Business of Home Podcast

Episode: How Hendricks Churchill Found the Perfect Blend of Design, Architecture, History and Business

Host: Dennis Scully
Guests: Heidi Hendricks & Rafe Churchill
Date: August 25, 2025

Overview

This episode of the Business of Home podcast dives deep into the creative and business partnership of Heidi Hendricks and Rafe Churchill, the husband-and-wife team behind the acclaimed design and architecture studio, Hendricks Churchill. Host Dennis Scully explores how their distinct upbringings, mutual respect for history, and shared aesthetic sensibilities shaped their approach to design, business operations, and a new venture in hospitality. The conversation spans personal anecdotes, candid business advice, and insights into preserving and renewing architectural heritage.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Roots: Building Foundations in Childhood

• Family Homes Built by Fathers
  • Both Heidi and Rafe grew up in houses built by their own fathers, instilling an early appreciation for construction, resourcefulness, and the spirit of making do.
    • Heidi’s father, an artist with little technical know-how, built their home with barter deals and repurposed materials, creating an “emporium” rich in patina and art.
      • ["He just was never daunted by trying to figure something out. Where there was a will, there was a way." - Heidi, 03:36]
      • ["He would fund his project by bartering... Not unlike what my father was doing in good old Woodbury, Connecticut." - Heidi, 04:15]
    • Rafe’s family house was a timber-frame barn rebuilt with his father's construction crew — fueling both ambition and financial stress.
      • ["He used his regular crews and his regular subcontractors... It was seven days a week." - Rafe, 07:05]
      • ["We learned exactly what happens when you live beyond your means like that... The family part is far more important than the square footage of the house." - Rafe, 09:13]

2. Blending Paths: How Heidi & Rafe Came Together, Personally and Professionally

• They grew up in nearby Connecticut towns but only met after college—romantically, in a parking lot, and then through family home projects.
  • ["We met in the parking lot of a liquor store. Just like every great American love story." - Rafe, 19:36]
  • ["I go back and she's wearing these little cutoff shorts and a tank top and black clogs and operating a belt sander. And I was just like, smoking." - Rafe, 21:13]
• Initially, their professional paths were separate: Heidi was in PR for the art world, Rafe ran his construction/design firm. They merged as projects overlapped and clients requested both their inputs.
  • ["I was completely happy doing that... But then I was also pouring through magazines... It didn't take long before I realized this is maybe what I should have been doing all along." - Heidi, 14:20 & 16:00]
  • ["In this new model, it was basically always collaborating... every client benefits from the full package." - Rafe, 10:46 & 13:54]

3. Business Philosophy: Profit Over Revenue & the Value of Trust

• Rafe discusses the hard-won lessons from running a family construction firm — distinguishing revenue from actual profit, and the necessity of clear financial tracking.
  • ["Most important thing was being profitable, which I think is still not a priority for a lot of people, because they don't understand what profit is. They understand what, you know, revenue is, but they don't understand what profit is." - Rafe, 23:35]
  • ["If you don't log your hours correctly, we will not be billing correctly... Working for free is one thing, but when a room full of people are working for free... it's not a sustainable model." - Rafe, 28:19]
• Contractual relationships in architecture/construction are ultimately less valuable than genuine trust between client and builder.
  • ["The secret about contracts... is that the contracts that builders sign with their clients are worthless because the builder cannot afford to defend it." - Rafe, 32:21]
  • ["It's entirely about trust. And that's why you have to be selective, both sides, the client and the builder." - Rafe, 32:21]

4. Design Ethos: Loving History, Choosing Restoration Over New Builds

• Both Heidi and Rafe are aligned in their affection for historical properties and the unique challenges of restoration projects.
  • ["Anything that we've ever bought for our personal use or speculative project is the house that nobody else wanted." - Rafe, 36:23]
• They consciously moved away from new builds in favor of restoring and honoring old structures.
  • ["I'm more focused on the historic projects now." - Rafe, 37:44]

