Benjamin Johnston- Bound for Beauty

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Welcome to Boulevard Beat, a podcast where life and style intersect.
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I'm designer Megan Bloom, along with my co hosts, editor CHRISA.
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Rossbund and gallery owner Liz Legit. This podcast focuses on
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the daily highlights instead of the hustle, interviews with taste makers,
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and personal conversations on how to highlight achievable style you
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constrol one street at a time, Boulevard Beat proves the
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one you should take.
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Today.
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On boulevard Beat, we're joined by acclaimed Houston based interior
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designer Benjamin Johnston. Known for his refined yet approachable aesthetic,
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Ben creates homes that feel timeless, layered, and deeply personal.
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In our conversation, we talk about the importance of building
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lasting client relationships, designing spaces that evolve with the families
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who live in them, and why the most beautiful inteers
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often blend pieces and influences from different eras thoughtful conversation
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about designing with intention and creating interiors that truly stand
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the test of time.
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So Ben, welcome, Thank you for joining us for boulevard
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be today.
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I am so honored to be here boulevard Beat as
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a podcast, I've always wanted to be on.
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Well, thank you.
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We're excited you're here, and we have lots of fun
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topics to get to, so let's dive right in. We
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would like you to tell us about the street where
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you grew up.
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And this is a.
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Question that we ask every guest as it ties back
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to the title of our podcast, Boulevard Beat.
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So tell us about your street.
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I grew up on.
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I grew up in an older, like nineteen sixties, mid
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central well obviously midcentury neighborhood and as a suburb of Houston,
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so it's one of the many suburbs that kind of
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allowed Houston to grow to the size that it did.
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But I grew up on a street that probably we
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moved in in the nineteen eighties. It was already looking
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at a little a little shabby, but that was the
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street we looked on, and I loved it, and I
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have a lot of happy memories. I actually grew up
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across the street from an interior designer, and I used
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to help.
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Her move furniture around her house, you know, as like
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free labor.
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And I also babysat our kids, so it was one
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of those fun, fun experiences. She was definitely a pivotal
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influence on my life.
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There's something I think there are so many good memories
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that so many people have of moving furniture as a
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kid and seeing their room be rearranged. It's a little
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differently than how we approach design, but I think it's
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I think it's fun. So you've segued into my next
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question perfectly. Everyone comes to the creative world through different avenues.
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What led you to the world of design? And I'm
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especially interested in hearing this coming from a true Texan
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because it has its own it has its own brand.
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So tell us about your creative journey.
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Well, that's a great question, you know for me, you know,
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growing up in the eighties and Houston, Texas, I you know,
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the notion of what somebody who was a creative and
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what they could do as a profession. Really the only
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thing that was really ever on my radar, even though
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I grew up across the street from an interior designer,
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was to be an architect. So my love of design
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really began artistically, creatively and professionally through the practice of architecture.
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So I actually got my undergraduate degree in architecture. I
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got my master's degree in architecture and then went on
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to go work as an architect in Tokyo. I worked
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with famous architects we lovingly call them starchitects, but Cezar Pelly,
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who was known for these massive towers around the world
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in massive development. So that was really what kicked off
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my professional career. And it was through that experience of
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working on these kind of billion square foot developments that
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I realized that I was not interested in that kind
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of really large scale projects, but I was hungry for
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something much more intimate and small scale. So I kind
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of flipped the script of what I had been kind
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of set out on my trajectory to do and became
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a designer and put my shingle out as a designer,
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and I did literally everything that came in the door.
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I did business cards, I did websites, I did small
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architecture projects, I did small design projects. I worked in
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restaurants do designing host stands and bars and building the
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actual furniture myself. And that ultimately saying yes to those
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opportunities led me into a lot more residential interior projects
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where people would see my work on the outside and
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the commercial hospitality world and they would invite me into
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their home to design them a bank at or to
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design them their.
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Kitchen, or do a bathroom remodel a kitchen model.
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Before I had really set out to be an interior designer,
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after about six years I realized I had become one.
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Well that's fantastic, and it sounds like you made a
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commitment to that creative world and you certainly saw it.
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Through definitely, and I enjoyed it.
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And I think, you know, what I love about our
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industry and what I tell all designers is just that
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we all come to this profession through some you know,
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some experience, and everyone is welcome, you know, whether you
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have a background in it or you don't.
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You know.
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I love the fact that our industry really embraces creatives
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of all types. I feel like we're our own.
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Breed, even the ones who used to be lawyers. We
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have a lot of what we're lawyers in this industry.
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Exactly exactly Well, I.
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Think too that I mean, it just shows that we
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all have our own lens and how we see things
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and how we can design uniquely. And as a designer too,
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my goal is to deliver in cheers that clients love,
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and of course yours comes with a different angle and
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things like that too. How would you say you landed
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on your aesthetic and tell us about your design perspective
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and what you love and what you don't love.
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I think that's a great question, you know.
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I don't think I ever, really, you know, set out
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with this particular aesthetic, and I still actually to this day,
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I would say I don't have an aesthetic, like I
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really appreciate all different types of design.
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That being said, you.
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Know, early in my business, I spend some time with
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images of my work. And this is a great exercise,
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I think for anybody to do. But I essentially sat
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down with images of my work and I tried to
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describe them in adjectives, you know, and I created this
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long list after image after image after image, and this
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list probably started fifty fifty adjectives long. And then I
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started to try to coalesce and say, well, what words
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by association seemed to group behind each one of these images,
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and that could be summations of many of these words. Ultimately,
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what I settled on was some great alliteration, which is classic,
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curated and cool. And what that really meant to me
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was that I was looking to create and I had
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created interiors that were not about specific trends or about
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specific eras, but that referenced a lot of different time
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periods and a lot of different styles. So in that way,
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they weren't tied to, you know, at the time twenty
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ten or twenty twelve. They were really meant to say, Okay,
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I'm trying to create something that's going to stand the
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test of time because it references everything. So classic was
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a term. And also because of my architectural background, I
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love the classic principles of you know, symmetry and balance
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and composition and proportion and all of the things that
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are kind of naturally associated with that. So that was
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a term that I really held on to. The notion
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of curated was just simply that I'm not really a
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maximalist designer. I think some of my spaces tend more maximalist,
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other spaces turn more minimalist, but I try to always
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find this curation of if you add one indistional thing,
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it feels like too much, and if you take one
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thing away, it feels like too little. So I always
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try to find that balance. So curated was a term
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that I felt very comfortable with. And the last part
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was the cool aspect. I really wanted each of my
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projects to feel distinctive from the next. So I didn't
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want people to say, Wow, that looks like Been has
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done when he's done for five other clients, for you
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or you as a new client. I really wanted to
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bring out their personalities and make the homes feel like
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them more than it felt like me. So I would
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say that those were the terms that I settled on,
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and it was really just a great exercise and using
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that to define a sense of style. So now, as
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a practice, we always look at our work when we
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say is this class it is this curated? And is
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this cool? And if we can answer yes to those questions,
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we feel like we have stayed within the aesthetic that
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we are, you know, practicing in, even though again it
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has huge variety.
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I love that it's just a nice underlying theme to
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your work and I think it comes off that way too,
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So it's beautiful. And while we enjoyed the design process
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so much, we also know that building a business has
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its challenging moments and fun parts too. What has building
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love it might definitely? What has building your firm taught
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you about creativity versus business?
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Oh? Great question that you really can't have one without
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the other.
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I and I actually surprisingly love the business side just
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as much as I love the creative side. You know,
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I only love it because I've also hired to help
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in those realms. And I think one of the things
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I take the greatest joy in is providing for this
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whole ecosystem, not just for the twenty four people that
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we employ, but also their families and.
