Nicholas Obeid:
That was a very fun evening. I remember-
Sue Wadden:
Wasn't it?
Nicholas Obeid:
Nick Olson and Alyssa Kapito giving me therapy sessions, which was fun.
Sue Wadden:
The wine was flowing, it was a beautiful night. I wish all my work functions were like that.
Nicholas Obeid:
Yeah.
Sue Wadden:
So I like to start these conversations off by asking how did you get started in this design business? Where did it all begin? How did that shape you into who you are now?
Nicholas Obeid:
Sure, sure. I'll try to keep it brief. Generally speaking, I feel as though I was never not in the design industry. I always sort of knew this was where I was going, and that was made evident to me by family members that weren't as lucky. But I already knew from day one I was going to be working in this field and I was going to move to New York, and that's been a blessing, I've been very crystal clear on that. More sort of granular, I studied architecture for a year at University of Michigan. I felt it was a bit rigid and less client facing than I wanted so I transferred to Michigan State and focused on interior design. And in that program, I had an assignment to interview designers, came to Chicago, I popped into a Jonathan Adler store and met their head of retail. She saw my resume and basically went above and beyond what she was supposed to do and offered me an internship, not at one of their stores, but directly at HQ with their head of design and head of interior design.
Sue Wadden:
That's pretty unbelievable. That was a great start.
Nicholas Obeid:
Yes, it was a really fantastic catapult for sure. So I did an internship and seemingly won them over and I worked for Jonathan as soon as I finished school and moved to New York. I had a job working for him as the, initially assistant to the interior designer, who's a close friend. It was an amazing experience. I will say, it quickly expanded into managing creative services, so I was able to touch every point of the photo from designing the furniture to producing the shoot, designing the catalog, working on the marketing. So that job was very formative for me because Jonathan was great, he was such a mentor, still is a friend, but he really allowed me to dip my toes into every facet of design, which I now run my own business and am employing all of those tools I learned, which is great.
Sue Wadden:
Not many designers get that much experience to start, so that was a lucky moment. Not a lucky break, right? You earned that, but it just-
Nicholas Obeid:
Yeah, I mean it's always luck, but it's being prepared for the luck. So you have done the preparation before the opportunity comes. But I distinctly remember there's a day that the head of product design was out of town, and that tended to be the department Jonathan was most excited about naturally as we all are, and he wanted to see one of the iterations of a product he designed, and in her absence, I opened up AutoCAD and drew the table and demonstrated that I was able to use this skillset and quickly started working with her and him directly on product design.
Sue Wadden:
That is unbelievable.
Nicholas Obeid:
Yeah. Thanks to him allowing me. Yeah, it was really a great opportunity.
Sue Wadden:
Well, I mean, look, he obviously saw talent, right? He recognized that. But did you touch accessories as well? I love the Jonathan Adler accessories they’re so-
Nicholas Obeid:
I didn't. Yeah, they're super fun. I did not, I focused on furniture and-
Sue Wadden:
Furniture?
Nicholas Obeid:
Yeah.
Sue Wadden:
Amazing.
Nicholas Obeid:
So then seven years later, creatively split and also just wanted to run my own business, I always knew that was the path. So yeah, I started my own company seven years after and have been-
Sue Wadden:
Busy ever since.
Nicholas Obeid:
... going strong since. Yeah, it's been a great ride.
Sue Wadden:
So what's going on now? What are you up to? What's exciting? Where are you taking this business? I know you've got a lot going on, so you want to talk about that.
Nicholas Obeid:
So perfect segue from my experience at Jonathan, but immediately after starting my own company, I began working with CB2 on designs that we would commission that they carry, that they work with a lot of designers out of house. And so it was really fantastic to reach so many households with that type of design collaboration. It's really incredible, I know firsthand from siblings and friends and people immediate in my life that do not have access to a full scale interior design project and relationship with a designer that the impact that buying one coffee table can make every single time they go home, it can really not be emphasized enough. It's really an incredible feeling. And so in my everyday, high-end residential work, it's an intimate relationship with a specific family and then two years later there's this baby that we birth and that might change their life.
