Business of Home Podcast
Episode: Ray Booth on meditation, AI, and why “beauty is a byproduct”
Host: Dennis Scully
Guest: Ray Booth
Date: September 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features acclaimed interior designer and architect Ray Booth in conversation with Dennis Scully. Booth discusses his personal and professional evolution, the emotional and psychological impact of design, the challenges and opportunities posed by technology and social media, and how his new book, "The Expressive Home," signals a new era of intentionality in his work. The conversation traverses Booth’s career arc, from formative partnerships and industry shifts to his insights on meditation, authenticity, and the future of the design business.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Ray Booth’s Career & Personal Awakening

• Coming Full Circle: Ray Booth retraces his journey from his first internship with Southern architect Bobby McAlpin (now his business partner) to moving to New York and returning to Alabama as a partner in the now-rebranded McAlpin House.
  • "It's not about being a student anymore. It's about coming into my own and this awareness and this awakening about what I bring to this craft..." (02:58, Ray Booth)
• A Lifelong Calling: Booth describes an early, almost spiritual attraction to houses and design, sparked by his mother’s appreciation of beautiful homes and solidified through childhood sketching.
  • "I knew that I was looking at something beyond beauty... There is emotion to these structures and not just beauty." (08:28, Ray Booth)
• Finding His Place: After initial hurdles with the technical side of architecture school, Ray found his people and his purpose at Auburn University—and subsequently in New York’s competitive design world.
  • "It was a revelation. I have found my place. I have found my people. I have found my purpose." (10:10, Ray Booth)

Influences, Mentorship & Building a Brand

• Mentors as Catalysts: Ray credits mentors like Bobby McAlpin, John Saladino (“the painter”), and Clodagh (“the sculptor”) for shaping his aesthetic and approach, each contributing unique creative philosophies.
• The Evolution of ‘Brand Ray Booth’: Initially focused solely on quality work, Booth was nudged into personal branding by industry champions like Jill Cohen, which led to authoring books and launching product lines.
  • "Jill was really the launch pad that took me into having a book. And she's like, 'well, when you have a book, your book is the centerpiece to your brand.' And I'm like, I'm not a brand. She's like, well, get ready.'" (26:25, Ray Booth)
• Intentionality & Authorship: The new book, “The Expressive Home,” marks a deliberate new phase—consolidating intentional practice, deeper authorship, and a definition of “the McAlpin aesthetic.”
  • "There is intention. And I am someone who can practice beautiful architecture in addition to practice beautiful interiors and product design." (32:25, Ray Booth)

Business of Design: Growth, Change, and Identity

• Firm Evolution & Pruning: The firm evolved from a confounding array of partner names to the unified McAlpin House, a move Booth likens to the necessary pruning for healthy growth.
  • "Anything you allow to grow and grow and don’t prune gets gangly. It gets too big... Your roots grow stronger when you prune something back." (29:22, Ray Booth)
• Structure and Expansion: McAlpin House now has about 50 staff across New York, Nashville, Atlanta, Montgomery, and even a compact Palm Beach office.

The Emotional and Transformational Power of Design

• Beyond Surface Beauty: Booth reiterates that true design success lies not just in visual appeal but in emotional resonance and creating a sense of home.
  • "I always say that beauty is a byproduct. If we really do this work and we get this work right... it is the emotion that people feel that moves them." (35:21, Ray Booth)
• Design as Self-Realization: Booth sees design—and life itself—as an opportunity for self-evolution, encouraging self-awareness and authenticity in an increasingly turbulent world.

Meditation, Technology, and AI

• Meditation as Anchor: With the world moving faster, Booth turns to meditation to remain grounded and aligned with core values.
  • "For me, meditation has become a real way to get back in my body, my soul, my heart, to calm my nervous system, to realign with what is important." (39:08, Ray Booth)
• Ambivalent about AI & Technology: While acknowledging some efficiency in AI tools for writing and ideation, Booth expresses skepticism of technology’s ability to replicate human nuance or artistic subtlety.
  • "We're trying to work through the many insufferable sides of white... I'm not sure that technology and asking AI to answer every question that we have is always the best answer, because, let's face it, humanity's got to be part of it." (42:19, Ray Booth)
  • "There is that chance, humanity that exists in some of those selections... It is that choice which I do not know that artificial intelligence will have the subtlety to make." (53:24, Ray Booth)

