[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:04] Speaker B: Hi. Today on the Interior Collective podcast, I'm sitting down with Erica Vasilotti and Dana Bergman Falcion, co founders of Bergman Boss. Erica and Dana's work sits at the intersection of interior design, product development and brand building. And in today's episode we are diving deep into what it really looks like to expand beyond services and into physical product.
We'll be talking about the business realities of developing a furniture and rug line, from early concepting and manufacturing decisions to financial risk, pricing and long term brand strategy. Erica and Dana also share how growing a product arm has influenced the way they run their studio, how they think about visibility in a crowded market, and why investing in a new studio space was a non optional move.
If you've ever considered launching a product line, scaling your brand beyond just client work, or building a studio that supports where your business is going, not just where it has been, this conversation is for you.
This season is presented by laloy, makers of rugs, pillows and wall art collections that are grounded in ethical production, innovative craft and meticulous design. Learn more about Laloy by visiting their website loloy rugs.com that's L O L O I rugs.com and follow Loy Rugs on Instagram and TikTok.
Are you running your design firm with a patchwork of tools? Materio brings it all into one intuitive system. Finally, try it free getmaterial.com and get 50% off your first month as an Interior Collective listener. That's G E T M A T E r I o.com hello ladies and welcome to the show. It is so great to have you. You did just, you did just spill and tell me this is your first podcast and I cannot be more honored to have you as your first podcast. I'm sure this will not be your last.
[00:01:57] Speaker C: Thank you. We're really honored to be here. Thanks for asking us.
[00:02:00] Speaker B: I am so excited to dig into really this empire you've been building and expanding your revenue streams and just your creative talents and like all the things that your hands can be in as an interior designer. And you two have done it so well. In addition to what I feel like is such an incredible challenge that you two have mastered just being a team and being a duo as creatives. So to really kick things off for listeners who may not be familiar with y' all yet, can you go ahead and give us a quick overview of Bergman Voss and how the what the kind of work you're focusing on today from a creative client perspective is first?
[00:02:42] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:02:43] Speaker C: We are. Bergman Voss is A luxury residential interior design firm.
I have been in the business on my own for about 25 years and Erica joined me a little over five years ago to, you know, bring some fresh perspective to the business.
And we do most of our work is in the Philadelphia area, in the suburbs, the beach close by.
We've recently started to do work in Florida, Chicago, Santa Fe. So our reach has definitely grown in the last few years.
[00:03:20] Speaker B: Amazing. Okay, so then talk to me about what. We'll get into it really in depth. But then aside from clients, what else are you working on as a studio there?
[00:03:35] Speaker A: Yeah, we are just trying to expand and brand Bergman Voss as more than just an interior design firm.
We're super interested in product development and product line launches, as you can tell. We have our new furniture line and our rug line that we just launched. But we're really trying to be seen as more of a lifestyle brand and someone that you can come to to not only just get interior design advice, but advice across a lot of different industry related items. So we're working on that.
[00:04:09] Speaker B: Amazing. I can't wait to talk about like how that actually all comes together.
But for a basic understanding, we ask everyone. I'd love to know who's currently on your team, how many people there are and what that company structure is like, what type of support staff you have. Is it the two of you mastering everything? What does that look like?
[00:04:28] Speaker C: So Erica and I are partners. I am the principal and Eric is the creative partner. Although we do both work extremely hand in hand on every project.
We have someone who is full time procurement.
We have two junior designers and we recently hired an architect. We also have a part time to full time person who does all of our soft goods bedding, who has, you know, excellent taste and experience in the retail industry and an office manager.
[00:05:02] Speaker B: So yeah, yeah, that's a big team. I'm so fascinated that you just brought on an architect. Is the architect you brought on specifically for architectural interiors or can a client come to you and have full architecture services as well as interior design services as well?
[00:05:20] Speaker C: I don't think our plan is to have her be an architect of record.
I studied architecture and that was the route I went, but it's just too much for me to handle.
So we brought her into really. She's amazing at detailing the work drawings. She just knows all the nuts and bolts of how to detail the house to the level that we like to detail it. So she's a great asset.
[00:05:49] Speaker B: That is so amazing. So your architect that you brought on is doing all of your technical drawings?
[00:05:55] Speaker C: Pretty much, yes.
[00:05:57] Speaker B: And that's actually so brilliant because it helps to delineate what I have heard from our guests on the show and just our clients that the technical drawing person who's tasked with that often wants to be doing actual design work. And this could actually be a really great key that their specialty isn't the technical work and not necessarily looking to pick swatches and had the soft goods as much.
[00:06:23] Speaker C: Exactly, yes. She's definitely focused on that. Although, you know, she does design as far as making decisions about detailing and that kind of thing. So it's very collaborative.
[00:06:35] Speaker B: Okay, let's talk about bringing on a partner, because it's been about five years, you said. So I'm so curious as to how your role has changed since bringing on the creative partner and what really made you feel like this was the time to do so well, five years ago.
[00:06:54] Speaker C: Well, I had pretty much worked solo, flying by the seat of my pants as I raised two young children.
