BREAKING GROUND

David starts the show by playing a piece of music that he believes represents visual beauty. David talks about remembering a moment where he saw something so beautiful that he aimed to search for beauty in life every single day. He then goes into how beauty is defined, saying that there is no standard definition for it. David references an intricate base molding he posted on his instagram, and describes this hidden treasure and how it shows the beauty in looking for these kinds of pieces of art. Another example that David mentions are the back alley theaters in Broadway and that they represent that beauty can be anywhere. We should appreciate these things and what makes them beautiful.David introduces Liz Lagett as she explains what her interpretation of beauty is. Liz states that in order to find out what beauty is we must ask ourselves “What is ugly in the world,” and then look at the opposite. Liz defines beauty as harmony, tolerance and love and aims to put these on her canvas. David explains how that relates to interior design and that he starts off by finding out what his clients don’t like. Liz then goes into the design of her home, describing the older model, the wood floors and the tons of paintings. She especially loves the landscape in her backyard and how this allows her to feel immersed with nature.Liz transitions to talking about her own work, and how she ultimately aims to create something beautiful and to celebrate the act of painting. Liz takes risk when she’s painting, which she describes as chaotic accidents. This style of painting allows the piece to tell her where her to go as she progresses. Liz then talks about what inspires her which includes nature and any emotions she’s having. As an abstract artist, Liz is constantly trying to break out of the mold of traditional styles of painting, but at times still feels confined. She’s inspired by artists across the world and this gives her new ideas and approaches to her work. David compares Liz’s art to musician Leonard Bernstein, in that they both layer and build within their work.You can find more of Liz @lizleggett on Instagram and at Lizleggett.com. Focusing on different interior work at home Liz finds she likes vibrant colors featuring greens and hot pinks very often. The contrast to the white walls is appreciated. Liz plays with an elevated sense of color combination and color harmony. She feels that sometimes she needs to dial it back, but time and time again fails to the allure of joyous, over the top colors. Her process is both based on emotions felt as well as a search for new and interesting concepts. Liz’s art is unpracticed and untested. She will often test colors on a whim for the sheer joy of painting.Liz and David takes on questions from the listeners. Liz considers herself an abstract artist because she takes on subjects that are important to her like energy, having emotions and being open minded. She doesn’t like to dictate the audience because she wants them to be engaged and create their own interpretation of her artwork. David takes on a question about interior design and he says that collectivism is the closest thing to abstract design. He likes to design for his clients and wants them to have their own style. To find Liz’s artwork you can find it in Connecticut, on her website Lizleggett.com and even on her Instagram @lizleggett.

David begins the show by talking about the importance of the color blue, and descriptions he remembers of the color. David talks about the origins of the color blue, and the moments in history when it was or wasn’t mentioned. He brings up the bible, the Iliad, and how often blue wasn’t mentioned because people didn’t know how to describe it. David talks about the rarity of the color blue, how little it appears in nature, and how this is why we are so fascinated by it. David continues about how often blue actually does appear in our world, through song, feeling, and so many material items.David introduces color coach, Betsy Karp and she gives a personal anecdote about a blue ceramic dish she found while traveling in Santorini. Betsy discusses her emotional meaning of blue which she believes is truth. David shares his idea of blue including faith, and a higher power. Betsy explains why blue might be the most popular color in the world and that it represents levels of communication. Betsy talks about “blue space” which she defines as getting into a peaceful space within yourself, by quieting down the mind. David and Betsy continue about their own feelings towards the color including healing, serene feeling, nostalgia, support and quietness. The two continue about blue’s potential negative side of sadness in art.David briefly touches on color theory and the complimentary aspect of blue and orange, tints and shades of colors, and transitions into interior design. David explains his neglect to contrast trim when painting a room, as blue, and the use of different tints of blue is more advantageous to creating a voluminous interior. David remarks how and why blue is popular for the bedroom and its power of creating a calm, serene environment conducive to living in the room. Moving from the bedroom to the dining room David talks of a recent dining room he’s done in peacock blue. The concept is the dining room is not just for eating, but socializing and living. Betsy remarks on her distinct choice of painting her kitchen blue as a hunger suppressant. David transitions to a new office in Greenwich painted blue, and how remarkable it was to create the environment for creativity. David brings up “the Blue Woman,” Betsy’s senior thesis, a portrait of a woman in different shades of blue.David begins the final segment with outside questions starting with David’s favorite examples of blue. Followed by the concept of not seeing the sky as blue. Betsy explains why blue exterior houses are uncommon. David inquires the motive of Betsy behind choosing blue for her “Blue Woman” project. The subject of natural blue dyes, other than indigo, is discussed.

