate you being a part of our community and hope you felt inspired and motivated by our guest. If you enjoyed this episode, please write us a review and share it with friends. Building our reach on YouTube and Apple Podcasts will help us get closer to our mission to empower 1 million women to live all in. You can also follow us on Instagram at House of Jermar and sign up to be a part of our monthly inspiration newsletter through our website, houseofjermarcom. If you or someone you know would be a good guest on the show, please reach out to us at podcast at houseofgermarcom. This has been a House of Germar production with your host, jean Collins. Thank you for joining our house.