And I established this really wonderful clientele and was all word of mouth. I never had a website. I didn't dabble in social media.
And then Erica, you know, approached me and to see she was at the time working for a large retail company doing their styling for their home magazine, home catalog.
And she approached me just because she had a passion for interiors and she was local and she thought, hey, do you need any help styling? And I just happened to be finally doing a photo shoot to create this first website.
And I said, yeah, you know, definitely.
Sure, I'll come and meet me. So she did. And we honestly immediately clicked. And just that first photo shoot was organized and professional and all the things that I was lacking because I never went the corporate route.
So she quickly became, you know, my assistant. I asked her if she would leave her job and, you know, leap of faith and join me, which she did. And that's, you know, it's. It's. It's just been from there.
[00:08:14] Speaker A: Yeah. And kind of how Dana and I work together, it's evolved over time because initially I started out as her assistant and kind of this apprentice in the world of interior design, which was so new to me.
And we, we kind of make this really interesting blend because Dana comes from, you know, 25 years of experience in interior design, but also has this amazing architectural background. And I have a very retail and styling focused background with a little bit of business exposure from starting my career in corporate.
So our day to day, it's sort of divided in the sense that Dana manages more of the architectural and the construction side and I kind of handle the creative and the logistical.
But Dana loves the creative as well. And we love working together because I think with Bergen Voss, it's really a blend of like the traditional and fresh interpretations. And that really requires both me and Dana to be really hands on in the creative process. So we're really excited to have that architect because it's going to take some of the load off of Dana and allow us to have more of those opportunities to be creative together. Because as you know, when the business grows, kind of your daily responsibilities grow. And now we're like managing a team half of the day and not just doing what we love all the time.
[00:09:37] Speaker B: Totally. You're. You're running the business of managing people. Absolutely. I love that it kind of was kismet. It was that you weren't even seeking a partner or an apprentice even at that point. And it just was the right fit. I think for so many partnerships, someone wants to launch with a partner because they feel like, oh, I'll have someone to go through this with. And I think that that's a option. But it's really encouraging and inspiring to hear that. It was really someone coming to you and being like you, being open to accepting that. Dana, I think that that's really beautiful.
[00:10:13] Speaker C: Well, you know, I was at the point in my life too where my children were grown and I, all those years I had always, you know, looked at magazines and thought, why can't, you know, why aren't I in with these? My work is really good, and it's because I never marketed or put myself out there. So Erica sort of made those dreams come true by focusing on, you know, on all of that for us.
[00:10:36] Speaker B: So last kind of technical question, we'll get out of the way as far as how the studio is set up. And it's just so helpful for everyone that we have on the show to answer. How do you currently charge for your interior design services? Do you practice a flat fee? Are you hourly? Are you combination or some other brilliant idea that I have not come across yet?
[00:10:57] Speaker C: We are hourly. We are hourly by, you know, different rates for the different employees or partners. And we also do a commission on purchasing.
[00:11:09] Speaker B: Perfect. Got it.
[00:11:10] Speaker C: Very cut and dry. Very simple.
[00:11:12] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:11:13] Speaker B: Very clean, easy to follow.
Okay, let's go ahead and start talking product development because I know that that's what we want to focus about today.
So at what point from bringing Erica on and having your first photo shoot, did you get to. Okay, let's go ahead and launch product lines as far as furniture and now a rug line as well. How did that move from this like, someday big Oprah sized dream to where it's a real business decision? We're getting started.
[00:11:42] Speaker C: Anastasia. It really was not as, you know, deliberate as it might seem. We came across a wonderful furniture maker in Connecticut who, because we went to him for a custom table and we just loved his work and loved him and we designed some unique pieces for client projects that we had him make beautifully. And as Erica says, it was just kind of opportunistic that we. She said, let's take pictures of these and launch a furniture line. So it was really as simple as that.
[00:12:21] Speaker B: Boom. Let's get it done. I love it. Okay. Erica, I'm sure that there was, behind the scenes, more to it.
[00:12:28] Speaker A: Well, I, I think that the difference between a like good and a great business owner is the ability to see opportunity within your business, especially opportunity that already exists and that you can monopolize on with a low financial risk, but with a high potential outcome and reward. And I think, you know, to Dana's point, we were already designing really beautiful elevated furniture. And I was kind of went to Dana and was like, you know, we've been talking about, you know, creating sort of a point of view for Bergman Vaas. And when we initially launched the website, we did that through our collected page, which was a curated assortment of items that Dana and I found that were vintage and that were really beautiful. And we wanted to kind of have a perspective on what we liked in terms of lighting and furniture. And that was kind of the infancy of, like, the idea of having some sort of product.
But when we started diving so deep into custom furniture because we really started doing it for everyone, it just naturally felt like a great opportunity to create a product line. And I think the real beauty of it is that while it wasn't set out from the beginning as our intention, I think it speaks to the, you know, presence and the curated aesthetic of Bourbon Boss that these items were able to be made into one line even though it wasn't the initial intention.