Sue Wadden:
Hopefully, of course.

Nicholas Obeid:
Yeah, with the relationship like that, is much more intimate and long-term. But with something like CB2 or even the furniture collection that I just launched, to be able to quickly have an effect on somebody's home is really... You can reach so many more people. It's just really incredible to hear that, the feedback.
Sue Wadden:
That was one of the favorite things that I remember about our dinner conversation is that you have these really high-end clients and you do this amazing work and it seems unattainable, but at the same time, you're the designer that gets out to the showrooms, working on site, doing installations, going to the paint store. We talked a lot about that, your process, that was what impressed me the most is that you're a really high-end designer, but you're not scary, right? This is your life.
Nicholas Obeid:
Oh no, I'm definitely on the floor dusting before the client walks in the room. Yes, absolutely. Hands-on and not above any part of the process, that's for sure.
Sue Wadden:
That's my favorite thing about you. So in this segment, we wanted to talk about this idea of modern luxury and what does modern luxury mean? There's words in the trend world of stealth wealth or quiet luxury, and we wanted to talk about that because for some of our listeners, they have no idea what that means. And so I think you represent that really well. So could you talk about, you've been quoted as saying your personal approach is considered yet visceral. So what does that mean to you?
Nicholas Obeid:
So that is more specifically related to interiors, and what I mean by that is at least the interiors that I work on, they have somewhat of an inherent formula. So there might be a super heavy set of furnishings on either end of the room, and then there's light and leggy and open and glass items mixed in to balance the weight. The same goes with the color and the texture variance, I think all that to say, sometimes you need to mess that up and that's when the visceral emotion comes in the process. And I think a room feels really dynamic when there is somewhat of a balanced formula, but then there's a wild card and it intrigues you.
Sue Wadden:
Yeah, I would say a happy accident, something that's unexpected that just totally changes the face of the room.
Nicholas Obeid:
Maybe it's a chair that the client, it's an heirloom in their family, and you begin to shift the design of the room around that and it takes you somewhere you weren't really expecting anything.
Sue Wadden:
Expecting to go.
Nicholas Obeid:
It can oftentimes be super dynamic.
Sue Wadden:
Yeah. So then what is the idea of quiet luxury mean for you?
Nicholas Obeid:
So quiet luxury, I mean this is perhaps a literal translation, but if you're looking at a room, it should whisper. It's not a loud scream of luxury. It's a Loro Piana soft wool, or it's not a big gleaming brass chandelier, but maybe there's a little brass cuff detail on a chair. It's a more desaturated, subtle color variation. It's a relaxed layout and floor plan, right? It's nothing too symmetrical and perfect. It's all beautiful things. I definitely believe investing in your home, but it is demonstrating that in a less pretentious way and a less literal way and really more about just sumptuous textures and materials. And it can be really, really expensive, valuable, rare, but it needs to be subtle and discreet and not so obvious.
Sue Wadden:
So if you had advice for a homeowner that maybe isn't working with a designer about investment pieces, where would you advise them to start? A thing like rugs or a great sofa? What's a good starting point to start to build?

Nicholas Obeid:
Oh, I mean the number one thing to invest in is your sofa. That's hands down, the first piece. I always at least take this approach in my projects, but the upholstery pieces are the ones you really touch the most. So that might mean a custom bed or headboard or a sofa that is a little bit out of your comfort zone and a little more than you maybe thought you were going to spend on a sofa but that's really something that can last some of them forever, many for generations, but they just have to be taken care of and you really have to choose a fabric that is of super softness and durability, and that's really what you're going to touch the most. The side table next to it can be $45 off an Instagram vendor or on Chairish, you found it at a flea market, and that's perfectly fine, we love to mix those in. But when it comes to upholstery, I think that's really where the value comes in.