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The contractors we have the pleasure of working with, the.
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Clients we have the pleasure of working with in their families,
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and the artisans and the craftsmen, and all of this
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incredible network of people like that from a business side
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really gives me great joy and pleasure to be a
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part of. So that's the thing that I think was
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probably most surprising. The creative I'm just I think I've
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always just been a creative person.
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So this has been a lovely kind.
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Of a way of being creative and generative within my
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community and the people that we serve.
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Yeah, that's wonderful, I would agree. I think it's interesting
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that the business side was a part that I really
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enjoyed as well too, And I would have ever have
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guessed that.
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Yeah, No, And I think that's the thing that if
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you don't have one without the other, I don't necessarily
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think that it's sustainable as a practice. And so I
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always encourage designers if they're not naturally have a business
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sense higher for that business sense. I mean, my managing
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partner is also my life partner. Kristin knows Eric quite well.
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And I couldn't do this without Eric, just it wouldn't
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It wouldn't be scalable, it wouldn't be sustainable. He really
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keeps you know, the wheels on the bus, so to speak.
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I think that's his Iowa blood that keeps it good.
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Yes, he is a native of Charlotte, Iowa, so he
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which is of course felt like Charlotte. But they say
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Charlotte where he's from, But yeah, that's where he's from.
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And yeah, he has a great, great head on his shoulders.
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Well, you talked about in your ecosystem, your good fortune
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of good clients and having repeat clients. I know that's
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something that we share. It's very important to have in
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your business or a good part of it.
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What does it mean to you.
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When you've connected with a so much that they trust
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you to design another project for them.
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I mean, Megan, you know this just as well as
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I do. And you know that that level of trust
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in knowing somebody means the world. And what I love
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about doing that process for a client the second or
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third time is that they understand your value, they understand
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your process, and they understand it's such a it's a
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more efficient design process in general, because you're already speaking
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the same language. You know, you're not having to learn
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each other and learn what to do and how to
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do it. You're just kind of say, oh, I get you.
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I know what we're going to do here. And I
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think that that's that's a real joy and a privilege
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and an honor, and I just I love that, and
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I love the fact that you know, I'm sure you
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feel the same way. I mean, do you feel that
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that's been any different from you?
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For you?
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It's wonderful. Yeah, I mean, it's it is my favorite
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part because you end up going through all these life
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phases with them, you know, kids, their kids' weddings, different things,
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and you become such a part of each other's lives,
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and it's one of my favorite parts of it for sure.
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I love that we often talk about design movements and
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trends on this podcast and the word trend can be
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negative if it's set up too quickly without consideration of
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its longevity. And I know you talked about your classickness
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and your design. What are some design movements that you
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find exciting right now? And are there any that you
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can't quite wrap your head around?
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Great question.
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I would say, the thing that I just love and
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I see it in your work, and I see it
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on the pages of Traditional Home magazine, and I see
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it in every shelter magazine if you open it in
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every great design book that's been published. Is this freedom
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of being a colectic in the styles that you're pulling together.
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You know, I know that CHRISA was the one who
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really said to me, and Chris, I know you know this,
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but you know at Traditional Home, you guys don't like to,
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you know, feature the best of one era, but the
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best of every era.
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And that has.
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Really, you know, that really resonated with me because I
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feel like that is the future of design and that's
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something I'm seeing everywhere, and I say more of it, like,
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let's embrace that. This kind of mono design where you're
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only focusing on one time period, one era when aesthetic
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I find that to be what's going to date your
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project's the fastest. So that's something that I'm thrilled to
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see designers embracing.
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And it takes guts. It takes guts to do that.
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It takes guts to also say, you know, I'm going
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to I'm going to change the way this thing has
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been used or the way it's been employed in the past,
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and I'm going to juxtapose it with really different things
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that really make both both things really exciting. So that's
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something I'm thrilled about. The thing that I can't quite
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get my head around would probably be this all beige aesthetic.
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You know, these designers who you know, it's a very
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easy thing to do to just create an all baijianterier,
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and I just feel like by practicing and dabbling in
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an all basianterier, you're making as a designer, you're not
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making your own distinct voice heard. And it's also one
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of those things that I feel like you're making yourself dispensable.
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If a million other designers are doing it, then why
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would you do it yourself? So I'm really that's one
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thing I would I look at and I say, I
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can appreciate those beautiful images but I would also say
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there's a danger and giving lord into doing that as
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a designer well.
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And it's so much harder to push the boundaries on
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mixing styles and colors and patterns. It's it's harder as
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a designer well.
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And ultimately, though to your point, I think into what
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we were talking about earlier, it's the classic thing to do.
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If you are going to jump on that pan wagon
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and do an alvas interior, then you know you've just
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literally locked yourself into the big trend over the last
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three to five years. And I just don't want to
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necessarily particular particular Well.
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One thing I think that goes along with your work
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is just the perspective of luxury. I think your work
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definitely lends itself to looking very luxurious. What design elements
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are an instant way to elevate a home into the
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luxury category?
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Great question, I would say, a truth in materials I
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think to be.
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You know, I'm going to use a phrase that one
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of my architecture professors said to me when I was
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a freshman.
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She said to me that fake is the f word
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of architecture.
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And I laugh about that to this day, because when
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you think about you know, the truth and materials and
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an honest, you know, an honest use of materials. I
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feel like that is something that people who you know
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appreciate luxury also appreciate. So, you know, I like, I
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prefer to use if it's if we're going to use
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stone on the countertop, I want it to be a
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real stone. I don't I don't necessarily, you know, enjoy
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the look or the feel, nor do I feel it's
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luxurious to have a fake stone on your countertops.
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Now.
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I've of course had to do it at certain times
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in my career because that's the performance the client was liking,
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and they just didn't they just wouldn't.
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Necessarily be led in a different direction.
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But I would also say that's something that I really
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think stands out and luxury properties around the world.
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What about you, well, I think we we too, have
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talked so often about the importance of quality materials, quality always,
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and I think that, you know, design comes with the
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virtue of patients, right because some times you can't have
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those things right away, those luxury materials, and so I
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would say they're worth the wait. You know, don't don't
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buy something that's lesser than for especially certain categories like
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a countertop, you want the best of the best there
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you can save on the side table, perhaps correct.
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I couldn't agree with that more, Chris, So what about you, Megan?
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I would definitely say it's you know, kind of that
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unique perspective of materials too, of just like unique products,
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that statement lighting piece, the rug, the unique piece that
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you just aren't going to go pick up at a
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retail store that I think it helps elevate the room
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when you have those really star pieces in there.
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You know, it's so funny you should say that because
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I was just I was on a panel and they
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asked me about like, how do you have a conversation
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with your client about, you know, when they want to reselect?
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And I think it's always important to say to the client, well,
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the reason I'm showing you this is because it's based
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on the following qualities. And I often cite uniqueness as
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number one, and then I say, you know, craftsmanship is
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number two, and I would say function also maybe tied
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there for one in two. And then I also say,
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you know, price point could be an a consideration. But
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I often ask the client what are you willing to
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sacrifice for us to show you another option, So are
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you willing to sacrifice the quality? Are you willing to
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sacrifice the uniqueness?
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Like?
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What aspect is not that important to you? So that
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I can steer you in the right direction. And nine
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times out of ten, when I ask the client to
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kind of reprioritize me, they say, I'm not actually willing
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to sacrifice any of those things.
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And I'm like, good answer, good answer.
