2 cent/sqft

This week, we got the chance to sit down with Jennie Rusciano to talk about what it’s like to be a (GC) General Contractor. Jennie is a Project Executive at Atlanta-based commercial interior General Contractor, CA South.  Prior to joining CA South, Jennie practiced as an interior designer, then project manager.  Her well-rounded industry background gives her a unique perspective on the construction side that we think you’ll enjoy hearing.  

We talk about the job and responsibilities of a GC and also the best practices for partnership between Designers and GC’s.  Also in the conversati...

Cara McIntire is an Interior Designer and SCAD Alumni with a background in Workplace Design, she has worked at several design firms in Atlanta before making the move to ShawContract as the lead Interior Design Specialist for their new StudioOne Department. She was able to work with key stakeholders within Shaw to build a new department and service at Shaw with the main goal of helping designers get time back in their workday. 

This is an episode that explores what it's like to build your own opportunity. Cara talks us through how this happened. The highs and t...

Caitlin Matonak is a Project Manager at May Architecture. She is a Registered Interior Designer and SCAD alumna with an immense passion for Healthcare Design. She is also the 2022-2023 GAIPD President. This week, we sat down with Caitlin to get some insight on the steps to becoming registered as an interior designer and why it's important. We also heard from her about her work as the  2022-2023 GAIDP President. This organization is meaningful to Interior Designers in Georgia, because they watch for legislation that could impact a designer’s professional status. 

This is an episode that will...

Ashton McFarlane is an Associate Project Manager at CBRE here in the Atlanta area. She is a graduate of the UGA Interior Design program and spent 4 years at Hendrick before she made the switch to CBRE. She has worked on several projects, including the recently completed Novelis HQ project, managing them through a successful  design and construction process. I can tell you from personal experience that she is a wonderful person to partner with.

We got a chance to talk about the importance of finding your people, or "crafting your crew" as we are calling it. Being a...

Brian Parker is a Principal over the Interiors group at Cooper Carry here in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been in the industry for 20 plus years, so he has some great stories and insight to share.  Some of the notable projects he has worked on include the Porsche Experience Center out in Los Angeles, Encore & The Interlock, and Coca-Cola TEC Research Tower. 
Pitching is a skill that we would encourage everyone to hone. It doesn't matter if you're right out of school or 25 years into the industry, you can always learn something. One of the biggest things that I to...

Amanda Miller is a top notch Interior Designer that has been practicing for a little over 10 years here in the Atlanta area. She has some great projects under her belt that include the Atlanta Regional Commission Office and Humble Pie. She is also a registered interior designer and is certified for WELL AP.  All in all, she's a busy girl.

Looking at design is a big topic, so, we wanted to break it down in manageable chunks. We start our conversation with Amanda Miller, and get sense of how she starts a project. Its important to know t...

Happy New Year!  We are kicking off our second season with a discussion around a New Years resolution that a lot of professionals struggle with - Work/Life Balance. We will look at what it means and how it affects us, ways that it changes, and some tips on how to make sure your balance is right for you.

Episode Support: We want to thank Main Solutions in Atlanta for letting us use their lovely space, and encourage you to schedule a visit.  You can also check out their wonderful product lines   -  Carnegie ; Davis ; Divisi...

In our last episode of this season, we tackle some of the areas of stress that we've encountered in the contract interiors industry.  We also talk a bit about what we each do to try to reenergize ourselves, which leads to a great conversation about NeoCon -- what it is, and why it is at once exhausting and thrilling!  With Neocon just around the corner, it's a great way to get a little taste of what the show is like if you haven't been!

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Trey Champion has had not one but two careers in the creative field. Starting out  in the preforming arts arena and then transitioning to the construction and design field, and it was defiantly different going back to school the second time, but we will let him fill you in. Trey has made his way through the design field as a designer in two different firms where he was able to to learn the ropes and had some great mentors, that helped him along the way. Once he realized that for him the process needed to changes he shifted into r...

Ronnie Belizaire has had an amazing career thus far that has took her from the conventional path of I need to be a doctor, to the more creative path as she discovered Interior Design. Ronnie has had the opportunity to and drive to help those in need by offering her services up as an Interior Designer when she helped in the Haiti relief effort, and the stories she has from that experience are humbling and would forever hold a special place in her heart. 
Ronnie was able to take her career to different levels by being practical and t...

Ronnie Belizaire has had an amazing career thus far that has took her from the conventional path of I need to be a doctor, to the more creative path as she discovered Interior Design. Ronnie has had the opportunity to and drive to help those in need by offering her services up as an Interior Designer when she helped in the Haiti relief effort, and the stories she has from that experience are humbling and would forever hold a special place in her heart. 
Ronnie was able to take her career to different levels by being practical and t...

Meredith Campbell has been on both sides of the design coin and realized early on that life in the design firm wasn't for her. She has such great insight and wonderful stories, it's no wonder she is now working on the research side of design. She talks about some of the things that she and her colleagues at ThinkLab are working on, it not just color trends. They really get into the meat of what this industry is. It's about the how's, and the why's, and the how we can make this better. Oh and did I mention...

