Nicole Lashae Hall is the founder of Thrive In Design, helping design-led brands grow through strategy and storytelling. She also hosts the Thrive In Design podcast.
The design industry is shifting and 2026 is not a year to play small. In this episode of the Thrive In Design Podcast, Nicole Lashae Hall breaks down one of the most important insights shaping the future of the A&D industry: we are entering a positioning era. With
Thrive In Design Podcast — Season 9, Episode 7 There’s a quiet frustration happening across the interior product industry. Brands are visible. They’re attending the right events. They have strong products. And yet… they’re still not getting specified. This episode with Adam Kubryk and Brooke Taylor, co-founders of
The design industry is not evolving quietly — it’s being reshaped in real time. In Season 9, Episode 6 of the Thrive In Design Podcast, Nicole Lashae Hall sits down with Amanda Schneider, Founder of ThinkLab, to unpack what’s actually changing beneath the surface of design, manufacturing, and brand
Most interior product brands don’t struggle because of their product. They struggle because there’s no clear path from launch… to specification… to contract. And in today’s market, that gap is costing you more than you think. Because while your team is preparing for the next launch…designers
In today’s design industry, visibility alone is no longer enough. Brands are posting, attending trade shows, launching campaigns—and still wondering why growth feels inconsistent. The missing link? Turning visibility into meaningful positioning that drives specification, trust, and long-term pipeline. In Season 9, Episode 4 of the Thrive In
The interior design industry is entering a new era. And for many product brands, the shift is happening faster than expected. Over the past few years, we’ve watched the way designers discover, evaluate, and specify products fundamentally change. What worked even five years ago no longer guarantees results today.
Design is more than a coat of paint, a beautiful object, or an aesthetic choice—it’s a powerful driver of business, equity, and human success. Yet, far too often, the conversation about its value gets stuck on the surface. In a recent episode of the Thrive In Design Podcast,
Interior product brands are doing more than ever. More marketing.More campaigns.More trade shows.More reps.More tools.More AI testing. And yet many leadership teams are quietly asking the same question: Why aren’t specifications compounding? This is the tension no one says out loud. Because from the
Most interior product brands don’t suffer from a visibility problem. They suffer from a clarity problem. Designers have seen you. Reps have talked about you. Your name has circulated. Yet when it’s time to specify, momentum stalls. Not because the product isn’t good — but because the brand
When brands talk about slow specification growth, the explanation often sounds the same: “Designers just aren’t engaging anymore.” “They’re overwhelmed.” “The market is saturated.” While all of that may be partially true, it’s rarely the real issue. Designers aren’t ignoring you because they don’t care.
For years, interior product brands have been told the same thing: you need more visibility. More trade shows. More social posts. More press. More samples in circulation. And yet, many brands doing all of that still feel stuck—busy, visible, and oddly invisible at the same time. If that sounds