Sue Wadden:
And the investment should be. I totally agree. So the idea of quiet luxury is understated and I dare say minimalistic, sometimes. Minimalism for quite a long time has been about that Scandinavian, very stark, aesthetic, but I don't see that in your work, your work is warm and very balanced and you have used those words. So how does color play in your space as well to deliver on this idea of quiet but luxurious?
Nicholas Obeid:
Yeah, I think this one is less of an intention and more of just my gravitation toward these tones, but slightly desaturated color that feels almost like a neutral. So to me, it's not like a purple, it's mauve, it's not bright orange, it's brick, it's not emerald green, but rather olive green. All of these that add dynamism to a room that if you first look at it though, you really don't consider it to be colorful, you consider it to be a pretty muted palette, but there is definitely depth of color. It's just a little less in your face.
Sue Wadden:
Again, that idea of the understated, that's why as a colorist, I laugh, this is the most colorful room in my space and it's going to change soon to be probably black or a dark charcoal because I get a little fatigued at color when you look at it every day and especially in your home. So I like things to be muted and a little unassuming at home because it just refreshes my mind at the end of the day. So is there a specific project you could talk about that scream or maybe whispered, like you said, quiet luxury to you?
Nicholas Obeid:
Yeah, honestly for this topic of quiet luxury, the most obvious answer for me is a piece of furniture from my collection rather than an interior I've done. And we can just use a table as an example, I have this table that's just made out of wood and glass, so seemingly super simple materials, but it's not the traditional way that you might see a glass. It's a two-inch thick like hot cast glass with this model texture underneath. And the wood is solid, but it has the grain brushed and it's applied with a white and finish. So every angle you look at this table from with the sort of architectural details in the construction, but also this varied glass glow, you catch it from a different light.
That's an example for me of quiet luxury. It's not a lacquered wood piece with brass cuffs and Greek key motifs and all the typical luxurious in quotes, sort of obvious glamorous things. But to me that's luxury, that's more quiet because you live with it, you touch it, you can feel how solid it is, you can view it from different angles and it just has this beautiful glow to it.
Sue Wadden:
So I love your description of the product development process. What's your favorite thing about that? Is it the material selection?
Nicholas Obeid:
Oh, I mean on the collection I launched this year, I'm so proud to say I've fully, single-handedly found the vendors all local in New York and California through many rounds. I've prototyped it, I designed them in 3D and with the specifications to be manufactured by these incredibly talented artisans. And I photographed it myself in the studio, I designed the tear sheets and I designed the site, and I just really have my fingers on every part of the process. So it's really them that teach me though, these artisans that make that table, for example, you develop it. And this is why I'm really big on physically prototyping rather than just a render, because you along the process realize that that glass shelf, which is stunning and super solid, but it does have some variance in the way it's poured, right? So if it's going to be somebody's bedside table, it has to be flat, they can't have their water glass sliding down the table.
So the artisan that makes this table from solid wood actually receives the glass shelf and levels by hand the wood niche that the glass sits on to accommodate the variances in the glass and make it level in the end. And that's something that I would've never really imagined as I was sketching this out, that when you prototype it, you learn.
Sue Wadden:
You learn. Well, where does inspiration come from? Is it just in the city? Is it traveling? I imagine it would be overwhelming. There's so much inspiration out there. How do you get to the essence of what a new collection's going to be?
Nicholas Obeid:
It's definitely overwhelming. For furniture specifically, the inspiration tends to be architectural. I just kind of think sometimes to a fault, but it's just how my brain works. But I really think in terms of geometry and form, and then I apply the material best suited to view that form. So I would say architecture is the number one inspiration for that. And when it comes to interior design, I think the client is often a big source of inspiration, just asking them what colors do you like? What colors do you hate? What do you want to feel like in your house? That's a great question.