Social Media, Clients, and Editorial Integrity

• Clients Are More Engaged—and Challenging: Exposure to design via social media and the internet makes clients more involved but sometimes obstructive, potentially diluting finished work.
  • "Clients used to hire you to do what you do... now through more social media, more exposure, more technology... A lot of clients are more engaged... There are some clients that it becomes an obstruction and you're not able to make a decision." (43:59, Ray Booth)
• The Challenge of Over-Choice: Booth warns against the “dumbing down” of design through unedited, content-hungry digital platforms, pushing for the designer’s role as an editor.
  • "Just because all this stuff exists out there doesn't mean you have to use it all. We all have to be editors in interiors and architecture, in life." (45:37, Ray Booth)

Tariffs, Supply Chains, and the State of the Industry

• Tariffs Disrupt Craft and Choice: Booth highlights how blanket import tariffs negatively impact artisan products, limiting creativity, increasing costs, and driving clients toward mass-market solutions.
  • "When you're talking about antiques and handcrafted things and artisan crafted things, the same rule does not apply. And the way this is being taken on is just one size fits all. And it's just ludicrous." (47:38, Ray Booth)
  • "I think we're going to be pushed into selecting things that are not maybe as bespoke, as special because of it. I think it will be a dumbing down of what's achievable." (50:24, Ray Booth)

The Resilience of the High-End Market

• High-End Market Remains Robust: Despite tariffs, high interest rates, and market instability, the luxury design sector remains buoyant, powered by concentrated wealth.
  • "I am exposed to a lot of wealthy people. They have more money than ever... I think the people who have it are spending it and more people have a lot more of it right now." (55:43, Ray Booth)

Hope, Optimism, and Personal Transformation

• Looking Forward: Booth ends on an optimistic note, expressing excitement for the next chapter, gratitude for support, and encouragement to remain hopeful and grow through change.
  • "If we're all doing that work, we're all new every year, there's something new to us all. So it certainly is that time for me." (57:27, Ray Booth)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It's time to own it." – Ray Booth, on finding his voice and authority within the profession. (02:58)
• "Beauty is a byproduct." – Ray Booth, on MacAlpin’s ethos and design philosophy. (35:21)
• "The challenge is not to get watered down into something weak… If you hire us, let us do what we do." – Ray Booth, discussing the hazards of over-engaged clients. (43:59-45:37)
• "Just because you can doesn’t mean you should… we all have to be editors in interiors and architecture, in life." – Ray Booth, on curatorial responsibility. (45:37)
• "Meditation has become a real way to get back in my body, my soul, my heart… to realign with what is important to me." – Ray Booth, on personal growth practices. (39:08)
• "I think as it stands now, we as designers are going to be more and more limited to what we can access… It will be a dumbing down of what's achievable." – Ray Booth, on the impact of tariffs. (50:24)
• "There is that chance, humanity that exists in some of those selections… It is that choice which I do not know that artificial intelligence will have the subtlety to make." – Ray Booth, on AI’s limits in design creativity. (53:24)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:58 – Ray Booth reflects on personal and creative awakening.
• 08:28 – Early influences and emotional connection to homes.
• 12:16 – First internship with Bobby McAlpin and the formative impact.
• 13:54 – New York phase, working with John Saladino.
• 16:08 – Booth’s modeling detour and the “sculptor” influence of Clodagh.
• 21:32 – Return to Alabama and transformation of the McAlpin business.
• 25:44 – Rebranding as McAlpin House.
• 26:25 – Jill Cohen’s instrumental role in launching Booth’s personal brand.
• 32:25 – The new era of intention and authorship with "The Expressive Home."
• 35:21 – The philosophy that “beauty is a byproduct.”
• 39:08 – Meditation as an anchor for personal well-being.
• 41:44 – AI, technology, and maintaining the “human” in design.
• 43:59 – Social media’s double-edged effect on client collaboration.
• 47:38 – Tariffs and their disruptive impact on creative sourcing and industry economics.
• 55:43 – The resilience of the high-end design market.
• 57:27 – Booth’s reflection on continual renewal and excitement for the future.

Tone & Language

Ray Booth is measured, candid, and often philosophical, mixing Southern humility with designerly precision and a wry wit. Dennis Scully draws out Booth’s introspective side, prompting his guest to reflect on both industry trends and personal transformation, resulting in an episode that is as rich in practical wisdom as it is thoughtful about design’s deeper purpose.

For listeners—especially those in the design industry—this episode offers a compelling look at balancing creativity with commercial reality, nurturing personal evolution, and weathering a rapidly changing professional landscape.