[00:14:06] Speaker B: I know that there's so many designers who are listening that are doing custom pieces for their clients, but the concept of, okay, have an actual furniture line that sounds really, really big and from other people I've spoken to. It can be somewhat simpler when you have a maker that you really love that is able to produce things as needed. Talk to us about production.
[00:14:31] Speaker A: Yeah, I think to speak to Dana's point is we. It all really started with finding the perfect partner. So tomorrow kind of inspired us, in a sense, to really delve into custom furniture more because he was really creative and willing to try anything. And we had really particular clients who were looking down to the shape of the leg or, you know, the harsh corners that they maybe didn't like on a piece, or, you know, they wanted certain beautiful hardware on a piece. And having Tom's partnership and his willingness to try anything and really be creative with us inspired us to not kind of be fearful of custom furniture at all, since he was so ambitious and excited with us.
[00:15:16] Speaker B: So does your. Does your furniture collection primarily sell to your own studio, to your clients, or how. How do you handle people wanting to purchase it who aren't necessarily working with you?
[00:15:29] Speaker A: So I think our intention was to just get our foot out, like our foot in the door when it came to product development.
So the current furniture line is really marketed toward trade and our clientele because the price point is a little higher, with the intention that eventually it would lead to further partnerships that could be priced for a broader market.
[00:15:53] Speaker B: Let's talk about the financial weight of this. As you were saying, Erica, the strength of a great business owner is being able to see where there's opportunity and things that you're already producing. And so what sort of financial investment was really required for you to say, okay, we're already producing these individually for our clients.
We want to go ahead and create a line. What type? I mean, you don't need to give exact numbers, of course, but what type of investment was due up front to make this become something that you could sell?
[00:16:26] Speaker A: So we were super lucky in terms of the actual product. Didn't really cost us a ton. I mean, yes, there were, like, shipping of samples and prototypes and things like that that cost us money, but those were just day to day things that were expenses. Anyway, since we were developing this custom furniture, the financial risk outside of that was very minimal. But I will say we were having a very ambitious year. We hired three employees that year.
We hired a PR agent, and, you know, Dana kind of supported all of my, you know, risk and being like, let's spend money, let's invest. We're gonna grow. You just have to trust the process.
But it still costs money to, you know, get these things into a studio, get them shot, create, you know, a website that was for, you know, set up for selling products. That took time and investment. So there was an investment piece. It wasn't massive, luckily. I would say it was probably honestly only around $10,000. When all was said and done of what we had to spend, to really get this on the site and get it all photographed. But that being said, amongst everything else we were doing, it was financially ambitious. But I really feel like us getting our foot in the door in product development is what's going to lead to, you know, it'll be the foundation for really exciting and, you know, lucrative opportunities for Bergman boss a few years from now.
[00:18:00] Speaker B: So logistically, everything of course, is made to order. So the, the overhead is, as you said, really more on the marketing side of things and not necessarily on the product side of things. How, how did you work with your, your workroom, with your craftsperson to handle potential workload fluctuations? Like, do you essentially just get a turnaround time when someone's ready to place an order and you just give the client that turnaround time? Or did you have to come up with some sort of agreement that says we're saying six to eight weeks or 12 to 16 weeks, and so we really need to make sure that you can actually produce these pieces in that timeline.
[00:18:40] Speaker C: Well, I think any designer who, you know, deals in custom furniture, whether it's from Bergman Voss or from one of the, you know, high end vendors in the D and D, they realize that it's a lengthy process. No matter what, there's samples that have to be made, there's approvals.
So our maker can handle those lead times.
[00:19:04] Speaker B: What about sampling? So like you said, you're currently exclusively to the trade and to your own clients. For people who are listening that would love to order from you, what does sampling look like? Or what's the best way to go about participating in that to get to see how beautiful your product is?
[00:19:23] Speaker C: Probably at this point it would be once an order is placed. I mean, Erica, we haven't even talked about this, but once an order is, you know, the sample process could, could begin and our, our maker would, you know, provide samples.
[00:19:38] Speaker A: Yeah, we have samples in the studio of anything for the furniture line that's on our site. We have those exact finishes that we can send out.
But what I love about the fact that everything's made to order is we can really do everything in any finish that you could dream of. We can change the size of it. That's the real advantage of being made to order and not stocked is that we can really cater to other interior designers or clients that want to, you know, dream big and maybe they want their, you know, item to be a smaller version or a larger version or in a different color. So we would definitely have sort of a sampling fee for a more custom piece. And work with it that way.
[00:20:21] Speaker B: Amazing. Dana, can you tell me about the catalog of products? So what did you first try out? Like, I know that you said you found your partner making a beautiful custom table. What has that expanded to and what are you really excited about in the catalog?
[00:20:38] Speaker C: The first piece that we, we did that we really were very, very custom was the tooled wood armoire.
That was inspired by a piece of mid century furniture that, you know, just wasn't available and, or in that size. Our client wanted a beautiful piece for her bathroom to hold her towels and bath accessories.
So we worked with Tom to create this tooling, this wall on walnut wood and, you know, did very, very custom bespoke hardware, little violin turns for the knobs.
And, you know, again, this client particularly pushed us because she was so specific about every detail that it really, you know, came out just so beautiful. And all the proportions are just perfect.