Sue Wadden:
Yeah, good programming.
Nicholas Obeid:
That'll really just give you the answer right away.
Sue Wadden:
I love the idea of a different promise, product design, furniture development. That's so you, that's your vision into creating a product. Whereas an interior designer, you're a professional, so you're designing for your client. That's a very important distinction that maybe not everybody realizes.
Nicholas Obeid:
It is. And the process is sure to change along the way when it's an interior, whereas when it's furniture, it might modify based on construction parameters and hoops, but the project is inevitably going to end up close to what I imagined. Whereas the interior sometimes really they throw you for a loop.
Sue Wadden:
Things can happen. Things can happen. I'm certain everyone is going to go check out your website or we'll talk about that in a minute. But what's the favorite material that you're loving right now? From even just product or interiors? What's your favorite thing?
Nicholas Obeid:
My favorite thing that I'm really starting to incorporate interiors, not necessarily my product, is a nickel, like a mottled nickel or an aged brass, something with a depth to it, a nice warm metal, nothing too bold.
Sue Wadden:
Patina Soap. Yeah, we're hearing it here and everywhere. Everybody. Silver's just starting to come back a little bit. And then what about on the product side? Do you love wood or do you love mixed use materials or the combination?
Nicholas Obeid:
On the product side, I'm going to tout a pendant that I prototyped five times to get right, but it is parchment, so it's natural goatskin, and it's sourced in New York. It is sanded down to a thickness that is consistent. And then within the family of this artisan hands it over and a very talented woman stitches this shade to a hand-bent frame over the course of 20 hours.
Sue Wadden:
Oh my gosh.
Nicholas Obeid:
And it would be so much easier for me to just use a roll of parchment paper that's in the style of, but I'm finding a lot of positive feedback from designers who understand the depth of tone and texture to this parchment, which just emits the most beautiful glow as a lighting fixture. So I would say that's the one that is reaping the most rewards for the effort.
Sue Wadden:
Do you capture those stories in your literature or anything? Like the mark of your product?
Nicholas Obeid:
I try to. Storytelling is definitely important with product, especially of a certain category and price offering for sure. But I don't know that it gets across as easily as one would like it to.
Sue Wadden:
Well, it's hard. You only hit-
Nicholas Obeid:
I think these days you're inundated with product and it's hard to understand, but really imperative to understand the difference between a table that you can get for a hundred dollars, which is somehow still an expectation for a piece of furniture.
Sue Wadden:
Yeah, that's crazy.
Nicholas Obeid:
Versus something that might cost you a few thousand dollars and really knowing the story behind the artisans that are getting the chance to execute a piece of art with a lot of time and hand work is it's important to get across.
Sue Wadden:
It is. So some of your favorite places, are you a New York guy? Do you love shopping in New York or do you get to see shows outside of the US or what's your favorite places to go?
Nicholas Obeid:
So for vintage, Marche in Paris tends to have the most items that resonate I would say. For a lot of pieces in my projects, I'll custom design them and make them with artisans locally here in LA and New York. That tends to be the majority just because I get to exercise my product designer/interior designer at the same time.
Sue Wadden:
Well, and it's a challenge I would imagine, to travel because you are so busy. So how do you fit all those things in when trying to launch a new collection? So I imagine that it's difficult. I don't know. I can't wait to see everything that you're going to share when you share your resources. So final question, this has been amazing, but tell us, because we are a paint brand, what are some of your favorite colors? What are some of your go-to? Can just be generalized?
Nicholas Obeid:
Yeah. Lately what I'm really loving is a very pale, buttery yellow. I'm working on a cafe, you'd mentioned what's happening, what's next on the horizon for me. One of those is a 6,000 square foot wellness spa that I'm very excited about. And of course adhering to their branding and coloring tends to be quite quietly luxurious, of course for a spa. But in the cafe, we're working on a little bit more of an exciting color palette and one that I'm really, really loving is a buttery yellow.
