Community by Design

Barry Goralnick has been practicing interior design for more than three decades, but recently his firm, Barry Goralnick Architecture & Design, has gone through some changes. While his experience is mostly in residential projects, some potential commercial projects recently came his way, prompting him to seek advice on commercial proposals from a designer he knows through a private group, Designers Collaborative.

“My peers in the group give me invaluable advice, and that gives me more confidence, he observes”

More and more, designers and industry leaders are building community by forming their own small, selective groups or joining relatively young, exclusive design organizations, such as the Design Leadership Network. In these groups, designers share advice, resources and ideas.

“The design world has undergone major changes in recent years,” says Peter Sallick, CEO of Waterworks, co-founder of Dering Hall and founder of the Design Leadership Network. “There are generational shifts in our workforce and our client base increasingly expects immediate gratification. So, in order to demonstrate our value, it’s more important than ever for designers to show that they are connected, organized and engaging in professional development.”

Sallick founded the Design Leadership Network in 2003 to bring high-level design professionals together to work through common issues and challenges, such as marketing, business structure, managing employees and leadership. In the early days, Sallick organized regional discussions where designers shared expertise with their peers. Years later, the group now hosts an annual national summit that attracts hundreds of participants. Its membership

The Design Leadership Network's annual Design Leadership Summit draws hundreds design-industry professionals from across the country.

A room designed by Barry Goralnick Architecture & Design. Barry Goralnick, the firm's president, is a member of the private group Designers Collaborative, from which he gains advice and ideas.

numbers roughly one thousand design-industry professionals across the country. There is an application process for membership.

“Education is core to our mission,” Sallick says. “There are endless cocktail parties in our industry, but oftentimes small talk leaves me unfulfilled. I believe that sitting down with colleagues in a workshop setting, structured around a particular business issue, creates a much greater sense of connection.”

Then there are designers who are just starting their careers, who perhaps have an even greater need for connection. Just last year, the New York Design Center partnered with the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) to form a young alumni group for the school’s recent graduates. The initiative walks hand-in-hand with the New York Design Center’s efforts to support community events, such as the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, an annual charitable initiative.

Alix Lerman, the New York Design Center’s chief marketing officer and organizer of the NYSID alumni group says, “We believe in building a community. Part of that is reaching out to the new designer, who may feel alone, and arming that person with resources and expertise.” The group of about 20 alumni share the topics they’re interested in—such as how to use social media to market your business—and the NewYork Design Center, in turn, creates programming to address those topics, drawing from its vendors and experts in its network.

Top left/right, bottom left: The Design Leadership Network's annual Design Leadership Summit includes panels and presentations by industry experts.

Bottom right: A room designed by Barry Goralnick Architecture & Design. Barry Goralnick, the firm's president, is a member of the private group Designers Collaborative, from which he gains advice and ideas.

As these early-career designers build up their portfolios, later they may seek out a group such as Designers Collaborative, of which Goralnick is a member. The informal, invitation-only group of roughly a dozen designers has been meeting every other month for more than 20 years. (They’ve become great friends in the process.) Meetings start with an open call for members to share a new resource or discovery, such as a fabric or other material. Then there’s a discussion structured around a particular topic—contracts, employee benefits, ordering software and the like—and there might even be a guest speaker.

Goralnick says he’ll email the group when he’s looking for a specific resource—say, an upholsterer in Aspen—and it’s also been a great source of support. “In 2008, we were all in a sinking boat, with the economy faltering. So, we talked about how to drum up business during tough times.”

Top: Kati Curtis Design created the interiors of this bold, youthful penthouse in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood for two 20-something sisters. Principal Kati Curtis has participated in many different design groups, which have informed her practice.

Below: The wideopen, colorful second-floor playroom of renovated Artsand-Crafts-style house in New Jersey. The interior design is by Kati Curtis Design.

Below:: A townhouse in New York City's meatpacking district, with vintage-inspired interior design by Kati Curtis.

Kati Curtis, principal of Kati Curtis Design, has been involved in many different groups during her 25-year career. She’s been to events hosted by the Design Leadership Network and Leaders in Design, a group with a similar mission. She’s now part of Design Share, a small, private group, that’s similar to Designers Collaborative, and she’s been a member of the invitation-only group The Boardroom, which is part of Gail Doby’s coaching service for interior designers. She says that as her business grows, she becomes more eager to connect with other designers.

“As a small business owner, there’s a new challenge every day. If your firm is growing, every six months you have to turn on a dime to change your business structure,” she observes.

“I donʼt want to be doing that on an island alone. Iʼd much rather be doing it with the help and input of peers whom I trust and admire.”