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So Ben, speaking of luxury, you've had the luxury of
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traveling all over the globe and this business, international influences
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can't help but work their way into design. So I
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would love to know how travel has shaped your design
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perspective and creative outlook.
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And I love that you've been.
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To Tokyo and spent a significant amount of time there
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because the reason I no longer as a journalist and
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you've been on my panel. When I've actually said this before,
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I never ask what are you inspired by? Because people
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say I'm inspired by Paris, and it's like, you're.
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Inspired by Paris?
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Are you?
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So tell us about your design travels and how that's
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informed your creative outlook.
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For me, I would just say I'm a big old nerd,
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like I just soak up creativity and all forms. So,
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you know, unlike some people, like when I go to
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a restaurant, I'm not photographing the food. I'm sitting there
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photographing the tablecloth and the cutlery and the chair. And
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I'll sit there with my phone if it's a really
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great chair, and I try to use my phone to
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try to find the maker's mark underneath the seat of
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the chair, so I find that, and I'm photographing the
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lighting and the wall covering, and then this and then
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this and this. For me, I just go when I travel,
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I get to see a million different perspectives, well not
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just a million trillions of different perspectives from all the
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people in the history over time. Where you know, I
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love history, and I love going to cities that have
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a great mix of everything from you know, things from
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pre Roman era all the way to you know today,
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and I just love to see their creativity at work.
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So for me, I would say, yes, luxury, travel is luxury.
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Education is luxury. And I would also say experiences shape
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who we are as creatives. So I just love to
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travel all over the place and get exposed to new thoughts,
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new ideas, new histories, new cultures. I just think that
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makes us as designers better at our jobs.
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And I think it's important too for people to always
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look locally.
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You don't have to travel.
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Far to be inspired and so have a springboard for something.
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And I think sometimes we neglect what's in our own backyard.
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You know. It's so funny.
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One of my favorite things to do, and I don't
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know about you guys, is to do a staycation. So
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like I'll check into a local hotel and treat Houston
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as if I'm on vacation.
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And I had to do this a few times.
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During the pandemic, because I'm sure y'all did as well,
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just to kind of get some break from the monotony
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of staying at home. But I do think you are
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one hundred percent right. Sometimes some inspiration can be found
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right in your backyard.
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Yes, I'm a fan of the Sunday Drive.
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Love that. I love that. I love that so much
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about you.
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You know, I with a young family right now, I
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feel like we are just trying to really embrace getting
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to see a lot of the national parks, the different
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things around the world. I love the water and just
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what nature does and that inspires me a lot.
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You know.
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That's that's great.
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And you know, I would also say, although I'm one
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of those Disney fans like you'd probably be surprised, but
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I love to go to Disney, and I love to
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go to theme parks, and I love also, you know,
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like things related to kids, like you can take them
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to the National Parks and nature is so inspirational.
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But I also think the production.
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Design in movies and in television and in plays and
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you know, all the set designs in theater, I think
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that's also extremely inspirational.
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And you can do that in your backyard.
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Yeah, yeah, you can take yourself to somewhere else very easily.
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And I think you brought up an excellent point that
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design really is everywhere, and unfortunately in this country never
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taught how to use our eyes really to consider it.
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So I think it's important that you and I'm glad
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that you brought that up, because it is you know,
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it's it's looking at Yellowstone and it's looking at Disney,
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and it's looking at Paris and Tokyo and all of
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those things in between.
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So I am the type of person who I will
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literally photograph the screen on my television, you know, like
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I will sit there with my phone taking photos and
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I'll tell Eric, I'm like, pause right there, okay, rewind,
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it'll pause right there, And I take photos of set
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designs that I see because I think, okay, well this
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has impact, and that's being beamed right into our televisions
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of our living rooms around the world. I mean, I
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think that's that's a great accessible place for people who
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may not have the time or the ability to go
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travel further abroad.
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So the role of interior designer oftentimes embodies far more
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than someone who can make a home aesthetically pleasing. But
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you are now at a new title to your resume,
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and that is a book author. And I know in
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cheer designers sometimes you all play mediator and a home
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and therapist sometimes, but the book authors a little better.
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So tell us we want to hear.
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All about your new book, and congratulations and it is beautiful.
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Thank you. I appreciate that very much, you know, I'm
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I'm very honored.
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I you know, I really look at it as a
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love letter to all the collaborators that I mentioned before,
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you know, not just within my office, but our clients,
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the contractors, builder, the artists and cressman. You know, I
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think beautiful design is happening everywhere. All the eight projects
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that are actually in my book are all from Houston, Texas,
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and yet they span a tremendous number of again styles
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and aesthetics, and I think that that's I think it's
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really important sometimes the you know, what I love also
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about magazines like Traditional Home is that they don't just
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folks on the two coasts. They focus on the rest
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of America. And for me, you know, I really wanted
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to do to do a project, you know, have a
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book focused on work that wasn't just happening on the
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East Coast and West Coast. So that was part of
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also the notion of the curation of the projects in
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my book, because again, a love letter to my hometown,
492
00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:27.480
a love letter to my state, So that was part
493
00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:29.920
of it as well. So yeah, it was a really
494
00:26:29.960 --> 00:26:32.640
great experience. And I also had the privilege of being
495
00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:36.720
able to think through and articulate some of the some
496
00:26:36.759 --> 00:26:41.279
of the other nuances to my design process, and that's
497
00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:43.599
something we shared in the book as well.
498
00:26:43.920 --> 00:26:46.279
You just said that all of the each of the
499
00:26:46.279 --> 00:26:49.440
eight projects are all from Houston, So you hail from
500
00:26:49.480 --> 00:26:51.759
the big state, not the biggest state, but the big state,
501
00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:56.039
and right now, Texas is being flooded by new residents,
502
00:26:56.079 --> 00:26:59.720
as we know, So how do you see that affecting
503
00:26:59.759 --> 00:27:02.480
the design scene because as an editor, we're just getting
504
00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:06.000
in so many great projects from Texas because you have
505
00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:09.559
a new population there, and the scene in Texas is
506
00:27:09.599 --> 00:27:12.039
so different than when I started in the industry, where
507
00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:17.200
everything was wrought iron and medaitrane you know, Spanish scho we.
508
00:27:17.119 --> 00:27:19.480
Call them Texas Tuscans Texas.
509
00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:22.680
Well, it was very sort of after the Under the
510
00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:25.279
Tuscan Sun movie was such a big hit, and we
511
00:27:25.359 --> 00:27:28.319
saw lots of iron that felt like if you ever
512
00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:30.680
got sick and tired of your railing, you could melt
513
00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:33.519
it down and turn it into a buckle. So let's
514
00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:36.519
let's talk about Texas for a minute. How do you
515
00:27:36.599 --> 00:27:39.960
see the design in Texas the whole state evolving?
516
00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:43.920
Well, that's another fantastic question for me.
517
00:27:44.440 --> 00:27:49.960
Houston is I think we're vying for number three in
518
00:27:50.039 --> 00:27:53.559
terms of the largest city in America with Chicago obviously,
519
00:27:54.359 --> 00:27:58.400
and I think by certain estimates were already bigger. But
520
00:27:58.640 --> 00:28:03.200
my point is that we've attracted, to your also point,
521
00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:06.519
not just people from all over the country. We've attracted
522
00:28:06.519 --> 00:28:09.240
a ton of people from around the world. So I
523
00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:12.599
love the diversity that we have here in Houston. That
524
00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:17.119
diversity means that there's also clients who are also coming
525
00:28:17.160 --> 00:28:23.160
to us with different reference points, either culturally, through their travels,
526
00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:24.880
through their experiences.