Sue Wadden:
Wow. Well that's a little step out of the comfort zone maybe.
Nicholas Obeid:
Yeah, it's definitely a risk. I think in terms of Sherwin-Williams tones, there's one, for example, to get a little more specific, it's called Warm Oats that I've used, and that is a perfect example. It's kind of similar to this tone in my shirt, but it's like a chalky neutral, there's green undertones, so in different daylight it might read as a little more tan versus a little more green. But that's the type of nuanced depth in a tone that I look for that feels quietly luxurious, if you will.
Sue Wadden:
I totally agree, and I will say that the idea of khakis, so colors that I would consider utility are definitely coming out in the trend vocabulary, is something to pay attention to. And we haven't really seen those green undertone neutrals in a while.
Nicholas Obeid:
And especially applied in a more luxurious fabric, I love a silk in that tone.

Sue Wadden:
Just great.
Nicholas Obeid:
Typically, you would see that in a blue or stalking red. Yeah.
Sue Wadden:
Yeah, something super, super jewel tone, right?
Nicholas Obeid:
Exactly. Yes.
Sue Wadden:
That's what I love about neutrals is that you can get the elegance and the refinement in something super handmade, bespoke, amazing, or it can be a canvas sail cloth, and you could still have that full range and a color, and it can still be luxurious no matter what your price range is, it's how you style it and put it together. So this was a fascinating conversation, anything else that we can share with our listeners? One thing I did want to ask, so do you do mixed use? Do you do residential and commercial, or is this your first commercial project?
Nicholas Obeid:
No, it's not my first. I do get to work in both, and they're totally different. The cafe that I designed, it's in New York, it's incredible, I would love for everybody to check it out, it's called I Love Us. And that's something where I really incorporated a lot of color, but that cafe, I Love Us, just being involved in the branding design myself and the interior just sort of... I spent some time there watching how people interact with it and to be able to touch every one of the points that a customer experiences from the signage outside to the bag that they grab, the design of the counter and the lighting and the seating in the back. So that has been a really fruitful project, just touching every part of the process.
Sue Wadden:
That's amazing, but that is so much personalization from your hand to work on all those aspects.
Nicholas Obeid:
It is.
Sue Wadden:
I don't know when you sleep. Do you sleep or vacation?
Nicholas Obeid:
I'm actually really big on sleep, so that's a non-negotiable, but I do not come for my sleep, everybody in my life knows that. But no, the client on that one is a friend, he's amazing. And we actually took remnants of stone and broke them up by hand and arranged them into geometric forms. And then an incredible team in Brooklyn laid concrete over that. So we hand applied the broken terrazzo, dining tables, and it's just incredible. So he was a great partner to work with.
Sue Wadden:
See, you're a fancy designer, but you also get in there. I love that. That's so great.
Nicholas Obeid:
Believe me and him in the back of an industrial building with fake eye gear and a sledgehammer.
Sue Wadden:
Yeah, and that was like, I think you had said when we met the first time that one of your favorite places is the hardware store.
Nicholas Obeid:
I love the hardware store.
Sue Wadden:
Just go in there and lose yourself for a minute.
Nicholas Obeid:
Yeah.

Sue Wadden:
Yeah. That's so cool. Well, we appreciate your time. This has been very generous. We know you're a busy guy, so if people want to find you, give us all the things. How can they find you?
Nicholas Obeid:
All right, it's pretty straightforward. So it's @nicholas_obeid and the website is, nicholasobeid.com.
Sue Wadden:
And then that's where your collections are? Everything that is Nicholas Obeid is?
Nicholas Obeid:
All things Nicolas Obeid. So furniture, interiors, and photography.
Sue Wadden:
Amazing. Well, you have been a charming guest. I thank you so much for your time.
Nicholas Obeid:
Thank you for having me, this is so fun.
