Designer Society Spotlight

For many Interior Designers, insurance falls into the category of business tasks they know they need to handle, but would rather not spend much time thinking about. Leah Check of DSAinsure understands why.

What if the spaces we create reveal more about who we are than we realize?

In this Designer Spotlight, we sit down with Marie Cloud, founder and principal designer of Indigo Pruitt, to explore how intentional design, identity, and wellness intersect.From the philosophy behind her nationally recognized studio to the launch of blHUEprint, Marie shares how thoughtful interiors can shape the way we live, feel, and connect with our homes.

Whether you're an interior designer, design enthusiast, or simply passionate about creating spaces with purpose, this conversation is filled with thoughtful insights and inspiration.

In this episode of DSA's Designer Spotlight Series, we sit down with award-winning interior designer and writer Nina Lichtenstein to explore the power of thoughtful, wellness-centered design. Nina shares her journey into the design industry, the inspiration behind her work, and how biophilic principles, neuroaesthetics, and a deep connection to nature influence the spaces she creates. We also discuss her experience pursuing professional education and certification through NYIAD, RIDQC, and DSA, along with advice for aspiring designers looking to build confidence and credibility in their careers. Whether you're an established designer or just beginning your professional journey, this conversation is filled with insight, inspiration, and practical wisdom.

From sewing his own curtains in a San Francisco apartment to leading an internationally recognized design firm, Jay Jeffers' journey is anything but ordinary. As the 2026 recipient of the DSA Design 360° Award, his career reflects a rare balance of creativity, business acumen, and industry influence. Step inside his story—and hear directly from Jeffers in our exclusive video feature

"Creative people have to believe in the value of their work. If you don't have any belief, then you can't give anything. Designing is an act of giving, and a belief in the value of the work fuels the desire to express something."

– Peter Saville, Renowned British Art Decorator and Graphic Designer

Being an interior designer and running your own business can be difficult. There are a multitude of responsibilities within the business that can overwhelm you at any given time. But throw in your personal responsibilities, too, and it can simply wear you out. You may find yourself trying to prioritize from a place of chaos, rather than a place of calm and purpose.

This is where someone like Andrea Liebross can come in to help guide you through the processes and strategies to literally coach you back out of the chaos and back into believing in not only yourself, but your business.

"I'm really big about helping people see that belief is just as important as budget, marketing and metrics," says Liebross, a business coach, keynote speaker, author and founder of She Thinks Big. "And they have to believe that things are going to work and going to happen."

Liebross, who started her business coaching firm in 2018 works with a number of professionals, including interior designers.

"I help them shift from being reactive to being strategic, or from being exhausted to being energized, or from being more of an owner/operator to being a leader," she shares. "And when they make those shifts, their margins improve, their timelines kind of calm down, their teams function, and then that designer feels more herself in her business than ever, and I think that sort of belief in action."

We had the pleasure of hearing Liebross speak during the 2025 Fall High Point Market event, so we invited her to share some insight into how she founded her business, her background that led to starting the business and advice she may have for you—our members who have a passion for interior design. Scroll down to learn more.

"A designer must strive to create timeless design. Design that is not subject to trends." – Alberto Alessi, World-Famous Designer and Owner of ALESSI

Imagine walking into a space and not just seeing the incredible care taken to create a home, office, living room or lobby, but also feeling the incredible care taken to design a space.

Interior designers have seen several trends come and go throughout the years (and decades) when it comes to our industry, but Aimee Lopez, founder of the Holistic Interiors Design Community, believes her desire to create holistically designed spaces is a "trend" that's here to stay.

The mission of the Holistic Interiors Design Community is to raise awareness of the influence and role of interior spaces in enhancing our well-being. Lopez says places where clients live, work and learn should be designed with more focus on a healthy lifestyle, meaningful experiences and a personal-centric view.

"If we are connected with ourselves and with the environment, then we can become more conscious about it," she says. "The more we have all of this research available to us, then we can design homes or workspaces where people will people are happier.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Lopez recently, learning more about her 20-year career in the interior design business, as well as her passion to educate others about holistic interior design and it's benefits for clients and designers themselves.