527
00:28:25.400 --> 00:28:27.920
So we have a very international city.
528
00:28:28.119 --> 00:28:32.160
That has meant that they're not interested in that Texas
529
00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:37.160
tuscan look. They're interested in sometimes more cutting edge modern
530
00:28:37.319 --> 00:28:40.400
Sometimes there's a reaction against that, and they're wanting very
531
00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:44.880
classic and traditional. And that's so exciting to be able
532
00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:47.319
to be a chameleon and kind of say, Okay, well,
533
00:28:47.319 --> 00:28:49.960
I see the story you're wanting to tell, and let's
534
00:28:50.039 --> 00:28:53.240
kind of explore that together, like let's see, like let's
535
00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:57.119
make your fantasy come true, and let's help guide you
536
00:28:57.160 --> 00:29:00.440
through that process. So that's been a really fun thing
537
00:29:00.599 --> 00:29:03.720
that I would say a lot would surprise people about Houston.
538
00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:07.039
I have to tell you. I would say maybe in
539
00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:10.759
the last ten years. Really it's not brand new. But
540
00:29:10.839 --> 00:29:13.400
when I've traveled to places that are off the beaten path, not.
541
00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:16.799
The middle of Paris or the middle of London, people
542
00:29:16.880 --> 00:29:19.599
will say, have you ever been to Texas? When they
543
00:29:19.640 --> 00:29:21.559
know I'm from the States, they don't ask about New
544
00:29:21.640 --> 00:29:22.279
York anymore.
545
00:29:22.839 --> 00:29:25.480
We won't tell anybody, but they always Fanny know, have
546
00:29:25.599 --> 00:29:28.160
you ever been to Texas? And I think that that
547
00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:32.039
is so it's so endearing to me that Texas again.
548
00:29:31.880 --> 00:29:35.160
With whatever the perception is, right or wrong.
549
00:29:34.920 --> 00:29:37.079
With the boots and the hats and the buckles. You know,
550
00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:39.640
I think that that part of it is fun. But
551
00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:44.119
it does have such, you know, an elevated design scene
552
00:29:44.160 --> 00:29:48.200
now and sophistication and this global presence that I think
553
00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:49.359
is super special.
554
00:29:49.559 --> 00:29:52.000
Well, and I appreciate you saying that, and I would say,
555
00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:53.680
and also, you know, it's a place I grew up,
556
00:29:53.720 --> 00:29:56.240
It's a place I live, it's a place I practice.
557
00:29:57.079 --> 00:29:59.559
For me, I've seen an evolution since I grew up
558
00:29:59.559 --> 00:30:01.359
in the eighties is in all the way to now
559
00:30:01.839 --> 00:30:04.960
the city has become a player in a way that
560
00:30:05.559 --> 00:30:09.000
has allowed me as a designer to do I think,
561
00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:12.759
really great work. Truthfully, if I was in New York
562
00:30:12.839 --> 00:30:16.279
or LA I'm a diamond dozen like there are so
563
00:30:16.519 --> 00:30:19.279
much of me's in.
564
00:30:19.160 --> 00:30:21.960
Both of those, both of those cities. You know.
565
00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:25.200
For me, I've always kind of laughingly said, my other
566
00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:30.160
big collaborator has been the city of Houston, because they've
567
00:30:30.200 --> 00:30:33.240
allowed me to be what I call a big fish
568
00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:37.039
in a big pond, because again, it makes me unique
569
00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:39.119
that I'm here in Houston, and it has been a
570
00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:43.559
distinguisher in my career from from the beginning. So I'm
571
00:30:43.680 --> 00:30:46.079
very proud of where I grew up and I'm very
572
00:30:46.079 --> 00:30:48.240
proud of the city we I call home.
573
00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:51.240
Well, it certainly is playing a pivotal role in the
574
00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:52.880
success of design at the moment.
575
00:30:52.960 --> 00:30:54.240
So that's that's excank you.
576
00:30:54.319 --> 00:31:00.160
Houston and Texas has BUCkies too, so you know, I'm
577
00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:02.119
an avid fan of that, which is a different kind
578
00:31:02.160 --> 00:31:02.559
of design.
579
00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:05.759
It's completely I call I'll really call Houston the wild
580
00:31:05.799 --> 00:31:08.400
wild West because you can drive down that I don't
581
00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:10.599
think we have the prettiest city by any stretch of
582
00:31:10.599 --> 00:31:12.880
the imagination, but you can drive down the street and
583
00:31:12.880 --> 00:31:16.240
you can see that Mediterranean next to the French provincial,
584
00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:19.880
next to the you know, modern you know, it looks
585
00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:23.759
like you're in la next to the really terrible house
586
00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:24.880
that needs to be torn down.
587
00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:27.960
You know, like we just have such It's again, the
588
00:31:27.960 --> 00:31:28.759
wild wild West.
589
00:31:28.799 --> 00:31:30.400
You can do what you want to in the city,
590
00:31:30.440 --> 00:31:35.279
which is both concerning and also exciting at the same time.
591
00:31:35.720 --> 00:31:38.519
So Ben, I want to go back to the discussion
592
00:31:38.559 --> 00:31:41.839
of books, and so many designers want that book now.
593
00:31:41.880 --> 00:31:44.599
And I have to say, as an editor, it's really
594
00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:47.880
changed the number of books. I used to get a handful,
595
00:31:48.599 --> 00:31:51.400
you know, in October and April, those were the big
596
00:31:51.559 --> 00:31:55.039
two months with the publishing dates, and now the books
597
00:31:55.319 --> 00:31:59.160
just come every single week. Everybody wants a book, but
598
00:31:59.240 --> 00:32:04.079
it's challenged, it's long, and it's an expensive venture. So
599
00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:08.799
tell us about some criteria you identified personally to know
600
00:32:09.319 --> 00:32:11.680
when it was the right time to produce that book
601
00:32:11.720 --> 00:32:14.400
and go down that path. And what advice can you
602
00:32:14.519 --> 00:32:17.799
lend to designers who are listening and think that they
603
00:32:18.200 --> 00:32:19.680
may want a book someday as well.
604
00:32:19.920 --> 00:32:21.200
That's fantastic.
605
00:32:21.400 --> 00:32:25.960
So I would say, yes, a book is you know,
606
00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:27.960
you have to know when you're when you're ready, and
607
00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:30.759
when it's right. And I'm not going to say that
608
00:32:30.839 --> 00:32:33.680
when I even started this process that I was ready
609
00:32:34.359 --> 00:32:38.200
for a book. So I actually had reached out to
610
00:32:38.680 --> 00:32:43.119
Jill Cohen, who Jill Cohen of course has Cohen Associates,
611
00:32:43.359 --> 00:32:47.240
Jill Cohen and Associates and now stand Out Books. It
612
00:32:47.319 --> 00:32:50.960
was purchased by sand Out and she is the best,
613
00:32:51.279 --> 00:32:53.799
She's the best, and she was the kind of again
614
00:32:54.119 --> 00:32:56.920
for those of you who don't know, but her previous
615
00:32:56.960 --> 00:33:02.839
career was really guiding designers to creating these books you
616
00:33:02.880 --> 00:33:06.400
know that you know and very well in love and
617
00:33:06.440 --> 00:33:09.599
probably have on your bookshelf. So Jill, we reached out
618
00:33:09.640 --> 00:33:12.279
to Jill and said, Jill, you know, are we you know,
619
00:33:12.400 --> 00:33:16.559
please review our portfolio, Please review our work. Let us
620
00:33:16.599 --> 00:33:18.119
know if you think we have a book in US.
