The Chairish Podcast

Summer is the best season for entertaining, whether bringing together family and friends for a casual lunch or an over-the-top wedding. But entertaining can be stressful. Is the food you serve au courant? Is your table-setting up to snuff? Will your party prove Instagram worthy?Three party planners extraordinaire—Lulu Powers, Bronson van Wyck, and Tara Guerard— talk about what’s new in summer entertaining, what’s timeless, and what you should never worry about. Recounting their biggest disasters and their most inventive solutions, they share how to bring a splash of style to every summer gathering—from hauling out the sterling to preparing colorful flavored ice cubes.

It’s not easy to run a business, but interior design can be more difficult than most. On top of coping with the day-to-day issues—from screwed-up deliveries to overbooked artisans to indecisive clients—designers are expected to be constantly creative, nourishing their visions and endlessly coming up with clever solutions. No wonder creative burnout is an issue. Three top designers—Nina Magen, Liz Caan, and Rayman Boozer—tell how they remain creative in the face of all sorts of distractions and stresses, how they structure their staff to allow them to focus on design, and the tricks and techniques they use—from meditation to travel to simply going for a walk—to avoid becoming overwhelmed and to remain creatively engaged.

How do you keep a historic brand from ending up on the dust-heap of history? Twoheritage fabric houses with storied pasts show how it’s done. Morris and Co, founded in1861 by William Morris, the brilliant British designer and social reformer, and Braquenié, afavorite of Marie Antoinette now celebrating its bicentennial, have managed to remain asrelevant and as sought-after today as when they were founded. Jessica Clayworth, leaddesigner of Morris & Co, and Patrick Frey, head of Pierre Frey which owns Braquenié,discuss how they respect the past while staying relevant, what new directions they canpursue without losing authenticity, and why the product always comes before the brand.

New York designer Alex Papachristidis creates interiors that are traditional but never old-fashioned, bringing new energy to the old-school traditions of decorating. He deftly mixesbold patterns and jewel-tone colors, rare antiques and contemporary designs, to createhomes that are lush but modern, elegant but exuberant. In an exclusive interview, thelarger-than-life designer tells how a friend’s advice changed his life, why understanding hisclients is crucial, why he never wants to repeat himself, and why he never ceases in hisquest for beauty.

Lighting is one of the most important—and most amorphous—elements of design. It affects everything we see and has a big impact on how we feel. Yet lighting design is too often misunderstood—or completely overlooked. Two professional lighting designers, Nathan Orsman and Stephen Bernstein, share why they consider themselves the back-up dancers of design, how LEDs have transformed the world and changed the color of light, and why, when it comes to outdoor lighting, a little goes a long way.

It’s a common complaint among designers that it is nearly impossible to find skilledartisans and craftspeople. Why is there such a shortage, and what can designers do toinspire more young people to work with their hands? Three outstandingpractitioners—decorative painter Caroline Lizarraga, floor painter Chris Pearson, andupholsterer Luther Quintana—weigh in on how they learned their craft, and how they findand train staff to keep up with demand. They discuss the ways social media hastransformed the artisan community and reveal why you just might find your next talentedteam member at the local carwash.

Good art is essential to a great room. But the art world is strange and intimidating, the art market seems to reach new heights every year, and art fairs are overwhelming andbewildering. How do you navigate all this to find works that your clients will love and areworth the often-considerable investment? Two art advisors, Laura Solomon and AndreaFeldman Falcione, explain how they guide designers and clients through the morass, whynot working with an advisor can be a designer’s biggest mistake, and why sometimes a lackknowledge about art can be a client’s greatest strength.

Proper organization and storage are crucial to any successful home. But storage has gone far beyond the utilitarian. Luxury closets have become potent fantasies for clients and stars on social media. Creating spaces for everything from an array of Hermès handbags to a hand-made carbon fiber bicycle is an opportunity for designers to dazzle their clients—or disappoint them. How can you satisfy the demand for luxury organization? Three closet designers—Lisa Adams, Melanie Charlton Fowler, and Maria Castro—reveal their secrets for transforming overlooked spaces into useful assets, ingenious ways to upgrade existing storage spaces, and why closets are quickly becoming the most glamorous room in the house.