While Benjamin Johnston's main focuses may be interior design and his firm, Benjamin Johnston Design in Houston, he's also an artist, teacher and tastemaker.

And, mostly recently, he added author to the list with the release of his first book, "Refined Interiors: Timeless Homes for Modern Living" by Rizzoli.

"It was fun writing the book and putting into words what hadn't really existed in conversation, thought or in process in the office," he says, "and be able to crystalize and articulate what we did. It was a worthwhile experience."

In this debut book with Rizzoli, Johnston unveils eight recently completed residences that embody his distinctive aesthetic and design philosophies.

"Our entire industry thrives on collaboration, and I'm really excited to be able to have this book that is really a reflection of the incredible contractors, artisans, craftsman and vendors that we had the privilege to work with throughout this process and be able to have something tangible to really show for all that wonderful experience and collaboration together," he adds.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Johnston recently to learn more about his design background and his passion for creativity.

"Give me a museum and I'll fill it." – Pablo Picasso, Spanish Painter, Sculptor and Printmaker World-renowned artist Pablo Picasso, whose works of art have sold for hundreds of millions of dollars, often made this comment when talking about his prolific ability to create. Museums, which are where so many of us have seen some of the most delicate, intricate and studied art pieces in the world, are time capsules for history. They preserve some of the most beautiful things on this planet, and Picasso's pieces are absolutely some of the best. So imagine, if you will, if you had a chance to not only see one of his pieces in person, but to also handle it—albeit delicately—and be tasked with moving it ever so carefully into someone's home and helping hang it in this new space. Well, that's what Operations Manager Mark Paratore and his team atColwright Designer Delivery—a McCorquodale Transfer company—are fortunate to do day in and day out. Described as a white glove moving service, Colwright works with a host of designers, private clients, real estate agents and contractors, delivering top-notch services for everything from a whole-home move to the rearrangement of a single room. "'White glove' at Colwright is about going into a space with a good presence—smile on your face, good rapport—and our expectation is to take our time," Paratore says. "We aren't trying to rush into a home and deliver their items. We want to make it an experience … taking our time to make sure everything is delivered the right way and nothing is damaged." We had the pleasure of interviewing Paratore recently, learning more about the company and how they provide excellent services to clients, especially those in the interior design industry.

In January, Caren Rideau experienced the unimaginable. Her interior design firm of 30-plus years, Kitchen Design Group, burned to the ground in the devastating wildfire that swept through Los Angeles. "Within the first week after the fire, I had about 10 clients tell me that I better not get out of this business," Rideau recalls. "They were depending on me to rebuild. I knew I mattered." About two weeks later, she decided she was—in fact—coming back, although she wasn't quite sure what that was going to look like. In September, Rideau and her team reopened their showroom in Santa Monica, about 5 miles from her previous location in Pacific Palisades. "It's smaller, but that was intentional," she says. "I wanted to be more practical [with the new location], so it's a smaller space. There is one showroom in this location, and it's an operational kitchen. I want this new showroom and 'Chapter 2.0' to reflect more of the things I love, and it kind of encompasses my last book, entertaining, kitchen design and wine." We had the pleasure of interviewing Rideau recently, learning about why she chose interior design and why she chose kitchen design, as well as her book and her collaboration with Gorky Pottery. Full article and video here: https://designviewpoint.dsasociety.org/accidentally-on-purpose-caren-rideau/

By Lindsay Field Penticuff

Carl Dellatore's fifth book for Rizzoli New York, "100 Rooms: Lessons from the Finest Designers on the Art of Home," was released earlier this month.

"I wanted to make a book about practical application," Dellatore says. "You have a subject, but within that subject, I'm giving you some suggestions, advice and information that will concretely inform me and the readers."

Dellatore, who is originally from Pennsylvania but moved to New York City in the 1980s to pursue a career in the arts, has a background in printmaking and textiles. He released his first book, "Interior Design Master Class: 100 Lessons from America's Finest Designers on Art of Decoration," in 2016, and is also a content consultant for the interior and garden design communities.

In his new book, Dellatore features 100 individual designers' remarkable spaces that are broken down by type of room, including Gathering (media and family rooms), Transitional (porches and entryways), Respite (bedrooms and sitting rooms), Entertaining (dining rooms and bars) and Utility (kitchens, baths and mudrooms).