Naheed's career is filled with hidden gem's, from her time at Kimberly-Clark, to the 13 years she spent on the interiors team at Turner/Warner Media. She talks about what it's like to interface directly with the clients she is working for, how it can be great, and also some of the struggles. We also dive into her time on the IIDA Georgia board and how going above and beyond can help your career...especially if you are just starting out. We hope you enjoy Naheed's 2 cents.

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Olivia Hutchison is a project manager at Colliers International here in Atlanta. She knew at an early age that she wanted to do something in the design field from her time as a kid with a bunch of Lincoln Logs. She has had an interesting path from school to residential design,  commercial, Facilities, and now Project management. Her journey has allowed her to have some great knowledge that has served her well in her career. She has some great take aways that we hope you will enjoy as much as we did. Here is Olivia Hutchison's 2 cents.

W...

We sat down with Patricia Buckner to find out how she found her way into the interior design industry after being a shoe model and a marketing director for a shoe company. We talk a lot about what it means to be a rep in the industry, and what some of those pitfalls might be for someone brand new into that side of the design industry. She also tells us how she became known as the munchkin rep here is Atlanta.

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Nicole Lankford has been a staple of positivity in her role at J and J Flooring. She has had an interesting path from design to sales and in our conversation she pulls back a little more of the curtain and gives some insight into what rep life is like.  She gave us her secret on how to get the corner office.

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Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to building a community of professionals across all facets of interior design and construction.

We are taking a break from our usual pattern and closing out the year with a conversation just between us.  We wanted to share a bit more about our own backgrounds, what aspects of our design educations have stayed with us, and the importance of network. 

We hope you got your 2 cents worth!
Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to building a community of professionals across all facets of interior design and construction.

In this episode, Bryanna Mercer joins us to share the pathway that led her to SCAD and then to KI. Hers is an interesting story because she has had her entire professional experience at one place, and has used the time to help create a position within KI that suits her skills perfectly. She discusses her early realization that she was interested in the vendor role, and how she launched from SCAD to KI. It's a great story that proves the importance of just showing up...sometimes mercilessly early.

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In this episode, we have a very “rubber meets the road” kind of conversation with Catherine LaValley. She takes us on a deep dive into the details of contract furniture as she shares the arc of her career. 

We hope you got your 2 cents worth!
Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to building a community of professionals across all facets of interior design and construction.

Michelle Mielke takes us along her career path, which includes some unexpected moments on the way to becoming a designer specializing in Senior Care.  Join us for insight on this interesting corner of the design world, and see how it all came together for her. 

We hope you got your 2 cents worth!
Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to building a community of professionals across all facets of interior design and construction.

In This Episode...Nujhat Alam takes us on her journey, which starts as a designer at a full scope design firm, and lands as an Occupancy Planner for CBRE.   She talks about the differences from small firm life to large firm life and why the challenge of Occupancy planning became more of a call for her.

We hope you got your 2 cents worth!
Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to building a community of professionals across all facets of interior design and construction.

In This Episode...Wesley Edmonds chats with us about  her evolution from full scope design into furniture sales, ultimately landing the widely renowned OFS Brands.  We also spend some time discussing the potential hazards around acronyms in our industry; watch out for those CD's!

We hope you got your 2 cents worth!
Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to building a community of professionals across all facets of interior design and construction.

Christina Schmitt chats with us about her path to becoming an interior design educator at The Art Institute of Atlanta.  Her story highlights her overlapping scientific and artistic interests, and is very much a tale about having the right boxes checked off for success.

We hope you got your 2 cents worth!
Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to building a community of professionals across all facets of interior design and construction.

Carson Sweet is a rising star at a full scope interior design firm in Atlanta.  In this episode, she shares her insights into her life as a design professional, as well as her experience with involvement in industry organizations.  She has done a tremendous amount of volunteer work with IIDA, and has a lot to say about the value of her experience there.  

We hope you got your 2 cents worth!
Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to building a community of professionals across all facets of interior design and...

Erin Soeters offers a great comparative on her experience at a furniture dealership versus a full-scope design firm.  Our conversation highlights many of the invisible details that designers address in their projects. 

We hope you got your 2 cents worth!
Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to building a community of professionals across all facets of interior design and construction.

Nicolette Pizzoferrato, who is an Account Executive with Tarkett, talks about her entry into the Atlanta design market. She shares some great stories about migrating from the fashion industry to the interiors industry, and talks about her new-found flooring love. Come spend some time with us and her as she takes us from flooring base to first base. What?! Don't worry...she'll explain.

We hope you got your 2 cents worth!
Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to building a community of professionals across all facets of interior design...

Allison is a degreed interior designer who practiced in both retail and corporate design before moving into client representation as a Project Manager.   Her design background coupled with her creative spirit makes her an absolute “knockout” in this role. 

We hope you got your 2 cents worth!
Please click the link and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We look forward to building a community of professionals across all facets of interior design and construction.

Ashley Mile is a Commercial Furniture Sales Rep to the A&D (architecture and design) community in Atlanta.  Her conscientious nature combined with her extensive knowledge of interiors have earned her a stellar reputation in the market.  But, as much of a savvy businesswoman as Ashley is, it's the addition of her effervescent personality that infuses her dealings with an equal balance of work and fun.  Join us as Ashley shares the twists and turns that brought her from small town Tennessee to Atlanta as a designer, and then explains why she made the jump into sales.

Lin...