621
00:33:18.640 --> 00:33:21.000
And you know, Jill takes a lot of things into account.
622
00:33:21.119 --> 00:33:23.440
One of the things that she takes into account is,
623
00:33:23.559 --> 00:33:27.119
you know, what is their social social media presence and
624
00:33:27.319 --> 00:33:29.680
what are the things that you've got going on. Do
625
00:33:29.839 --> 00:33:33.400
you have brand partnerships, do you have the you know,
626
00:33:33.680 --> 00:33:38.279
the possibility of really marketing yourself across across the United States.
627
00:33:38.039 --> 00:33:39.119
Or or abroad.
628
00:33:39.920 --> 00:33:42.480
So there's a lot of factors she looked at and
629
00:33:42.519 --> 00:33:45.039
she said that we were ready to do a book,
630
00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:47.680
and so we really discussed about what the makeup would
631
00:33:47.720 --> 00:33:50.240
be and we had, you know, we had about eight
632
00:33:50.319 --> 00:33:54.440
projects in Houston that we're all kind of ending within
633
00:33:54.519 --> 00:33:58.240
the same year period. And she said, this is fantastic,
634
00:33:58.240 --> 00:34:01.000
this is what we look for. So there is a
635
00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:04.200
lot of To answer your question, there's a constellation of
636
00:34:04.319 --> 00:34:07.799
things that kind of make it right. We were also
637
00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:10.760
just as a business, I was we're celebrating our tenth
638
00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:15.639
year under Benjamin Johnson Design. I have obviously two decades
639
00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:19.599
of experience total, but under the kind of the Benjamin
640
00:34:19.639 --> 00:34:25.800
Johnson design kind of masthead, we really are celebrating just
641
00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:30.760
ten years. So it felt really natural to celebrate this decade.
642
00:34:30.519 --> 00:34:31.440
With the book.
643
00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:35.039
And you know, I think what we'll probably do is
644
00:34:35.079 --> 00:34:37.840
in the future, maybe in five years we'll do another one,
645
00:34:38.360 --> 00:34:41.599
but we really wanted to kind of celebrate again this
646
00:34:41.760 --> 00:34:44.400
milestone with this particular publication.
647
00:34:44.760 --> 00:34:45.480
Well, thank you.
648
00:34:45.400 --> 00:34:48.079
For sharing that, because I know that so many designers
649
00:34:48.079 --> 00:34:50.920
are hungry for that information and it is not something
650
00:34:50.960 --> 00:34:52.360
that should be stepped into lately.
651
00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:55.000
No, And I will tell you the other things they
652
00:34:55.039 --> 00:34:57.360
need to know is that there is not just the
653
00:34:57.360 --> 00:34:59.199
material and the.
654
00:34:58.880 --> 00:35:02.719
Actual cost of participating in a book like this, there's
655
00:35:02.760 --> 00:35:04.159
also just the time.
656
00:35:04.519 --> 00:35:08.920
It is a whole other Like if I needed another job,
657
00:35:09.800 --> 00:35:13.159
you know, that was a full job for a year,
658
00:35:13.559 --> 00:35:17.599
was not only doing the photoshoots and getting it all together,
659
00:35:17.800 --> 00:35:20.719
and then writing the chapters and working with the editor
660
00:35:20.840 --> 00:35:23.239
and working with the graphic designer. I mean, it was
661
00:35:23.280 --> 00:35:25.639
a full time job for a year, so it really
662
00:35:25.719 --> 00:35:30.760
requires a lot of being able to multitask. So I
663
00:35:30.760 --> 00:35:33.079
would say that's something else that designers should just be
664
00:35:33.119 --> 00:35:36.280
aware and it is one of the great privileges and joys,
665
00:35:36.280 --> 00:35:38.440
and anybody who is interested in doing it, I think
666
00:35:38.480 --> 00:35:40.519
they should pursue it, and they should look into it
667
00:35:40.559 --> 00:35:44.360
and educate themselves, and hopefully I'll get to be inspired
668
00:35:44.400 --> 00:35:45.320
by their books as well.
669
00:35:45.559 --> 00:35:49.440
Absolutely, well, there's one moment in your book that really
670
00:35:49.480 --> 00:35:50.280
stood out to me.
671
00:35:51.119 --> 00:35:51.679
Upfront.
672
00:35:51.800 --> 00:35:56.280
In the book, you cover different design principles, and imperfection
673
00:35:56.639 --> 00:35:59.920
is one of them, and I love talking about imperfection,
674
00:36:00.079 --> 00:36:04.360
and because I feel finally, as a society we are
675
00:36:04.400 --> 00:36:09.320
talking about imperfection instead of always aiming for making whatever
676
00:36:09.400 --> 00:36:12.920
it is perfect, which is really unattainable long term for anything.
677
00:36:13.480 --> 00:36:16.599
So I remember when I interviewed you a handful of
678
00:36:16.599 --> 00:36:19.239
months ago for one project, you said that every room
679
00:36:19.360 --> 00:36:20.920
needs a little piece of ugly.
680
00:36:21.480 --> 00:36:23.519
So talk about that.
681
00:36:23.760 --> 00:36:27.519
And talk about imperfection and why that matters so much
682
00:36:27.599 --> 00:36:28.119
in design.
683
00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:32.599
Great, great question. I feel like all these questions are
684
00:36:32.800 --> 00:36:35.480
so spot on. So what I would say is that
685
00:36:35.639 --> 00:36:39.639
first and foremost I was, you know, one of my
686
00:36:39.679 --> 00:36:42.400
favorite designers on this planet that I've taken such great
687
00:36:42.440 --> 00:36:47.760
inspiration from as the French designer Jean Luis d'gnio. And
688
00:36:47.840 --> 00:36:51.280
he I was fortunate enough to attend a talk that
689
00:36:51.400 --> 00:36:56.199
he gave, and he actually talked about how he talked
690
00:36:56.199 --> 00:36:59.760
about the ugly pet as an example. He said that
691
00:36:59.800 --> 00:37:02.800
the he said that, you know, sometimes the ugly pet
692
00:37:02.960 --> 00:37:03.320
is the.
693
00:37:03.239 --> 00:37:05.920
One who convention, you know, convention.
694
00:37:05.639 --> 00:37:09.719
Would say it's not beautiful, but it's so interesting looking
695
00:37:10.079 --> 00:37:12.440
and it's something that you're you almost end up loving
696
00:37:12.480 --> 00:37:16.320
that ugly pet more because it's just so so unique
697
00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:18.320
and so different. And I thought that was such an
698
00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:20.599
interesting thing. So I try to think about how that
699
00:37:20.599 --> 00:37:23.960
applies to my work, and I also think about he would,
700
00:37:23.960 --> 00:37:26.280
by the way, encourage. He was like, you should include
701
00:37:26.320 --> 00:37:30.519
something in a space that's just unconventionally, you know, not
702
00:37:30.519 --> 00:37:35.280
not pretty, not perfect, and because perfection can be boring.
703
00:37:36.280 --> 00:37:40.039
So I've looked at my work and I constantly I'll
704
00:37:40.039 --> 00:37:42.440
try to throw something in a project. I'll you know,
705
00:37:42.519 --> 00:37:44.719
compose all the pieces, I'll try to figure all that out,
706
00:37:44.760 --> 00:37:46.280
and then I'll try to throw a monkey wrench in
707
00:37:46.360 --> 00:37:49.119
all of it to make something that kind of disturbs
708
00:37:49.159 --> 00:37:53.400
the eye. And I think that that has lended a
709
00:37:53.400 --> 00:37:57.280
certain you know, uh, certain theatricality to the work when
710
00:37:57.760 --> 00:37:59.840
when things are just a little off.