The writing process began nearly two years ago and with between 1,200 and 1,500 rooms that Dellatore hand-selected to consider featuring in the book.

"I wanted to represent as many aesthetic visions as possible—minimalist, maximalist, traditionalist, contemporary—because that's the landscape of design," he says. "But thinking in terms of how do I get to 100 rooms from 1,200 to 1,500, the process at Rizzoli is a bit intense.

"I have an editor, there's a book designer, then there's a marketing team. I bring all the rooms to the table first, then we have preliminary photo editing, so I may in any given meeting bring 250 rooms, and what we're actually looking to get from that is 25.

"The rooms are all different; there's a laundry room, a lacquered bedroom, there are three to four different kinds of kitchens, and each designer has one very specific subject to write about."

Criteria to decide which rooms were included in the book then came down to having a good balance of legendary designers, those who are really well-established in their careers, and then people who are mid-career, and then finally five spots were open to designers Dellatore had maybe never heard of before.

"What I'm looking to do is capture a snapshot in decorative arts history in America at this moment—here we are, a quarter-century in—so, having looked at all these rooms, seeing the prevalent voices and what their aesthetic is I asked, 'How can I come up with 100 rooms that sort of represent where we are right now?' That's what I was looking for! Those decisions are all subjective on some level, but being so entrenched in the community, I sort of have some sense of that."

But Dellatore reminds us that the book isn't just for design professionals.

"One of the things we ask is, 'Is the person in Illinois going to read this and be empowered to make decisions about what they are doing in their own home?'" he adds. "And that brings us back to editing. I wanted [the featured designers] to be expressive, and I wanted people to really say what they meant so they have an organic voice, but I needed to direct that in a way such that someone in Illinois, who doesn't have a design professional in their life, feels empowered by the book. I think that's what makes these kinds of books successful, when there's a takeaway from the audience."

Earlier this month, Dellatore also began working on his sixth book, which he plans to release in spring 2027.

"I've noticed how the modernist designers from the last century continue to influence contemporary design, which inspired my new book 'Contemporary Modernism,'" he shares. "The book explores my observation that many designers today have adopted the idea of creating pared-down spaces—perhaps not strictly minimalist but serving as respites from our frenetic world.

"I've identified about 40 firms so far, but I'm always open to discovering more. If anyone has suggestions for designers or firms I should examine, I'd welcome the recommendations."

After that? Well, Dellatore is already planning to start another garden book, which he hopes to release in spring of 2028.

"When I set out in this career as an author, I said I wanted to produce 10 books," he concludes.

To learn more about Dellatore, you're also invited to follow him on Instagram @carldellatore or visit his website, carldellatore.com. Also, be sure to dive back into his series with DSA, Some Thoughts On…

Many—well most—of us have a natural talent for the work we do in the interior design industry. We remember rearranging and redesigning our childhood bedrooms over and over again. And we practiced that skill in more ways than we can probably count. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty of what makes each of us successful, and aspires us to be successful for those just starting in the industry, it comes down to passion. And that's what designer Melissa Fields discovered was driving her love for interior design at the end of a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force. "Toward the later part of my career is when I really started thinking seriously about getting into design," says Fields, who is Founder, CEO and Principle Designer at Shades of Gray Design Studio in San Antonio, Texas. "I enjoyed my career [in the Air Force] and it was an amazing experience, but I was ready to do what I was absolutely passionate about doing." She opened her firm in 2018 and has been able to utilize a lot of her military experiences and lessons in her work. Scroll to learn more about Fields, the passion that drives her successful business today and the insight she shares if someone in the military is considering a switch to interior design in the future, and be sure to check out the full interview.