And the finish itself with the tooled walnut, it's bleached walnut that's been tooled is, is quite beautiful. So I think that is, you know, that was our first piece and I think it's one of the most beautiful pieces in our line.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: What other categories are currently in the line? I know you have big, big dreams of what and plans of what's coming out next, but that's an armor piece. What other types of case goods are you doing? Any upholstery? What all can we expect from the collection?
[00:22:01] Speaker A: Yeah, so we have a nightstand, we have a cabinet that can serve as a buffet or a media cabinet or a dresser.
We also have side table, an entryway table that could also serve as a dining table if you'd like it to.
We do want to expand more, possibly do a larger dining table counter stools, just because we find difficulty every day finding beautiful counter stools. So we'd love to have a counter stool and possibly a dining chair just to kind of round out the collection fully.
We do have a chair that I do want to launch soon that is upholstered. It has like a scalloped bottom, and it could serve as a vanity chair or a dining chair.
So we're looking at possibly doing that, but we just have to find the right partner for the upholstery end to be able to manufacture this regularly, because initially we made it with someone local and we want to make sure that when manufacturing that it's realistic and we have the right partner in place.
[00:23:08] Speaker B: Absolutely. Okay, let's talk margins, because you're just such a beautiful example of how feasible it is conceptually to Make a product that you designed available in the custom made to order model.
So when you're working exclusively in the trade, how are you pricing your products that you're selling when you're working with Tom? And then what kind of margin or markup are you seeing your trade partners produce when they're selling to their clients?
[00:23:43] Speaker A: I mean, typically, we work, we mark our product up 20%, and that's what we've been doing with our furniture line.
I think as we see growth with the furniture line, we do anticipate bringing those production prices down and making that margin a little larger, which is a conversation I've had with Tom in terms of if we bring him more demand, obviously our costs will go down. And when we have a look of, okay, we're selling this many of these a year, this is what our demand's looking like. This is where he could cut back. So those conversations are in the works.
You know, we're hoping to see the furniture line on the expert this year. So that's a big goal of ours and something we're working toward. So if that happens, obviously the opportunity for the demand for the furniture line could significantly increase and help with those margins. Ideally, furniture margin should be around 50%, even in luxury furniture, which we are not at currently, but it's definitely a goal.
[00:24:51] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
Okay, so let's talk about brand strategy and market positioning, because, Erica, it's amazing to see what you're taking from Dana's vision and really her experience and how you're creating a vision of like, okay, how do we market this? How do we put this on a bigger stage?
And so how do you feel developing the product line is going to continue to influence the way you think about branding for investors as a whole?
[00:25:22] Speaker A: Yeah, I think kind of. I touched upon this a little bit earlier.
I don't just see us as interior designers. I see us as more lifestyle branding experts and kind of going across multi facets of this industry.
Designing furniture, designing rugs, potentially, it would be a dream. Me and Donna have discussed about partnering with some bigger brands and doing a lighting line or something along the lines of that. And I think, you know, when I. When Dana and I initially concepted Berkman Voss, we knew that maybe we wanted to have an antique store or some sort of furniture perspective again to create this sort of point of view.
And, you know, I think it showcases more than just, okay, this is interior design. These are our beautiful projects. But it shows that, no, we actually are experts in product development, and we, you know, we are Stylists. And we know so much about so many different things, soft goods and, you know, pillows and things like that that maybe not every interior designer dives so deep into.
So I love that the furniture line is kind of building upon that sort of knowledge base and foundation of our. Our business. And I think I'm a big dreamer and a doer. And Dana is definitely just so knowledgeable in the industry. And I think when you combine her knowledge and her experience. Experience and her relationships, which have been so advantageous to all of these opportunities, like the furniture line, like, we were able to start that because of her relationship with Tom.
I think that, yeah, from. From all those things and that combination, we've really been able to sort of start this amazing brand that is so much more than just interior design.
[00:27:25] Speaker C: I do want to be careful, though, because I think the word brand sometimes is used incorrectly. Although Eric and I definitely want to have a look.
We are primarily, I think, artists who are also service.
You know, we service our clients.
So it's a real interesting balance between your artistry and then your service,
[00:27:55] Speaker A: and
[00:27:56] Speaker C: our clients want really unique things.
So I don't think our look, our brand is one, you know, where you see a lot of interior design firms right now doing sort of one look and repeating it, which is great. But for us, I don't think our brand is that tight of a look.
[00:28:13] Speaker B: Dana, that's so interesting. I was just going to ask you about this.
When you're thinking of your ultimate goals of getting a brick and mortar of some sort and having the product lines and potential partnerships, is your ultimate goal, having been the founder of the company, to get more eyes on your work and your artistry, to then have more clients, or is it actually possibly the reverse, and it's to have revenue streams to allow you to be more selective with the number of clients you have?
[00:28:48] Speaker C: That's exactly it. I mean, I think I started developing a clientele right at the beginning of, you know, when I started, when I left the firm I was with and started on my own. And it's turned into a really amazing clientele.
