Business of Home Podcast

Episode: The Thursday Show: Colin King is breaking out of the "beige box." Plus: What's behind the British design invasion?
Date: September 25, 2025
Host: Dennis Scully (A)
Guest/Co-host: Fred Nickelhouse (B), with featured interview: Colin King (C)

Episode Overview

This week’s Thursday Show opens with the latest industry news before a thoughtful conversation with renowned stylist Colin King. Host Dennis Scully and executive editor Fred Nickelhouse discuss the impact of a devastating Brooklyn warehouse fire, shifting dynamics in American design centers, and the growing influence of British design in the U.S. The episode concludes with Colin King’s candid reflections on creativity, identity, and moving beyond being boxed in by the “beige” aesthetic.

Highlights & Major Themes

• Industry News:
  • The Brooklyn artisan community faces a major setback after a warehouse fire in Red Hook.
  • Evolving strategies for design centers, with updates from ADAC in Atlanta and the Laguna Design Center.
  • The increasing presence and appeal of British design brands in the U.S.
  • A look at the history and future of “shelter magazines.”
• Interview with Colin King:
  • King discusses stepping back from a hyper-productive career, challenging the “beige” label, and finding new creative depth.
  • Launching his Substack as an antidote to aesthetic pigeonholing and social media limitations.

Detailed Breakdown & Timestamps

1. Catching Up & Monday’s Conversation with Sarah Spiteri (00:07–02:55)

• British Publications’ U.S. Reach:
  • Fred (01:43): “I was blown away to hear that 70% of the digital audience of Homes and Gardens is from the U.S. I mean, it’s crazy...”
• On AI in Media:
  • Hosts reflect on the need for personality and uniqueness in media as AI changes the industry.
• Media Transformation:
  • Dennis (02:42): “Let’s not frame it as this media decline, but it’s this transformation that’s going on.”

2. Brooklyn Warehouse Fire’s Impact (05:14–08:38)

• Devastation and Resilience:
  • A five-alarm fire in Red Hook destroyed dozens of artist workshops and showrooms, including De La Vega, Token, and Lenoba Design, who lost 900 pieces of furniture.
  • Fred (05:50): “It did just destroy [Mark De La Vega’s] production facility... He was remarkably philosophical about it.”
• Community Support Needed:
  • Dennis (07:22): “I hope people will support [the artisan GoFundMe efforts]... These people are resilient. They’ll figure it out.”

3. The State & Future of Design Centers (09:10–18:38)

A. New York: What’s New, What’s Next at 200 Lex (09:10–11:50)

• Growing Momentum:
  • Dennis (09:24): “It felt like there were great crowds. New showrooms. Great energy...”
  • Fred (10:05): “It really has become a very buzzy building. They’ve got Schumacher, Kravitz, Pookie… Thiebaud… a lot of momentum at 200 Lex.”

B. Atlanta: The ADAC Experience (12:32–14:33)

• Designer Community:
  • Dennis (12:32): “They’ve got great marketing… [but also] 40 design firms that are present in the building now… And now they’re kind of showing up all the time.”
  • Fred (13:52): “The community thing is great. Designers working in design centers makes all the sense in the world.”

C. Creativity Amid Market Shifts (14:33–15:22)

• Pop-Up Showrooms as a Trend:
  • Companies experiment with mobile/quick showroom formats to control cost and adjust to shifting designer needs.

D. Laguna Design Center’s Uncertain Evolution (15:22–18:38)

• Ownership Change & Mixed Use:
  • Pintar Investment Company acquires the center, hinting at future mixed use (“food and beverage offerings and daily needs retailers”).
  • Fred (18:00): “If you put in a hot restaurant in there… suddenly it’s fun… Maybe the future of design centers is more mixed use.”

4. The British Design Invasion (18:38–25:52)

• Why British Brands Are Flourishing in the U.S.:
  • Fred (19:00): “There’s always been a connection between the U.S. and England… but why now?”
  • U.S. designers looking for color, layers, and warmth as the “beige” era wanes.
  • Dennis (20:23): “The beige aesthetic was somewhat medicinal for people… but now I think people are longing for something a little warmer… a little bit more colorful.”
• Economic Drivers:
  • Brexit, high UK taxes (“non dom” issue), and slow European growth push British brands to target the U.S.
  • Dennis (23:29): “It was a haven for people to buy real estate in London... That has changed, and now that money is moving elsewhere...”
• Tariffs and Market Opportunity:
  • Fred (25:18): “It’s 10% [tariff]… a lot lower than a lot of other countries… so we’ll just fold that in and keep growing in the U.S.”