Most people don't typically fly by the seat of their pants when starting a business, whether it's launching a new app, opening a bakery or starting a design firm. But many people probably aren't as organized as Cheryl Luckett was when she developed a plan to shift her profession to interior design. Luckett, the principle designer who owns Charlotte, North Carolina-headquartered Dwell by Cheryl, studied family and consumer science, with a concentration in nutrition, at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee. She says it was a dream job, but it just never felt right for her. "After being at a company for 15 years, I just started to feel like I couldn't keep up the charade any longer," Luckett shares. "I was being tapped for opportunities and to climb the corporate ladder, and I just didn't feel right about it." She took a career pivot, of sorts, taking a job that gave her a little more free time to do what she truly loves—interior design—and she ended up taking design classes at a junior college. Luckett knew she wanted to jump into interior design full time, but she also knew she personally would need a successful plan to make that happen. "I wanted to make sure I was well-prepared and positioned for success," she says. "I had a 36-month exit strategy called Project 36. It gave me 36 months to get ready to make that leap, and I think that is what helped me make the leap with complete peace and to feel good about it and to not have that anxiety and nervousness about transitioning from my security' to this wild world of entrepreneurship." Since then,Dwell by Cheryl has grown by leaps and bounds, and she's even been successful at collaborating with top-name brands. We had the pleasure of interviewing Luckett recently, learning about what makes her tick, her advice for transitioning careers and what's it's been like for her to collaborate with major brands in our industry.

"If you don't give the market the story to talk about, they'll define your brand's story for you." —David Brier, Award-Winning Brand Expert and Rebranding Specialist

One of the biggest misconceptions Ericka Saurit—founder of Saurit Creative and Marketing School for Creatives—hears from interior designers is that marketing feels salesy.

However, she believes good marketing can be an educational tool that helps interior designers position themselves as thought leaders, helpers, resources and guides in our industry.

"The more you feel like that's true, the less marketing will feel salesy," she says. "Marketing really isn't about you. It's a conversation. It's all about making sure clients see you as the solution to what they're looking for."

We had the pleasure of interviewing Saurit recently to learn more about her journey in interior design, her Marketing School for Creatives, what strategies she believes interior designers should embrace when looking to gain high-quality clients, evolving trends in digital marketing and much, much more.

[Click here to read the full article and be sure to watch the full video interview!]

"The whole point of collaboration is that you give and take from each other, and that's how you create things that are totally new." – Virgin Abloh, Fashion Designer, Artist and Architect

We often think that we should keep all the good things to ourselves, for fear that sharing success may take away from our success. But when it comes to design, sharing and collaborating with others is incredibly beneficial in the success of a business.

"I am extremely passionate about collaboration," says Jessica Duce, Owner and Principal Designer of JDuce Design and Co-Founder of Vacation Rental Designers. "I truly believe your success comes from rising tides, meaning we all work together."

This is what led to Duce, who has been an interior designer for a little over 20 years, to co-found Vacation Rental Designers, as well as the VRD Summit and Vacation Rental Collective. These three types of design communities offer an abundance of support and resources for designing working in the vacation rental design space.

Congratulations to our 2025 360° Design Award recipient, Alisa Bloom!

Special guest host, Carl Dellatore, sits down with Alisa Bloom Design to talk insights, creativity, and exploration!

Visit https://designviewpoint.dsasociety.org/the-story-behind-the-style-meet-alisa-bloom-2025-designer-360-award-winner/ to read the article and see her work!

Welcome to Life by Design with Paloma Contreras!

The Designer Society of America continues this digital series, Life by Design, which features in-depth conversations with designers and industry professionals. Today's interviewee, Paloma Contreras, is an acclaimed designer based out of Houston, Texas.

Paloma's design aesthetic offers a contemporary interpretation of traditional style, leaning towards classic silhouettes and enduring pieces. Infused with a touch of glamor and a burst of color, her designs strike a harmonious balance between timeless elegance and a refreshing modernity. Paloma's interiors are a seamless blend of enduring sophistication, meticulous attention to detail, and a thoughtful consideration of the interplay between form and function, enriching the experience of a well-lived life.

Be sure to check out her new book, The New Classic Home: Modern Meets Traditional Style, and shop at Paloma & Co. Stay updated and learn more about her through her website and Instagram.

Find her book: https://a.co/d/8NUtXEU

Find her shop: https://shoppalomaandco.com

Find her website: https://www.palomacontreras.com

Find her instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palomacontr...

Welcome to Life by Design with Carl Dellatore!