711
00:38:00.480 --> 00:38:01.559
And I love that.
712
00:38:01.679 --> 00:38:04.280
I think there's a casualness that immediately happens when you
713
00:38:04.320 --> 00:38:08.039
do that. So I also use the you know, I
714
00:38:08.079 --> 00:38:12.480
want to say, do you know Chris Jennifer Gray, the actress,
715
00:38:12.599 --> 00:38:15.239
and you know, she was so distinctive looking.
716
00:38:15.360 --> 00:38:17.480
She had this beautiful, unique.
717
00:38:17.119 --> 00:38:20.280
Nose and then she had it turned into the same
718
00:38:20.320 --> 00:38:23.039
nose that everyone else has. And if you saw Jennifer
719
00:38:23.079 --> 00:38:25.159
Gray now, you wouldn't even recognize her.
720
00:38:25.920 --> 00:38:29.559
She kind of made herself look like everybody else.
721
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:32.440
She took away our dirty dancing memories.
722
00:38:32.800 --> 00:38:35.440
I know. And so for me, I think that there
723
00:38:35.519 --> 00:38:39.960
is something to be said for the unconventional, for the imperfect.
724
00:38:40.800 --> 00:38:45.000
I think those have a lasting interest to us and
725
00:38:45.079 --> 00:38:48.840
something our brain and our eyes really appreciate, whether you
726
00:38:48.880 --> 00:38:49.639
realize it or not.
727
00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:52.599
Do you have an ugly color that you use? You
728
00:38:52.639 --> 00:38:56.679
see yourself? Going back to I have one, do you well?
729
00:38:56.760 --> 00:39:02.159
I would say, actually, the color of like rust is
730
00:39:02.199 --> 00:39:06.360
like a rust color is kind of in a way.
731
00:39:06.920 --> 00:39:09.760
I have learned that it's quite beautiful. But I think
732
00:39:09.920 --> 00:39:12.679
a lot of people are like, oh, like the color
733
00:39:12.719 --> 00:39:15.320
of rust, that's just terrible. You know, I don't want
734
00:39:15.320 --> 00:39:17.920
the color of rust on anything. But for me, I
735
00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:20.880
find that to be a color that I am john too.
736
00:39:20.960 --> 00:39:21.800
What about you guys?
737
00:39:21.960 --> 00:39:25.679
For me, it's mustard yellow, Like I don't nobody says
738
00:39:25.760 --> 00:39:28.920
mustard yellow is my favorite color, but it works so
739
00:39:29.159 --> 00:39:31.280
well in design and I have it all over I
740
00:39:31.320 --> 00:39:34.280
have a lot of blues in my house and it
741
00:39:34.440 --> 00:39:37.559
just blends with that so beautifully. And it's war and
742
00:39:37.639 --> 00:39:40.559
it's not quite camel, and that's my color, Megan, how
743
00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:41.000
about you.
744
00:39:41.079 --> 00:39:44.320
I'm actually similar. Chartruce, I think has always been kind
745
00:39:44.320 --> 00:39:47.039
of a color that I've struggled with a little bit,
746
00:39:47.159 --> 00:39:49.039
but I find it charming when I see it used
747
00:39:49.039 --> 00:39:49.440
well too.
748
00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:52.159
By the way, all three colors we just mentioned are
749
00:39:52.199 --> 00:39:56.039
found in nature, and I think it's something that it
750
00:39:56.119 --> 00:40:00.679
can be very very effective and useful in in a space.
751
00:40:00.880 --> 00:40:03.000
And mustard yellow, by the way, I mean yellow is
752
00:40:03.000 --> 00:40:06.960
my favorite color of all time. So I love all
753
00:40:07.039 --> 00:40:10.199
shades of mustard of yellow, and that can ring from
754
00:40:10.280 --> 00:40:12.840
mustard two Shark troops because shark truce is really kind
755
00:40:12.840 --> 00:40:15.079
of in that yellow family, So I love it.
756
00:40:15.440 --> 00:40:17.559
And when I say mustard, I mean you know, Dijon,
757
00:40:17.760 --> 00:40:23.400
not not yellow mustard, yellow mustard, the not the burger kind.
758
00:40:25.360 --> 00:40:28.880
So Ben again, you, when you were talking about the
759
00:40:28.920 --> 00:40:31.960
book a moment ago, you said that one of the
760
00:40:32.000 --> 00:40:35.440
components that Jill recommended and wanted to know about was
761
00:40:35.480 --> 00:40:39.239
your social media presence and your partnerships. And you have
762
00:40:39.360 --> 00:40:43.679
partnerships with a few different brands. Chaddick is one of them,
763
00:40:43.719 --> 00:40:46.840
where you've had a furniture collection for years now. I
764
00:40:46.880 --> 00:40:50.960
would love for you to remind and take designers who
765
00:40:51.000 --> 00:40:53.880
are listening through the idea of all of these add
766
00:40:53.880 --> 00:40:57.480
ons to being an actual designer, because there is that
767
00:40:58.519 --> 00:41:01.960
gauge in that balance that has to be considered. Knowing
768
00:41:02.000 --> 00:41:05.480
that all of these extra projects, the show houses, the books,
769
00:41:05.559 --> 00:41:09.639
the partnerships, they take away from those design projects the
770
00:41:09.719 --> 00:41:12.480
time you have to keep the electricity on. So could
771
00:41:12.519 --> 00:41:14.840
you elaborate on that a little bit? Sure?
772
00:41:14.960 --> 00:41:17.760
Well, for first and foremost, you know, I don't have kids,
773
00:41:18.039 --> 00:41:21.039
I don't have I don't even have pets. I mean
774
00:41:21.159 --> 00:41:23.920
I for me, not that I don't love both of
775
00:41:23.960 --> 00:41:28.039
those things. I just for me, what I prioritize, my type,
776
00:41:28.440 --> 00:41:31.880
my life on is being a business owner, and I
777
00:41:32.320 --> 00:41:35.480
really I love that, and I love I am like
778
00:41:35.519 --> 00:41:39.519
a serial entrepreneur, like I'm always trying to think of
779
00:41:39.559 --> 00:41:43.000
new things to do. So one of the things that
780
00:41:43.079 --> 00:41:46.559
I talk a lot about, you know, when asked about
781
00:41:46.599 --> 00:41:50.199
these kinds of things, is I will share a quote
782
00:41:50.199 --> 00:41:52.920
that my mom used to tell me all the time
783
00:41:52.920 --> 00:41:53.280
when I.
784
00:41:53.239 --> 00:41:53.639
Was a kid.
785
00:41:53.719 --> 00:41:56.400
She would always say if and it's actually a Milton
786
00:41:56.440 --> 00:42:01.880
Burrele quote, the famous kind of Hollywood star Milton Burrell,
787
00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:05.039
He would say, if opportunity doesn't knock, then build a door.
788
00:42:05.679 --> 00:42:08.000
And it is one of those things. For me, I've
789
00:42:08.039 --> 00:42:10.519
never waited for somebody to tap me on the shoulder
790
00:42:10.599 --> 00:42:13.320
and say, you know, why don't you do X, Y
791
00:42:13.400 --> 00:42:16.519
and Z. I'm always proactively saying, hey, how can we
792
00:42:16.519 --> 00:42:21.360
create an opportunity here? So for me, the license collections,
793
00:42:21.400 --> 00:42:25.320
to your point, were really about me saying, you know,
794
00:42:26.199 --> 00:42:29.039
how can I continue to live my mission in life
795
00:42:30.079 --> 00:42:32.920
to create beauty in this world, to spread positivity and
796
00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:35.679
to create the opportunity for other people to do the same.