5. Expanding Horizons: Place in Mind Hospitality Venture

• Place in Mind is a new hospitality initiative bringing Hendricks Churchill’s style to a wider audience through unique inns restored with the same reverence as their private projects.
  • ["We're bringing the Hendrix Churchill brand to make it more accessible to more people — in a sense, democratizing it." - Heidi, 42:30]
  • The inaugural property: a historic nine-bedroom inn in Bennington, Vermont, involving local tradespeople and students.
  • ["So Place in Mind is a hospitality group that I am starting with Casey Sunderland... it would ultimately be a place... for fun and an opportunity to do a cool project." - Rafe, 38:59]
• Goal: 40 venues in five to seven years, scaling without sacrificing their unique design ethos or reliance on vintage, storied furnishings.
  • ["I fully expect to have 40 venues in the next five to seven years." - Rafe, 50:39]

6. Brand Identity: "Distinctly American" Design

• Their upcoming book and brand celebrate the American vernacular, especially in New England. Central is preserving authenticity, craftsmanship, and the layered history of spaces.
  • ["Our brand was really built out of our shared love and appreciation for the New England vernacular." - Heidi, 43:48]
  • ["We're after authentic experiences where you can go into one of our environments and it just sort of feels safe, it feels secure, it feels time tested." - Heidi, 45:23]
• Rafe prefers his architectural interventions to be invisible, in service of history and place.
  • ["I want to engage with those properties in a way that is 100% respectful and leaves almost no trace... I'm not entering into these projects to leave my mark in a way that feeds my ego." - Rafe, 46:23]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Parental Ingenuity:
  • "Where there was a will, there was a way." — Heidi Hendricks, on her father's DIY spirit [03:36]
• On Business Sustainability:
  • “If you don’t log your hours correctly, we will not be billing correctly... Working for free is one thing, but when a room full of people are working for free... it’s not a sustainable model.” — Rafe Churchill [28:19]
• On Building Trust:
  • "The contracts that builders sign with their clients are worthless because the builder cannot afford to defend it. ... It's entirely about trust." — Rafe Churchill [32:21]
• On Restoration vs. New Construction:
  • “Anything that we’ve ever bought for our personal use or a speculative project is the house that nobody else wanted.” — Rafe Churchill [36:23]
• On Scaling Hospitality with Integrity:
  • “You can’t own 500 hotels and fill them with unique art and vintage furniture, or so they believe. And that’s where we come in and we are going to do this and we’re going to scale it.” — Rafe Churchill [49:00]
• On Brand Ethos:
  • “[We want] authentic experiences where you can go into one of our environments and it just sort of feels safe, it feels secure, it feels time tested..." — Heidi Hendricks [45:23]
  • "I want to engage with those properties in a way that is 100% respectful and leaves almost no trace." — Rafe Churchill [46:23]
• On Ambition:
  • “I fully expect to have 40 venues in the next five to seven years.” — Rafe Churchill [50:39]

Timestamps: Key Segments

• [03:05–09:13] – Homebuilding parents; childhood influences
• [10:46–15:13] – Transition from separate careers to professional partnership
• [18:48–22:03] – Their first meeting and evolving collaboration
• [23:35–31:43] – Rafe on running a construction business, profit vs. revenue
• [32:21–35:44] – Challenges with contracts and importance of trust
• [36:23–37:44] – Preference for historic restorations over new builds
• [38:59–43:03] – Origin and goals of Place in Mind hospitality project
• [43:48–47:23] – Defining the Hendricks Churchill brand and aesthetic
• [49:00–53:08] – Vision for scaling Place in Mind, managing ambition
• [53:39–end] – Closing remarks and thank-yous

Conclusion

This episode gives a rich, candid window into the partnership and ethos of Hendricks Churchill. Heidi and Rafe's journey is a blend of personal story, creative alignment, and hard-won business wisdom — all culminating in a distinct vision for both bespoke design and accessible hospitality. Their meticulous respect for history, commitment to authenticity, and clarity on financial sustainability offer inspiration and practical guidance for designers, entrepreneurs, and anyone passionate about the built environment.