MoMA’s senior curator of Architecture & Design, Paola Antonelli, grew up steeped in the design culture of Milan and developed a sense of fearlessness from frequent travels to foreign lands. After studying architecture in school she landed in the curatorial arts without even aiming for it. She talks to Amy and Jaime about how she views objects as lenses for understanding the complexity of the built world and her passionate belief that cultural institutions, like museums, are the R&D of so...
Oct 31, 2017•42 min•Ep. 42
Product designer Ini Archibong grew up taking things apart with little success putting them back together, and cutting class to throw pottery. After a false-start in business school, he taught himself CAD, philosophy, and mathematics until he serendipitously found himself apprenticing an architect. That led to a degree from Art Center and discovering a love of designing furniture. Now he lives and works in Switzerland where he recently obtained a Master’s in Luxury (listen to find out what that ...
Oct 17, 2017•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 41
The President of Rhode Island School of Design, furniture designer/maker Rosanne Somerson was considered a rabble rouser in her youth for attempting to take a woodshop class while being female. Undeterred, she found her way to a BA in Industrial Design from RISD and built her name as a leader in the studio furniture movement. Now the president of RISD, having also co-founded RISD’s Furniture Design department, is carving new ways forward for arts and design education and championing the power of...
Oct 03, 2017•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 40
Interior designer and TV personality Nate Berkus reveals his favorite early 80’s fashion ensemble, his childhood obsession with hair product and how his youthful restlessness got him sent to boarding school and even landed him in jail for a night. He shares the big lessons he learned from his years working with Oprah and elaborates on his earnest mission to help people tell their own stories through their spaces. Oh and apparently he’s a “bad picker” of people, but he’s gotten help with that. Im...
Sep 19, 2017•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 39
Designer, maker and jack-of-all-trades Tyler Hays confides he was a weird kid with a sewing machine, a pansy garden and raccoon-skinning skills in the small town where he grew up. After a brief stint as a Portland art star, he ventured to New York and earned his keep doing odd contractor jobs. Now, the proprietor of cult favorite furniture brand BDDW, and handmade sundries brand M. Crow is on a mission to make everything he uses while bridging the divide between rural and urban America. Plus, he...
Sep 05, 2017•1 hr•Ep. 38
Legendary British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes tells Jaime and Amy how her early early textile designs were considered too extreme for the traditional purveyors, so she had to take manufacturing into her own hands. As a fashion designer, she pioneered the use of printed textiles as an intrinsic part of the garment’s composition. Now 50 years into her career, she attributes her extraordinary work ethic to her mother. Oh, and she has been known to frolic in the sea alongside Burt Bacharach. Imag...
Aug 22, 2017•51 min•Ep. 37
Founder and CEO of design brand Kikkerland, Jan Van Der Lande, tells Jaime and Amy that when he started the business 25 years ago his houseboat was HQ, and delivery happened via his bicycle. Born and raised in the Netherlands, it was a lack of farming opportunities that compelled him to pursue greener pastures in New York City. And even though his lackluster academic performance in youth was no indicator of his future success and entrepreneurial prowess, you still can’t convince him that 1 + 1 =...
Aug 08, 2017•45 min•Ep. 36
Architect and designer Daniel Germani took a circuitous route to get to his full-time practice. Along the way he’s worked in tech, media and got an MBA. He talks to Jaime and Amy about his childhood in Buenos Aires, grappling with his Catholic upbringing, and his passion for designing spaces that support clients living life to the fullest. Plus, he is fiercely (and hilariously) anti-tchotchke! Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and Jaime Derringe...
Jul 25, 2017•55 min•Ep. 35
Graphic designer and entrepreneurial super-hero, Tina Roth Eisenberg aka swissmiss, has always been full of ideas. Luckily, she channels her powers for good: like the lecture series CreativeMornings, Tattly temporary tattoos, to-do app TeuxDeux and the popular design blog swissmiss. She shares with Jaime and Amy the magic of finding and building community through non-transactional giving, the positive side of divorce and the benefits of keeping a desk drawer stocked with confetti. Images and mor...
Jul 11, 2017•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 34
Graphic designer and Senior Creative Director of Facebook’s Building 8 team, Josh Higgins, spent his SoCal youth surfing, enduring a painful homelife, and harboring rebellious angst. He found therapeutic release and success in playing punk rock music, and also accidentally found the pathway to his calling. Now, he’s a champion of social causes and connecting the world through empathy. Oh and remember when Obama ran for re-election in 2012? Guess who design-directed that victorious campaign? Go J...