Sue Wadden:
Yeah, and can't wait for what's next. We'll be paying attention.
Nicholas Obeid:
Hope to see you at another Elle Decor dinner soon.
Sue Wadden:
I know, me too. In our next segment, we're going to speak with Megan Conceicao. She is our December Designer of the Month, and we are featuring a project that uses subdued quiet luxury palette in a hospitality space. Megan, hi. And welcome to Colormixology.
Megan Conceicao:
Thank you. Thanks so much for having me. I am so excited to talk with you.
Sue Wadden:
Well, we always start by getting to know our designers a little bit. So tell us how you got started in design.
Megan Conceicao:
Like most people, it was something that happened young, to be honest for me. My dad worked for British Airways when I was growing up, and so we got to travel a lot. And one of the things that I picked up on was the fact that we were always visiting monuments, we were visiting museums, we were visiting castles. And it was like this built environment that I knew was really important and I didn't quite grasp why it was important, but I knew it made me feel different things in different spaces. And most of the time it was feelings of awe. And so I think that put the bug in me that, "This is important. I think I might want to do something with this." And that's how it all started. But then I went to school, I went to college for it, and it's been nothing but interior design ever since.
Sue Wadden:
Ever since. Do you have your own firm or are you a one-man crew?
Megan Conceicao:
I am, yeah. So I spent most of my time in commercial interior design, all of my career in commercial interior design until about two years ago when I started my own little studio. That is just me and sometimes my husband helping me with technology things.
Sue Wadden:
That's amazing. Wow. Congratulations.
Megan Conceicao:
Thank you. Thanks. I have a small family and it just seemed like the right time to make the jump. I work from home, so it's nice to be around a lot.
Sue Wadden:
Yeah, that's amazing. Well, the project that we feature in our December Designer of the Month spread is the welcome center at the estate of Nemacolin. It's the reception area, that's what we're featuring. So tell us a little bit more about this project.
Megan Conceicao:
Sure. So Nemacolin is a big resort. It has multiple buildings, it's a campus of sorts. And one of the amazing things that they offer are these homes and estates. So you don't have to stay in the hotel, you can actually stay in a standalone home or they're really more estates. And so they wanted that portion of the experience to have its own check-in point. And so they wanted to renovate a building, which was the check-in point for their wilderness excursions. So when I went to Torrent, it was animaled-out. There were prints and it looked like a Lodge, I think the reception desk there was a block cut in half and it had its moment.
Sue Wadden:
It did. It did. It did, 80s lodge style.
Megan Conceicao:
Yes. They wanted a new check-in point for those people who were staying in the homes and estates.
Sue Wadden:
So how did you get to the idea of this quiet luxury as your first design principal? Was that a request to the client, or did you want to lead them in that direction?
Megan Conceicao:
No, so Nemacolin is luxurious just outright, but these homes and estates are a little bit different than staying in their hotels. And so I needed to bridge the gap and find a perfect balance of that grandeur of all of their main buildings and hotel elements that they have, but also make it inviting because they're comforts of home. So it was really the blending of those two that landed on that quiet luxury look.
Sue Wadden:
I love that. And if the listeners have not been there, it is a really unique experience because there's a golf resort and there's a major plantation-style main building, and every area has its own look and feel. So it's probably hard from a design perspective to unify those elements and have it feel cohesive. And with all of those layers of design on this big, huge property, the idea of quiet luxury is such an understated aesthetic. So how did you approach that challenge of evolving styles to be such an elegant minimalist expression?
Megan Conceicao:
So I really wanted to just focus on good materials. I think with quiet luxury, it's really in the details. And so I wanted to make sure that the smaller elements felt really special. I definitely utilized a lot of neutrals and high contrast so that everything feels special, but not one main thing is special, if that makes sense. It's a lot of texture and just utilizing really beautiful materials and good craftsmanship.
Sue Wadden:
Yeah. So talk a little bit about that idea of high contrast. For those that don't know what that means, what does that mean to you?