797
00:42:35.960 --> 00:42:38.679
How can I live that mission in a different way
798
00:42:38.719 --> 00:42:43.000
than just design. So for me, obviously doing a license
799
00:42:43.039 --> 00:42:45.679
collection seemed to make a lot of sense. And I again,
800
00:42:46.239 --> 00:42:49.159
there's only one collection that I'm currently working on where
801
00:42:49.199 --> 00:42:51.800
somebody has tapped me on the shoulder. Every other one
802
00:42:51.800 --> 00:42:53.679
of those I was the one who came to them
803
00:42:53.679 --> 00:42:57.280
and said, let's do something together. And here you're not
804
00:42:57.320 --> 00:42:58.960
asking me to do this, but I'm going to show
805
00:42:59.000 --> 00:43:01.559
you what I think you either are missing in your
806
00:43:01.559 --> 00:43:05.039
product categories or how I could give you something unique
807
00:43:05.119 --> 00:43:07.400
and different, how I'm going to be a better and
808
00:43:07.440 --> 00:43:10.960
bigger customer to you because of the collection that we're
809
00:43:11.000 --> 00:43:13.920
going to do together. So for me, it was about
810
00:43:13.960 --> 00:43:18.280
building mutually beneficial and mutually enriching relationships. And I think
811
00:43:18.320 --> 00:43:20.800
that is something that I think a lot of designers
812
00:43:21.239 --> 00:43:24.199
don't go into that mindset with They're a waiting for
813
00:43:24.280 --> 00:43:27.440
somebody to ask them to do it, and two they're
814
00:43:27.519 --> 00:43:31.920
basically you know, they're not necessarily saying, well, how can
815
00:43:32.000 --> 00:43:35.599
I be an asset to this company? How can I
816
00:43:36.079 --> 00:43:40.639
be help make opportunity happen for them and for me?
817
00:43:41.519 --> 00:43:44.480
So I try really hard in the collections that we've
818
00:43:44.480 --> 00:43:47.760
worked on to make it mutually beneficial and mutually enriching.
819
00:43:48.159 --> 00:43:50.360
You have to make yourself beyond just a number.
820
00:43:50.480 --> 00:43:51.519
Oh one hundred percent.
821
00:43:52.079 --> 00:43:54.880
And the truth is is, like you also like I
822
00:43:56.239 --> 00:43:59.719
use all of my own products like it's interesting to me.
823
00:43:59.800 --> 00:44:04.840
I have several friends and colleagues who are incredibly gifted designers,
824
00:44:05.400 --> 00:44:07.719
and they don't really ever use the product that they
825
00:44:07.800 --> 00:44:10.199
design with licensed collections, and I'm like, well, what a.
826
00:44:10.119 --> 00:44:12.960
Mistake, Hey, what a missed opportunity.
827
00:44:13.079 --> 00:44:14.599
Why why wouldn't you use it?
828
00:44:14.679 --> 00:44:16.840
I mean, I feel like for me to be able
829
00:44:16.880 --> 00:44:19.400
to stand behind the product, I want to be the
830
00:44:19.480 --> 00:44:21.639
guinea pig. I want to be the one that they
831
00:44:22.880 --> 00:44:25.000
you know, has used it first and use it in
832
00:44:25.039 --> 00:44:27.599
an interesting way and continues to use it in my
833
00:44:27.840 --> 00:44:30.719
in my projects, and you'll see my product throughout the
834
00:44:30.880 --> 00:44:33.679
entirety of Refined Interiors our book.
835
00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:36.239
Well, and Ben, you know, I'm a huge fan of
836
00:44:36.239 --> 00:44:39.079
your Chattic collection. I think that just has beautiful lines
837
00:44:39.280 --> 00:44:42.440
and the structure to it, and I enjoy it as
838
00:44:42.440 --> 00:44:44.159
a designer having in my portfolio.
839
00:44:44.519 --> 00:44:46.639
Thank you, that means a lot. Thank you so much.
840
00:44:46.760 --> 00:44:49.280
So then we're getting ready to hit.
841
00:44:49.119 --> 00:44:52.280
On our last few questions. As the name of our
842
00:44:52.360 --> 00:44:56.280
podcast suggests, there are several paths one can take if
843
00:44:56.320 --> 00:44:58.199
you weren't on the path that you are, now, what
844
00:44:58.320 --> 00:45:01.440
is something that could possibly st you in a different direction.
845
00:45:01.960 --> 00:45:05.599
I would say, for me, there's been two careers that
846
00:45:06.000 --> 00:45:09.679
actually I kind of flirted with when I was younger,
847
00:45:10.039 --> 00:45:14.159
but then and then put aside, and then I would
848
00:45:14.199 --> 00:45:18.360
probably be very tempted and to pursue in a different way.
849
00:45:18.480 --> 00:45:21.719
So the first one is production design, like set design
850
00:45:22.320 --> 00:45:26.559
for both film and stage. Like I find the storytelling,
851
00:45:26.599 --> 00:45:30.800
the theatricality, the magic that you're able to create on
852
00:45:31.559 --> 00:45:36.079
in those environments to be very like I would I
853
00:45:36.079 --> 00:45:38.639
would if somebody asked me to design the next set
854
00:45:38.719 --> 00:45:41.400
of Wicked, I would be like, one hundred percent.
855
00:45:41.159 --> 00:45:43.159
Yes, Like I'm quitting my job.
856
00:45:43.280 --> 00:45:45.800
I'm going to go do that thing because I found
857
00:45:45.800 --> 00:45:49.800
it to be so incredibly captivating and so well done,
858
00:45:49.880 --> 00:45:51.679
and the storytelling was so amazing.
859
00:45:51.920 --> 00:45:54.119
But that's the kind of thing that I would be
860
00:45:54.159 --> 00:45:55.039
super tempted to buy.
861
00:45:55.119 --> 00:45:56.960
And the other one that I'm tempted to buy is
862
00:45:57.000 --> 00:46:02.239
photography because and Megan and Christy y'all know this. You know,
863
00:46:02.400 --> 00:46:06.599
you spend years working on a project, absolute years, and
864
00:46:06.599 --> 00:46:10.039
then the photographer comes in and then in one, two,
865
00:46:10.280 --> 00:46:13.639
three days she captures it beautifully or he or she
866
00:46:14.079 --> 00:46:17.280
and then they're gone, and they're like, great, I just
867
00:46:17.320 --> 00:46:19.840
created all this beautiful work and I'm done and it
868
00:46:19.880 --> 00:46:24.119
took me three days. For me, I'm like, I look
869
00:46:24.159 --> 00:46:28.280
at this photographer, A frequent collaborator of mine and actually
870
00:46:28.400 --> 00:46:30.760
pretty much one of the only photographers I've ever really
871
00:46:30.800 --> 00:46:35.280
worked with is Julie soferk here in Houston, and she's been.
872
00:46:35.159 --> 00:46:39.119
A friend for twenty years. And I'm always like, I.
873
00:46:39.079 --> 00:46:41.559
Am so jealous of the fact that you cut in
874
00:46:41.719 --> 00:46:44.280
and out and I am still now going to be
875
00:46:44.360 --> 00:46:46.960
cleaning up this project after the photo shoot and I'm
876
00:46:46.960 --> 00:46:50.119
going to continue working on this, and you know that's
877
00:46:50.199 --> 00:46:52.480
just for me. I'm like, I would love something that's
878
00:46:52.519 --> 00:46:53.280
just quick.