I think that Eric and I. I mean, I know that Eric and I want to be able to continue down that road and be selective about which clients we, you know, do work for. Clients that really understand us and get us and allow us the freedom do what we do best. So the, you know, passive income is definitely just icing on the cake.
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[00:30:11] Speaker B: This spring, Laloy is headed back to High Point Market with so many new introductions, including a debut rug collection that's made with a groundbreaking new construction along with a beautiful spring season from Rifle Paper company. They're also hosting exclusive High Point events in their showroom, including one with designer Amber Lewis. If you haven't already, book your High point
[email protected] l o l o I rugs.com and make sure to follow Laloy Rugs on Instagram, Instagram and TikTok of a studio of your size. What's a really good sweet spot for the number of projects you all are managing at one point?
[00:30:44] Speaker C: I think now with the addition of the architect I think we could handle maybe 10.
[00:30:50] Speaker A: Erica is that, yeah, that's pretty, pretty standard to where we're comfortable being because we, we really want our clients to have a lot of FaceTime with me and Dana we are very hands on on every project and we handle most of the client facing meetings. So we, no matter how big we grow, we want to make sure that we are still able to offer our clients that really intimate relationship that you know, we're getting to know them on a very personal level and they're inviting us into, you know, the honor of designing their beautiful homes and we, we want to preserve that sanctity and not over saturate ourselves with too many clients.
[00:31:34] Speaker B: Dana, you mentioned how you don't really see yourself as having like a very specific signature style and it's more a level of service and creativity that's your signature.
When you are producing your custom furniture line, does a, does a piece start. I know you gave that example of that beautiful or more does a piece start as something that was custom for a CL and then maybe you tweak and that ends up into the collection or are you making things specifically for the collection that finds its way into a client's project later? And what I mean by that is I, I feel like there are people listening who feel like if something was designed for a client specifically like you said, to those exact dimensions and their exact tastes, does it make sense for that to now be available in a collection of product that someone else could have?
[00:32:29] Speaker A: Or.
[00:32:29] Speaker B: And how do you kind of balance what's still can be bespoke and what can also be produced as a collection in the future?
[00:32:38] Speaker C: That's. That's a great question.
And we did go to our clients who we, we did everything for a, a project or for a client, which doesn't mean that any new product will be, you know, designed just for the collection. But for this instance, we did, you know, talk to the clients about what, what our plan was and they were very supportive of, of us. And you know, just because someone has the same piece doesn't mean it's put together in the room the same way. So
[00:33:10] Speaker B: in such a saturated market right now, just because things are so visible right now, with social media and everything, things are very accessible.
What do you believe helps your company stand out both as a studio and also as a product line? You mentioned a few times, Erica, having this point of view and being able to share this point of view. And I've noticed you, you've said it very much in physical three dimensional spaces is the way you're describing your point of view not as much from a digital landscape. So what do you feel like you're really working to put out there that's unique in that point of view? In something that feels like, you know, everyone's launching a book and they've opened a brick and mortar? I'd love to hear what you feel makes, makes Bergman Voss so uniquely special.
[00:34:02] Speaker A: Where it really lies. The, the, you know, what makes me and Dana stand out is actually our partnership and the fact that we come from a generational age gap. So Dan has been doing this a lot longer than I have. I come with a little bit more of a fresher, different perspective than her. And it's that blend, I think, that's really unique, not only locally with other designers in our area, but also just in the industry in general.
This sort of partnership with the general generational age gap and then also our diverse backgrounds. So Dan is architectural background and my retail and styling background. We hear so often from our clients that they find it really refreshing that we can finish a project and really add that styling layer at the end. And I think also our ability to kind of look at a project from a more architectural perspective. I think those things are advantages when it comes to interior design for our business. And then I think that they have influenced the other things that we've touched, such as our furniture line. Like, I think our furniture line has a really unique look and feel.
Yeah, it's really sculptural. It's about material. Dana and I's design work in general has a real respect to the environment and a less is more perspective.
And I think that the furniture line really represents that.
[00:35:33] Speaker B: The generational partnership is super interesting. As you spell that out, I'm like, yeah, I can't actually think of very many studios that have a true partnership and division of responsibility as yours. I'd love to dig into that a little bit more. And, Dana, again, I think it says so much about you to be open and welcoming to that situation.
How. How has it felt off boarding so much of what you've created over 25 years? And how do you. How do you manage that and feel really confident in that and not feel like you're losing a piece of.
[00:36:21] Speaker C: Well, I think when I. When I first left school and was working as an architect, the reason I went into interiors is because I was not finding that creative outlet. And I'd always be down in the interiors department looking at all their samples and fabrics and everything. And then I left and started working for an interior designer.
So I definitely needed that, like, tactile, more creative part of what interiors allows.
And then after, as I said, when I was doing it for so many years and I was kind of doing everything, I think by the time I met Erica, you know, you get to a point where you're a little bit tired of, you know, some of it.
[00:37:05] Speaker A: Exactly. Right, right.