Jun 27, 2017•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 33
Architect Craig Steely grew up tinkering in a family whose motto was ‘custom anything’ so it’s not all that surprising that he’s scaled that idea up to the design of buildings. It’s refreshing to hear him talk about how that mentality has informed not only his work, but the very nature of his architecture practice; a small, personal, agile practice that focuses on meaning, relationships, and… hot lava! Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and Jaime...
Jun 13, 2017•55 min•Ep. 32
Architect, digital designer, and design thinker extraordinaire Leslie Witt moved around a lot as a youth, which made her very adaptable, but sometimes resulted in fashion mishaps as a teenager. She grew up excelling at almost everything and therefore some of her toughest struggles didn’t arrive until adulthood. She breaks down those challenges with wit and wisdom and charms us with her optimism, humility and problem-solving prowess. Also, she explains techy stuff to us in a way that we can under...
May 30, 2017•59 min•Ep. 31
Furniture and product designer Brad Ascalon calls himself a rational designer and even though he initially wanted to work in the music industry, a heart to heart with his artistic father during a career setback started him on a path toward industrial design and he’s never looked back. He confesses that while he loves design work, the regular rejection that comes with the territory has sometimes felt like being dumped. He’s currently embroiled in a love/hate relationship with New York City, and h...
May 16, 2017•55 min•Ep. 30
Filmmaker, photographer and perpetual entrepreneur Gary Hustwit connects the dots of his DIY-driven path through independent music, independent publishing, and independent films, to his current preoccupation with non-fiction VR. Along the way he deconstructs the methods to his madness and expounds on the popularity of his trilogy of design documentaries: Helvetica, Objectified and Urbanized. Plus he teases a bit about his forthcoming doc about Dieter Rams, and confesses that an early disdain for...
May 02, 2017•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 29
This Old House Master Carpenter Norm Abram charms Jaime and Amy with stories of a youth spent building pinewood derby cars and learning the trade from his father, who lives on in the walls of the house they built together as adults. He got his start in TV by accident, but thanks to an unfailing dedication to patience and safety, that’s about the only major accident he can speak of. These days, he’s on a mission to bring today’s youth into tomorrow’s trade labor force. Plus, he reveals the secret...
Apr 18, 2017•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 28
Brand strategist, OG podcaster and all-around badass, Debbie Millman, traces the genesis of her branding talent back to the Stayfree packaging at her father’s pharmacy, shares the poignant details of how a pair of lime green Levi’s helped her cope with a painful childhood and just generally oozes wisdom and deep thoughts with every word. Plus, she offers a revelatory distinction between courage and confidence and has an enduring fondness for potato chips. Images and more from our guest! Clever i...
Apr 04, 2017•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 27
Furniture designer, engineer and manufacturer Derek Chen identifies his childhood in the midwest as the origin of his love for American design, details how he transitioned from his first career as a management consultant to his second career as the CEO and Design Director of Council, a modern American furniture brand, and celebrates the merits of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a model of ingenuity. Plus, he invented a technique for cleaning his room with a 2x4. Images and more from our guest! Clever...
Mar 21, 2017•55 min•Ep. 26
Interior designer and TV personality Taniya Nayak confesses to Jaime and Amy that she probably did some damage to the ozone layer in her youth, but it’s OK because she won first place in a high hair contest. With endearing candor, she opens up about childhood bullies, her struggles with fertility and how she defines success. Plus, while filming, she accidentally found a sex toy in a teenager’s bedroom, ew. Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and J...
Mar 07, 2017•49 min•Ep. 25
Fashion designer Mimi Plange talks to Amy and Jaime about being born in Ghana, growing up in California, and nurturing herself on a steady diet of fantasy movies. She's always known she’d become a fashion designer, but an invitation to the White House by Michelle Obama came as a total surprise. Plus, she's got cred with both Beyoncé and Jay Z. Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and Jaime Derringer with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Chri...
Feb 21, 2017•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 24
World-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind inspires Jaime and Amy with his eternally optimistic world-view and powerfully uplifting story of being born into persecution, immigrating to “the promised land” of the U.S. and participating in the space race. As the architect responsible for the master plan of the World Trade Center site, he composes memory in order to heal the future. Oh and he’s got mad accordion skills. Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy De...