Megan Conceicao:
Sure. So the high contrast to me is having, in this space, there's one main color and it's a very nice creamy, it's lime wash from Sherman-Williams.
Sue Wadden:
Beautiful. I love that color.
Megan Conceicao:
And I basically pair that with very dark colors as well. So I highlight the architecture in this space with tricorn black and so it's like this creamy, and the black, the high contrast of the colors, I think really creates a very bold statement without it being in your face. And so I love a black and white sometimes maybe to a fault, but I think it really creates a luxury of feel.
Sue Wadden:
We have an annual color trend forecast, which we call colormix, and it's an annual expression of trend palettes and what we're seeing in the future, and we talk about it every year. And one of the inspired collections, one of our core capsules this year was called Chrysalis. And it really celebrates the idea of quiet luxury and everything that you stated, it was about balance and the idea of simple neutrals, but in all different ranges. So there were highs and lows, darks and lights, and coming together in this really balanced approach. And I love how a beautiful palette of neutrals is not boring, it defines a restrained space, but it's absolutely stunning when done right, and that's not always easy. So do you have any tips other than black and white on ways to layer in neutrals to create that idea of quiet luxury in an interior?
Megan Conceicao:
Yeah, for sure. One of them is just playing with texture for sure. I think when you start to layer in, it can be the same exact color, but when it's a semi-gloss on the wall and then it turns into a blue clay on an upholstered piece, they're very different, but they're the same tone. And just those layering of textures and sheens, really starts to elevate it a little bit. And so I think you can look at a bunch of neutrals like you said and think, "Oh, that might be boring." But when you actually play with the density of it all and the textural part of it, I think it can be really beautiful. And so I would say to not shy away from having the metals the same, the hardware the same, and the upholstery being the same, but just playing with that varied textures I think is really, really nice.
Sue Wadden:
Yes, it's really nice. And again, it's subtle like the idea that these finishes are layered together. So let's talk a little bit about sheen, do you have favorite sheen specs that you use on different projects? What are you loving?
Megan Conceicao:
I'm playing more with sheen than I have really ever before. Coming from the corporate side of my past work and commercial, it's like there's a lot of, "Here's your rules and this is what you have to do." But I think when you get into the hospitality realm, there's a little bit more fun you can play with, residential even more so. And so I think right now we're seeing a lot of that sort of... There are lime washes, so there's maybe even a little bit of variability in the sheen itself. I love the idea of doing a high gloss on everything that's been really beautiful recently.
Sue Wadden:
Yeah, talk about luxurious, right? It just looks so mirror finish. It's beautiful.
Megan Conceicao:
Yes. Yeah. Again, if you do the same color but you're doing maybe a flat on one surface and a high gloss and another, your trim is high gloss but your wall is flat, I think that could be really fun too because the color changes when light hits it differently. And I think that play is very subtle, but can be really beautiful.

Sue Wadden:
And done with the right color, it's amazing. But when there are maybe colors that are a little off that can be jarring. So understanding sheen is an important part of the specification process for a designer.
Megan Conceicao:
Yes.
Sue Wadden:
Particularly in hospitality spaces, like you said, there's always all these elements, there's always pattern, and fabrics, and materials, and different lighting, and it's always so experiential that those variations and sheens can really tell their own story. When you talk about the colors that you used on this project, were some of your favorites that you want to talk about and how they brought the space to life?
Megan Conceicao:
Yeah, sure. So I used lime wash everywhere.
Sue Wadden:
Can I tell you something that's like my hallway color?
Megan Conceicao:
Is it?
Sue Wadden:
I love it. It's a great color.
Megan Conceicao:
It is, it's beautiful. I love it because it's not a bright, bright white, it has some life to it. And so I think it pairs well with a lot of other natural neutrals, which is really what I needed as the field color in this space. One color that I love, and I actually put it on the exterior of the building in this project is urbane bronze, and I know it was the color of the year a few years ago.