[00:37:07] Speaker C: And so, yeah, when Erica came along, I mean, I'm very passionate about what I do, what we do, but I definitely am more about making the space,
[00:37:20] Speaker A: making
[00:37:22] Speaker C: the millwork and the walls and the hardware. I'm really very much passionate about that. So when Erica came along and I trusted her. I mean, she really, from the get go, I trusted her taste, I trusted her style. I definitely, you know, I think I taught her a little bit more about what my style was.
And, yeah, it was really just trust and knowing that she had had a great eye, that I was like, oh, yes, please come and work with me. And, you know, well, and I. I
[00:37:57] Speaker A: think what's really unique about me and Dana is we don't lead with ego.
We both know each other's strengths and each other's weaknesses, and we're not embarrassed by them. Like, I don't have a technical background. Dana has an amazing technical background. And we just.
We play into our strengths and weaknesses, and we respect each other. So much so I think it makes the partnership work really well.
And Dana did influence my style so greatly, along with other mentors from my past. And my style just kept evolving. And Dana brought in so many amazing, influential other designers into my life, which influenced both of our work. And I think that when we, you know, took the leap of faith and started Bergman Voss and rebranded our website once Dana saw the newfound trust that our clients all of a sudden had in us from kind of enhancing our digital landscape, our social media, our beautiful website, our product photography. I mean, our portfolio photography and the product photography, I think it gave her that further confidence. I mean, I'm not speaking for you, Dana, but I just know from our.
That it gave that sort of, you know, confidence. And, okay, we're. We're doing this together, and we're doing it right, and the clients are responding to it, and they're responding to our partnership so well, and it just. It really gave birth to such a beautiful relationship.
[00:39:28] Speaker C: Well said.
[00:39:29] Speaker B: So I feel like where Dana, there's probably so many people listening that are where you were five years ago that they've been doing this for a long time. They've had an amazing career. They have incredible clients. They might not have their website yet, or they do, and maybe it's ready to be refreshed, but the concept of trust and trusting, you know, a different generation with your baby, the trust is where I feel people can get really caught up on.
What advice do you have for letting go of the ego a little bit? And it's not even necessarily always an egotistical person, but the concept that this is something that I've created and I have this trust with my clients, I'm protecting them, like the weariness of trust.
What advice do you have for someone to say, you know, these are the areas that getting your feet wet with a partner or with bringing in, you know, new talent can be a bit safer to earn that additional trust for the bigger things.
[00:40:41] Speaker C: You know, honestly, communication and being honest with one another is.
Is just the main priority if you're going to do something like this. I mean, Eric and I have had a lot of tough conversations.
We try not to take things personally. You know, we're not those women who are drama, have drama or create drama.
[00:41:14] Speaker A: We.
[00:41:15] Speaker C: We like each other.
We, as Erica said, we respect each other. But I do think communication, I mean, yeah, I mean, I brought a lot of the clientele over the years to, you know, to the partnership, but Erica alleviates so much stress from me that it all balances out. You Know, but I definitely think that you just have to be really honest with each other and communicate and have those hard conversations
[00:41:51] Speaker B: in your incredible moment of growth that you are both experiencing right now. You're also in the process of opening a new studio space, so let's dig into that. What prompted that decision? What made you say, you know, we've outgrown our existing conditions and we're ready for the next. The next phase?
[00:42:12] Speaker C: Well, we lost our lease, so that was, that was the main driver. But we had outgrown. We really had outgrown the space.
So it was one of those things that we weren't expecting it. It wasn't fun.
It's been a little chaotic to try to stay working while transitioning your studio, but I think at the end of the day, it's, It's. It's going to be really great for our whole team.
[00:42:39] Speaker B: What.
How do you feel a physical studio is part of your business strategy and not just a place to work? You guys have your eyes on the prize in a few different lanes. And so where does the new studio really fit into that, besides, out of literal necessity, has been. You lost your lease?
[00:43:02] Speaker A: Well, I think I. So I had worked in the Philadelphia Navy Yard previously, and when Dana and I had to embark on this new journey to finding the right place to have our new studio, it was overwhelming because we were on a tight, tight time constraint. And I, I looked up these old admiral houses that I remembered from working at anthropology that were right along the water and kind of reminded me of Dana, honestly.
Dana grew up on the water.
She loves the White House.
And I just, I knew that we were leaving Our. Our studio was in Gladwin, which was a very intimate and like, personal goal for Dana for a long time. And I knew it was going to be emotional leaving. And I think where we were headed was so beautiful and peaceful. So when I brought her there and she saw it and felt that feeling, that connection, really, it hit home that it was the right place to start our new studio. And I think that really leads into what I hope our clients see when they come and experience the place is that there is just this, like, amazing feeling when you get there, the connection to the water and just this beautiful old home that we've renovated.
And we're hoping that they feel that sense of connection and a real experience of what it's like to be in a Bergman boss home and, and see a space that we fully renovated and furnished and where they can hands on, you know, touch, feel and experience.
Yeah. A burgman Boss home. So it wasn't intentional to. To move, but we really, it was a lot, a lot of work, but it really feels meant to be and kind of like fate and like the perfect place found us and hopefully our clients feel the same.
