Disc Interiors on the secrets of a great design partnership

Interior design is mostly a one-man business, so when a duo get together and make a name for themselves, there’s usually a reason – lifelong friends who started a company; former colleagues who went out on their own; A couple with professional chemistry. Disc Interiors, a Los Angeles-based team of David John Dick and Krista Schrock, may be unique in that their partnership began as a design blind date. “We didn’t know each other before we started working together—we had a coffee date and we were like, ‘Let’s try to work together!’” It was very immediate, Schrock told host Dennis Scully on the show’s final episode. Home Business Podcast. “We worked on one project, a very small project that led to a bigger project that led to a bigger project – just keep going. … We had the same drive to build ourselves up and have a career.

Since that humble beginning in 2011, Dick and Schrock have built one of Los Angeles’ buzziest design firms, specializing in a distinctive California aesthetic that’s as relaxed as it is thoughtful. In recent years, the disc duo have partnered with Lawson-Fenning on a group; The company’s first book, A Study with Rizzoli, debuts in 2021; The couple is about to open a showroom for their furniture line.

In this episode of the podcast, Dick and Shrook tell Scully the secrets of a great design partnership (identifying unique roles is key), why they’re not afraid of AI, and why a step-by-step approach has helped them succeed.

Critical vision: The current era is dominated by Type A thinking. Entrepreneurs are advised to develop five- and ten-year plans, define their core values, and imagine that they are CEOs of a huge company. All of this is great, but Dick and Shrock have taken a more humble approach to their company, and it has worked. “If we had written a business plan, we would have been overwhelmed.” Dick says. “We went in blindly with a really strong work ethic, and every day we got a little bit of work done. I still feel like that’s really the key.

Key quote: “If it were just me,” Dick says, “I’d be paralyzed with fear (to take the next big step).” “Having that support from each other allows us to not feel like what we’re doing is really big. Like, ‘Let’s open a showroom!'”

Listen to the presentation below. If you like what you hear, subscribe to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This episode is sponsored by Loloi Rugs and Thibaut.

Meanwhile, in the final episode of Show ThursdayScully W Pooh Executive Editor Fred Nikolaos analyzes the latest in the design industry, including the new Ikea location in San Francisco, why homes are shrinking, and what the latest TikTok drama has to say about online design culture. Later, retail columnist Warren Schulberg shares his thoughts from the summer’s biggest trade shows.

Listen below. If you like what you hear, subscribe to Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Homepage image: Krista Schrock and David John Dick | Courtesy of Disk Inner