David talks about everything around him being roses. When he sees roses he thinks of hope, his dreams and promises that are being made. He can’t imagine his life without flowers and he says flowers make his life perfect. David enjoys looking into glass shops and witnessing couples receiving flowers with a smile on their faces. When someone gives you a flower it’s to be remembered and flowers should be used in your everyday life for home decorations, to give to your loved ones or for you to smell so you can get a sense of nature.David introduces his guest Louis and he defines beauty as structure, which comes with organizing and looking at the big picture. Louis discusses his childhood where he grew up in a construction environment called Staten Island. His neighborhood was filled with trees, which made him interested owning his own flower shop. Louis explains how he became a florists and he was inspired by the different experiences he was involved with, such as seeing the different colors in flowers. Louis talks about his florists shop giving the customers a variety of different flowers that they can choose from. Some of the challenges Louis face as a florist, is seeing how long the flowers can last standing without falling down throughout the day.”It’s like building something”Louis says, which goes back to the foundation of structure. Structure is what pushes Louis to go further and try new things that he never done before. He then discusses how the flower arrangements process goes. He would ask the customers what their preference is and from there he takes the lead to develop the final outcome.David and Louis play a quick flower game discussing different types of flowers. They go into discussion describing the different type of flower seasons and the variety of colors they have. Louis gives flower tips on how to keep the flowers alive. He then describes his favorite flower and color. Louis’ favorite flower is a rose and he likes how the flower opens up beautifully. The color he enjoys the most is yellow. He describes the color yellow being a bright and happy color. In order for the customers to be happy, Louis suggest the customers should give him a layout of what they want, so he can get an idea of how the flowers should look.Louis tells the listeners how to keep flowers in your home alive. The bacteria in the water kills the flower and if the stem does not have a fresh cut, the stem would not keep the flower alive. Also, you should change the water mostly everyday or every 2 days to keep the flower moist. If the customer is not happy with the flower arrangements, Louis and his florists team would be more than happy to replace the original product. For this not to happen, its up to the customers to give a lot of information to the florist so you can avoid this problem. Flowers should be given to everyone, including men without a problem.

David talks about the prelude of design in a furniture store. He then explains what Dennis Miller sees for the future. He then explains the elements on furniture, which is about the layout and interior design. The concept idea of furniture is to explain what’s the future idea for furniture and all the elements that make up interior design.Dennis explains the beauty of his home. He went on to explain what’s meaningful to him travel and looked for things that were meaningful to him. He studied architecture and realized being an architect is fun, but he wanted to expand his career and in the mid 80s, he developed a furniture showroom full of personality. Dennis explains what inspired him to create the furniture showroom and how it is for interior designers to get an idea of what it’s like to be in that business. Dennis talks about what the showroom represents and how he can keep the creativity alive. He explains how he got into his business and how he grew up around art, which made him follow his passion in architecture.Dennis talks about how people can see the future in furniture. In his showroom, it displays the past, which you can reflect on in the future. He discusses some past architecture designers artwork that he likes. Dennis explains how some qualities of an artist’s artwork can make the furniture feel special. He explains how he is fascinated with a furniture designers artwork. His company is currently working on a quick ship program for designers. Dennis Miller explains the importance of his showroom, which is the clarity of vision in the world.Dennis explains the trade pricing of furniture. He then explains the retail and trade off prices. Dennis explains how his furniture showroom sells products that are not on the showroom floor. He explains how furniture showrooms change their look frequently. Dennis discusses his favorite piece of his showroom and how his company will succeed in the future.

David starts the show by talking about the idea of our “throw away” mindset today, and how antiques are sustainable. David explains the great value of antique pieces–they last longer, are a way of expression, and show your style. David enjoys that no piece is the same, and that antiques make a house a home with personal value.David starts this segment by introducing Mary McGowen of Richomme, Inc. Mary and David talk about the meaning of beauty in the home, as well as their history together in the interior design world and Mary’s start in the antique restoration business. Mary talks about her start with Richomme back in 1993, and when it’s worth it to restore a piece. David talks to Mary about the the best finish for all different kinds of projects, and what’s going to add the most value. Mary explains how to care for an antique piece of furniture.Mary and David begin by discussing the detail of antique furniture and fixing small aspects of older pieces. David talks about specific pieces he has had while Mary talks about pieces she’s worked on, including ivory. Mary tells David about working with clients and focusing on what the client wants or helping them decide. Mary talks about blending unique finishes like shagreen, which is used for anything from trays to inserts on desks. Mary talks about her new transportation service of fine pieces.Mary and David start to take questions from listeners, and begin with different types of wood and the characteristics of Oak and Mahogany. They move on to answer another question shellac for wood and the importance of it and when to use it. Listeners ask David and Mary about the way you can lime a piece of furniture, what looks best in the same room and if you can create a piece of furniture by using a photo.

David talks about the colors of his life and how color has a story and feelings and meanings behind them. He reminisces about memories of his grandfather and how the color red evokes these memories. He talks about colors being what we remember the most in television and movies . He explains how personality can be determined by the colors on chooses for themselves and that interior designers look for color cues from their clients.Andrea tells a personal color story of her own. Andrea talks about Benjamin Moore helping people to transform their home into somewhere they’re comfortable in through the use of color. David and Andrea discuss people being more open to color ideas and try them out. They talk about understanding color in different light sources and how to determine which color to use in a home.David and Andrea talk about undertones in colors and how to math them. They play a game to match people with Benjamin Moore colors. David and Andrea talk about what colors they would use to paint a powder room. They talk about the importance of the name of a color. Andrea talks about finding ways to go bold and use deeper colors in the home.Andrea talks about Benjamin Moore’s website abilities to pair colors with coordinating colors. She talks about the eco friendly paints available and how healthy the paints Benjamin Moore offers are. Andrea discusses her favorite part of her work. She talks about the best way to approach moving through a house with a color flow.