[00:44:58] Speaker B: Does your studio, does the team pretty much always work from the studio? Do you have, like, in office days and then from home days? Obviously you're on site a lot. Of course.
But what do you really see the new studio representing from like a team perspective?
[00:45:14] Speaker C: Well, we have a lot more space. We renovated it in such a way that we all sort of have views of each other. And by the way, like, every window you look out of, you see the water. It's the Delaware river. So it's really beautiful. The light is amazing.
We work in the studio. I'm not a really. I'm not an advocate of work from home. We do let everyone work from home on Fridays, but I just think it's too much of a collaborative process to work from home.
So, yeah, the studio, we were in there, we've only been there two weeks. It's still a little bit of a work in progress, but I think everyone's really, really happy and it's felt really good. The energy is really good.
[00:45:56] Speaker B: So exciting. Congratulations on two weeks in the new space.
Will. Will clients and other designers, will they be able to come in and see product in person? Is there going to be a piece from the colle in the studio that someone could experience?
[00:46:12] Speaker A: Yeah, well, our. So our relationship with our furniture maker is so amazing that he helped us design a lot of pieces for the studio in the finishes that we offer the furniture line in. So our desk is made of the beautiful burl wood on the Roman side tables.
Our design island is made of the lacquer material that the row, the rowan row cabinet is in.
So I think it'll be really great because you're going to be able to come into the studio and see the finishes on a piece of furniture, see his craftsmanship and all of that. So it will be very representative of the line walking in the studio.
[00:46:52] Speaker B: Okay, I know we're getting close to hitting time, so I have a few rapid fire questions I want to get through with you ladies.
How has adding a whole product arm to the business change your internal systems, your workflows, or team responsibilities? So when you're looking to venture into the rug line or your furniture line, who did that really fall on and how does the team get involved or not get involved to not interfere with client responsibilities?
[00:47:22] Speaker A: The girls in general are very hands on in, you know, a project management aspect of every project. And the custom furniture is just one small facet of that.
So they've had to, you know, deal with shop drawings a lot and kind of have more of a furniture designer eye than they probably thought they were going to. Getting into interior design, they always come to me and Dana, you know, and ask our opinions about how thick the top of something should be or how big the leg should be, or, you know, adjusting certain heights. But I think it's challenged them in new ways, which I think are really great in terms of just development for them on a, you know, personal basis in the design world is kind of understanding furniture on a deeper level.
So, yeah, it's been great in that sense, but definitely challenge them for sure.
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Looking back, is there anything that you would have done differently when launching the furniture and rugline? I know that it all is very new and so there's room for pivots even in the current, in the present day, but is there anything that you feel like, oh, if we had known that we maybe would have executed xyz?
[00:49:05] Speaker A: I mean, honestly, for me, it's like.
For me, it's like price point. Obviously, if we had gone out with the intention that this was going to be a furniture line that we were going to market, you know, in the industry, I would have thought a little bit about how we could make it a little bit more affordable.
But I think the great, you know, opportunity in all is that we're still developing furniture and now we're more considerate of these constraints and the new things that we develop are going to have
[00:49:37] Speaker B: that in mind for designers who are considering developing their own product line, most likely with either a maker that they're currently working with, their workroom that they work with.
What do you think they need to have in place before really taking that leap?
[00:49:54] Speaker C: I would say trust in the maker, because, you know, once you put it out there, you're responsible if there's any issues or Problems. And we all know how that works.
And you're buying it from, you know, a big box or a retail store. If there's a problem, it's theirs, but in this case, it's ours if there's an issue. So I think you just have to have that trust.
And yet and your furniture maker has to have your back.
[00:50:21] Speaker B: As you're starting to consider additional elements or like you said, you were looking for possibly an upholstery partner if you were to look into adding those to your collection. What are some non negotiables that you're like, they must have this, do this.
Obviously quality is top, top of mind. But is there anything else that helps you, Dana, feel like you have that trust with someone? It feels like you're such a gut reaction person. You can judge people so well. So any advice you have for us on being able to get to that level of trust when you're considering your partners?
[00:50:59] Speaker C: I guess trial and error. I mean, you know, as I said, I've had other people over the years make custom furniture here and there. But it wasn't until, you know, we found Tom that again, it was like when I met Erica and we just clicked, you know, personalities clicked and it's just been, we trust him, he fixes anything. That's, that's a mistake. It's never, he never nickels and dimes. I think that, you know, you just have to get lucky and find, find that person.
[00:51:27] Speaker B: I do feel like your ability to give trust in other people, I do think that there's something to be said about the quality of execution you're receiving. The fact that you trust Erica and Tom so much. I feel like they also step up to the plate that much more because you have allotted so much trust. And I think it's a good lesson. And you know, you have to be careful and you have to protect yourself. But there does come a point when you have to say, you've got this, you're the expert in this. I want to see you shine and, and really see what they put back
[00:52:01] Speaker A: out there for you comes from experience
[00:52:03] Speaker C: and aid and, and also being burnt, learning your lesson.