879
00:46:53.119 --> 00:46:56.880
Turn around, the instant gratification, instant. Well, Ben, I would
880
00:46:56.960 --> 00:46:59.719
love to hear what's next for you in your firm
881
00:46:59.800 --> 00:47:01.039
and what you got working on.
882
00:47:01.480 --> 00:47:06.320
Oh gosh, for me, as I said, I'm a serial entrepreneur,
883
00:47:06.519 --> 00:47:09.840
so like I love to try things and fail at things,
884
00:47:10.199 --> 00:47:16.599
like failing is an integral part of my process and
885
00:47:16.719 --> 00:47:18.559
so for me, one of the things that I'm really
886
00:47:18.599 --> 00:47:21.679
interested in You, we just bought a building for our office.
887
00:47:21.320 --> 00:47:25.320
To move into. So we have moved into this new
888
00:47:25.400 --> 00:47:27.199
space and some of it.
889
00:47:27.480 --> 00:47:32.000
You know, we're only going to occupy essentially, well probably
890
00:47:32.719 --> 00:47:34.599
three quarters of the building, but the rest of the
891
00:47:34.599 --> 00:47:38.719
building is really available for us to lease out. And
892
00:47:38.800 --> 00:47:41.880
so for us, we're looking at, like as a as
893
00:47:41.920 --> 00:47:44.519
a business owner, like what other things can we plug
894
00:47:44.559 --> 00:47:46.760
in as part of our business to expand to.
895
00:47:46.880 --> 00:47:48.400
So we're kicking around some ideas.
896
00:47:48.960 --> 00:47:53.000
You know, we obviously are full license architecture firm as
897
00:47:53.039 --> 00:47:56.159
well as an interior design firm, and so we're looking
898
00:47:56.159 --> 00:47:59.519
at either continuing to expand our architecture practice and we're
899
00:47:59.519 --> 00:48:02.760
really loving that and having more.
900
00:48:02.599 --> 00:48:03.400
Space for that.
901
00:48:05.119 --> 00:48:07.800
Because we've also gotten to enjoy not just working on
902
00:48:07.840 --> 00:48:12.159
our own projects. We're actually a designer for other designers,
903
00:48:12.559 --> 00:48:15.480
so we're an architect for other designers. So I've really
904
00:48:15.519 --> 00:48:18.159
enjoyed that, so expanding that is a possibility.
905
00:48:18.480 --> 00:48:18.639
You know.
906
00:48:18.679 --> 00:48:22.360
It's also other services, everything from landscape does design to
907
00:48:22.480 --> 00:48:25.719
lighting design is something that's kind of we are always
908
00:48:25.719 --> 00:48:30.000
in partnering with other people, and I wouldn't mind trying
909
00:48:30.039 --> 00:48:32.480
our hand at folding some of those things into our
910
00:48:32.519 --> 00:48:36.440
business as well and starting some new companies related to that.
911
00:48:36.679 --> 00:48:38.840
So those are just a few of the ideas.
912
00:48:38.880 --> 00:48:42.119
I would also say, you know, continuing to do licensed collections.
913
00:48:42.239 --> 00:48:45.639
I so enjoy that. I so enjoy the process.
914
00:48:45.800 --> 00:48:49.599
I enjoy really trying to shine a light on companies
915
00:48:49.599 --> 00:48:51.679
that I believe in and I believe in their product
916
00:48:51.719 --> 00:48:55.320
and their quality. So I will continue to do that.
917
00:48:55.440 --> 00:48:58.440
We also have a collection coming out with materials be
918
00:48:58.519 --> 00:49:02.440
spokestone and tile. It's a collection of fireplace surrounds and
919
00:49:03.360 --> 00:49:06.280
mosaics and that's going to be coming out probably the
920
00:49:06.280 --> 00:49:09.000
beginning of next year. So I'm also really excited about that.
921
00:49:09.119 --> 00:49:11.039
Well, lots of exciting things. I can't wait to see
922
00:49:11.039 --> 00:49:12.079
it all come out into the market.
923
00:49:12.440 --> 00:49:13.159
Well, thank you.
924
00:49:13.519 --> 00:49:15.679
And finally, we like to end each episode with the
925
00:49:15.679 --> 00:49:18.599
same couple questions too. What is the beat that keeps
926
00:49:18.599 --> 00:49:19.000
you going?
927
00:49:19.480 --> 00:49:24.119
The creative you know, the creative spirit, Like I just
928
00:49:24.639 --> 00:49:26.719
creativity is one of those things that there is an
929
00:49:26.840 --> 00:49:30.960
endless fond for. You know, I constantly think, and I
930
00:49:31.159 --> 00:49:34.159
observe around the world and observe in my backyard to
931
00:49:34.199 --> 00:49:39.519
our point earlier, just beauty everywhere and opportunity everywhere. So
932
00:49:39.559 --> 00:49:42.880
for me, being a generative, creative person is the beat
933
00:49:42.920 --> 00:49:43.880
that keeps me going.
934
00:49:44.280 --> 00:49:47.360
And finally, what would make the ideal boulevard for you.
935
00:49:48.440 --> 00:49:52.719
I spent some time this past November in Barcelona, and
936
00:49:52.880 --> 00:49:55.800
the thing I was so struck by is just how
937
00:49:55.960 --> 00:50:00.840
rich culture and history as there, and the the boulevards
938
00:50:00.840 --> 00:50:04.920
that kind of go throughout Barcelona are just filled with
939
00:50:05.960 --> 00:50:11.679
such inspiration. I mean, as I said, history, architecture, decorative arts,
940
00:50:12.000 --> 00:50:17.480
culture from today, mixing with modern, mixing with the global marketplace.
941
00:50:17.840 --> 00:50:21.199
I just found the perfect boulevard for me is a
942
00:50:21.239 --> 00:50:25.280
celebration of humanity, and I think that that's something I
943
00:50:25.360 --> 00:50:26.199
really thrill at.
944
00:50:26.360 --> 00:50:28.880
Well, that's lovely. I think it sounds like a wonderful
945
00:50:28.920 --> 00:50:31.960
boulevard to be on. Well, thank you, Ben. It was
946
00:50:32.000 --> 00:50:34.599
so lovely having you to here today with us and
947
00:50:34.679 --> 00:50:37.559
having this conversation and hearing all about all the exciting
948
00:50:37.599 --> 00:50:38.440
things you have going on.
949
00:50:38.920 --> 00:50:41.079
Thank you, and I so appreciate being here.
950
00:50:41.119 --> 00:50:44.079
And I of hope I get to see you guys
951
00:50:44.079 --> 00:50:47.440
at high point, maybe this market or the market after
952
00:50:47.480 --> 00:50:48.119
that you.
953
00:50:48.079 --> 00:50:50.679
Will see me before and the illustrious HP.
954
00:50:51.599 --> 00:50:53.719
Oh fantastic A lot to look forward to it.
955
00:50:55.519 --> 00:50:58.559
Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Boulevard Beat.
956
00:50:58.719 --> 00:51:01.239
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow along and leave
957
00:51:01.280 --> 00:51:04.400
a review. On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen
958
00:51:04.639 --> 00:51:07.159
so you never miss an episode, and of course, follow
959
00:51:07.199 --> 00:51:11.760
your hosts on Instagram at Megan bloom Interiors, at CHRISA. Rossbund,
960
00:51:11.840 --> 00:51:14.280
and at Liz Legit. We'll be back next week as
961
00:51:14.280 --> 00:51:16.039
we take a stroll down another boulevard