5. The Past and Future of Shelter Magazines (25:52–30:29)

• History and Transformation:
  • Origin of "shelter magazine" term (1946 NYT article), with publications reflecting changing needs and aesthetics over decades.
  • Dennis (27:18): “Domino magazine... was the last major shel publication ever going to be launched on that scale.”
  • Fred (28:22): “All of the energy and movement now is around TikTok and Instagram and Substack, dare I say it…”
• Tactility and Nostalgia:
  • Dennis (29:37): “Designers... get so excited to have [old magazines] in their library... you just can’t do [that] with Substack or digital.”

6. Interview: Colin King on Breaking Out of the “Beige Box” (32:38–58:48)

A. Personal and Professional Evolution

• Colin King (33:32):
  “If I had to describe this past year in three words… humbling, clarifying, and a little weird… I stopped trying to prove that I could do it all, and I started asking if I even wanted to, and spoiler alert, not always.”
• Choosing silence over relentless momentum; stepping away from his PR team and “contracting after a big expanse” to realign.

B. The Dangers of Being Labeled

• Dennis (37:56): “People beginning to wonder if, in fact, beige had you on its payroll—should we clear the air about that, Colin?”
• Colin (38:41):
  “No, no, it doesn’t… I’m not a beige guy… I let the architecture and palette inform itself... I’m definitely more than just the beige boy.”

C. Refocusing on Depth, Not Scale

• Colin (41:21):
  “I find myself most happy in collaborative scenarios with fewer people. I don't want a big firm. I love to keep it small, but execute big.”

D. Substack & Self-Redefinition

• Substack as a platform for deeper, more playful self-expression.
• Colin (42:22):
  “The Substack was really… a way to connect with my community in a new way... people think I’m very austere and very serious. I wanted people to know my friends think I’m funny... I’m much more than whatever I’m sharing visually on Instagram.”

E. Taking Creative Risks & Rejecting Gatekeeping

• “I’ve never been afraid of failure… I’m out of the results business... If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
• Plans to use Substack to share both strong opinions (e.g., against potted plants!) and practical sources for democratic design.

F. Finding Stillness and Real Enjoyment in Beauty

• Colin (49:51):
  “I was so in the production of the work that I wanted to start caring more about how the work lives in actual life… The stillness really resides in the pause.”
• Can he enjoy beauty, just for itself, without photographing it for social media?

G. Social Media Analytics and Personal Autonomy

• Instagram is a tool and portfolio, not his main income source.
• Colin (53:45):
  “I always advocate for people to put out the work they want to be hired for on Instagram… as artists, what else do we have but how we see the world?”

H. Embracing Discomfort and Continuing to Grow

• Colin (56:57):
  “It defined me. I had no idea that’s what I was doing in the moment, but that’s what ended up happening… If you’re coasting, you’re going downhill… As a creator, you always want to be a little uncomfortable.”

Notable Quotes

• On creative burnout:
  Colin King (33:32) – “I used to treat momentum like oxygen, and this year I tried treating silence like oxygen instead.”
• On social media and criticism:
  Colin King (45:18) – “People are disarmed face to face. It's just, I have thick skin, I can handle it well.”
• On redefining his career:
  Colin King (42:22) – “I don’t know about rebuilding or redefining, but just deepening... people think that I’m very austere and very serious. And I wanted people to know that… I’m much more than whatever I’m sharing visually on Instagram.”
• On aesthetics:
  Colin King (38:41) – “I’m not a beige guy. I know that sounds really shocking, but I’m not.”
• On British design influence:
  Dennis (23:29) – “Foreigners have played a huge role in the growth of Britain… now sadly that money is moving elsewhere where it is treated better. And a lot of these companies are finding that they don’t want Britain to be their number one market…”

Quick Takes (59:04–62:39)

• Tech/Business: 22, a digital printing company, now offers a sampling component to streamline launching new fabric lines.
• Industry Gossip: Afternoon Light ends collaboration with Anmore; show “Shelter” will return under just the Afternoon Light name.
• Design Pop Culture:
  • Joanna Gaines gets her own Barbie—a milestone for design celebrity.
  • Dennis and Fred will report from the opening of the new RH (Restoration Hardware) space in Manhasset, NY (“the Paris of Long Island”).

Summary

This episode dives into pressing issues and lively trends in today’s design community. From the heartache and resilience of Brooklyn’s artisans, to reimagining the function and future of design centers, to the colors and complexities of British design’s U.S. invasion, listeners get a sharp, timely industry update. The centerpiece interview with Colin King offers an intimate look at what happens when creative momentum becomes pressure, and what it takes to step out of the “beige” box—both literally and figuratively. With candor and humor, King reveals why he’s redefining both his output and his image, and why Substack may be the next best thing for creative minds.

Listen If You Want To

• Stay up-to-date on major design industry news.
• Understand how economic and social shifts are changing design practice.
• Get fresh, honest insights into the pressures of “being” a design celebrity.
• Explore how creative professionals find new depth, authenticity, and fulfillment beyond Instagram aesthetics.

For More

Visit businessofhome.com for news, jobs, and industry education. Catch Colin’s new reflections on his Substack, The Last Layer.