David talks about the differences between a decorator and an interior designer. He goes on to talk about Sister Parish and the influence she had as a decorator. Jeff talks about Albert Hadley and his influence and the work that he put into his craft as an interior designer. He explains why it’s important to recognize the differences between the two and that “interior designers may decorate but decorators do not interior design.”Ray talks about what his definition of beauty is and how it inspires you to be who and what you want to be. He continues talking about what the differences are between decorators and interior designers and how it boils down to training. David and Ray talk about their role being dependent upon what the client needs. Ray talks about the designs and styles in his house growing up and how he got involved in interior designing. He talks about where he draws inspiration from when working on projects.Ray talks about what it’s like having projects throughout the world including in New York, Florida and Dubai. He talks about how the aesthetics that his clients want differ in the different areas. He talks about how he incorporates art and accessories into his projects. David talks about how light differs in different cities and how that goes into interior designing.Ray talks more about his projects in the Middle East. David and Ray talk about where Ray gets his sourcing from and the aesthetics that his clients look for. They talk about the generational shift and how they balance out their newer clients. They talk about how to mood light a room and what their favorite colors are.

David introduces the night’s guests, landscape architect Hardy Stecker. David talks about stars being light years away and how their light shimmering down on us came from light years of the past. He relates this to how much of what we see in design today is from the past. He talks about walking through Central Park and seeing all of the trees and flowers blooming at once and realizing that the park was designed to preserve the countryside of our past. David questions what makes landscape architecture more important today than ever and how it connects us to the environment and our past.Hardy talks about beauty being ever changing and how that there is a color in Central Park that is only there in spring and its beauty. She talks about her path into becoming a landscape architect. David and Hardy discuss the philosophical purpose of landscape architect being about people. They talk about how we often take public spaces for granted and that possibly being because they fit so well into the community because of the landscaping. Hardy talks about some of the projects that she has worked on and how landscape is becoming more of a known thing.David and Hardy talk about scale and proportion and the challenges of it. Hardy talks about how she makes large public spaces intimate. She talks about the process of landscaping and the thought that goes into creating a project. Hardy talks about what transforms landscape designs into an art and how to integrate physical art into the landscapes.David and Hardy talk about where the shift from to public spaces has come from. They discuss how public spaces are being used and seem to be working towards their goals. David and Hardy discuss why parks are important and mean so much to us. Hardy talks about the designing for maintenance in the spaces she landscapes.

David talks about the importance of love and how it helps to build a beautiful home. He talks about how moved he has been working with Denis and Birch Family Services. David talks about how honored he has been to work with birch Family Service to guide designs for people with autism. He says that Denis knows better knows better the difficulties but they both know the rewards. David says a house is not a home and that the best chance of live starts at home.David talks about how working with Birch Family Services taught him a lot about his craft and what he found to be beautiful. Denis discuss the history of Birch Family Services and what they do. David and Denis talk about the founder being a pioneer in launching schools for children with autism and her other works. They discuss Willowbrook State School and its awful medical conditions for those it housed. David and Denis talk about the work they do at Birch Family Services.David and Denis discuss the process of designing homes for adults with autism. Denis tells David what the motivation was for seeking him out in the first place. They talk about the challenges and things that they don’t use depending on the population of the home. They talk about how they infuse colors into the residences for expression.David and Denis discuss the similarities and differences in designing homes for high end clients and Birch homes. Denis answers questions about the financial aspects of Birch homes. David explains more about the colors they use in the Birch homes and the vibrations the colors have. David and Denis talk about steps they take to secure residents from harm.

David introduces interior designer Evan Lobel. David talks about the 50s as the “time before” and it being uniquely positioned between yesterday and tomorrow with its mid century modern designs. He continues about it being the time of new art and a time of new modern interiors and designs. David goes into well known designers that he and Evan will discuss more on in the next segment.Evan describes what his definitions of beauties are. He discusses being a collector of beautiful things in his home. David and Evan move into mid century modern design and the two main categories of it. They then move into different designers of the 30s and the radical ideas they had for the time.David and Evan talk about Karl Springer and the uniqueness of the materials he worked with. Evan mentions his admiration for Karl and how he was always open about his inspiration. He moves into time-lining Karl’s journey of becoming a star in the furniture designer world. David asks Evan to talk about how his taste and style has changed over the years. Evan talks about his line of furniture that he has designed.David and Evan take questions from listeners. Evan gives his qualifications for what makes something an antique. Evan talks about why mid century is still relevant today. David talks about the first time he noticed the shift in people not wanting responsibility in taking care of their furniture. They discuss how mid century modern paralleled America.