The Designer Society of America continues this digital series called Life by Design, which features in-depth conversations with designers and industry professionals. Today's interviewee, Carl Dellatore, is also starting a series with DSA's monthly newsletter called "Some Thoughts On…" where he shares ideas, experiences and a different perspective on the interior design world. Carl Dellatore has more than three decades of experience in New York's design industry. He has established his work in textile design, as a workroom owner, and as a leader in content development through his work in shelter publications. Dellatore has produced four books for Rizzoli New York, including best-sellers Interior Design Master Class and Garden Design Master Class. A fifth book is in the works!

To learn more about him, check out Carl's consultancy and Instagram.

Welcome to LIFE BY DESIGN with Benni Frowein! Benni Frowein Schumacher CEO at F. Schumacher & Co. UK Designer Society of America has launched a new digital series called LIFE BY DESIGN that will feature in-depth conversations with designers and industry professionals, highlighting the unique missions and stories that make up the fabric of our DSA community. Benni (Benjamin) Frowein grew up in Hamburg, Germany. Already as a child, he loved helping his mother redecorate the house. Instead of following his passion, he moved to Madrid to study business administration. After graduating, he joined the Boston Consulting Group – the world's largest strategy consulting firm. For almost a decade, he worked in Europe, South Africa, China, and Brazil on company transformations before he decided to finally follow his heart. In early 2016, he joined the famous American Design House, Schumacher as the President of the brand. Together with the team, he brought the 132-year-old company, Schumacher, to the 21st century by digitizing the customer experience and putting a strong emphasis on original designs. He now is CEO of Europe and the Middle East with the mission of expanding the iconic brand and bringing Schumacher back to it its original origin - where it all began in 1889.

Victor D'Angelo and Leah Check with PenEx VillaNOVA Insurance

Join us as we ask tough questions about insurance for interior designers and home stagers.

If something goes wrong on a job and you experience a considerable loss, what would you do? What do you think you should do? Do you know who you should call first? Should subcontractors working on your projects carry workman's comp? This is when VillaNOVA Insurance Partners, which manages DSAinsure Insurance and Risk Management for the Designer Society of America (DSA) under the program name PenEx, comes into play. They cut out the middleman, saving you money and providing you direct access to a team who cares.

DSAinsure offers insurance for interior designers, stagers, kitchen designers and professional organizers. With nearly 20 years of experience, the PenEx team delivers, and DSAinsure is ready to step in and support your business.

"We have a whole risk management team that is staffed with lawyers, risk managers, and claims adjusters who do risk management," says Victor D'Angelo, COO of VillaNOVA. "This means we create tools like service agreements and subcontractor agreements specifically for interior designers to keep them out of trouble and to make sure that they don't get into situations where claims arise."

Contact PenEx and complete a DSAinsure application online, or contact Leah Check at (877) 438-7369, ext. 226, or lcheck@novainsurancepartners.com. And we encourage you to compare coverage prices.

"There is so much to protect while carefully curating your clients' functional and aesthetic needs; having a team looking out for you and protecting your assets is essential," says Natasha Younts, DSA Founder.

Enjoy this interview with the DSAinsure team, and hear answers to our questions during a Q&A with VillaNOVA's COO!

Welcome to Life by Design with Noel Gatts!

The Designer Society of America, as well as Natalie Papier, Principal Designer at HOME EC., and Arthur Kade Kamelot Productions, interviewed Noel Gatts, HGTV's breakout star, on what's important to her as an interior designer and what are some of her goals. Noel Gatts, Principal Designer, has had the opportunity to creatively serve a myriad of clients since launching her company, Beam & Bloom Interiors. In a short time, she has earned recognition and awards for service and design and is now a Designer/Host on HGTV with her buddy featured on Home Inspector Joe, Joe Mazza, in a new hour-long renovation show. For a bit of back story, Noel and her husband began their NYC adventure as touring singers and actors, but once their second, then a third child, came along, it was no longer the lifestyle for them. Fortunate to have the funds, the support and a healthy family, Noe's family purchased their three-bedroom 1941 colonial fixer-upper in the lively and quaint Brookdale neighborhood of Bloomfield, New Jersey. Thus, the home design adventure began! The mission? To create "heart + home + harmony" for her clients and community.

To learn more about her style, check out Noel's Instagram.