[00:52:09] Speaker A: Well, I also think that it's just finding the right partners that prioritize you. If you feel that energy coming from the other person that your priority and that they're prioritizing your needs and they're eager to meet them, I think naturally that trust just continues to grow and Tom's proven that from the very beginning. He's just been so attentive and eager and respectful of our work and what we do. And that's really helped. I think both me and Dana trust him a lot.
[00:52:43] Speaker B: Everybody's gonna be like, okay, and so what was Tom's number?
[00:52:49] Speaker A: No, he'll be like, tell him Tom made it. And then he'll, like, spell out his whole name.
[00:52:55] Speaker B: What advice would you give designers who want to add new revenue streams to their business without underpricing their expertise or experience?
And I feel like when people launch either collaborations or product lines, sometimes it can feel like, wow, that does not align with the type of work you're putting out there.
And there's this fine balance between, we want this to be able to be mass marketed or at least to a larger market than who we're able to serve, obviously, as a full custom client.
How. How do you advise that someone really find that balance that can keep their brand feeling really elevated while still exploring additional ways to have where you're not trading your time for every single dollar?
[00:53:48] Speaker A: I mean, to me, that lies in authenticity, just making sure that whatever you're putting out there is really authentic to who you are as a brand. And while maybe when you reach a broader market, the quality can't be the exact quality as we're offering, you know, our luxury interior design clients. I think that there is a niche market and being luxury but approachable.
And I think that knowing, wanting to keep our brand integrity but knowing, like, the avenue to kind of balancing the highs and lows is. Is really the. The secret to kind of expanding but not losing that, you know, what makes Bergman Moss refined, which are some of those details that, you know, I think are, yeah, less is more, you know, not overdoing it and not just kind of selling.
Selling your soul to, you know, the retailer just for an opportunity.
[00:54:48] Speaker B: We've talked about so much that you have just launched, you just moved, you're getting ready to launch more.
Can you share any exciting projects or additional launches, collaborations that you have coming up? As we wrap up the show,
[00:55:04] Speaker A: we
[00:55:04] Speaker C: have a couple of exciting projects on the boards. We're finishing a beautiful something that started as just a freshen up of someone's existing home that then turned into major scope creep and pretty much redoing the whole house, including hardwood floors. So that's exciting to finally finish that for our clients. And we're doing a really wonderful project down at the beach in Longport, New Jersey, that should be finished June and July, that the client has pretty much just given their total trust in us, and we cred carte blanche.
So, yeah, that'll be exciting.
[00:55:48] Speaker B: That is so exciting. I can't wait to see both of those projects. Erica, anything that you're. You're hiding in your back pocket.
[00:55:54] Speaker A: Well, I think I really hope that designers like what they take away from this conversation is kind of not being fearful and, you know, seeing the opportunities that already lie within their business and, you know, taking advantage of them.
And I think that we're super excited to share that we are hoping to be on the Expert by the end of the month. I don't, you know, we're hopeful that our furniture line will get on there, but that was a dream of Dana's way back when, when the Expert launch, before Bergman Voss was even a thing. And to kind of see that we've strategically really taken the steps to get their attention, not only just like, as, you know, an interior designer, but as a brand is something that I'm really proud of us for because it's an imitation only platform. And it's sort of seeing that full circle moment of, oh, yeah, we had this, you know, furniture that we were just designing, all of a sudden we, you know, went running toward this goal of putting it on our website and launching it. And now to maybe see that fully come to fruition and be on this huge, respected platform in the industry is a real dream come true. And I'm just really proud of Dana and I.
[00:57:11] Speaker B: You absolutely should be so proud. It is a really big deal. And I know the Expert at this point has gotten incredibly selective. So congratulations on that. That is so exciting.
Ladies, this has been so informative, super inspiring. I have so much to think about. I'm like, maybe I want a partner.
Thank you both so much for your time. I can't wait to see those projects you have wrapping up this year. And just congratulations on all of your success. It's going to be a wild ride and I'm so excited to follow along.
[00:57:40] Speaker A: Thank you. So I'm going to meet you and
[00:57:42] Speaker D: talk to you for more in depth analysis of this interview, including exclusive downloads, examples, and more. Don't forget to subscribe to the Interior Collective on Patreon. We are building an amazing private community of interior designers and industry experts open to candid conversations and answering questions. Join us on Patreon in the show Notes notes
[email protected] the Interior Collective. Thank you so, so much for tuning into this episode. Producing this show has truly been the honor of my career, and I cannot believe I get to have these conversations.
A big, huge thank you to our production team at IDCO Studio. And Quinn made. Your contribution literally makes this podcast feasible and the biggest thank you to you, our listeners. Your sweet notes, DMs and reviews mean so much to us as we work to keep our show free and always accessible.
Until next time, I'm Anastasia Casey and this is the Interior Collective, a podcast for the business of beautiful living.
[00:58:43] Speaker B: A very special thanks to our presenting
[00:58:45] Speaker D: sponsor, Laloy, the makers of beautifully crafted
[00:58:47] Speaker B: rugs, pillows and wall art, and to our episode sponsor and seasoned partner, Materia, the Design Design Platform, helping interior designers source materials, manage specifications and streamline project workflows.