Sue Wadden:
It was.
Megan Conceicao:
To me it's still there.
Sue Wadden:
It is. It's such a usable bronze. I love it. It's great on exteriors.
Megan Conceicao:
It's so beautiful. It's not black, it's not brown, there's no yellow, it's just beautiful.
Sue Wadden:
Yes, I agree. We love that color. It was a great color. It is a great color, but a great color of the year.
Megan Conceicao:
Yeah, it's beautiful. So that's one of my favorites. One thing that I don't think necessarily shows up in a lot of the photography of this space is we used night watch on this project in some casework, and that color is also really pretty because it almost seems like it's black until you're up on it and then you're like, "No, this is green." And it's a dark green. It's got a lot of depth to it, but I love those very minor color changes within paint that you can play with, where if you don't want to be a super bold in-your-face green to a color like night watch, I think is really fun because it's there and it's different, but you almost have to find it like it's a mystery.
Sue Wadden:
Yes, inspect it a little. So it's like a chameleon color, I love those too. And two of the colors that you use were from our designer color collection, which was launched right before COVID, and they were my favorite colors. So 200 design, literally we named it as a designer color collection because I knew designers would love it for just that restraint and those nuances that maybe a homeowner that's just looking for a great wall color wouldn't understand, but for designers, they really get those nuances. So any other thoughts on this idea of minimalism? I think coming out of your commercial experience and going into residential, I think that's interesting. Do you see homeowners interested in this idea of quiet luxury?

Megan Conceicao:
I do. I think people are ready now to get out of the white and gray world of flipping houses.
Sue Wadden:
Yes, a hundred percent.
Megan Conceicao:
That was really prevalent there for a while, everything was gray.
Sue Wadden:
For 10 years. Yes. It was a long time.
Megan Conceicao:
And everything was gray and white, and I think homeowners are now really... They're thirsty for depth. And so this quiet luxury is nice in the way that it's minimal, but you can layer a ton into this space, but it can be selected. So these can be your heirloom pieces, you can bring back your grandma's table and it's going to look very beautiful in a space that is just refined and edited in a way.
Sue Wadden:
Yes. Oh, that's a good word.
Megan Conceicao:
I think people are craving some coziness and something that feels like it's been there for a while rather than the like, "Oh, this is a flipped house."
Sue Wadden:
Agreed. Right. Those homes were sometimes antiseptic. They just felt very Scandi, so restrained, so edited that you lost a lot of the warmth. And so that's what I'm most excited about. Obviously, COVID had a huge impact on color and things got very natural and very nature-inspired very quickly, and that was important. And now it's pushing us into this new expression of neutral, which is much, much warmer. We're not going back to builder beige, I don't want people to be like, "Oh no, we can't go back to 2002." But it's like mushroom tones, it's like a new interpretation and this idea of quiet luxury has such importance there.
Megan Conceicao:
Yeah.
Sue Wadden:
So I love it. So I love your thoughts on this. This was amazing. If people want to see more of your work, how can they find you?
Megan Conceicao:
Yeah, so Leo Rose Interior Design is my website and then @leoroseinteriors on Instagram too.
Sue Wadden:
I love it. Well be sure to check out our designer of the month page that features Megan and this great project. And thank you so much for joining us on Colormixology. This was great.
Megan Conceicao:
Thank you, Sue. I appreciate it.
Sue Wadden:
Thank you so much for listening. You can find Nicholas at nicholasobeid.com and @nicholas_obeid on Instagram. To see the Chrysalis palette and other colors of the 2025 Colormix Forecast and order paint samples, visit swcolorforecast.com. If you enjoy the conversation, please consider subscribing, leaving us a review and telling the other design and color curious people in your life all about Colormixology. Tune in next time for another amazing conversation on Color Trend Forecasting in today's design world. See you next on Colormixology.
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