Feb 07, 2017•53 min•Ep. 23
Interior designer Ghislaine Viñas talks to Amy and Jaime about what it was like to grow up in apartheid South Africa, how she accidentally landed her first real interior design job, and how she’s too adventurous to work for anyone but herself. Plus, she's not scared of anything. Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and Jaime Derringer with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Chris Modl. If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please cons...
Jan 24, 2017•1 hr•Ep. 22
Chilean-born artist / designer / activist Sebastian Errazuriz captivates Amy and Jaime with tales of his rigorous arts training, examples of his immaculate hustle and a specific method he employs whenever he needs to force an idea up to the surface. He’s as disciplined and driven as an Olympic athlete, and hell-bent on having us all re-think reality. Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and Jaime Derringer with music from El Ten Eleven and editing ...
Jan 10, 2017•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 21
Seth Grizzle, of architecture and product design studio graypants, tells Amy and Jaime about being the creative kid in a family that didn’t quite “get” him, how an art teacher helped set him on the course to architecture and why living on a boat helps him edit his possessions down to just the ones that make a great story. Also, he reveals the story behind the name graypants. Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and Jaime Derringer with music from E...
Dec 27, 2016•48 min•Ep. 20
New Zealand-based designer/maker David Trubridge, who is known the world over for his beautiful and environmentally responsible lighting and furniture, has wandered to the corners of the earth, soaked up all its glory, and pays homage to it in everything he does. Amy and Jaime are rapt as he details his life of adventures and poetically distills how they inform his work and his experience of humanity. A real salt of the earth, this guy. Images and more from our guest! Many thanks to this episode...
Dec 13, 2016•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 19
LA-based interior designer Kelly Wearstler recounts to Amy and Jaime the journey from creating and selling crafts in her youth to building her namesake global lifestyle brand. Along the way she's worked waiting tables, battled painful shyness, and become a hockey mom. She also describes her closet in mouth-watering, vivid detail. Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and Jaime Derringer with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Chris Modl. If you...
Nov 29, 2016•54 min•Ep. 18
Brooklyn-based architect Kevin Greenberg of Space Exploration delights Jaime and Amy with tales of culture shock while working in Japan, notes that decades of architecture practice has re-wired his brain to notice bad design, and articulates how he would one day love to build a site of sanctuary and contemplation. Plus, he concocts some creative and funny solutions to ridiculous problems in a fun game of Fix It! Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers...
Nov 15, 2016•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 17
Product and interior designer Harry Allen shares with Amy and Jaime how his childhood in New Jersey was shaped by frequent field trips to NYC, how he collaborated with chef Daniel Boulud to design his thesis project, and why he decided to cast an actual piglet for his now-famous piggy bank. Also, he's able to cut a really tight circle on a pair of skates, and we suspect he is a total boss in the rink. Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and Jaime ...
Nov 01, 2016•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 16
Textile product designer and entrepreneur Sandy Chilewich regales Amy and Jaime with tales of growing up in Rotterdam, being a child of the ‘60s and finding her way to founding the very successful Hue leg wear company. Now, as the head of Chilewich Sultan, she candidly shares the trials and triumphs that have informed her wisdom - including a panic attack at the public speaking podium. Sadly, no scotch was involved in this interview. Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and ...
Oct 18, 2016•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 15
Eco-friendly lifestyle expert Danny Seo talks to Jaime and Amy about how he found his true calling at 12 years old, how being famous in Korea at a young age helped him keep his ego in check, and how he navigates tough situations by trying to understand the underlying intentions. Also, there may be a snake loose in his cabin, and he really hates golf. Images and more from our guest! Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and Jaime Derringer with music from El Ten Eleven and editing ...
Oct 04, 2016•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 14
Mexican and American artist/designer/maker/activist Tanya Aguiñiga shares with Jaime and Amy what it was like growing up in Tijuana and crossing the US border every day to attend school in the US, how an accidental haircut during her troubled teenage years got her kicked out of the house, and how a dedicated mentor gave her the encouragement she needed to become an artist. She also recounts a few crazy stories featuring a clown, a bull and an eagle. Images and more from our guest! Clever is crea...
Sep 20, 2016•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 13
